Merry Christmas! In this one I’m out on North Dartmoor for a properly moody Christmas hike — fog, drizzle on and off, and about 42mph winds to keep things interesting. I also start with a bit of honesty: this was meant to be a Christmas wild camp, but the weather (and a bit of bad timing with being ill earlier in the month) had other ideas. I actually tried to camp the night before with my Naturehike Cloud Peak 2, but the wind was flattening it and the valley I dropped into was completely waterlogged, so I did the sensible thing and bailed. So instead, you get my “punishment” hike: no views, no landmarks, and that classic Dartmoor feeling where it’s easy to see how people get lost. I’m making the route up as I go — starting near Rowtor, past East Mill Tor, following the military road south, then cutting west before turning back as the fog thickens and the rain threatens. There’s a weird, eerie stillness down in the sheltered valley, then the wind hits again when I’m higher up. The big takeaway is simple: winter Dartmoor is all about sensible decisions, layering, and knowing when to turn around. And yes — right at the end, Rowtor finally gives me the clearest views of the whole day… just next to the car park, of course.