David's Journal

In Blood Sun soldiers were hunting Max Gordon on Dartmoor in freezing cold weather so I’ve posted a couple of photographs to show the kind of terrain.



It was a freezing cold the day I was up there scouting the locations for the book. The sloping rock is a cist, an ancient burial chamber. I’m sitting on the ruins at Grimspound, a prehistoric (Bronze Age) settlement – what some believe to be a huge circled encampment that might have been a fortification. Archaeologists discovered 24 houses, built in the round and the walls were double-skinned with a metre between each wall. Perhaps they knew about insulation against the biting Dartmoor winds even back then.

Grimspound is at an altitude of 450 metres and further hundred or so metres up the hillside is a cairn and trigonometrical point that Max used to guide himself home. The trig points are a common feature on Dartmoor. The concrete pillars are located on several high spots to serve as navigational aids and created because of the lack of prominent features like church spires. They can be identified on any Ordnance Survey map by a dot in a triangle and a number indicating its height above sea level. With Dartmoor being such a dangerous place – the weather can deteriorate rapidly – those of you who want to walk and explore the moor (or any wild place!) should always get your brain in gear and wear the appropriate clothing, make sure have a map and compass – and know how to use them. 

I’ve also posted a couple of photos taken in a warmer part of the world – Belize in Central America – where Max fought for his life. There’s a whole blog of my time spent in the jungle and reefs on the Archive button (click on my photo and you’ll see it) – but here are a couple more. These are Mayan ruins and a couple of examples of the exotic creatures found in this part of the world, which is great deal warmer than Dartmoor. One thing’s for sure there are some creepies you do not want sharing your bivvy at night.

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