Black Tor and Hart Tor – Dartmoor Walks
December 20, 2021
Our aim was Black Tor, taking in Hart Tor along the way. However, one of the things we love most about the moors is that you can design your walk as you go along. This walk gave us a plethora of fascinating items to deviate us (very happily) from our path and delight us along the way. Our four-hour walk whizzed by and before we knew it we were traipsing back to the start in the fading dusk light (reminder to self – take torches next time).
Princetown to Black Tor
We started our walk from Princetown, famous for it’s prison which is still operating today. Also home to the Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre. I had been keen to visit this to get some more information on the park and the strange things we find within it. I was not disappointed, a great place to visit and I may share some of my new knowledge.
Logan Stones
Our walk from Princetown was initially along the road, but soon took us up to Hart Tor. From here we could see our target, Black Tor and the Logan Stone. Having seen the latter named on the OS map, I had to go and see what this Logan stone was all about. A little research (thank you legendarydartmoor.co.uk) and I discovered a Logan Stone is where, through weather erosion, a stone breaks apart and ends up as one stone (the Logan) balancing on top of another and able to rock on its pivot (in theory without the risk of toppling off – we did not test the theory). Apparently, this is not the only one and they are all over the world. Something to look out for on future travels.
Stone Rows and Cairns
Stone Rows are thought to be ceremonial avenues (William Lethbridge’s book Discover Prehistoric Dartmoor). We’ve seen single and double rows on our wanders. Below Hart Tor there is a double row with what looks like a stone circle at one end, but no, apparently it’s a cairn circle.  Seriously, there’s a difference?  Yes, apparently because it is a part of the adjacent stone row and not stand-alone as stone circles are (think Avebury, or Castlerigg in the Lake District). There’s always something new to learn on Dartmoor.
Making our circular walk from Black Tor
This is the “design as you go” aspect of the walk. OS map in hand, we just looked for interesting points that we wanted to find in the vicinity and ended up zig-zagging around the moors.
What we discovered
- Cairn and stone rows below Hart Tor
- A stunning aqueduct with a tiered fall south of Black Tor.
- Devonport Leat. Â Once I’d seen it on the map, I had to take a look as so far they’ve all been extremely picturesque. Â This one had loads of small clapper bridges, always a delight.
- Â Leather Tor bridge. Â We’re finding the bridges named on the maps are usually old and worth a diversion. Â This was no exception.
- Two stone crosses
Bound Stones, this time with the initials PCWW. We scratched our heads thinking; ‘we’re near Princetown, perhaps that’s the PC’ and ‘WW, something to do with world war I as they’re dated 1917?’…..but no, nothing that glamorous. Plymouth Corporation Waterworks to mark the boundary of the nearby Burrator reservoir. Oh well.- Crazy Well Pool – with a name like that we had to see it.  Apparently an old mine hole that has filled with water.  Very unexpected on Dartmoor and for some reason I kept calling it Crazy Arse Well….an improvement?
What to discover next in Dartmoor
Black Tor take two? There are three Black tors on Dartmoor. It seems rude not to visit them all. Also, we’ve realised we’ve been neglecting our South West Coast Path walks and some sea air is needed…I think we’re off to Cornwall next!
