Royal Hill and the Crock of Gold

/ 13/04/2025

I’ll start this post with a bit of a warning, those with a squeamish disposition scroll down to picture four below the map, after reading this, and miss out the knee x-ray pictures! So to explain what happened, we’d been to South Wales and had three lovely walks, visited Linda’s daughter and seen lots of Abergavenny. We returned to work, celebrated my eldest’s 18th birthday and then on April Fool’s Day, I got a call from school, to say my youngest has hurt his knee, possible dislocation. I’ll say no more at this point and explain below in the photos, but let’s say it wasn’t dislocated! The recovery will be long, possibly 18 months and he will miss this year’s Ten Tors event in May and possibly next year as well, which is the last time he can do it I think. Then there is his GCSE’s this year as well. With all that going on we didn’t walk for a couple of weeks after getting back, so this walk took place in mid April, right at the end of the 6 week fine spell of weather we’d had. Rain was forecast that evening, so we headed out for a shorter walk, but picking off a notoriously soggy part of the moor. Royal Hill is a vast sprawling hill of modest height, but giving great views into the heart of the north moor to Cut Hill and Higher White Tor, it also has a nice rocky outcrop in its centre. The tiny outcrop of Strane Tor also sits on the southern side of Royal Hill, near to Whiteworks, which was our starting point. The return took us alongside a wall, heading for Peat Cot and the Devonport Leat, taking us back to the car. Still plenty for Linda to walk in this area, so we will be back, hopefully with the dry ground still beneath us, as the whole area can be pretty grotty when its wet.

Start – Whiteworks parking

Route – Whiteworks – River Strane – Strane Tor – Royal Hill – Crock of Gold – Devonport Leat – Whiteworks

Distance – 4.5 miles  Start time – 11am  Time taken – 2hrs 50mins Highest Point – Royal Hill 407 metres

Weather – Some sunshine to start, clouded over half way around

© Crown copyright 2025 Ordnance Survey FL 2025 SF
So this is the x-ray from the hospital that evening, those two pieces at the top are his patella and should be one. In fact there were around 6 pieces in total and he’d made a bit of a mess of his knee for sure. It happened rugby tackling his friend, not in PE, no. Instead at lunch, playing around. His knee was very painful and like a balloon. The ambulance said 3 hours to get there, so I turned up, drove across the school grass, loaded him in the front seat in agony and off to A&E. Roadworks at the front of the hospital, meant the drop off spots weren’t available. So we parked as normal in the car park, how we got him down the stairs and across the road I’ll never know, then an angel of a woman ran off and came back with a wheelchair for us and we wheeled him in. I remember well when they brought up his x-ray and nurses came from across the room to look at it, saying he’s done a “proper job of that”! Yes, yes he has.
So this is after his operation, I’ve spared you all the x-ray showing the wire cage wound around his kneecap pulling the pieces together. His friends think his scar is cool. He has a leg brace which prevents bending of the leg for now. This is released slowly over time. Physio has started but recovery is likely to be 12 months minimum. Pain has eased somewhat, although he has returned to school on crutches after Easter and it is getting painful again, as the movement and use of it increases. He is also very tired which won’t help the revision needed for his GSCE exams in a month. Worrying times.
As if to show that the world keeps turning even when you’d love it to stop for a bit, we spotted this moth on our wall, which was there for most of the day. I though initially that it was an Early Grey, but I’ve been reliably informed that its a Knot Grass moth and the two white marks in the centre give it away
So we parked up at an empty Whiteworks car park, cloud was building overhead but there were still plenty of blue sky bits. Fox Tor Mire to the right, famous as inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle and his book Hound of the Baskervilles where it was named Grimpen Mire.
Devonport Leat, we would return along its banks, but for now we followed the tarmac road to Whiteworks
Whiteworks, previously part of the tin mining industry and there is plenty of evidence of that behind it. Now its an outdoor centre.
Looking back at Whiteworks, tin mining area up to the right
Our route ahead, the River Strane is in the dip and requires a bit of a jump to get across but nothing too bad when its dry like today, if its been very wet it can be impassable. Royal Hill and the path leading up on to it, Strane Tor itself is across the river and about 50 metres to the left towards that dark area left of photo
Crossing the River Strane
Strane Tor looking back at Whiteworks, Peat Cot is the hill on the right
Lovely fluffy clouds above catch the sunlight as we look across Fox tor Mire to Ter Hill and Skir Hill
In the far distance is the area west of Widecombe in the Moor, with Hameldown far left and Chinkwell and Honeybag Tors in the centre, the dip a bit nearer is the River Swincombe as it flows out of Fox Tor Mire and the reservoir of that name
Royal Hill terrain. You need to be careful not to follow the main path to Swincombe Bridge if you are heading, like we did, for the summit rocks on Royal Hill. Branch off left and take a compass direction on a north westerly point to find it. Thomas Tyrwhitt is the man responsible for naming this hill, he is also the man who setup the Dartmoor prison. Tyrwhitt dedicated his Tor Royal estate to his patron the Prince of Wales – hence the name Royal Hill.
Royal Hill and those views to Higher White Tor
Views to Hameldown also from up here, it was time to tuck ourselves in out of the wind and have some lunch
Found him
Dropping down from Royal Hill to the main track of the Dartmoor Way
Dartmoor Way, this is the High Moor Link which splits the path in half if you don’t wish to do the whole loop around the outside.
Before we hit the Tor Royal Farm, we turned 90degrees to head towards Peat Cot and the Devonport Leat. Dark clouds overhead but no rain fell.
Looking back along the path, which has been laid to gravel for half of its length, much better than the last time I came this way, although the un gravel part would still be tricky after lots of rain
Streams lead into the River Strane along here, thankfully there is a bridge to help. South Hessary Tor up on the hill
Up on to the Devonport Leat, you can walk along the left hand side path right around to Whiteworks and beyond
River Strane is below us and you can just make out the black dot of Strane Tor, up and left from the pool in the river
Turning the corner alongside the leat we see Whiteworks again
And back at the start, which is a bit less bright than it was when we set out. Time for home and a bit of gardening as we try to turn a blank canvass of grass into something that has colour in summer. Also a check up to see how the youngest was getting on with his knee!

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17 thoughts on “Royal Hill and the Crock of Gold”

  2. Omg I’m so sorry about his knee. They mend well at that age of course but 12 months is a lifetime to be recovering. What a mare. Your moth is a knot grass I think, which gives me some pleasure as there is absolutely nothing coming to my trap tonight.

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  3. Great as always, but hell’s teeth that’s an impressive injury. Best of luck to your eldest going forward, and you’re right – exams first, recovery will take as long as it needs. 🤞

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  4. I remember (1970-ish) watching John Mills and Sylvia Syms making the film Run Wild, Run Free at Whiteworks – just a home in those days.

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  7. Wow, he made a mess of that knee. He’ll recover but will no doubt be feeling down about the unfortunate consequences. That’s why I watch rugby and not play it (as well as being hopeless at it). Good luck to the lad and hope he recovers quicker than expected

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  8. Oh my word! That looks a nasty and serious injury. Hope he’s doing ok now and has managed or managing to get through his exams ok. As all the other comments said, he’s young and strong so will make good recovery over time

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    • His brace is off indoors, but puts it back on when outside. Its still very swollen and at some point he will have the operation to take out the metal cage around the kneecap. Exams are going well he sits ok now, just needs to stand from time to time in the exam otherwise it seizes a bit

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