52 for 2021 Week 43 A Foggy day on Dartmoor

52 for 2021 Week 43 A Foggy day on Dartmoor

This week I was alone again, the weather was unfavourable with heavy fog and rain. I decided to re-visit 2 Quarries near Princetown as I thought they would give me shelter from the weather and I would be able to get some detail shots in them. Once up on the Moor I found the fog was wetter than I had thought and the wind was coming from every direction. No matter which direction I pointed my camera I got moisture drops on the front elements. Hey-ho I pressed on.

Foggintor Quarry Main Entrance.




Surprisingly the car park at the start of Foggintor track was full (I hadn’t realised it was School Half Term) but I found space by the old Pump House. I set off down the track feeling fortunate that the majority of my walk today was on tracks otherwise the 50m visibility would make navigation challenging.




I planned to visit Swelltor Quarry first as I have only been there once before so might spend most of the day there but I had to pass Foggintor Quarry en-route. These are the main derelict buildings outside the Quarry entrance.




As I got deeper into the Moor the fog got thicker, the track I was on went past the Quarry and I had planned to cut off up the hill directly to it but the visibility made that unwise.




I could see the spoil mounds of the quarry through the fog.




I followed the track until it turned back on itself up the now disused access track.




Abandoned along the track were these rather ornate Granite posts, typical of the kind of things these quarries produced in the past.







There were several smaller derelict buildings along the track.




Further along the track was the largest and most recognisable building, probably the Captain’s Quarters.




I thought this one deserved a bit more exploration.













There were several mounds of what looked like spoil from the quarrying.




I saw very little “wildlife” but this “Mountain Sheep” seemed to be surveying his patch.




While I was in the thick fog I could hear loud voices in the distance, I couldn’t make out what they were shouting but I thought maybe stock gathering or something.




Then the fog lifted for a moment and I could see what all the noise was about and as if on cue the Huntmaster sounded his horn.
Of course I didn’t have a lens nearly long enough.




There were only these 2 riders so I assume that they were out exercising the Hounds rather than actually following a trail.




I watched them for a while as they went along the old railway track I could just make them out in the distance on the track to the right of the shot, like I said lens too short.




I turned my attentions back to the quarry but the access was such that I needed more visibility to safely get into the inner quarry.







I looked around but it became clear that on my own in these conditions it would be foolish to try to get into the quarry so I headed off back to Foggintor Quarry.




There were many examples of split stone along the way, I had to wonder how much notice the quarries got for closure as they both seemed to have just stopped production and left.




I made my way along the track to the edge of Foggintor Quarry and found a spot to have lunch.




I am much more familiar with this quarry so I was happy to explore, also there were people around so a bit safer all round. I found an entrance I was not familiar with and you could be forgiven for thinking I was back at Swelltor.




There were some soldiers training in and around the quarry so I decided to do a circuit around the top rather than go into the main quarry, these 2 chaps were having lunch, hardly visible in the fog (bottom left quarter of frame).










These Sheep were looking rather sorry for themselves in the thick fog.




After my circuit of the tops of the quarry I looked at the ruins that are a feature at the entrance to it.













That’s all for this week folks, as always comments welcome.

Tags: Dartmoor Landscape and travel Photowalk Foggintor and Swelltor Quarries Foggy day on Dartmoor