Friday 11th May China Clay Tors

A short walk from near Wooter and up to  Hawks Tor (163)...

...with this spectacular slab of granite on top - looking out to Plymouth Sound.

Behind the tor are the china clay quarries and behind the warning sign it might look like Dartmoor but this is a reconstituted moor made from sand, a waste product form the clay mining.  China clay has been mined here since 1831.

Luxton Tor (164)  with the huge open cast quarries below



Nearby is Saddlesborough Tor (165) - not really a tor just lots of large rocks

You can see the join between the real moor and the man made moor.

Back past Hawks tor to Collard Tor (166)

A short drive to Whitehill Tor (167) which is one of the easiest to get to as it's next to the road!

From the top of this tor more china clay workings.

Tuesday 8th May Haytor Rocks

Lots of tors today and all close together.  The weather forecast had not been good but in the event we had perfect walking weather, warm in the sunshine and cool in the shade.  No haze with clear views. Starting from Top Tor car park just up from Widdecombe. 

Around the road before going up to Saddle Tor (149).

The gang on Saddle Tor

From here I mistakenly took the team over to Haytor Rocks which meant I had to go back to Emsworthy Rocks (150). With Haytor in the distance.

Haytor Rocks (151)

The rest had continued on to Holwell Tor (152) where I caught up with them...

...with spectacular views across to Greator Rocks and Hound Tor....

...down from here across the Haytor quarry tramway.

To Smallacombe Rocks (153) - looking back to Holwell Tor.

A very short walk to Hole Rock (154) and then...

...Leighon Tor (155)

Looking back to Smallacombe Rocks

Down to the bottom of the valley and over this little bridge.  The bit after this is the worst part of the walk - very steep up the other side of the valley and back to the open moor...

...and we stopped for our picnic lunch with Greator Rocks (156) in view...

...around to the other side of Greator Rocks

Looking across to Haytor with Holwell Tor in the foreground.

Through the bluebell fields, but they were very disappointing compared to last year.

Looking across to Holwell Rocks (157) - just random piles of boulders.

Then over to Honeybag Tor (158)...

...from Honeybag Tor to Easdon Tor

...and in the distance Chinkwell Tor (159) our next stop.

Just below Chinkwell Tor is Sharp Tor (160)...

...below that is Bell Tor (161)...

...and down again to Bonehill Rocks (162)

The view over Widdecombe in the Moor.

Bonehill Rocks from the other side.

With Terry, Rosemary, Charlie, Carol, Roger and Linda.

So 14 tors today - all in an 8 mile walk.  The total number of tor listed in the book is just over 300 so today gets me just past the halfway point.

Monday 7th May Quarries

We started from the track entrance to Yellowmead Farm and walked towards Foggintor Quarry.

Once a thriving community just a few ruins now and one big hole in the ground.

 The entrance to Foggintor Quarry (145)...

...and one of the large quarries.  There is no tor here - I assume there was once but it was taken away as the quarry developed.

A short walk to Swelltor Quarry (146).  This single rock pile is all that remains above the moor....

 ...maybe these rocks are the remains of the original tor.


The entrance to the quarry - another huge cavernous hole in the ground...

  ...and the remains of the offices


 ...where there was this nice friendly lady who thought she was on the telly.













Just along from here on the are the unused corbels for the original London Bridge.  These corbels were intended for the widening of the bridge which took place 1902-04 but were not used.  (The bridge was relocated to Lake Havasu City in 1971).


We rejoined the original railway track and went over to Little King Tor (147) - in the foreground with Vixen Tor in the background.

Then around the railway track.  Looking back at King Tor (148).

Lunch was in the Merrivale Inn - which was only OK.

Back home the woodpecker was attacking the nuts.