Sunday 9th September - reflections on visiting all the Dartmoor Tors

So that's it! I have visited 307 of the tors listed this excellent book 'The A to Z of Dartmoor Tors' which I have been using to find and visit all the tors on Dartmoor.  Written by Terry Bound and first published in 1991.  It provides the grid reference and a description of all the tors.  

Inside the front cover is this quotation by Brian Carter..

"Tors are scattered all over the moors.  Many are landmarks which can be seen for miles.  They have a magnetism I can't resist...The smaller, less shapely tors which don't get in the guidebooks have lured me to some fine wilderness country.  These little outcrops maintain an exclusive, rather remote air of privacy"

I think that sums it up exactly.

The book cost £5.95 and has given me hours and hours of pleasure. Starting on the 2nd January - the task of completing them all became a bit of an obsession - but then you will never be successful at anything unless you are passionate and obsessive  about it! 

Doing this has got me to parts of the moor I wouldn't otherwise have visited but there were four tors I couldn't get to:-

Chagford Combe Tor - on private land.

Scatter Rock - on private land.

Gibby Combe Tor - too steep and too many ferns! - I will go back in the winter.

Hockingstone Rock - on the side of steep valley.

Monday 2nd January 2012 Cramber Tor

I have bought 'The A to Z of Dartmoor Tors'  by Terry Bound.  In this he lists all of the tors on Dartmoor (just over 300) and I aim to visit them all during 2012. The weather has been very wet for the last few days so it was good to get a forecast with just showers and sunshine and a good opportunity to start.

First one that can viewed from home.  So starting from Leedon Tor car park, around Sharpitor and up to Peek Hill (1)

Next down to the lovely little tor overlooking Burrator - Lowery Tor (2).  On the current OS maps this tor does not have a name.  Terry Bound is using the name which was shown in Crossing's  book  first published in 1912.

Back along the ridge to Sharpitor (3).....

 ...and across to Leather Tor (4)

Looking across to Down Tor and Combshead Tor and down to the forest.

Looking back up to Leather Tor....

...through the trees to the  Devonport Leat.

...and along the leat to the aqueduct.

Following the leat for a while there appeared a pile of square cut granite blocks which I can only assume were brought here either to build or repair the leat and then not required.

 

Across to Crazy Well Pool originally dug out for mining purposes and subject to a variety of superstitions.

Then over to the Crazy Well Cross nearby marking an old monastic route.














Next back across the leat and up to Cramber Pool which is at the end of a long girt. This is much smaller than Crazy Well Pool and more secluded.

Down to Cramber Tor (5)...

 ...then Hart Tor (6) at the head of the old rifle range...

 ..and Black Tor (7).

Finally down and across the main road through a particularly heavy shower and up to Leedon Tor (8)