Comment by @AdamEvans on Saturday 07 January 2023
After a blustery, rainy night, the prospect of going out on the moors seemed rather bleak. However, we mustered the bravery to face the weather with the promise of a cafe only 3k down a decent path into Princetown. Just as well as TJ realised his boots had died on a previous trip, only at the time of deployment. After a gentle jaunt along the motorway footpath, escorted by Jimmy the black lab, we arrived in Princetown with birthday pleasantries completed. As it was RM’s birthday we had an explore of the local outdoor gear shops and dismissed the £600 ME jacket as out of budget after the latest VW based extravagance. Coffee at the old police station quickly transformed into cooked breakfast at lunch time which fuelled our onwards journey.
With the moors waterlogged and the rain continuing to fall, the water tables were full to the brim. This became evident when the path turned into a boggy mess as far as visibility allowed. With TJ in approach shoes, this rapidly resulted in waterlogged footwear, little did we know what was to follow…
Multiple athletic leaps across ominous peat holes led TJ’s new garmin to send emergency messages due to ‘accidents’. Once this was realised, we agreed that for the normal population these actions would probably result in injury, however this function should probably be disabled for future adventures.
As the finish line was approaching and the van was in sight, the biggest obstacle of the day reared its head above the horizon. Due to recent weather and high water tables, normally easily crossed rivers presented as raging torrents. Today’s example of this posed a serious challenge, with options seemingly limited to wading. We scouted several hundred meters of the bank up and downstream in order to find the safest and driest crossing point for the raging torrent that now lay where a moorland stream once sat. With our only practical option located, with a larger than comfortable jump across fast moving water, TJ launched himself across first without a moment of thought. Quickly followed by AE, RM found himself stranded. With words of encouragement and some comments about current levels of water ingress, RM was successful in a dry crossing.
Reeling in our successes, we climbed past the Whiteworks bunkhouse and over the brow until the new chariot appeared in sight. With the diesel heater set, kettle on, and waterproofs hanging to dry, birthday tiffin was shared as we reflected on how the van changes the mood following a wet and windy moorland experience.