Great Mis Tor

Dominating the western skyline of Dartmoor, this massive granite outcrop is often called the 'King of the Tors'. The climb from Merrivale crosses rugged, occasionally boggy ground to reach impressive horizontal rock stacks. From the summit, views drop sharply into the Walkham Valley, with the North Hessary Tor mast visible southeast.

• •The name is thought to derive from the Old English 'mist', a nod to the low clouds that frequently swallow the summit. In local folklore, it was once erroneously associated with 'Misor', a name for Lucifer, leading to 19th-century tales of the tor being a site of ancient sun worship.
• •The summit features one of Dartmoor’s finest examples of a 'rock basin', known as the Mis Tor Pan. While early antiquarians believed these perfectly circular depressions were carved by Druids for ritual sacrifices, they are actually the result of thousands of years of rainwater weathering the granite.
• •Positioned on the boundary of the Merrivale Firing Range, the tor often serves as an unofficial grandstand for watching military exercises. Walkers must check for red flags before ascending, as the area to the north and east is frequently used for live-fire training.
• •Below the tor lies the Merrivale ceremonial complex, featuring stone rows and a standing stone known as the Longstone. This provides a natural historical extension to a walk, linking the high granite stacks with some of the moor’s most significant Bronze Age archaeology.
• •On a clear day, the western vista is exceptional, reaching past the Tamar Valley into Cornwall, where the sharp profile of Kit Hill and the distant peaks of Bodmin Moor are clearly visible against the horizon.
• •The tor's impressive scale is best appreciated from the approach; once you are standing atop the stacks, the primary realization is that the wind has significantly more interest in the summit than you do.