Not What I Had Planned

As I write this blog post, I look back on my day out on Dartmoor with a smile on my face. The happy memories of my time on Dartmoor were not the result of careful planning though.

My original plan was to head up to Belstone Tor to film the first part of a video about printing your photographs. I chose Belstone due to my familiarity with the location, but also because it was the only place on Dartmoor not to have 100% cloud coverage!

As spectacular as Belstone can be at dawn, it can also be wild and unforgiving. As I approached the summit the wind had picked to such an extent that it was going to take a lot of effort just to compose a landscape photo and keep the camera still. The thought of managing a second camera for video and audio just didn’t seem like a clever idea. A previous trip to Belstone to make a video on a windy day had resulted in an expensive repair bill!

With the idea of creating a video gone with the wind (excuse the pun), I was half tempted to head home (via Belstone Services for coffee and breakfast). That temptation soon passed though. I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity to explore a bit more of Dartmoor. I looked into the distance and thought of a new plan.

Belstone Tor

I’ve been to Belstone Tor countless times. I’ve even ventured a little further and made it to Oke Tor, but I’ve never been further than that. This was the perfect chance for me to push on and see what is beyond Belstone!

The weather, despite being very windy, was holding. Broken cloud, no rain, and patches of sunshine. It all looked good for a big walk.

I’ve got lots of landscape photographs of Belstone Tor but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to capture another. There’s always room in my Lightroom catalogue for another image of Belstone Tor.

**Belstone Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/8, 1 sec at ISO 64.

Oke Tor

My first and last visit to Oke Tor had been a positive one but I’d never managed to make it back there. It’s about a 45 to 60 minute walk to Oke Tor from Belstone, and it’s rare that I have that much time to spend walking to a location. But today I had lots of time for a walk.

The weather had indeed held and the light on the landscape was better than the golden hour that morning. There was still a big bank of clouds to the south, but the area where I stood was covered in scattered light from the low winter sun. Parts of the landscape were in shade, and others were illuminated. It’s the way I love to see Dartmoor.

It was still a challenge to hold onto the camera in the wind, but I was feeling inspired and most importantly I was enjoying myself.

**Oke Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.

Steeperton Tor

As I left Oke Tor and headed south I realised this was the furthest I had ever ventured into Dartmoor and away from civilization. In all my years exploring Dartmoor, this was the first time I felt like I was going somewhere remote. I was out here on my own.

I wanted this walk to be a circular walk and as I checked my OS map, I could see that I could walk parallel to Steeperton Tor and then loop clockwise and follow the military road via East Mill Tor and back to Belstone. However, Steeperton Tor was calling me! I had often seen this tor from Belstone and wondered what it would like to be standing on top of this 532m high hill. I decided to make a diversion by jumping across the River Taw at Steeperton Gorge. Not as grand as it sounds given the low water level.

It was a steep ascent up to Steeperton Tor, but the views were outstanding!

**Steeperton Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.

Steeperton Tor is deep within the Okehampton Firing Range and all around the area, you’ll find military buildings dotted about. While not particularly photogenic, they are part of the landscape, so I thought it was worth capturing an image of these remote buildings.

**Steeperton Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/11, 1/200th sec at ISO 800.

East Mill Tor

After enjoying the views from Steeperton Tor and trying to have a conversation in the howling wind with a wild camper, I headed west, then south to start my loop back to Belstone. The walking was a lot easier in this direction as I could benefit from the military roads. As the road ran close by the foot of East Mill Tor it seemed rude to not make a quick ascent.

At first, I wasn’t that inspired. I’d been walking most of the morning so perhaps I was feeling tired. It wasn’t as if the composition I had picked out was a poor one, it was just that the light was flat. However, experience has taught me that on days like this the light can change for the better very quickly for the better, and for worse.

Rather than wait for the light I decided to get my camera and tripod setup, so I’d be ready to shoot. Just as I was extending the legs of my tripod the sun broke through the clouds and I captured the last image of my walk.

**East Mill Tor, Dartmoor, Devon** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/11, 1/200th sec at ISO 800.

A Glorious Morning

Leaving East Mill Tor, I soon joined back up with the parts of Belstone Common I was more familiar with. I started seeing more people, animals, and cars. It was nice to be back somewhere familiar but my long walk into a more remote part of Dartmoor had inspired me. Not only did I want to walk this route again, but I also wanted to explore more of these remote Dartmoor locations. I enjoyed that sense of remoteness. The sense of wilderness. Even if I hadn’t taken my camera with me, that was a walk to remember.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my unexpected adventure and seeing the photographs I captured. Next time, time and weather permitting, I’ll be sure the video it so you can see more of how wonderful Dartmoor can be when you venture just a little bit further.

Landscape Photography with the Google Pixel 6 Pro

Just a quick footnote to this blog post. I recently purchased a Google Pixel 6 Pro phone and I decided to take it with me on my adventure. I took it because it’s a phone and a GPS device, but it’s hard to ignore the camera specs on this device. This adventure seemed the perfect chance to put the camera to use so here are a few of the processed raw files from the Pixel 6 Pro. If you want to see more images from this camera or for me to make a video on it and how it handles as a landscape camera, let me know in the comments below.