South Brent

Name of walk; South Brent Trail | #1 GC2NAWE
Where: South Brent
By: Silky & Saucepan Man
Walked by: dartymoor, 17th December 2011
Caches on Trail: 19
Additional Caches attempted: 0
Caches Found: 18/19
Distance: 7.24mi
Duration: 3 hour, 42 minutes
Going: Mixture of quiet country lanes, sunken dartmoor tracks, open moorland and a little bit around the town itself.

General upward trend for the first half, including some quite steep bits, but rewarding views when you turn around.

Dogs: I don’t recall any stiles, and as Luka is 44 kg’s, I probably would have! Leads required on roads and open moorland, but in the sunken lanes it’s relatively safe to let a well behaved dog loose provided they won’t get distracted by the sheep alongside.

Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/qxZPq6XM33A

Good bits: Some great views.

It’s taken me a while to write about this trail, but it was enjoyable and despite catching every kind of weather on that day – Sun, Cloud, Snow, Hail and of course Rain, myself and Luka, one of our white German Shepherd Dogs, had a good workout and saw hardly any people!

Parking up by the old station, quickly onto the road and up a gentle hill for 3/4 of a mile on the road. Didn’t meet a single car and only one other dog walker. Peeled left at a Hamlet onto a foorpath which led to a pretty but very noisy ford. The path follows a proper sunken Dartmoor drift lane which sheltered me from most of the snow and hail before emerging, briefly, amongst another hamlet and then across the road into another sunken lane. Nice walking here, if a little muddy in places. The odd unusual container too, which kept things interesting.

Eventually emerging at Shipley Bridge car park, familiar to many walkers, where there are public toilets if bushes aren’t your thing.

On the road for a little longer, then up a very steep ancient sunken dartmoor lane out onto open moorland. Bit of a faceful of weather on a gusty December day after leaving the shelter of the lane.

Easy moorland walking for the next mile, then through the old Ball gates into another moorland track, this one a little more open.

Eventually that turns into a metalled lane, which is followed down the hill into the back end of South Brent. There’s a nice little detour along the river just before reaching your car.

Definitely recommended, and the CO’s are very helpful. The only one I didn’t find they immediately emailed details of it.