Thursday 12th April 2018. An ascent of North Hessary Tor 517m/63m, near Princetown, North Dartmoor, Devon. 3.1km, with 100m of ascent. 0hr 55mins.

Buckfast Abbey, in the southern folds of the great expanse of Dartmoor, is a favourite place of mine. I was staying at the Benedictine Abbey, as a guest of the monks, for four nights. Afternoons were free, and I aimed to do a series of shorter hikes on the moor during my time there, before returning to the Vespers service in the early evening.

I love the moors of south-west England, and especially Dartmoor (see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmoor). It may not reach the heights of the mountains in Wales, Cumbria or Scotland - its highest top is High Willhays at 621m - but it is a wild, lonely and remote place, at least in parts. Hiking on it can be tough and the weather fickle, so it is not surprising the British Army uses the northern moor as one of its principle training areas.

I headed north from Buckfast, in bright sunshine, on one of the few roads that crosses the moor, to Princetown, famous for its prison, but also a popular tourist destination, with its own brewery (see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princetown). I parked in the main car park and made ready for my hike, planning to take in both North and South Hessary Tors. By now the sunshine had been occluded by slate-grey clouds. However, the weather forecast was for rain some two hours hence, which gave me time to complete the hike I planned without getting dowsed.

I followed a footpath past the brewery and through a kissing gate onto the open moor. The path was eroded and very moist. The thick layer of peat above impervious granite means Dartmoor is a land of bogs and quagmires in all but an extended period of the driest weather - a rare event in Britain. I followed a wall up to the plateau, on which a huge TV transmitting aerial thrusts up into the sky. The impressive summit tor is nearby, easily climbable from the east. The view to the west from the summit was foreboding, with dark clouds rapidly gathering. I did not linger long.

As soon as I left the summit the first drops of rain fell - much earlier than forecast. I hastily donned my waterproof jacket, just as hailstones began to bounce on the moorland. As I descended, the rain grew heavier, until the full blast of the storm hit me a few hundred metres away from the car park. As lightning began to flash I ran the final stretch, getting drenched all the same.

Back at the car, I abandoned my plan to continue to South Hessary Tor, as the rain hammered on the roof. I drove east and south, and was soon on a dry road. The thunderstorm was very localised, stuck over Princetown. I stopped on my journey to observe it - from a safe distance.