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I picked this spot near Burrator reservoir, inspired by the lovely posts of the area from @Rachelburch who I heartily reccomend you follow.

I'm starting off from Norsworthy Bridge, and have a rough plan to explore the valley Narrator brook runs through.

Straight off the bat I take a path that fizzles out into fields. It was supposed to be Middleworth lane.

Still some lovely views

I find a gap in wall that brings me back to the lane.

I come onto the lane via a small Tor and am greeted by this ruin. This lane is scattered with remains of farms and settlements from various eras. Lots of cool foliage, violets a plenty, which I can never capture the colour of!
And this beech tree which was HUGE! Wider than my arm span!

I decide the lane is not adventurous enough, and although I wasn't going to go "up hill" today, I veer off up to Down Tor, as the path leading off looks more exciting, and the Tor not TOO high.

It's a fairly easy #walk up to this low Tor, probs where it's name comes from. The land is littered with Tinners gerts, gullys cut into the earth to mine tin from just below the surface. Some are quite windy and fun to explore. Some are just dead ends with troll boulders left to defend them.
#walking

While I'm traipsing up to the Tor summit, a family of 3 emerge. I spot the dad first, stood, arms spread wide (he's not spotted me) singing at the top of his lungs in something that sounds like Arabic. His wife is #walking ahead of him, laughing. Later I spot their little girl, taking inspiration from her dad, shouting to the sky in the same language.

The three of them are joy filled and honestly this might be the highlight of the #walk. More singing loudly to the heavens on #hikes please.

Having reached the top I decide the Tor is a good pit stop for my snack.

I notice that the trees across the valley, while mostly pines, have a circle of lime coloured beech growing amongst them. The OS map doesn't give me many clues, it doesn't seem to match the land boundaries, but maybe these are outgrown beech hedges?

This is Roughtor Plantation and my vague plan involves going back through it.

As I'm having my snack I hear a cuckoo...
And then I realise I spotted something on the map.
Yes mates. Actual Cuckoo Rock!

Well I'm going to have to head out to find that aren't I?

I can see across the moor to Combshead Tor and the smattering of rocks bewteen that must be the land of our cockoo... also promise of "settlement" and "cairns" and other snippets entice me to head off towards the next Tor

Right a little note on #maps

I read an article years ago on how the maps we use shape the way we see the world, the choices we make and our relationship with our environment. I believe this is entirely true.

When I'm out #walking I like to use a mix of Google satellite view and a good old OS and this because as great as OS is, it doesn't paint the entire picture. Likewise Google is flawed. But together I get a good overview.

Case in point: where OS had noted "Cairns" google had "stone circle"

Now I'm not overly interested in a cairn, but damn straight I'll trudge out of my way to visit a stone circle.

With this new info gathered I plot a route to visit the "settlement" between the Tors and then to go find the stone circle.

OS does have stone row noted next to cairns so I figure even if google is wrong there'll be something to see.

Off we go

The settlement is amongst newer drystone wall enclosures, many with tinners pits in them. But this ring of stone wall contains small stone rings amongst it, clearly marking where dwellings stood.

I spot 2 cuckoos strutting in and out the blackthorn, calling loudly.

I stand and admire the settlement a while and try and imagine what the landscape looked like.

Then I turn up the hill in search of the circle

I crest the hill and it's clear we're on the moor proper. The grass changes to swathes of sandy tufts. The wind is freer.
And here, beyond the crest in a dip, hidden from Down Tor, is the circle. A few cattle graze nearby, but other than them there is suddenly a sense of isolation. It's welcome. The stones seem to demand it.

Later at home I read this excellent blog that includes information on their alignment with the sun. https://www.dartmoorcam.co.uk/CAM/previouswalks/2018-1-25_DPA_DownTor/DownTor.htm

Respects to to circle builders paid, I head to Combshead Tor.

This point is higher than Down Tor, and you can see the circle from here, aswell as other Tors more prominently than from Down.

I imagine someone from the settlement climbing up here. Did they have a preferred vantage point? There was bracken and bluebells close to Down suggesting woodland. Perhaps Combshead peeked out the trees further?

And here too is Cuckoo Rock. Its plainly obvious which rock it is. It is huge and sits proud on the hillside.

Apparently it was named by local farmers long ago, because of the cuckoos nearby and the fact it sits larger than the other boulders.

I feel its time to leave the moor. I find a path that skirts Cuckoo rock back to the valley.

This track is very boggy and serveral springs ford it. There's this whole stepping stones over mud situation(the mud is much deeper than it looks here).
There is moss on EVERYTHING

And now for the beard #lichenSubscribe appreciation post.

IT WAS INCREDIBLE

On everything. Very witchy. Very Merlin.

Here it is growing on both Hawthorn and Blacktorn. Nb. You can tell your thorns apart by when its flowering. Blackthorn flowers before it leafs. So the blossom here is Blackthorn. Hawthorn blossoms after leaf so the leaf with buds yet to flower is hawthorn.

The valley has more stlettlement remains, this time I think a farm? The muddy path has morphed into a grassy lane and the buildings here were clearly much more recently occupied.
And lungworts by the ton.
Love lungworts.

Proper pretty spring stream here in it's own mini glen

Also big fan of this tree that is mostly storm blown, but the lower branch is going strong like its sticking its middle finger to the world

I'm at a branch in the road (amazing #fingerPostFriday #lichenSubscribe mashup action).

I can either follow the lane back or cross the brook and head up to the plantation.

Now plantations are usually dull, but I do love a bridge.... so....

BRIDGE!

Bridge.

Love a bridge.

Love this gate to a willow grove over the river. How is this ever used??

The water meets from all directions here.

@Ivor I'm no expert but as I understand it on Dartmoor the mineral deposits are just under the surface, so the exploration pits are small indents where tinners searche for a vein, and then a gert is the gully that follows the vein across the landscape. The one I followed on this walk, that is just visible in one picture, was about head high when stood in and only a person wide.

@littlerachyb very interesting, never heard the term gert either! These must be quite a local feature, maybe I'll get there one day. Thanks for sharing.

@Rachelburch thanks for introducing it to me! I'll definitely explore more of it x

@littlerachyb there some wonderful huge beeches along the footpath up to the farmhouse there, turning uphill right on the footpath from Norsworthy car park.

@Rachelburch yes I think one of the massive ones i photographed, that was bigger that my arms stretched wide!

Love beech trees!

@DavidBridger you're very welcome. Glad you could join me virtually

@allofmystudentsrunaway no this was Burrator

@littlerachyb ahhh similar veiw ohh we had some raves down burrator back in the day... and i turned (well broke) my ankle at down tor

@allofmystudentsrunaway

@allofmystudentsrunaway yes a delight. I visited it on that day, its later in this thread