By: Blonde Two
Somebody out there will have the answer to this problem. There is a hole on Dartmoor that I can’t find. Now I have found many Dartmoor holes over the years; holes to twist your ankle in, holes to shelter in and holes in my map (very inconvenient), but this hole has, so far, escaped me.
If you look at the map of the Haytor area, just below Smallacombe Rocks the map marks Hole Rock. Exciting you might think, an investigative navigator’s dream come true, and it would be apart from the fact that there are lots and lots of rocks and a fair few of them have what could be described as holes in them.
I have spent many pleasant walks mooching around the area looking for holes. In my Blonde head, there is a tall upright rock somewhere with a hole big enough for me to stick my head through (could be awkward if I got it stuck!) I haven’t found it yet. Blonde One and I thought we were at the right place earlier this week but subsequent internet research has cast doubt in my head. There is a lovely hole at Smallacombe Rocks through which you can take photos if you feel so inclined.
Here is another nearby hole but if this is it, I will be very disappointed.
Somebody, somewhere must know the answer to this puzzle or maybe the map makers were just having a bit of fun and liked the idea of poor bewildered Blondes wandering around hole seeking.
Hi,
According to Dave Brewer who I would regard the expert on boundstones, he noted the following; “Overlooking the Becka valley, there is a natural outcrop now defined by the Ordnance Survey as Hole Rock and may be the point referred to in 1835 as Hole Stone, and quite possibly in 1853 also, but westward of the main rock pile is a set boundstone (feather and Tare), bearing the letters ‘HS’.” OS grid ref. SX 7565 7850.
Hope this is some help.
Oooh, it is indeed and now I have the perfect excuse to go back up there again. Thank you very much!
Do you not use GPS? I have only the 1:50000 map and your stone isn’t marked, but if it was, my Memory Map would give me the exact OS Grid ref. at the cursor when placed over the point on the map on my computer. I would then walk with my GPS until the GPS cursor was over the point on the map. It is usually accurate to within a few feet when I am looking for geocaches.
We Blondes never use GPS! This might be because we are very proud of our map and compass skills or it might be because we have never learnt how to. I will leave you to decide 🙂
Reckon I took a photo of it back in January. http://www.moorlandwalks.co.uk/2014/01/hound-tor-revisited.html
It does indeed look like a photo of a rock with a hole but is it THE ROCK with THE HOLE? I am not sure we will ever know 🙂