Advice needed: Princetown-Cranmere Pool-Kitty Tor in a day?

Hi everybody,

yes! After 2 loooong years I finally managed to come back to Dartmoor for a few days of walking -and, hopefully, some letterboxing, of course. All I had to do was selling my wife + the kids into slavery - or, even worse, they’ll spend a week at the german shore with my mother-in-law! Time for me to escape to the Moor.

I’ll arrive in Princetown on Sunday (June 2nd) evening and stay until Saturday morning. And now for my question:

I’m eager for the Cranmere-Pool-Box. My plan was/is to set out from Princetown on Monday morning and trek a route Two Bridges-Whistman’s Wood-Longaford Tor-Flat Tor-Cut Hill-Black Hill-Cranmere Pool. For the night I intend to camp on the moor. So far, so good, but there’s live firing (Okehampton + Merivale Tue., Wed., Thu. Day+Night, Fr. Day/Willsworthy Mo., Tu. + Fr. Day), so the plan would have to be “Reach Cranmere Pool, then run like hell”.

As I’d like to visit the Brat Tor/Doe Tor Area, I thought about Cranmere Pool-Great Kneeset-Amicombe Hill-Kitty Tor as my escape route. Then camp around there and walk back to Princetown avoiding the firing range (e.g. via Lydford-Peter Tavy/Stephen's Grave-Staple Tors-North Hessary Tor) on Tuesday. Does that sound doable/possible to experienced Dartmoor-Ramblers or should I better swallow the bitter pill and abandon my great plan? I’d really appreciate your opinion!

Basically, I’m an experienced walker, carry with me appropriate gear, map+compass and know how to behave ... I also have some Dartmoor-experience (incl. really heavy fog while I was out there), e. g. last time I was on the Moor I walked Princetown-Nun’sCross-PlymFord-PlymHead-Duck’sPool (with plenty of searching ...)-Philpott’s Cave-Fox Tor-Childe’s Tomb (where I camped). Next day I crossed Foxtor Mire and came away with my life (but wet feet). But of course this is no real experience, especially as I do not know the part of the Moor where I want to go this time ...

So, I ‘d really be grateful for any advice from experienced letterboxers! Thanks in advance.

Uh, this is a long post, sorry for that! I'll better spare you my Plan-B and -C-scenario ...

Regards from the letterboxing-wasteland
Münster/Germany!

Wolfram

Hi Wolfram, great to see overseas persons visit our scenic Dartmoor. Your plan sounds great, just be warned the past 2 English Summers have been pretty wet, so if history is anything to go by, expect a wet week!

Your route looks ok, just want to ensure the firing times are ok come your planned week. If everything goes ok, i look forward to reading about your week on here.

Regards, Scott

Hi Wolfram.
GOOD LUCK!
Advice? Clean socks! "You look after your feet, and your feet will look after you?"
No need to thank me

Hi,
at least you had some kind of summer...last year we just skipped summer - and this year it's even worse, today it's again rainy 8°C (and sleet in the hills, as I hear). Maybe it's because we have Sauron for Bundeskanzlerin ...

Anyway, many thanks for your words of cheer!
So I think I'll pack my rucksack (with luck and clean socks) and ... run.
Thanks again!

Wolfram

Monday June 3rd is free from firing on the Okehampton Range, so thats the day you can get to Cranmere without getting shot at!!! Then its as you say - run like hell

The routes you mentioned, is do-able but will be hard going. If you have not been walking for a long distance over rough terrain for a long time it might be a bit more than you can chew.
However, preparation is the key, and don't forget to leave your trip details with someone stating which route you are planning to take.

It might be, yes. That's indeed my problem, it's not easy to prepare (i. e. to know if you're prepared or not) for Dartmoor when there are 600 miles and a Channel between your feet and the Moor ...
Leaves me still a bit wary about walking my route.
I'm torn between being adventurous ("I came for walking, so I'll walk") and being cautious ("I came for holidays, not for survival training").

Perhaps I should at least carry a white flag with me ... or maybe leave my car anywhere in/around Lydford and start from there? Rush in and same way out again? On the other hand ... that wouldn't be the same.
mmmmh...

Can anyone of you experienced letterboxers roughly estimate how long I may need for my 'escape' from Cranmere Pool to the Kitty Tor-Area? (in my mind it's about 3 hours, but I'm not experienced...) Just to know about when I'll have to quit searching in case I don't find THE box or something?

And, one more probably silly question: When the firing timetable says there's firing "Tue, DAY+NIGHT", when does it start? After sunrise on Tuesday, right? Or do they start shooting at me at 0:00 am? Not that I wish to walk after sunset (I'm not this crazy), I'd just like to be prepared. And, of course, I want to know if my white flag needs illumination.

Sorry for all the stupid questions and a BIG Thank you! for every answer!
(I would stay at home and wouldn't have to bother you, but I can't! Your Dartmoor is just too beautiful!)

Wolfram

At risk of provoking a debate that has played out on other threads in the past: while Dartmoor deserves respect (proper clothing and equipment, food and drink, ability to use a map and compass), it is not as wild and dangerous as many other British and (particularly) European mountain ranges. Distances are relatively modest and there is not that much climbing (in terms of metres of vertical ascent). It sounds like you will have the right kit and know how to use it, so I think you should go for it unless the weather is awful.

It obviously depends how fast you are walking at the end of the day, but I reckon Cranmere-Kitty Tor is probably no more than a couple of hours walk.

You are right that the firing will start on Tuesday morning. There will not be any firing on the Monday night.

Incidentally, you might want to add a mile or so to the end of the day and camp at Bleak House; it is more sheltered and you should be able to find water. There is a clear track to follow down from Kitty Tor to it won't take too much effort.

Good luck!

The rules of live firing...
Warning signals, red flags by day and red lamps by night,
indicate that live firing is taking place within the range boundaries,
which are marked by red and white poles. When warning signals are
displayed do not cross the range boundary. If the warning signals
are not hoisted by 0900 (Apr-Sep) or 1000 (Oct - Mar) no live
firing will take place that day and any bangs you hear will be
blank cartridges or fireworks. DAY firing is between sunrise and
sunset. NIGHT firing is between sunset and sunrise. Flags are
lowered as soon as live firing ceases.

Another rule of thumb I was taught to use is 15 minutes per kilometre plus 2 minutes for every contour climbed and if you are boxing as well 4 minutes per box. This time scale increases on bad weather/nightime conditions

Thank you very, very much, everybody!
Every answer has been really helpful.

Now it's only 1 week of work before I can come to the Moor again... Hopefully the weather will be a little bit more, well, summery next week, but be that as it may - I'll have a good time in that corner of the world, as always!
And maybe I'll even find some boxes ... can't wait!
Thanks again!

Wolfram

Come on the Wolfram how did it go?

Tell all, I'm sure we all want to hear of your success.

I (we?) hope the British Army where not too hard on you?

Best Regards. All the Dartmoor Bog Dodgers

Its next week he is arriving Reg - not this.

Alas!
'tis not the British Army I fear when I'm out on the Moor - it's rather ... the Bullmastiff o' the Baskervilles!

Of course I'll let everybody know how it was - and if there was no story, I'll invent one. Including at least one stupid german stumbling over the moor waving a huge white flag and shouting 'Yield! Yield!' all the time.

We're really good at that.

OH.............. is he there yet??????????? is the there yet??????????

Patience Reg