Bite-Size Blog Post #38 - Oke Tor - Dartmoor National Park

Those Perfect Summers Evenings on Dartmoor

In my video series Discovering Dartmoor you will often hear me talk about how nice it is during the summer months to go for an evening walk on Dartmoor.  If the wind is calm and the skies are clear it really can be one of life’s great pleasures.  However, Dartmoor being Dartmoor, the conditions can be just as unsettled as they are in the summer as they are in the winter.  So packing jackets and gloves is always recommend!

You might now be thinking that this is a story of being out in wintry conditions in the middle of summer.  Well for once, it's not! This is a story of one of those summer evenings where the conditions were perfect for a nice stroll around my favourite area of Dartmoor. 

As is often the case when the conditions are ideal for walking, I only go out with the intention of enjoying a walk and not to capture landscape photographs.  That doesn't mean I won't take my camera with me, it's just means that the primary reason for going out is to enjoy a walk.

I started my evening walk with no real plan other than I'll park near Row Tor, head south and see where I end up.  When I got parked the car, I could see East Mill Tor in the distance, so I thought that was a good a place as any to head to.  I had been discussing East Mill Tor with a fellow photographer a few days before, so I decided to head there to review some compositions at both the north and south end of the tor.

Oke Tor Sunset #1, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/40th at ISO 200.

Expansive Views of Dartmoor

As I stood on the southern edge of East Mill Tor I took in some deep breaths and admired the landscape that stretched out in front of me.  It was glorious!  But where to go next?  Scanning the horizon I could see Oke Tor.  If I went there then I could make a nice little loop back to the car.

As I approached Oke Tor I could see the light dancing along the landscape and despite me not having the intention of capturing photographs that evening, I started to get excited about the possibility of getting the camera out.  It was getting late though, and I was worried that there might not be enough time to get up onto the tor and to make use of the nice light.

Sure enough, I got up onto the tor and the light had gone.  However, it was a beautiful evening, and I was in no hurry so I decided to be patient and waited to see what would happen.  It was so peaceful there and I just stood there looking at the view.  I could see patches of light illuminating the landscape but there were unfortunately not landing on the tor where I was.

Even as I stood there, I remember thinking that even if I don't get any photographs, I would return home having had a lovely walk and seen some spectacular views. 

As most landscape photographers will tell you, patience is something you need to have lots of in this field of photography.  It's not often you get rewarded for your patience, but on this evening, I was, and I captured a beautiful image of Oke Tor.

Oke Tor Sunset #2, Dartmoor National Park - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/13, 1/3 at ISO 64.

As I walked back to the car, I thought about how fortunate I am to be able to experience Dartmoor in the ways that I do.  I can freely walk all over Dartmoor and enjoy everything nature has to offer, and if I put myself in the right place at the right time, I can also use my camera to capture those unique moments in time.