Meldon, Dartmoor

Photographs (above) were taken in the immediate vicinity of Meldon Dam and Quarry, near Okehampton. The autumnal colours were particularly striking, despite this being early December. The reservoir is 275 metres above sea level and in some of the pictures you will see the impressive Meldon Viaduct over the West Okement river – click on an image to view full-screen and as a slide show. The viaduct now carries the Granite Way cycle track but I remember it from my youth when it was used with trains for the local quarry. The railway line closed in 1968. The area is overlooked by the only two mountains in southern England – High Willhayes and Yes Tor, at 621 and 619m respectively.

The photographs below were taken just north of Meldon reservoir. I stopped the car on the A386 from Bideford to Meldon as I was taken with the view of tors and a large farm – with lots of sheep! One sheep in particular stood out – alone and staring at me peering over the hedge with my Canon.

The story behind the photos

I had a work meeting to get to in Bideford and, since it is not possible to get from Newton Abbot to Bideford by train – unless you travel to Barnstaple followed by a 30 minute bus journey – I ended up hiring a car for the day. Using public transport means a very long trip of about two hours each way, assuming you are lucky enough to enjoy short gaps between changes at Exeter and Barnstaple. The car provided a rare and welcome opportunity to stop off somewhere on the moor on the way back.

After the meeting I decided to take my time on the direct but tortuous route through Okehampton and Moretonhampstead. It may be tortuous and even quite nerve-racking in places but it is extremely scenic and well worth the hard driving effort. As an aside, the journey would not be too bad were it not for some motorists, who seem to think they are driving on a dual carriageway rather than a narrow and very bendy road with many blind corners and which reduces to a single lane in places. I am sure a lot of potential accidents are avoided only by accident, particularly on the stretch between Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey.

So, where should I stop? Well, the answer seemed rather obvious if I was to take full advantage of this rare opportunity. Certain parts of the moor can be reached by bus from Newton Abbot but most of it is effectively off-limits without a car, which is a great shame. The answer to my question readily presented itself: somewhere I could never get to on public transport. Meldon reservoir was, for me, the obvious choice. I actually wanted to visit the famous quarry, but did not really have time. It was winter and days were short.

I had my iPhone 6 Plus with me but also packed my Canon. Most of these pictures were taken with the Canon but some with the iPhone; I wonder if you can tell which? I try to remember to take one or two photos on the iPhone for reference purposes – that way I know the correct date, time – and exact location.