17. Dartmoor: Dartmeet - Laughter Hole (Circular) - 7.5 miles - OS Explorer OL28

Tricky stepping stones to negotiate (or get your feet wet). 3 mile walk option missing out the menhir.

The thing about Dartmoor is that if you're prepared to walk, prehistoric leftovers are there in their natural surroundings, not stuck in a museum or by the side of a visitors centre. A good example is the standing stone (menhir to give it its Celtic name) near Laughter Tor, pictured above. From the bronze age, circa 4000 bce, its stark moor setting speaks volumes more than any information board could.

To begin the trek, park at Dartmeet and take the footpath that skirts Badger Holt. In the minute it takes to put Badger Holt behind you, the crowds that flock to this lovely spot with its clapper bridge disappear. Ahead is a gloriously beautiful trail beside the River Dart that includes a copse of stunted gnarled trees hung in verdant lichen in summertime, making it look more Grimm's fairytale than real.

Stay as close to the river as you can until your way is blocked by a stream (after about a mile). You’ll see to your left stepping-stones across the dart. To reach them, follow the stream keeping it to your left until you reach a clapper bridge (another bit of prehistory). These Celtic Britons must have had muscles like Arnie. Cross and backtrack to the stepping stones. You'll need to be nimble.

Crossing these, go left and follow the path as it rises to Brimpts Farm and a shire horse riding centre.

After passing the stables and admiring the nags (they're gorgeous) the track forks. Go right, to join the B3357.

Turn right at the road (or left to return to Dartmeet if you only want the shorter walk) and follow it for a third of a mile until, passing Huccaby Cottage, you come to a footpath sign pointing right by a gate.

There are two options, take the left one toward the granite stones of Outer Huccaby Ring. (Just a warning: on a different walk I took the right option and ended up in bog hidden beneath ankle twisting tuffets, with my partner giving me that 'I’m-thinking-of-murdering-you,' look.)

After just over a mile. passing through a gate as you go, take a path on your right, keeping Laughter Man (the menhir ahead) to your left. You'll pass an obvious track to it, and it's worth a detour to take in its mystery. So too the remains of stone rows nearby. The eighth largest of Dartmoors menhirs, it’s hard to see what there is to laugh about. This is a bleak spot and it's no wonder the Britons went back to Brittany around the Iron Age (c.400 bce).

The high moor, this is not a place to be without a compass, proper map and the right gear. And even with those, I'd avoid bad weather. The horizontal rain and thick fog common in these parts is no fun.

Returning to the track, carry on into the pine forst ahead.

After about a fifth of a mile through the trees you’ll see a lane and a couple of properties. Go sharp right here along the path that leads to Laughter Hole House.

Here there are more stepping stones to cross. Bigger and further apart than those at Dartmeet, the penultimate one is at an angle rather than flat. Be prepared to paddle.

Surviving that, follow the path/track to Babeny Stables.

Passing the stables, you come to a lane and bridge over the Dart. A hundred yards or so further along, there's a path on your right. Following this will bring you back to the clapper bridge you crossed earlier on. This time ignore it and retrace your steps to Dartmeet car park.

After the perfect Dartmoor walk you must be thirsty. I recommend the nearby Tavistock Inn by the wonky phone box at Poundsgate. Good ales in an unspoilt granite-walled pub. They'll do tea too!

This place has history, dating back to 1413, the same as nearby Newbridge. Both bridge and pub helped tin miners travel between the stannery towns of Ashbuton and Tavistock, where they could get their tin certified for quality. In addition to tired miners, in the 19th century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the pub. It's here he wrote the Hound of the Baskervilles. Sherlock Holmes, at least in the authors imagination, trod the same soil as you.