Walk details below - Information about the route etc.
 

Middleworth Farm, SX 57210 69178

A view up the valley from the track after Middleworth Fram

Sign at SX 57925 68800 showing Public Bridleway Middleworth Farm, Public Bridleway Sheepstor Common & Public Footpath Combeshead Farm (as spelt on the signpost, compare with Combshead Tor on the map)

A view of the ruins of Deancombe Farm, just after the signpost

Another view of Deancombe Farm

First view of Cuckoo Rock

Zoomed view

Cuckoo Rock, SX 58471 68720 ('fixed' by GPS)

View from Cuckoo Rock path of Leather Tor (left, SX 56275 69988) and Sharpitor (right, SX 55970 70330)

Another view from the same place, showing Sheeps Tor (SX 56550 68240)

View from behind Cuckoo Rock towards Sheeps Tor

Another large rock behind Cuckoo Rock

View down from previous rock towards Burrator Reservoir

Footbridge down the bridleway from the signpost, this is at SX 57880 68665

Ruins of the blowing house at SX 57992 68620 ('fixed' by GPS)

Double mortar stone in the ruins, this would have been used for crushing the tin ore. This whole area is covered with moss (this is a correction: I had previously called this a mould stone, these would have been used for casting the molten tin into ingots for transport).

Nearby walled structure at SX 58007 68620, possibly an old enclosure or a building

Site of a second blowing house on the map at SX 57765 68575, it is possible that the label on the map simply refers to the blowing house mentioned above, the are is very overgrown

Possible location of the adit marked on the map at SX 57772 68415, I looked around the area but could not find the entrance. The side of the valley is quite steep here.

View from the path above the adit area, looking down into the valley

Another view from the same place, towards Down Tor

Possible location of the shaft marked on the map, SX 57787 68333 - couldn't find it, perhaps luckily?! I 'fell' down an old shaft in my youth when the cap covering it gave way and my legs went down into empty space - a nearby fir tree half-disappeared down the shaft.

Lichen on a tree in this area

View from the cist on Sheepstor Common (at SX 57994 68279, by GPS, see map etc below) towards Combshead Tor (as spelt on the map). Cuckoo Rock is visible near the left of the photo, among the brown bracken, just below the skyline, with the other prominent rock behind it, almost on the skyline.

View from the cist towards Down Tor, the TV mast at North Hessary Tor is visible behind Down Tor

View of the cist, lookng towards Leather Tor and Sharpitor (towards the right)

View from the cist looking towards Sheeps Tor

View of the wood corner at SX 57789 68288, looking towards Sheeps Tor

View along the wood edge looking towards the road/Burrator Reservoir

View from the old wall at SX 56930 68640 back along the track looking south-east towards the cist (a long way out of sight)

Zoomed view of the area in the previous photo

Finally, approaching the road, a view of Leather Tor, with Sharpitor behind

Walk details

MAP: Blue = planned route, Red = GPS track of the actual walk

Reproduced from Dartmoor OS Explorer map 1:25 000 scale by permission of Ordnance Survey
on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number 100047373.
Also, Copyright © 2005, Memory-Map Europe, with permission

The road access to the car park marked  P  on the map above (top left of map, SX 56872 69310) at the far end of Burrator Resrvoir is excellent. The track up to Combeshead Farm is also excellent. Beyond that the path to Cuckoo Rock is good, with a stream to cross in a slightly boggy area, but the way is well-trodden - the red GPS track followed the path rather than the planned blue route simply because it presented itself along the way. Returning to the signpost, the bridleway down into the valley is very easy and then the walker is presented with a stream and footbridge (phographed above). The way then splits several ways although they are all quite easy. There is a good path through into the woods although I followed the steep, rough track along the edge of the wood. I suspect some of the path is not shown on the 1:25,000 map. The ground to the cist is easy, as is the return leg back to the road.