Blakey Tor, Round Hill Tor and hail

/ 2 hours ago 14/05/2026

So we were back from Wales and headed out for a proper Dartmoor walk after some reasonably dry weather over the last month. I had a route in mind, although the bit after Round Hill Tor had me scratching my head as I was unsure if there was a clear path by the wall, leading towards Blakey Tor (which there is) or if there is another path which follows the Blackbrook river to Prince Hall Rocks (which there isn’t). I figured I would eyeball it once there. We set of in cloudy but cold weather from the layby near Princetown, the jail in view as we descended to Ockery Bridge (Oakery Bridge on new OS maps). We headed through a gate into fields above Round Hill Tor and I spotted signposts pointing sort of towards Roundhill Farm, but the path didn’t seem to be heading the right way after that. Later in the walk I would see a possible route, and decide that reversing it might have been better, but I learnt a bit about an area I don’t walk in too often. As it was we crossed the bridge over Blackbrook River and followed the wall. The path started ok, but soon became boggy, then swampy, then impassable. We walked back a short distance and looked up at possibly drier ground, we climbed over two barbed wire fences and a dry stone wall to get to marginally better ground, then it started hailing as we navigated swampy ground upwards towards Blakey Tor. We managed to walk below the tor (20 metres from it) and pick up a path down towards a gate which took us to Prince Hall Rocks. We weren’t happy bunnies at this point. The sun came out a little and we sat having lunch, before returning back to Blakey Tor, the way we came. We could see from our lunch spot a path on the other side of the river heading towards Roundhill Farm, a possible route back if the route was reversed. Looking towards Princetown, a huge black cloud loomed ominously, the other way blue skies and sunshine abound. Then we heard a distance clap of thunder, we figured hunkering down by Blakey Tor, under an overhang would be the best spot for a while, the hail dropped again but thankfully no more thunder. We carried on uphill to the main track back to Princetown, the sun shone and dried us a little before reaching the car. Not our finest walk, the boggy ground clearly still a result of some biblical rain from January to March which hadn’t dried up and was still pooling a foot or so deep around the wall and the path. Must plan better Steve, D minus!

Start – Princetown parking

Route – Ockery Bridge – Round Hill Tor – Round Hill Bridge – Prince Hall Rocks – Blakey Tor – Dartmoor Way/Conchie Road – Princetown

Distance – 4.5 miles   Start time – 11.30am  Time taken – 3hrs 30mins  Highest Point – Princetown 416 metres

Weather – Cold, hail, breezy, cloud and some sun. A real mix

© Crown copyright 2026 Ordnance Survey FL 2026 SF
Linda heads towards Ockery Bridge, north Dartmoor beyond her, some dark clouds over head but blue skies as well
Spring still on Dartmoor with these daffodils
The Devonport Leat also wanders through these parts, the closed Princetown Jail in the distance
Ockery Bridge, an old clapper over the Blackbrook River
Donkey in a field all wrapped up, the valley at the back holds the Blackbrook River as is our destination, Round Hill is up to the left
We walked around to Round Hill Tor with some lovely views along the Blackbrook River, time for a coffee whilst we contemplate our next move (the wall can be seen over to the right, the straight line running across the hillside into the distance)
We’ve crossed the bridge and look back up to Round Hill Tor
I took very few photos walking along beside the wall, except this one of the hail which had fallen, mainly because we were both concentrating on our footing and not sinking, we got to one section which was a foot deep in water and we couldn’t get around it, which was very irritating given we had about 30 metres left before the ground rose up a hill and was drier. So we had to return back 30 metres or more, then cross two barbed wire fences and a wall to get to slightly better ground. In negotiating the wall I stepped in a foot deep hole which was full of water, I had a soggy sock for the rest of the walk.
Prince Hall Rocks was eventually reached. Time for lunch
From Prince Hall Rocks looking back from where we have been, we would next head up left to Blakey Tor. I could also see a path over to the right, across the yellowy grasses towards Round Hill, shame we hadn’t reversed the walk
Looking towards some lovely blue skies, the breeze was strong here so the grasses were waving as far as the eye could see
Behind us though looked like Armadeddon as we reached Blakey Tor and took shelter under a large overhang, more hail came and fell
The other way from Blakey Tor, on the left of the photo is the Beardown Tors
Same direction but a minute or two later, hosing it down
After finding the good track across Royal Hill we headed back to Princetown
I have to be honest that I didn’t know the track here was called this, as it says, built by prisoners during WW1
One last look as sun bathes the moorland, white fluffy clouds make it look far warmer than it was (about 5 degrees C) and a walk that won’t live long in the memory, at least not the good walks memory anyway!

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