Weekend recap - August 10

Sunday

The weather forecast said it was to be sunny and 18 today for south-east Devon... no such luck! Driving back in to Totnes at the end of the day however, it was clear it had not rained there at all!

We started our day, by stopping in the moor to collect some more wortleberries, (wild blueberries). We collected a little tub full, and will have them on our oats for breakfast.

The heather was wild and blooming...

We then went to a town called 'South Zeal', to see some of the Dartmoor folk festival. There were morris dancers- apparently this is a traditional style of dance, hundreds of years old. There were the more tame versions from oxfordshire...

And then the manly, man Dartmoor ones...

You can't tell, but they were hitting each others sticks so hard, huge splinters kept flying off! Their sticks were whittled down to almost nothing by the end of it! Also they had all manner of animals tales on their hats "Urr Urr Urr!" -very manly haha

Pretty South Zeal

On we went to another part of the moor. Steve had come to this old disused quarry as a teenager, and was sure we would be able to swim there. Arrr what paradise we discovered- we can't believe this hasn't been featured in any of the wild swimming books!

It was very deep, and very large... so the water was quite cool, but not as cold as the Dart. The colour of the water, and the surrounding trees was really something else. A really magical swimming experience!
It may be hard to see... but my face is just popping up out of the water as I float on my back... I also have a huge grin on my face...

Afterwards, on the banks, back in our warm clothes, we ate a late lunch, and drank hot water from our new thermos...

Here I am terribly excited on discovering the water is the perfect drinking temperature, (a good few hours after we put it in there) This isn't rehearsed, or me being ironically melodramatic... I really am this much of a dork naturally!

We walked out...It was really muddy! Yay for wellies!

And then drove home through the moor. Stopping on our way to see the big reservoir nearby, and the spinsters stones which were erected some 5,000 years ago! They are now in someones paddock, used as shelter and again it seems, a good scratching post.

I suppose 5,000 years is too large an expanse of time for me to really get my head around... so I probably wasn't as awed as was deserving... instead what really thrilled me was the baby sheep and goats in the paddock, which ran over to us... and got so close, we could pet them :)