A LITTLE RIVER ON DARTMOOR By Bridget Davies ARPS
The East Okemont River is a modest affair. Just five miles long, it rises below Oke Tor, flows north out of the Dartmoor National Park and into Okehampton where it meets its counterpart, the West Oke River to form the Okemont River. So many misspelt oaks! Repetitious, as some Dartmoor names are, but it is indicative of the trees which dominate.
Its wooded stretch offers the most interest to me. There are no gentle glides here, nor calm meanderings. No wide-open views, nor glimpses of the broader landscape. In their place are jumbled rocks, little falls and miniature rapids, some larger slabs of rock, and the overhanging canopy of oaks, which alters the colour palette with the seasons. Slightly claustrophobic in feel, but well sheltered from howling winds and the other weather that Dartmoor can throw at you. It is a spate river, so its dimensions and character can alter significantly with the level of rainfall.
Page 36
July 2021 Volume 6 Number 5
