The wide vistas and patchwork colours of Dartmoor have a powerful ability to inspire awe and wonder, especially when viewed from the vantage point of one of its many tors. The joy that often accompanies these feelings has a number of beneficial effects on human health, including decreasing stress, promoting a sense of well-being and causing us to feel more present. A 2020 study into ‘Awe Walks‘ found that participants who went on walks with the specific intention of looking for awe experienced more emotional well-being benefits than those who just walked, including heightened positive emotions such as: gratitude, admiration and compassion.
On the 1st of September the DPA led an Awe Walk as part of the Dartmoor Outdoor Festival, devised by Chairman John Howell, and with mindfulness activities led by Comms Officer Helen Bruce. The walk was fully booked and we had sunny weather as we walked up towards Two Crosses From Widecombe village green. The aim of the walk was to mindfully choose to experience awe, focusing on both the grand expanses of moorland, where you can see for miles, and the close up details, such as the flowers of parasitic Dodder, entangling the gorse.
Stopping at Two Crosses, we heard a recount of the history of the site from John. Long ago, the spot was marked by two crosses in the turf next to the road, with the village lengthsman regularly re-cutting them so they remained visible, meaning the spot came to be known as ‘Two Crosses in the Turf’. This older name may have been what gave rise to the current, shortened, title, but there is also some suggestion that the name may have arose in recollection of a double fatality at the spot. In 2008, Mr Whale donated a stone to the Dartmoor National Park Authority so that a more permanent feature could be placed at Two Crosses, which is also the meeting of boundaries between the manors of Widecombe Town and Dunstone. In June 2008, Andy Cribbett, the National Park Authourity’s Stonemason, engraved the stone with the words ‘TWO CROSSES,’ accompanied by a cross on each side.
Walking a short distance from this stone, everyone in the group found a spot on the ground to sit on, and we connected with the landscape though a guided meditation. The mediation focused on visualising the Dartmoor colours of heather, gorse and granite, imagining that we were surrounded by each of these vibrant colours in turn.
From two Crosses, we walked in silence on to Wind Tor, focusing on choosing to feel awe as we moved across the moorland. At Wind Tor, we practiced gazing, a mindful and relaxing activity that involves picking a spot on the horizon and focusing on it for a sustained amount of time, building up from a couple of minutes to twenty minutes or more, with practice. Gazing can also be done with close up details, such as a flower on heather or a patch of lichen on stone.
At Wind Tor, John showed us marks that had been left by an unsuccessful attempt to split the summit rocks long ago. From this vantage point, he also drew our attention to the remnants of Ridge and Furrow to the north of the tor, which are marks left in the ground by simple ploughs used during Medieval farming of the area. Alongside these, we saw stone reaves, part of a network of ancient field boundaries, which demonstrate how extensively the site had been shaped by human activity in the past.
Looping back towards Two Crosses, we encountered a splendid horse and trap, and reflected on how our ancestors had lived and their relationship with the land. Before taking the long, sloping church path back down into Widecombe, we stopped a second time for a guided meditation. This time, we lay on our backs on the dry grass and the group was guided through a relaxation meditation, where we dropped tension from out bodies section by section, until we had become so heavy that we felt rooted into the peat like the stones set by our ancestors.
Feedback on this walk was excellent, with many of the group remarking on how refreshed and revived they felt. It was a real treat to take time out of our busy schedules to slow down and appreciate the sheer wonder of the natural and man-made world around us. We’re grateful to have been asked to lead a walk as part of the festival and hope to offer more free places on walks next year.
Images: John Howell