Ivybridge to Hickaton Hill

With Anya starting a new job shortly, we’d taken the opportunity to take some holiday and decided it should be possible to walk the Two Moors Way, a 100 mile route from the southern tip of Dartmoor National Park at Ivybridge, to the north of Exmoor National Park at Lynmouth. We thought that if we planned for wild-camping and self-sufficiency then it should be possible regardless of the uncertainty surrounding what would and wouldn’t be open. 

Yesterday we booked our train tickets to Ivybridge for the start of the Two Moors Way. In an unusual reversal of roles, I’d opted for frugality and booked the earlier train, saving us 50%, but departing much earlier.

We woke up at 5:30 and after a quick shower and breakfast left for Temple Meads, catching the 06:44 direct train to Ivybridge. It was mostly empty, but we still wore our masks as required.

Leaving the train at Ivybridge around 9am, we struggled briefly with the indecision about what to wear in the light, intermittent drizzle. Eventually opting for a rain coat, but no waterproof trousers we hit the road. After a sort walk from the station we turned right into Dartmoor National Park, and onto a land rover track which we’d end up following for most of the morning.

Further up the cloud was heavier and although we could see ahead of us, there was little we could see in the way of scenery. Occasionally the track would give way to river and we’d have to detour round the edge.

For lunch we managed to shelter behind an old wall of a former industrial building, sheltering from the wind while we tucked into our sandwiches.

Back on the route, the cloud had lifted and we had a little more of a view over the moorland. A hill appeared into view, which we thought resembled more the pointy volcanic peaks of Iceland than the rolling hills behind it. On inspection of the map, however we found it was instead a disused spoil heap of the Red Lake China Clay Works, now camouflaged into the backdrop.

We didn’t walk too much further that afternoon. The next section of the route will take us through Holne, and outside of Dartmoor’s  permitted wild camping area so we opted for a shorter day, instead of one that would have been too long. It also eased us gently back into hiking.