Chapel Ford (and 'Chapel Lands'), Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
If you're walking the Tarka Trail in Dartmoor National Park, you'll cross the wooden footbridge at Chapel Ford on the East Okement River at the upper end of West Cleave. The ford is just downstream of the footbridge. There's also a set of stepping stones. The Tarka Trail runs along the west bank moving downstream. The trail rises steeply towards Old Rectory Farm and then cuts back on itself running upstream way above the water. Chapel Ford and West Cleave are stunning and are favourites with Dartmoor locals.
The ford is named after a chapel. In the brilliant 'High Dartmoor', the Dartmoor expert Eric Hemery writes 'the name 'Halstock' is first recorded in the Perambulation return of 1240 as place-name of the ancient chapel: 'capelle Sancti Michaelis de Halgestoke', and in that of the 1609 Perambulation. "the Chapple of Halstocke" ... It is situated in the field known as 'Chapel Lands'; at its west end runs the ancient way from the Halstock settlement to the open moor at Dartmoor Gate'.
Note that the chapel no longer exists and 'Chapel Lands' is private land. Stick to the paths marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map when exploring the area.
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