Dartmoor Day 3

Drove half an hour to Princetown this morning which lies right in the heart of the moor. The approach was as scenic as it can get with wide views of the moor making it impossible for me to suppress a "Whoah".
Parked at the visitor centre and set off at 10:30. No rush. There were quite a few mountain bikers and hikers around. This seems to be a hub for outdoor activities as well as Sunday/bank holiday family strolls. Still, as soon as I hit another ex-railway path I only met very few people. 
The going on the gravel path was easy and views amazing, being quite a mixture of my day 1 and 2 rides. The strong consistant breeze was a bit unnerving but couldn't spoil my happiness.  Rode a loop around King's Tor, climbed it and followed the bridleway then to Burrator Reservoir.
The smell of wood was quite a welcome difference and I rode around the lake at a leisurely pace enjoying the sun that had come out. Short break at the waterfront before I set off to tackle part two of today's ride. So far no real ascent and no rocky bits. This was going to change.
First a tarmac and then  very rocky path led more or less straight up eventually veering north towards Princetown. Rode some, pushed some, rode some again. The going was a bit slow but looking back the view got ever better. Vast bleak hills again, a few old stone walls and the odd cow/sheep/horse. This is Dartmoor.
Back in Princetown my venture to its famous prison was stopped by a sign making it clear that passing it may have some unpleasant consequences. Boo! Went to a café instead and couldn't resist to order a cappucino and an apple pie that I discovered happily was drowning in custard, when placed in front of me.
Will drive down to Halwell to meet up with some friends of mine who are on a Devon/Dartmoor holiday with a group. Will have dinner and then drive home hopefully without any incident!

Dartmoor Day 2

After another night at lovely Meadowlea B&B I packed my stuff into the car but left it parked since I wanted to cycle another two routes from my guidebook nearby.
First went a good 5 miles along the Granite Way which is just like the Bristol Bath cycle path a former railway path that was covered in tarmac to be used by cyclists. The weather was excellent from the start with some sun and clouds but the later the day better it got up to a clear blue sky from mid afternoon on. Yeah!
Views were really nice and the going quite easy all the way from Okehampton to Lydfort. Had a short break at Lydfort Castle which was first used by Normans as a prison before it was turned into a keep. I really wanted some milk and chocolate but there was no village shop to be found. Instead I had a coffee and a piece of raspberry chocolate brownie at a small cafe at the Lydfort Gorge car park.
Then set off into the backcountry climbing a steep grassy slope at first which had me out of my breath in no time. Grass looks nice, is nice for walking, but with a bike the going is so slow and feels like someone's pulling you back that it took me ages to reach the top.
This way I could at least enjoy the excellent views to the north with green farmland as far as the horizon. Kept on going on a rocky bridlepath, past a farm, then on a small country lane to Peter Tavy and Mary Tavy, then turning back to Lydfort again. Really enjoyed the ride as it was very different from the day before. Lots of different underground to ride on and lots of different things to rest your eyes on.
Back in Lydfort I took the Granite Way back to Sourton and had a pint and a piece of lemon pie in one of the coolest pubs I've ever seen. It's hard to describe. It was a mixture of a pirate tavern and a witch's house with the most funny woman behind he bar.
Rode some more grassy and stony tracks back to Meldon Reservoir and finally back to Okehampton,  got into the car and drove to Gunnislake near Tavistock where I had booked a room in a small hotel the night before. Why camp now on my last night,  hehe.
Done 54km today. Not bad.  Didn't feel as tired as the day before but still just relaxed in my room, watched some snooker on tv and had a pint later on down in the hotel pub talking to the barman about travelling, exchanging stories.

Dartmoor Day 1

After a lovely night with the softest linen I ever had the pleasure to sleep with breakfast didn't disapoint at all. I got scrambled egg with smoked salmon. Woah! I love this B&B!!! Meadowlea on 65 Station Road.... if you ever want to stay in Okehampton ;)
Took my time getting ready and finally set off at 9:30.
Unfortunately the promised sun didn't show up. I still went on a nice 24km loop directly from Okehampton all the way south deep into the moor to Dinger Tor and back. I had just put new pedals onto my bike the other day and together with my new shoes I felt a lot better and more stable. Those sneaker-like shoes feel almost like glued to the pedal once they connect to it but I can still change my position on the pedal. This is as good as it gets without using click pedals.
Cycled through some park-like scenery and ascended a steep tarmac road to Belstone that I really couldn't do in one go. Dammit, I'm not in shape, Turned onto the famous Tarka Trail for a bit nd was now finally in proper wilderness.
The going on the rough bridleway was fun and I enjoyed the bleak scenery. In fact, there was such a distinct absence of scenery that hit me like a wave once I realized it. Barren hills with some stones on it here and there. That's it. It took a while to take effect, but once this almost complete nothingness had fully engulfed me, relief washed over me. My mind and soul were at peace, just resting for a while. It was almost as if all the unrest, the troubles, my very thoughts had been taken away by the vast emptiness round me.
So I just cycled on, a happy grins on my lips, with sceaming thighs on steep ascends and flapping shorts on equally steep descends. Took a small detour to Dinger Tor since I wanted to see one of those Tor-things up close. Quite interesting stones shapes. Decided to ask the net how hey came to be and why they're.

My guide book had labeled this route as a tour for a whole day. I was back at 2:30pm. Didn't do any of the shorter tracks nearby,  but had a tea and a biscuit in my room (biscuit refill, I love this B&B) instead before heading out to have a look around Okehampton.

Had a look at the rather impressive ruins of the castle but there is not much else to see in Okehampton so went back to my B&B rather early to relax, watch some tv and blog. Right jow at 7pm the sun comes out. Arg. Hopefully, the weather will preserve until tomorrow.

Fate

Dragged my fully stuffed backpack, my fully stuffed bike backpack and my bike to the rental car service on Friday morning to pick up a nice VW Passat estate.
Drove to work and couldn't wait to finish to drive down to Okehampton and start my long weekend. Left quite on time shortly after 5pm. I had just turned into a narrow lane my google phone nav sent me through when I heard a loud crashing noise from the left. Oh no! I couldn't see any damage but still parked the car at the next possible spot to have a look. The front left tire ws completely flat with a gaping hole as big as a 2 pound coin. Woah, shit! There was no further damage around which was quite lucky still I had no idea what I had hit.
It had been ages since I last changed a tire. Called my colleague Ian for help since I wasn't far from my workplace yet and he is a car lover. I prepared everything and in the 15 minutes I waited for him two people offered help. One had his arm in a sling, , haha.
With Ian's help the swap was no problem. Phoned the hire company and then set off much later than intended. Arg. The M5 southbound was as packed as expected but cars where still rolling. Spend a couple of minutes passing an accident on the A30 and finally arrived at the Okehampton Youthhostel shortly before 9pm.
Unfortunately reception had closed at 8pm. Another misfortune. Walked around the house a bit just to see a group of young adults having some kind of party in the breakfast room. Errrr. Googled a B&B in Okehampton and was lucky for the first time today. Maybe fate wanted to point me into the right direction by first delaying me and then denying me the hostel.
I found a very cosy B&B just down the road from the hostel, the very friendly host had a room for me with the most comfy bed, a small tv and a spotlessly clean shared bathroom that I actually had to share with no one, haha. £32 per night. I immediately decided to make that two nights then, yeah!
So I settled in, watched some tv and was happy with me and the world. No wet tent in the morning and certainly no noisy adolescents,  ha!