1
From the Two Bridges Car Park, cross the road and take the track opposite, which runs alongside a dry stone wall. Follow it up to Crockern Farm. Although not easily visible below, over the wall is the West Dart River. Go round the farm and then leave the track, continuing to climb, on to moorland. At a finger post signed Crockern Tor, maintain direction to a stile. Go over it and turn east (right). Climb up the hill to the first Tor of the walk, Crockern Tor.(A)
(A) Apparently Crockern Tor was the meeting place of the Stannary Parliament for Dartmoor hundreds of years ago, quite bleak and cold the stannary discussions would not have taken over long.
2
There are good views across to the Mortonhampstead Road below to the south. Leave the Tor and head across open moorland climbing slowly. After about half a mile, climb over a dry stone wall using the stile There are two more Tors above: Cittaford Tor and behind it and a further half a mile beyond Longaford Tor. There are good views from this vantage point of the moors. To the west you can see Beardown Tors and to the east the marshy area leading to Powder Mills Farm and the road to Postbridge. Continue to Littaford Tors with several small outcrops.
3
Continue on still heading due north to Longaford Tor. From here, go just east of north on a bearing of 030 degrees up to the highest point of this walk. This local high point is Higher White Tor and is at an altitude of 522 metres. Over the next half a mile you descend only 20 metres heading due north again to Lower White Tor with good views again to the ruin know as Browns House across the valley and to Rough Tor, just under a mile to the west.
4
From Lower White Tor you can see the Televison Mast at North Hessary Tor. Continue in the direction of the mast, on a bearing of 230 degrees descending across rougher and much wetter, almost boggy moorland towards a dry stone wall running down from Higher White Tor. There is a gate and a stile just to the right of the gate. Go down to and over the stile onto rough moorland with lots of grass tussocks to walk over. Continue roughly on the same bearing for 300 hundred yards and then turn on a bearing of 260 degrees to make your way down to the valley below. In the valley bottom there is a stile, that looked like a bridge and on the other side is a green hut. Be careful as there is some granite scree and a steep if short descent down to the East Dart below. There is no discernable track. Go over a stile and find the bridge which is in fact a man made weir which is easily crossed.
5
Cross the East Dart River at this point. The water vents out in a controlled manner into a leat just above the river itself. There is a flat grassy area just to one side of the man made weir. Continue along the narrow path on the left had side of Devonport Leat.(B) This narrow track is on the side of the valley with the East Dart River flowing along at the bottom. The leat meanders slightly but heads generally southerly and makes for relatively level walking. Beardown Tors is above and after a mile or more of leat side walking go into a wooded area called Beardown Hill with the leat turning more southwesterly. In the woods, there is still plenty of evidence of the high winds of ten years ago and many trees still lay were they fell all those years ago
(B)This is the start of the Devonport Leat used to carry water hundreds of years ago down into Plymouth. It also serves to explain why the man made weir was built in this remote spot; the need for fresh water some fifteen miles away at Plymouth
6
Leave the wood, climb over a stile and continue along the leat for a few hundred yards until you came to a track heading down to Beardown Farm below. Leaving the leat at this point, go down and skirt around the farm to continue your descent along the track to a bridge. Cross over the bridge and follow the wooded banks of the river. At this point there are several stones carrying the names of poets and playwrights of two hundred years ago, unfortunately many of these stones are now lichen covered and the names are only just visible. You can see the car park a couple of hundred yards east. Follow the track through the woods and fields, over a couple of stiles and so onto the main road passing by Two Bridges. Turn left, cross the main bridge of the two bridges, giving the area its name, and turn left into the quarry car park again.
