Our original plan to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather by visiting Wistman’s Wood had to be abandoned after we found the Two Bridges car parking spaces completely full. Instead we headed down towards Whiteworks, where we ate a picnic lunch and set off for a short walk along a nearby footpath to enjoy the views.

Although we’d chosen our route pretty much at random, and mainly on the basis that it looked easy for me to cope with, it turned out to be an inspired choice and led us towards Nun’s Cross, or Siward’s Cross as it’s also known. The building in the picture is Nun’s Cross Farm, and Siward’s Cross is visible on the path to the right.

After I got home and did a search online I discovered that this is the oldest and largest of all the Dartmoor crosses, so finding it by chance was wonderfully lucky. Tim Sandles’ brilliant ‘Legendary Dartmoor’ website has all the necessary information here…

It seemed like a good place to take a photo of Tom and Lil. We weren’t able to decipher the writing on the cross, although Lil’s guess of ‘Bug Land’ came close and really should have given us a clue. It’s generally agreed to read ‘BocLonD’, and may refer to Buckland Abbey, but it’s clear from the Legendary Dartmoor entry that there are many possible theories around.

The usual bleached post-winter colouring of the moor has been made more dramatic this year by the fact that we haven’t had as much rain as usual. This view to the north east of the Whiteworks road was taken as we were on our way back from Siward’s Cross.

A second attempt at the Wistman’s Wood car parking showed it hadn’t got any emptier, so we continued to Bellever Forest and headed up towards Laughter Hole Farm (a name that calls for some research…). We saw a big fox silhouetted on the track some distance ahead of us, and when it turned and moved away through patches of sunshine its coat lit up bright russet.

It’s always a surprise to me how swiftly Dartmoor changes in a very short distance, especially when travelling on foot – during the first part of the day conditions altered in moments from chilly and wind-battered to hot and sun-baked. At Bellever some parts of the forest were windy, dry and hot, but in other places the air was damp and full of the scent of pine trees. Laughter Hole Farm occupies a lovely position high above the East Dart Valley, and sitting on some piled timber listening to siskins and crossbills and soaking up the afternoon sunshine before heading back to the car made a perfect way to finish the day.

The weather was poor on Air Show day this year and some of the afternoon displays had to be cancelled. I was planning to go out at 08.30 to take photos of the helicopters coming in to Smuggler’s Inn field, which I hadn’t managed to do in previous years, but it was raining hard first thing so I abandoned that idea. I eventually went down at about 11.00 and got these two pictures. The Lynx was doing a demo for photographers but the Sea King was actually heading out on a rescue call – two girls fell off the sea wall down by Boat Cove and needed medical attention. The tide was out and they fell about 15ft onto to the beach, but luckily they weren’t badly hurt. (See Dawlish Gazette website for the full story.)

Luscombe Castle was designed by John Nash in 1800, for the banker Charles Hoare. The chapel, by Sir George Gilbert Scott, was added in 1862. Pevsner describes it as ‘Plain outside; inside Scott’s solid early Gothic, with apsidal east end and sexpartite vault, and a north arcade sumptuously adorned with marble shafts to the piers and carved capitals.’ He also mentions the ‘Good stained glass’, but makes no comment on the elaborate metalwork which is such an attractive feature of the interior.

Find further information at the British Listed Buildings website.

Note: Luscombe Castle is a private home and is not open to the public. However, the grounds and chapel are usually opened two or three times a year to raise funds for local charities.

Sir George Gilbert Scott also designed the Hoare family mausoleum in the churchyard of St Gregory the Great, Dawlish – see previous blog posts here and here.

A cold morning on Aller Hill, Dawlish.

Tottiford was the first reservoir to be constructed on Dartmoor and was completed in 1861. It was drained in 2009 and is still partly empty.

Lichen growing on a blackthorn bush.

In the conifer plantation above the reservoir.

Fly agaric Amanita muscaria

Looking north from Tottiford’s central bridge. In November 2009 a prehistoric ceremonial complex was discovered in the southern section of the reservoir after water levels were temporarily lowered. In August 2010 Channel 4′s Time Team carried out a 3-day investigation of the site and the programme is due to be screened in 2011 as part of the Dartmoor National Park’s 60th Anniversary celebrations.

An article with more information, photos, links and comments is available at the Megalithic Portal.

Trenchford is one of eight reservoirs on Dartmoor and was constructed in 1907. Looking south-east from the northern end – 07.36 BST.

A view north-west from the bridge -  sunlight just beginning to catch the tops of the trees.

Larch trees in the plantation above the reservoir at about 08.00.

A sunnier view from the bridge at 08.40.

The hazel bush that I planted in March 2009 has produced its first crop.