Dartmoor & Exmoor - September 20-27, 2009

We rendezvous in Dartmouth. With a naval tradition stretching back to Drake, the bustling, picturesque harbor is a welcome haven for visiting yachts from around the world. We take an afternoon's walk from One Gun Point along the coast to Stoke Fleming and enjoy Afternoon Tea overlooking Start Bay and its distant lighthouse.

We walk out of Dartmouth following ancient pack horse tracks, meadow paths and narrow lanes to lunch in a village pub. In the afternoon, we enjoy splendid views of the Dart valley as we follow the gliding river to our next hotel in ancient Totnes.

We walk on the banks of the river Dart, which follows a rock-strewn course overhung by ancient oak. We pass thatched hamlets and farms before reaching Widecombe-in-the-Moor for a pub lunch and a visit to the 15th-century Glebe House and famous church. We rest at Hound Tor for glorious views across the moor before descending to Manaton and continuing to Moretonhampstead.

We continue our exploration of Dartmoor and, at Fingles Bridge, we cross the river Teign. Our path overlooks the valley and brings us to splendid Castle Drogo, designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens; the castle is perched 900 feet above sea level. After lunch, we arrive at the delightful thatched village of Drewsteignton and tracks lead us to the small community of Cheriton Bishop.

Our day begins in Witheridge, as we walk along the Little Dart River to Bradford Mill. We pass homesteads with strange names like Rugglepitt and Owlaborough, before reaching our pub lunch at Knowstone. We cross the River Yeo valley and leave Devon's ordered pastures for the untamed uplands of Exmoor, descending to cross an ancient stone clapper bridge to our secluded hotel beside the chattering River Barle.

We walk to Varle Hill, hoping to see the tough little ponies, Britain's oldest breed, which run wild on the open moors. On Winsford Hill we explore the burial mounds of Bronze Age chiefs. A bracken-fringed path brings us to a deep valley leading to pretty Winsford and lunch in a thatched pub. Following the Exe valley we reach the hidden little village of Exford.

A track leads to Dunkery Beacon, where the vast expanse of Exmoor is laid out before and beneath us. On our trail to a pub lunch at Wootton Courtenay we may see the red deer, Britain's largest wild animal. We enjoy grand views across the Bristol Channel to Wales and the Welsh Mountains as we descend to medieval Dunster. At the end of the afternoon, we drive back to our hotel for our Farewell Dinner.

After breakfast, The Wayfarers will see you safely to your onward rail and bus connections.