This is one of the areas I’d wanted to return to and I’ve been excited about coming back here for a while now. Partly to improve a walk I’ve done before but mainly to stand on Harton Chest again. The last time I came here was to bag the 4 tors along the ridge, which made it an out and back walk. I’ve never been a fan of covering the same ground on a walk and will go out of my way to find a loop where possible. For this walk I decided to descend into the cleave, follow the river until I came out the northern end, then turn right and head up Hunters Tor before returning along the ridge and a stop at the vertigo inducing Harton Chest. Its a magical spot and this walk was a good one, there was more cloud on this side of the moor than back home in Plymouth, but so be it. I also had my second slip and fall in a river moment on this walk, a simple greasy rock and over I went. The camera went in briefly but it looks as though that has survived, just a wet arse, left foot, t-shirt and fleece which was around my waist. Most of it had dried before I got back to the car, which shows that its getting a bit warmer!!!
| Start – Lustleigh parking |
| Route – Lustleigh Cleave – Horsham Steps – Foxworthy – Peck Farm – Hunter’s Tor – Raven’s Tor – Foxworthy Tor – Harton Chest – Sharpitor – Hammerslake Tor – Lustleigh parking |
| Distance – 4 miles Start time – 1.20pm Time taken – 2 hrs 40 mins Highest Point – Foxworthy Tor 321metres |
| Weather – Cloudy and humid, very damp after I fell in the river!! |
© Crown copyright 2016 Ordnance Survey FL 2016 SF
Not long after leaving the car I hit this sign, I’m heading for Horsham Steps to the left. Sharpitor is straight on but I’ll be coming back that way
In the trees, Lustleigh Cleave style
Fungi, looks like a discus or 5 has got lodged in the tree to be honest
I’m almost at Horsham Steps, I’ve come form the right and I’m eventually going left for Foxworthy, but for the Horsham Rocks you follow the yellow dot
Horsham Rocks, the path crosses the Bovey at this point. However I’ve seen pictures after lots of rain which covers those rocks, seeing as some of those rocks are the size of a mini, that must be some sight!!
The views from in the cleave are restricted, but as you climb out the northern end up to Hunter’s Tor you get glimpses across to the tors to the west
Climbing out of the cleave
It wasn’t too steep at this end of the ridge and then from Hunter’s Tor you get this great view towards Cosdon Beacon
Swinging left you can see Haytor and Hound Tor (at this point I realised that the camera I was using was suffering from a dunk in the river so decided to switch to the phone)
Along the cleave from Hunter’s Tor
Bit of zoom to the unmistakable Haytor
Raven’s Tor, I dropped further down on this walk to the tor itself
Easdon Tor is centre of photo, Manaton Rocks on the left
Cosdon Beacon is the obvious high point at the north eastern side of Dartmoor
The track along the ridge to Harton Chest
These rocks are Harton Chest, but the real star involves walking past those rocks to unveil…….
…. this view, I sat here for 20 minutes. I love this place
High above the canopy, birds singing and that is all
The rock I sit on is on the left, the cleave is beyond. Black Hill is the high point in the distance
A few bluebells are out as I make my way to Sharpitor
Harton Chest can be seen sticking out, above the tree in the foreground by the path
Sharpitor view through a tree window!!
Sharpitor summit rocks, these are huge pieces of granite wedged together. All that was needed was to drop down past the caved Hammerslake Tor to the car.
treksandtors 