Any walk in this area is dominated by the 196 metre TV mast, most of the views have part or all of the structure in the way. I enjoy walking to the summit of North Hessary Tor. Firstly it is very easy, secondly it is the highest point on the south moor, meaning brilliant views for a small effort. And finally the number of tors up here, there are 5 (North Hessary, Rundlestone, Herne Hole, Foggintor and Hollow) and that means easy bagging!! This walk was in the main a hangover cure, to clear the head (I’m too old for 1am finishes in a club and dancing!!), but Herne Hole Tor had been missed on previous visits here and this was to be put right. Its a very easy hop over a stile to this tor, plus a short step off the main path to Rundlestone Tor. Meaning 3 tors and next to no effort, perfect with a bit of a dull head!!! The only issue we had was the weather, rain showers everywhere, north, south, east and west, you could see rain, we had driven through lots to get here. In fact I carried on until it stopped and ended up here, good choice I say.
| Start – Princetown parking |
| Route – Main tarmac path – North Hessary Tor – Herne Hole Tor – Rundlestone Tor – B3357 parking |
| Distance – A mile maybe Start time – 2pm Time taken – 45mins Highest Point – North Hessary Tor 517metres |
| Weather – Rain all around but not on us, cloudy in the main |
© Crown copyright 2017 Ordnance Survey FL 2017 SF
Off we go, the target is obvious so there’s no chance of getting lost, all we need to do is keep an eye on the black clouds and the very heavy showers that are all around us!!
Great Mis Tor directly above the end of the lane. The Staple Tors are over there on the left
The Princetown TV mast, 196m tall and some darkening clouds
Looking back to Great Mis Tor over Hollow Tor
The stays for the mast frame the view to Sharpitor and a rain shower heading our way to the right
Further round to the north west you can see Kit Hill in the distance, the rain shower is left of picture
The TV mast station and North Hessary Tor to the left of it
With our minds thinking about getting wet if we hung around, we head down to Herne Hole Tor
Rain to the east, with Haytor in view in the far distance
Clearer to the north for now
Statuesque on Herne Hole Tor. Great Mis Tor to the right
A short hop and over a stile brings us to Rundlestone Tor (this one is right by the main path up and down to the mast). Great Mis Tor always dominates to the north when you are in this area and so it does again
Rundlestone Tor
And looking north over Black Dunghill
And just a short walk back to the car. The rain arrived as we drove back through Princetown past the jail
treksandtors 
Black Dunghill – I like that name! Glad I’m not the only middle aged hiker who can’t handle a late night any more 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Th name of the hill might sound good but its a grim spot. Very boggy, thick grass and no paths. Black Dunghill isn’t a hill to draw you to its summit!!
LikeLiked by 1 person