The Rocks at Hound Tor are perhaps the most dramatic of Dartmoor’s tors. There is a lot of myth and legend surrounding them and they are well worth a visit. About 40 min drive from Bowerland.
On a misty day, it can get very atmospheric – the shapes of the rocks can look like beasts and legend has it that a pack of hounds was turned into these rocks by a trio of witches. The most famous writing of Hound Tor is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel, “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” The Dartmoor landscape has been inspiring for many people, including Seth Lakeman, a local folk musician.
Start your walk at Hound Tor car park
From the car park, head on down the small road. After about 800m you cross a cattle grid. Continue on down the hill to a left, then right bend past Great Hound Tor Farm. The road climbs again into a lot of trees. After a further 700m it starts to drop downhill again and the trees will thin out. Look for a small wooden gate on your right… go through the gate and turn sharp right to follow the edge of the field for about 500m to the bottom right hand corner.
At this point you can leave the field by the track. About 20m along on your right, go across a stile and a stream into a woodland area. Follow the woodland trail over another stile and continue on to the farm road. Cross the stile into the road and turn right, and follow the road across a river and up a hill, don’t turn-off this track. After passing a number of houses the road changes into a dirt road. Follow it up to a T-junction in the woods.
Turn right at the T-junction and follow the road to a field-gate, then along the path to the left. You will pass along the field boundary, through a gate into a deep and wooded track. Go through the gate onto the open moor. Continue following the wall until it makes a sharp right turn.
Keep on this path, bearing gently to the right and following the line of trees. The moor opens out around you, a good time to stop to catch your breath and make the most of the view. Then follow a signpost pointing you to the right and down through woods to the river. Go across the river by the stone bridge and continue up the track and hill on the other side. You will pass through several gates on the way.
Hound Tor & Greator
You will come to a large gate at the top of the path that will lead you out to open moor again and a spectacular view of Hound Tor in the distance. You can continue straight on the wide path to the Hound Tor medieval village, but you may want to take the smaller path on the left to climb to Greator Rocks with its panoramic views. Definitely a camera stop. After looking around Greator, continue on the path down the other side and visit the medieval village.
After looking around the remains of the village, continue on the broad path up to Hound Tor itself. Once again, make the most of the fantastic views from the tor and take some time out to take in the wonderful atmosphere. Once you have rested, go down the other side to return to the car park. There’s a chance for refreshments at the “Hound of the Basketmeals” in the car park at the bottom of the hill!
We hope you enjoy this beautiful walk. Read more of our Wednesday Walks HERE. And see Devon Dog’s Calendar of Events HERE.
Come and stay with us in our cottage style apartments, right in the heart of Dartmoor, and try out our amazing Wednesday Walks for yourself.
Featured image by Nilfanion | CC BY-SA 4.0 | via Wikimedia Commons