Meldon Hill

About Meldon Hill

Rising steeply above the stannary town of Chagford, this shapely granite dome offers some of the finest views in north-eastern Dartmoor. The climb is short but sharp, leading to a summit trig pillar that overlooks the wooded Teign Valley and the high, wild plateau of Fernworthy Forest and the northern tors.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely originates from the Old English 'mæthel-dūn', meaning 'assembly hill' or 'speech hill', suggesting it may have served as a local meeting point or 'moot' for the surrounding communities in the Teign Valley.
• •This hill is distinct from the Meldon Reservoir area near Okehampton; it sits as a solitary, conical mass above the town of Chagford, providing a rare 360-degree panorama that bridges the gap between the cultivated Devon farmlands and the wild moor.
• •The summit offers a specific, bird's-eye view of the granite battlements of Castle Drogo perched above the Teign Gorge to the north-east, while the massive, rounded bulk of Cosdon Hill dominates the skyline to the north.
• •Scattered across the south-eastern slopes are the remains of Bronze Age hut circles and ancient field systems, indicating that this sheltered side of the hill has been a site of human habitation for millennia.
• •While its sub-400m height might look modest on paper, the direct ascent from the valley floor is a bracing vertical wake-up call that effectively separates the serious hillwalkers from the casual cream tea enthusiasts.