Dartmoor Tales - Mount Misery Traditional Geocache
Dartmoor Tales - Mount Misery
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Go prepared for Dartmoor as this is an inhospitable place if the weather is bad. Medium size container with a few swaps. Cache is not hidden in the wall.
How did Mount Misery get its name? It could have been due to the failure of the land to provide crops or successful grazing. If the land was ruined then an appropriate name was given to highlight its failure. Or was the name given just to reflect the area and how hard it must have been for the workers of the time? Then again it could have been due to a Scottish sheep farmer later in the 1880’s when he struggled with his Scottish Blackface sheep here.
The enclosure belonged to Fox Tor Farm, of which very little remains now, and was used for grazing and growing crops in the early 1800’s. In preparation the land had to be cleared of rocks and made ready for cultivation which would have been very hard work indeed. In doing this the barren moorland land would surely be changed into profitable farmland. Sadly this was not always the case….
The cross itself is one of a line of wayside crosses marking the Maltern Way, which was an early monastic track running from Buckfast to Buckland abbey.
If you want a good walk come from Whiteworks, to Nun’s cross farm, pass by Goldsmiths Cross heading towards Fox Tor and skirting the mire, take in Childes tomb then head off east to join the bottom of the enclosure wall. From Mount Misery you can descend down to the river Swincombe by following the wall. Towards the bottom turn west (left) along the dry Wheal Emma leat. The path is quite eroded but passable. Cross the river at the co-ordinates given and then just follow the wall back to Whiteworks.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Navzny ubyr va gur onax