I awoke in my tent, after my first night of camping down in South Somerset. My intention for this day was simple: leave the car alone and go for a walk that explores the immediate landscape. I’d already highlighted a nearby river that I could use as a guide to lead me on to Langport and back.
I’ve driven down in the southern half of Somerset for a few days, in the second-half of the week I’d booked off work for tackling The Ridgeway (which was, of course, cut short and put on hold). My day had begun with a visit to the National Trust-owned Montacute House (one of those long-term goals, finally ticked off) and, leaving my car in the parking area, I decide to venture off and explore the surrounding countryside.
For the fifth year running, I had signed up for Weston Hospicecare’s Mendip Challenge event. I read that over nine-hundred people took part this year, walking anywhere between five and thirty-miles on the day. I was set for yet another thirty-miler and hopped on to one of the four coaches laid out for our early start.
Close to eighteen-months after buying the Ordnance Survey map, I found myself heading to Dartmoor for the very first time, with the intention of staying for the full weekend.
My plan was to begin with a ten-mile walk that would take in some of the highlights to the north of the moors, including Yes Tor and High Willhays, the highest point.
Walks With Olly 