In one of the hottest weeks the UK has experienced in years, we had our holiday in Devon and Somerset. We had planned for daily six- or seven-mile walks over Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Quantocks. Finding bed and breakfast willing to take three dogs was a little tricky, but the three we did manage to persuade were all really good. The first location was the East Dart Hotel at Postbridge. Long walks can be done from the doorstep, as you are in the middle of Dartmoor. So, with rucksacks bulging with six litres of water we ventured off to do the Tors. Sheep and cattle roam the landscape, so the three girls spent quite a long time on lead. If we had been in the Peak or Lake Districts, we would have been following a line of people trampling the path before us. The routes we had decided on were empty. Just the two of us, the furry daughters and bird song. Glorious!
Even after encouraging the girls to drink from streams, we were still stopping every 40 minutes or so to give them water. When brushing out the vegetation from their coats the number of ticks they had all picked up was very noticable. Some further advice would be, pack military grade insect repellent as the horseflies are particularly vicious. All three Dartmoor walks where challenging due to the inclines and temperature, but so worth it, as the scenery is stunning. Exmoor was equally scenic and just as challenging. This time we encountered more people round places they could drive to, like Watersmeet, but on our walks between those locations hardly a soul was seen. The tick situation on Exmoor was of plague proportions, daily 60 - 70 ticks had to be removed off each dog.No plan survives contact with the enemy. The final B&B booked four months in advance cancelled a day before we were supposed to arrive. We lucked in and found a French style manor house with a very grand boudoir and changed the final long distance walk to around the perimeter of Stourhead Gardens.
