Dartmoor: Yes Tor and High Willhays

West Mill Tor

This was my first visit to the so called 'Roof of Devon', comprised of High Willhays, Hampster Tor (though in dispute) and Yes Tor. It was an iffy day but that didn't stop us.

Parking up at Rowtor car park, it would make sense only to bag the tor of the same name, but I had already been (not previously logged) and so decided to contour it, taking the army track all the way to the col between Hampster and Yes.

Rifle Butts below West Mill Tor

Belstone Common and Cosdon Hill

Sam on Hampster Tor

We had lunch on Hampster Tor, after summiting High Willhays. As is the same for everyone else who visits this Marilyn (a hill with a prominence of over 150 metres), the outcrops that make up this tor aren't impressive, but I quite like their appearance; typical horizontal jointing interesting especially for the amateur geologist.

High Willhays

High Willhays summit cairn

Cairn building is definitely a favourite past time; ugly manmade structures that, other than providing a navigational feature (useful in bleak areas), distract from the natural beauty that is Dartmoor. Yes Tor was next.

Jammie and Yes Tor

Yes Tor

Yes Tor flagpole

The views from Yes Tor are some of the best in the national park. Helped by being located on the periphery of the high moor, the land drops dramatically (for south-west standards) revealing the rolling hills of North Devon.

From this vantage point, we could see a faint path leading to West Mill Tor, but firstly negotiating bog beside the Red-e-Ven Brook

Descending Yes Tor, West Mill Tor ahead

Crossing Red-e-Ven Brook

West Mill Tor

West Mill is a very good tor, but we didn't spend long here. We made to rejoin the track past the rifle butts below Rowtor.

Sam with Rowtor behind

Rowtor

Despite not visiting Row in this walk, I will include a label of it to make up for the lack of previous documentation. Writing this blog over a year later, I have been back to Row to bag it properly since.