Sherlockian Sojourns - Special #1: (In) The Footprints of a Gigantic Hound

“One false statement was made by Barrymore at the inquest. He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. But I did—some little distance off, but fresh and clear.", stated Dr. Mortimer

"Footprints?" asked Holmes

"Footprints."

"A man's or a woman's?"

Dr. Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered.

"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!" [HOUN]

The following is a diary of my second trip to Dartmoor kept by myself at the time:

Monday 20^th September 2010

The train pulled up at a small wayside station and we all descended. Outside, beyond the low, white fence, a wagonette with a pair of cobs was waiting. Our coming was evidently a great event, for station-master and porters clustered round us to carry out our luggage. [HOUN]

Having failed to visit Dartmoor locations from “The Hound of the Baskervilles” on a previous occasion due to heavy fog, I decided to make another attempt. Starting off from London Waterloo (near to where Stapleton hired his cab to ‘dog’ Sir Henry), I made my way firstly to Exeter. Having some time to kill until my connection to Plymouth, I wandered round the town, having stowed my bag at a left-luggage office, coming across a Sherlock Holmes sign outside a city tobacconist.

Returning to Exeter Station, I travelled onwards to Plymouth, where due to becoming confused as to where the bus stop that I required was, just missed my intended bus which would have taken me the most direct route to Princetown, managing to break the strap of my bag by running. A quick telephone call to ‘Traveline’ revealed another bus in half-an-hour, but that I would need to continue to Tavistock and then out again, as the last bus from Yelverton to Princetown would have departed by the time of my arrival there. This journey continued without problems, and just over forty-five minutes later than planned, I was standing outside the High Moorland Visitors’ Centre in Princetown, formerly the Duchy Hotel where Conan Doyle had stayed with his friend Bertram Fletcher Robinson, when researching HOUND.

I then made my way across the square to the Fox Tor Café (named after the nearby tor and mire, the model for the ‘Great Grimpen Mire’), which had just closed for the day. However, following the signs to the attached Bunkhouse, I found a member of staff who let me into my booked room, and revealed that I had the bunkhouse to myself for all three nights. Settling in, I unpacked and ensured that I had my bag ready for the next morning. Following a brief meal at a nearby Pub, I decided to have an early night.

Tuesday 21^st September 2010

"That is the great Grimpen Mire," said Stapleton. "A false step yonder means death to man or beast. Only yesterday I saw one of the moor ponies wander into it. He never came out.” [HOUN]

"It is worth a mud bath," said Holmes. "It is our friend Sir Henry's missing boot." [HOUN]

The day started misty, but the local weather forecast predicted that the mist would swiftly burn away. This proved to be correct and at just after 10am, I left the bunkhouse, making my way via the Visitors Centre, buying two HOUND posters and a Sherlock Holmes Dartmoor Fridge magnet. Having confirmed the starting point of my proposed walk with Dartmoor National Park Authority staff, I strode off towards the indicated gate, and up my first tor (South Hessary) of the day. Following the instructions, after about forty minutes, I found myself at Nun’s Cross, and a short way further on, Nuns Cross Farm, and the prime candidate for Merripit House, Stapleton’s home.

Continuing on, I found the indicated brook, and following it round a hillside, found myself overlooking the infamous Fox Tor Mire, better known to Sherlockians as ‘The Great Grimpen Mire’. Having taken many photographs, I decided to take a video with narration from the book. However, a sudden gust of wind blew the piece of paper with Stapleton’s conversation with Watson about the mire from my hand, into the brook. Not wishing to leave it there littering the moor, I had to pile up my stuff, and step into the brook to retrieve it, getting my feet slightly wet despite my boots.

Following the brook onwards, I found the main road, which having followed for around another forty minutes, listening to the Clive Merrison radio version of HOUND, and going up and down several more tors, I found myself back at the Visitors Centre.

Returning to the bunkhouse, I took the opportunity to have a short rest and some lunch, before striding up the nearby North Hessary Tor to the strains of excerpts from Teddy Hayes’ HOUND musical, “The Baskerville Beast”. At the top, I was able to see across the many local tors, including the Bellever and Vixen Tors observed by Watson when on his hunt for the convict, Selden.

Walking back down, proved much easier, and the lack of anyone else in the vicinity meant that I decided to join in with the songs.

Back at the bunkhouse, I changed my clothes, watched some television, had another Pub meal, and retired to the strains of an audio play, “Holmes and the Ripper”, starring ‘TV’s voice of the Daleks’, Nicholas Briggs, as the Great Detective.

Wednesday 22^nd September 2010

I have said that over the great Grimpen Mire there hung a dense, white fog. It was drifting slowly in our direction and banked itself up like a wall on that side of us, low but thick and well defined….

"It's moving towards us, Watson.", said Holmes

"Is that serious?"

"Very serious, indeed--the one thing upon earth which could have disarranged my plans..” [HOUN]

The day again started misty, but again the local weather indicated that the mist was soon clear. I therefore strode out for a walk taking in the likely location of the huts where Holmes hid out whilst on the moor, as well as the most likely Dartmoor candidate for Baskerville Hall. However, first I needed to find a taxi to the start point of my walk, Shipley Bridge, a small village between South Brent and Buckfastleigh. Having finally found a taxi, the driver had little idea where he was going, and mumbled and grumbled for much of the hour-long journey. However, we finally made it, and having paid £35 (!), I started off on my walk, passing and being passed by a large group of cyclists. I followed the directions, and was soon opposite Rider’s Ring, the remnants of a stone age settlement, where Holmes would have hidden.

Continuing up a track to the top of the large Avon Dam, I found myself being confused as to where to go next. However, at this point, a helpful middle-aged couple turned up, who it seemed were walking a route that was identical to the one that I had planned from that point onwards. They therefore begrudgingly agreed that I could follow them. However, fifteen minutes later, we had not reached the stream that we had expected to. Even worse, thick fog had begun to descend onto the moor. Looking at their map, the couple decided that as they were not yet halfway round their circular route, they would retrace their steps, and as it ended close to Hayford Hall, a model for Baskerville Hall, I decided to do so also. Having reached the point where we had met, and walked up a steep hill, all we had to do was follow a series of marker posts to the main road. However, these petered out on several occasions, and though I strode off in front at the couple’s insistence, I had to stop to wait for them to catch up and point me in the right direction twice.

Finally reaching the road, given that the fog was increasing, I decided that there was no point wandering left down the road towards Hayford Hall, as I would be unable to see or take a picture of it in the fog. I therefore strode off right, to walk the two miles to Buckfastleigh. As I had hoped, my earlier walking companions caught up with me in their car, and offered me a lift into Buckfastleigh.

On reaching Buckfastleigh, I made my way to the Steam Railway, and the station that would have been the one that Watson, Mortimer and Sir Henry would have arrived at.

 

  

The last train of the day had gone, and so having spoken to Traveline again, decided to return to Princetown by bus. The first part of the journey went fine, and I found myself back in Plymouth. However, due to problems with the bus that I boarded at the bus station, and heavy traffic due to it being rush hour, I became aware that I would not only miss my connection in Yelverton, but that there would also be no buses from Tavistock. I therefore still alighted at Yelverton (the likely location of the stables from “Silver Blaze”), and wrongly believing that Princetown was only a mile away, strode off. However, having walked a mile and finding a sign indicating ‘Princetown - 5 miles’, I called for a taxi, particularly as the fog was getting worse. Ten minutes later it arrived, and for fifteen minutes, we slowly made our way through the fog, avoiding moor ponies who had strayed on to the road. Back at the Visitors’ Centre, I walked back to the bunkhouse.

My evening followed a similar pattern to the previous one, as I went to bed, listening to the concluding part of “Holmes and the Ripper”, musing on an unsuccessful, expensive day.

Thursday 23^rd September 2010

“I give you my word that I shall be very glad to have you back safe and sound in Baker Street once more.", said Holmes. [HOUN]

Having packed and returned my key, I caught my first bus, to Yelverton, where for the first time, I managed to catch a bus onwards, this time to Plymouth. I then spent several hours in Plymouth, including walking along a pavement with Sherlockian quotes.

Catching a train from Plymouth, and changing at Newton Abbot, I made my way to Exeter again. After a half-hour wait, I finally caught the London Waterloo train, changing at Clapham Junction to get home earlier than expected.