Okehampton Rambling Club gave a tour of a short stretch of the Dartmoor Way last week as the walkway was opened after a long delay.

Six members of the walking group lead two walks along the Way near Okehampton passing Fatherford Viaduct, Ball Hill footpath and the golf course.

Susan Jones from the Okehampton Rambling Club said: ‘Twelve people participated in the two walks led by members of Okehampton Rambling Club.

‘One was eight miles, around Meldon reservoir via Meldon woods and the second was five miles around our lovely Okehampton countryside.’

The walk was part of a three day festival which was hosted by Dartmoor Way CIC and supported by the Devon Ramblers, to celebrate the re-opening of the Dartmoor Way over a long weekend.

The Okehampton Rambling Club was just one of many local ramblers and walking groups across Dartmoor which attended the event to lead guided walks along different sections of the route.

Over 200 people attended events, despite the less than perfect weather, over the weekend which included 18 walks and four other events organised by the Dartmoor Way project to celebrate the re-opening.

The rambling club was also one of the many groups which helped erect way-marking signposts along the route and will continue to help with the maintenance of the route.

The Dartmoor Way upgrade has been years in the making and was first proposed by a few members of the original steering group in 2010 who decided it was time to revitalise the routes.

The Dartmoor Way was originally conceived in 1999 when Dartmoor National Park, local businesses and members of local walking and cycling groups joined together with the aim of creating a cycling and walking route across Dartmoor.

Originally the walking route only followed the edge of the northern half of Dartmoor as this side of the moor was considered more scenic, but has now been extended to create a 108 miles loop around the circumference of the national park.

The original route which which crossed the moor east to west from Buckfast to Tavistock has now been incorporated as the High Moorland Link road and allows walkers and cyclists to follow a figure-of-eight route around the moor.

Visitors can also complete the shorter north or south circular routes by using the link road.

For more information visit www.dartmoorway.co.uk.