Dartmoor - Wild Swimming at Hembury Woods

This post has been sat in my drafts without me realising! There was me thinking it had been done and dusted. It’s criminal this hasn’t gone out because it was one of my favourite moments from Dartmoor last year. In fact, with hindsight, the whole Dartmoor trip was a huge turning point for me in many respects - it was my first proper wild swimming experience beyond the sea and it was the moment I realised I needed to buy a van!

Anyhoo, this post reads like it was posted live from Dartmoor. I had obviously intended on that but here we are almost a year later! I think I had a bit of a block up as I knew I could have done better with photos but that’s the photographer in me being too picky, I know.

I had planned to climb a few tors today - day 4 of being in Dartmoor. But it was cooolllllld in the tent last night and two days of hiking had taken it’s toll on mine and Monty’s paws - actually for me it was my glutes, that walk around Houndtor Forest did me in a bit! So I opted to head for the coast instead. I knew the minute I got there I had made a duff decision, I live by the coast and I do lots of cliff top walks. Sure, it’s a different coastline but the place I ended up just wasn't doing it for me in that moment - I had an appetite for more wild, rushing river and deep woods. A flask of Earl Grey may have fuelled the plan.

I’d had an eye on Hembury Woods since spotting it in a Wild Swimming book. The problem was it was vague with very little directions but I took a punt anyway - heading on through Buckfast (where I paid a little nod to the mead that had got me through many a messy party moment back in my drinking days) I followed my Maps to Hembury Wood car park - it was actually bang on the money.

I started heading towards what looked the way to the river on the map but also had a little chuckle at ‘The Devon Dog Lady’. When I met a friendly woman with a small pack of happy dogs (could this be her?) who told me to get to the river I needed to go back to the car park, cross the road and drop down from there. She was keen to tell me there was a beautiful walk in the way I was headed but no river.

So, heading back on myself I picked up the route to the river and I’m not sure I’ll ever tire of when the rocky paths of Dartmoor hit the Dart - the joy of the water rushing over the rocks is both aural and visual.

The National Trust have kept this site beautifully - a path had eroded so you were directed up and over which is enough of a workout to bring about enough heat to be temped by the cool waters. Once you’re at the top it’s time to descend and I reached the still pool just in time to see a Kingfisher dart off.

I was cursing myself for forgetting my swim shoes but it didn't deter me carefully picking my way into this glassy, inviting pool. There is something about getting in the beautiful cool waters of the Dart that just makes you want to laugh - the invigoration and the wildness of it is just joyous.

Swimming upstream some groups of walkers started to arrive who were all extremely surprised to see me frog stroke along - not least their curious dogs. There was something about this spot that tells me it’s not so well known as Sharrah Pool or Black Rock.

Getting there

Park at Hembury Woods car park (postcode TQ11 UK) and park your car through the head arch. Once parked head over the road you just come in on and make a sort of two o’clock turn along the fence where the path descends. As I’m learning with Dartmoor - sturdy footwear will be needed. It won’t be long until you start to hear the river and feel it’s energy. When you get there there’s a sig to say the path along the river in closed due to erosion (this is written in Sept ‘20) so follow the instructions and head up the steep steps until you get to a vista and a bench. Then start your descent back down and when you get to the river you’ll be greeted with this long, still and glassy pool. There are a few entry points but no deep enough spots for diving so take it easy getting in.