Top 5 walks & climbs around the newly repaired footpaths at Haytor Rocks, Dartmoor
With almost 2,000m of footpath around Haytor Rocks in Dartmoor newly repaired, thanks to BMC Access & Conservation Trust funding from the Mend Our Mountains campaign, here are our top 5 walks and climbs in the area.
The footpaths around Haytor Rocks and the surrounding tors, (Saddle Tor and Rippon Tor in particular), a popular climbing and walking area in Dartmoor, were eroded into deep gullies and de-nuded of vegetation due to increased footfall and extreme weather conditions.
Good news - this autumn, the majority of these ruined footpaths have now been repaired thanks to funding from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign and Farming in Protected Landscapes.
Around 200 tonnes of growan (fine granite stone with a percentage of soil) and 20 tonnes of granite slabs have been used. Trenches and cross-drains have been dug to redirect surface water and exposed, and unvegetated areas have been infilled back to their original height.
Keeping walkers and dogs on these new, clear, durable paths will protect ground-nesting birds and livestock from being disturbed.
Ranger Stuart Hooppell from Dartmoor National Park says, "Over the years with the rain and the footfall we've seen gullies form, so, as delicately as possible, we've been making repairs so they provide a good surface for walkers for many years to come, as well as, don't stand out - we don't want to create a huge footpath that's not in keeping with the surroundings. So we're doing it as carefully and delicately as we can so it blends in. It will look a bit raw for a day or two, but in time it will settle down.
"There are two or three key areas around Haytor Rocks that we're working on. One is over by the major rock face where the climbers go, then there's a really large, gullied-out area and there was an interesting consideration in the form of a solitary bee that wasn't super rare, but quite unusual, so we've had to work around that to ensure we didn't disturb that as much as possible. So that was a little challenge. We've had archeologists out here looking at the reaves [ancient field boundary earthworks] and we've had to put matting down to ensure we don't damage those.
"There's been a really tricky part down where the steps were carved into Haytor Rocks some time ago, something we wouldn't do now but it was put there a long time ago, where there was a skirt forming around the edge of it and the turf there was getting denuded, so there was a wide strip forming around the edge of Haytor Rocks. So we've had to work really hard and really carefully around there to re-profile (re-shape) it just slightly to send the water off and stop that gully from deepening out and gauging more and more."
Haytor Rocks gullies and devegetation before and after
Gate-section before and after
TOP 5 HAYTOR WALKS & CLIMBS
Take a look at the new footpath repair work for yourself with these five great walks and climbs in the area.
The Haytor Down, Bagtor Down and Rippon Tor area have many carparks, with the tors fairly close to the road, making them easily accessible. Here are a few popular routes of varying difficulty, taking in incredible views, archaeology and hopefully lots of wildlife.
Please be mindful of the freshly laid turfs on the previously de-nuded ground, if everyone can stick to the paths and keep dogs on leads that would make all the difference to protecting this area and helping it to continue to recover. Thank you.
1 Haytor Quarry Circular (wheelchair/pushchair accessible)
2 miles (1hr)
A fantastically accessible two Miles Without Stiles route leading gently uphill to Haytor Quarry and returning the same way. It passes below the eastern flanks of Haytor Rocks, the most iconic tor in the National Park. A slightly narrower path allows access through the old quarry itself. This is quite sheltered and a great place for a picnic.
2 Top Tor, Pil Tor and Rippon Tor
7.5 miles (3-4hrs)
Park at Buckland in the Moor and walk this clockwise loop to Pil Tor, Hollow Tor and Top Tor before climbing to the rocky Rippon Tor. Then drop down to the Buckland Beacon to see the two granite stones, engraved with the Ten Commandments before returning back to the start.
BMC members don't forget, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
3 Haytor and Hound Tor Circular
12 miles (4-5hrs)
Park at the visitor centre in Haytor Vale and follow old granite tramways on this anti-clockwise loop, ticking off Hound Tor (with its fascinating medieval settlement), Hameldown Tor, Hollow Tor and finish on the stunning Haytor Rocks. You could add in a short out-and-back detour up Rippon Tor before Haytor Rocks too if you're feeling fit towards the end.
BMC members don't forget, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
4 Boulder on Saddle Tor
Saddle Tor is a brilliant place for bouldering on grippy granite with some challenging traverses. You definitely need a mat as some of the problems are high, but the landings are nice and flat. Most of the routes are on the more difficult side, around 6a and above, but they are some of the best bouldering problems around. More detailed route information can be found on Dave Henderson's site and access updates from the BMC are given on our Regional Access Database (RAD).
5 Climb on Haytor Rocks
Haytor Rocks is Dartmoor's largest granite tor, with a fantastic 51 routes in total to climb on, split into two sections; High Man and Low Man. The strenuous, challenging Aviation, E1 5b, is a favourite of the harder routes at Low Man, while the easiest way up (for climbers and scramblers) are the steps cut into the face in the 1800's. For something in the middle, try Bulging Wall (VD) on the west face of High Man. For more great beta on Haytor Rocks read Hay Tor – Dartmoor Granite Trad Climbing, an article in Climber written by our very own BMC South West Access Rep Iain Peters.
What’s Mend Our Mountains?
Mend Our Mountains is an award-winning campaign from the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) which has raised a total of £1.4 million since its creation in 2016 to repair Britain’s hills and mountains. Since then over 50 miles of fragile footpath has been restored for future generations and 544 miles of upland has been repaired - the equivalent length of over 67,000 double decker buses!
This is the seventh Mend Our Mountains project the BMC’s ACT is supporting this year. The other six include:
1 Funding an Access Officer for the Cotswolds AONB
2 Supporting the Fix the Fells rangers in the Lake District
3 Restoring paths on Roseberry Topping, North York Moors
4 Making the footpath to Chanctonbury Ring, South Downs, more accessible
5 Replacing Cressbrook Mill footbridge, Peak District
6 Multiple Get Stuck In volunteer footpath repair events with the National Trust in the Lake District, Snowdonia and Peak District
Support Mend Our Mountains
Path repair is a surprisingly costly business. Working in remote locations with complex equipment and adverse weather conditions makes rebuilding trails an enormous and expensive challenge.
£5 buys a pair of work gloves
£50 buys five garden skips for moving soil
£250 fixes approximately one metre of footpath
£1000 flies ten bags of stone to an inaccessible mountain location
Did you know?
Simply becoming a BMC member supports BMC Access & Conservation Trust projects like this, plus you get all the benefits that membership offers, including these and many more:
£15 million Worldwide Combined Liability Insurance
£10,000 Personal Accident Insurance
Quarterly member-only magazine, Summit
15% off Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need
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