Today was another travel day… from North Bovey, Dartmoor, Devon to Tregoose, Cornwall. While it started off very nice and sunny in North Bovey, literally 5 miles away on our way across Dartmoor yet again, the mists descended and as you’ll see we got soaked again.
But, first, for those doubters of this blog, here’s a sample of some of the thoroughfares we traversed while in Dartmoor.
Before we encountered the mists and fog, we managed to get a few shots of the Dartmoor countryside and moorland.
Yesterday, we had searched in vain and in rain and in bog for the Merrivale Stone Rows. Today, still in the rain and mist, we found them. Dating back to prehistoric times, the 2 sets of double stone rows shown here were perfectly aligned so that the head stone would greet the morning sun at the spring solstice.
Also, there were several stone circles that are probably remnants of their dwellings.
While this isn’t my picture, I had to pull it from the web. Twice we drove by this on the moor road and twice I commented that it reminded me of Mrs. Tweety’s Chicken Farm from the movie Chicken Run. Turns out I wasn’t too much wrong… it’s HMP Dartmoor (the prison)!
After leaving Dartmoor, we went to visit Buckland Abbey which was originally a Cistercian abbey founded in 1278. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII, it was sold to Sir Richard Grenville for his personal residence. In 1581, it was bought by Sir Francis Drake with a small portion of the fortune he brought back from attacking Spanish treasure ships during is circumnavigation of the globe.
The great barn… incredibly large on the inside!
This is the 1300’s chapel
Gates to the grounds.
A view of the grounds.
After an interesting drive through the fog and twisty roads, we made it to A30 and buzzed quickly down the rest of the way to Tregoose. Yes… is was still raining when we took a walk to see the beautiful gardens here.
That’s all for today… hoping tomorrow we see the sun so we can tour the Roseland peninsula.