By: Blonde Two
I am not sure that I would count as a proper walkist because I just had to look up where the Cairngorms are. I knew that they were in Scotland (no, really I did) but wasn’t sure exactly where. Now I have looked at a map, I can see that they are the UK’s Northest National Park whilst we, down here on Dartmoor, are its Southest.
They look amazing, we really must plan a north-bound Blonde mission. But not today, the reason I was looking was that I had a bit of snow-envy. There have been reports of snow on the Cairngorm hills (they are probably mountains) and, as I look out of my window, I find myself wondering if Dartmoor will see any snow at all this winter.
The signs are there; there is an abundance of berries on the trees, the sky has been pulling some dark moody faces and I have a new down jacket. Surely these are all indicators that we will get some snow?
Apparently Princetown (Dartmoor) has an average of 28 days with snow on the ground. This is compared to 200 on Ben Nevis and 2 on Blonde One’s favourite, the Isles of Scilly. 28 sounds like a lot but experience suggests that I am unlikely to be in Princetown on any of those 28 days.
This thought made me consider where exactly on Dartmoor I would like to be if if it did snow. There are many choices; the Dartmoor Christmas Tree is an obvious one, I have seen it in the snow and it was breathtaking. Maybe the Warren House Inn – lovely walking and afterwards an everlasting fire. Nun’s Cross Farm would be moody and photographic as would Grey Wethers. But to really do Dartmoor snow, I feel that you would have to go North, to one of the wild places. Hangingstone might do it, you would have a hope of getting there because of the army tracks and there would be a view out over a bit of wilderness.
Any thoughts anyone?
Have managed to get up to Hangingstone after relatively light snow about three years back but after a real dumping, it’s exhausting walking. Went to the top of Cosdon in big snow. Could just about get to Belstone and then up. Snow up to pelvis and took hours of really slow plodding! View mad beautiful. Access always seems to be the problem. How far can you drive in the south to get to the high stuff?
I think the highest I have been in the snow was Hameldown. It was stunning and up to the knees in places. Snow makes hard going! Even just going to Haytor is lovely but it gets very busy, you have to share the car park with some prize plonkers but if you know where to walk, you can easily lose them.
Can imagine Hameldown would be amazing in snow. Will pop over when it comes. Yes, remember stories of people leaving a car bonnet they’d been using as a sledge in the heavy snow a few years back?!
For some reason, snow at Haytor seems to bring out the worst in some (not all) people. I guess it is a symptom of us rarely having any.
I can’t comment on Dartmoor in the snow, as I don’t know it well enough, but I can confirm the rumours of snow in the Cairngorms. I was up there on Wednesday and at 1200m the snow was rather deeper than I had been expecting, which (combined with a lack of firmness about it) meant that I kept plunging in to above the height of my boots. The result was some wet-sockedness (oh, gaiters would have been such a good idea!).
Thanks for the confirmation. I really have snow envy now. We rarely get to go out without our gaiters, far too many bogs round here!
Never seen Dartmoor in snow, but I had an Easter trip to the Cairngorms with a backpack and K9 MANY years ago and it snowed on my tiny tent! Totally amazing – being inexperienced I couldn’t go up the mountains in snow, but the bits I could reach were truly beautiful and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world; and a tiny tent can get quite snug under a blanket of white stuff.
I would love to try it. Next time it snows I think I will!