Staple Tors - Dartmoor walks - Rocking Chair Fuel

Little, Middle and Great Staple Tors on Dartmoor were the focus of our walk on a stunningly sunny day in December.

We started our walk from Pork Hill car park, but rather than heading straight over to the Staple Tors we had another task in mind….to find the bullseye stones along the Grimstone and Sortridge Leat.

Leats and Bullseye Stones on Dartmoor

We had read on the map that there was a Bullseye Stone at Windy post’s Beckamoor Cross and curiosity piqued, I had to find out what they were. The best information I found was on the Legendary Dartmoor website. Here’s what I found out:A leat is a man-made waterway dug into the ground to supply water over long distances to homes on Dartmoor (also found in Wales and other areas). The remaining leats on Dartmoor are still providing water to homes today.A bullseye stone – a large slab of stone or granite that has a hole drilled through it. It is placed across a main leat and the hole allows water to flow into another branch which then takes water to a house or farm. The hole can be plugged to stop the flow of water into the side branch if it isn’t needed.

We found 4 along the leat between Windy Post and Oakley Cottage. It was quite exciting trying to find them all and a happy shout of “Bullseye” came out at each occurrance.Not content with finding Bullseye stones, we decided to continue our walk and climb a few tors; Pew Tor, Little Staple Tor, Middle Staple Tor, Great staple Tor and finally to the trig point on top of Cox Tor before heading back to the car park. Just over 10km of walking and 325 metres of elevation. A stunning walk taking in all the Staple Tors.

What to look out for on Staple Tors Dartmoor walk

The Bullseye stones on the Grimstone and Sortridge Leat. We found four but I believe there is a fifth…next time.
Beckamoor Cross – a granite cross that has been standing on Dartmoor for hundreds of years (also known as Windy Post).
The acquaduct that passes over the leat. We found it by chance as it isn’t on the OS map. Follow the leat north from Windy Post, it’s on the right before the B3257. A totally exciting little find.
The climb from Great Staple Tor to Cox Tor passes some beautiful natural sights; for want of a better word, a tarn at the base of the tor, which gave beautiful reflections of the dusk sky;
Look out for the rather odd bumpy ground around Cox Tor. Apparently called thufurs, these hummocks are a result of permafrost or seasonally frozen ground. I love learning new things and found this info on Adrian Colston’s website; he gives an excellent explanation.
The trig point at the top of Cox Tor. This is a great Tor to go to at sunset for the most amazing colours.