Tavy Cleave and Hare Tor

A moderate to difficult walk of approximately 4.5 miles – great cross country exercise for you and your dog. Some of this walk is within the Dartmoor Firing Range, so please check times of firing before heading out. See driving directions HERE.

Park up at the car park at Lane Head

Lane Head is a car parking area on the western side of Dartmoor, just up the road from Mary Tavy – about 15 minutes from Bowerland.

• Head to the right, going down a track and then to the left passing a leat known as Wheal Friendship Leat or Reddaford Leat.
• Follow the leat along, keeping on the right hand side.
• Go around to the left and under Nat Tor. You will start to see Tavy Cleave ahead.
• Once you get to the head of the leat, there is a grey building.
• Keep left of the building and follow the river.

You will find yourself walking along the riverbank, as well as climbing over boulders. So it’s a tricky walk, but the views are well worth it!

Ger Tor

You will pass by Ger Tor, which is quite a large tor. It is a beautiful spot, and you will feel  as if you are in the middle of the wild moor.

• Follow the river all the way up to where it meets with Rattle Brook and then turn left, leaving the river Tavy behind.
• This path next to Rattle Brook is a really narrow path, and you may come across some Dartmoor animals on this path. Best to put your dog on a leash for this part.
• Make sure you keep the river in sight heading for a boundary stone, which marks the river crossing point at Deadlake Foot.
• The boundary stone is marked with WD 21 and is one of 26 put up by the war department to mark out the Willsworthy firing range. They date from about 1900 and mostly follow the boundary of the old Willsworthy Manor. Again keep your dog on a leash for safety purposes.

At this point you will see a stream

1. Take the path out of this valley (in a north west direction).
2. Follow alongside the path until you reach a sort of crossroads.
3. The path and stream split off in different directions. Most people take a compass with them as the path to Hare Tor is to the right and you may not feel that it is the correct direction. If you take a compass reading it will confirm it.
4. Walk up the gradual incline, to Hare Tor (SX 551843). Hare Tor sits in the middle of the firing range and is 531m high.

Amazing Views

There are some amazing views from this spot. Besides the range marker pole, you can spot Widgery Cross on Brat Tor to the north west and Ger Tor to the south west. At this point you can take the easy walk to Ger Tor (SX 547831), which is just under a mile from Hare Tor and is a fantastic spot for taking photographs.

The Return

Simply follow the path in a south westerly direction down and across Nattor Down, going across the leat and back at the car park.

We hope you enjoy this beautiful walk. Read more of our Wednesday Walks HERE. And see Devon Dog’s Calendar of Events HERE.

 

Featured image by Richard Knights | CC BY-SA 2.0 | via Wikimedia Commons