Elaine from Love Dartmoor and Vicky from Bristol Nordic Walking joined forces for a Dartmoor Adventure Trekking Weekend, where we scaled the heights, bog hopped, boulder bashed and nordic poled our way around Dartmoor, a heart-pumping, muscle- strengthening, endorphin-boosting weekend, including hearty socialising in Tavistock town Fri and Sat nights!….bonding and pushing boundaries outside and in!

Quips Elaine:  ‘Nordic Walkers – Age cannot wither us or custom stale our infinite variety….just like Dartmoor!’

Love Dartmoor team, Sandy, Gavin and  Elaine cycled from Tavistock to Ilfracombe over a weekend…150 miles of peddling and only one puncture between us! Incorporating the Granite way and Tarka Trail, this scenic route is mostly off road. Damien Hirst’s Statue, “Verity” is an imposing and curious feature on Ilfracombe sea front.

This year we braved wintry conditions to raise money for Comic Relief…..red balloons not a good idea in bitingly cold blustery winds, but we donned red noses, battled it out and raised £80, as well as improving our fitness levels!

Thanks to all who took part.

Womens’s Walking Magazine 

Check out Love Dartmoor’s weekend breaks featured on p.55 and Elaine’s contribution to “Off Road” article on p.58, plus lots of interesting facts about Walking for Fitness.  For the dates of Love dartmoor’s Walking breaks and challenges 2013…check out the Dartmoor Walks section on my website.

Elaine from Love Dartmoor and Heather from Heather On Her Travels take a nordic walk through the snowy landscape of Dartmoor.

(photo courtesy of heatheronhertravels)

In January, I had the pleasure of training Heather, a travel blogger, how to master the art of nordic walking or,  as I call it on Dartmoor, Nordic Trekking. The variable terrain of Dartmoor offers diversity and challenge, but the snow added an extra challenge neither of us had bargained for when the lesson was booked several weeks prior. Joined by Gavin and Sandy,  two regular nordic walkers, and of course Maisie, we braced the slopes and trudged up to the tors, which felt, and looked, like mountains! Dartmoor in the snow is enchanting and we certainly experienced Nordic conditions, so excellent training opportunity, but made a sneaky resolution to myself to book onto a skidpan course, so that I can enjoy driving through the snow as much as I do walking through it!

The full article can be read on Heather’s Blog. www.heatheronhertravels.com

Maisie and I have experienced some challenging weather conditions lately…..Nordic treks in the snow with Maisie, (who is a mountain dog after all), adds an extra authenticity to our adventures on Dartmoor.

Just returned from my latest adventure…trekking (with my nordic walking poles of course!) through the Jebel Sahro region of Morocco…wild camping under the stars with an intrepid team, which included several muleteers and our trusty guide. An educational experience, which encompassed the moroccan culture, the diverse mountainous landscape, and the indigenous people, the Berbers, and some Nomads. Sunny by day but freezing at night….there were similarities to wild camps on Dartmoor, but a distinct lack of damp, which was an interesting phenomena! No soggy boots or gear to contend with before breakfast! A lack of alcohol and basic but wholesome food…(fresh bread was baked over an open fire) , we enjoyed the benefits of a detox in comparison to the average Western diet over Christmas and New Year…..refreshing how appreciative you can become when life’s luxuries and refinements are removed! many photos were taken to record our travels, as well as a film, all of which will be uploaded shortly…watch this space!    Elaine.