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Tor
Haytor
Granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, also known as Haytor Rocks.
A mini guide to
Dartmoor
Granite tors, clapper bridges, Bronze Age sites and moorland villages in a national park
Photos
1 / 10Welcome to the area
Granite tors, clapper bridges, Bronze Age sites and moorland villages in a national park
Dartmoor is an upland area of southern Devon that has been a national park since 1951 and covers 954 square kilometres. Its granite moorland is topped by exposed rock outcrops called tors, such as Haytor and Hound Tor, and the highest point is High Willhays at 621 metres. The public has wide access rights, but parts of the moor have been used as military firing ranges for over 200 years.
The moor is rich in prehistoric remains, from the 24 hut circles of Grimspound to the Bronze Age monuments near Merrivale. Postbridge has a medieval clapper bridge over the East Dart, and Wistman's Wood is one of a few remaining high-altitude oakwoods. Around the edges are Okehampton, Tavistock, Moretonhampstead, Chagford and Ashburton, with Castle Drogo, Lydford Gorge and Buckfast Abbey nearby.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Historic site
Haytor Granite Tramway
Tramway of 1820 with rails cut from granite, built to carry stone from the Haytor quarries to the Stover Canal.
Tor
Hound Tor
Weathered granite tor with the ruins of a medieval village nearby, cared for by the national park for English Heritage.
Rock stack
Bowerman's Nose
Stack of weathered granite about 6.6 metres high on Hayne Down, near Manaton.
Prehistoric site
Grimspound
Bronze Age settlement of 24 hut circles inside a low stone wall; a scheduled monument since 1928.
Village
Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Moorland village whose church is called the Cathedral of the Moors for its tall tower; home of Widecombe Fair.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Dartmoor and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Check the firing ranges
Parts of the northern moor are military ranges with restricted access, so check before planning a walk there.
2
Follow the granite tramway
Near Haytor, the 1820 tramway used shaped granite blocks as rails to carry stone to the Stover Canal.
3
Pair Castle Drogo with Fingle Bridge
Castle Drogo stands above the Teign Gorge, and the 17th-century packhorse bridge at Fingle is downstream.
4
Widecombe Fair
The fair in Widecombe-in-the-Moor is held on the second Tuesday of September.
Tips from the Britlens editors
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Dartmoor (area photo): Addshore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Haytor: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Haytor Granite Tramway: Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hound Tor: Phillip Capper (PhillipC) from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bowerman's Nose: Helendy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Grimspound: Herbythyme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Widecombe-in-the-Moor: Pasicles, CC0, source
- Postbridge clapper bridge: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Princetown: Totnesmartin, Public domain, source
- Dartmoor Prison Museum: David Hallam-Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Burrator Reservoir: Jolly Janner, Public domain, source
- Tavistock Abbey: JohnArmagh, Public domain, source
- Lydford Gorge: Photochrom Print Collection, Public domain, source
- Finch Foundry: Simon Cobb, CC0, source
- Castle Drogo: Michael Dibb, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Fingle Bridge: Simon Cobb, CC0, source
- Buckfast Abbey: Necrothesp, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Exmoor & Lynmouth: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Exeter: Rüdiger Wölk, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Plymouth: Herbythyme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Torquay, Paignton & Brixham: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dartmouth, Totnes & the Dart: Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring Devon