Hookney Tor

About Hookney Tor

Hookney Tor offers one of the best seats in the house for peering down into the Bronze Age fortress of Grimspound. It is a modest granite peak that lets its prehistoric neighbors do the shouting while providing a windswept vantage point for amateur archaeologists.

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Did You Know?

• •The tor stands directly above the celebrated Bronze Age settlement of Grimspound, which contains the remains of 24 stone hut circles and a massive perimeter wall. It remains the most popular spot on Dartmoor for imagining a much colder, draftier prehistoric existence.
• •It sits on the ancient Mariner's Way, a 70-mile track used by sailors in the 18th century to travel between the ports of Bideford and Dartmouth on foot. They chose the grueling moorland hike to avoid the perils of sailing around the Cornish coast.
• •Unlike some of Dartmoor's more jagged, intimidating tors, Hookney is more of a gentle granite crown. It serves as a perfect navigational handrail for those attempting to traverse the high ground between Hameldown and Birch Tor.
• •From the summit, you can see the deep scars of Victorian tin mining etched into the landscape at nearby Vitifer. It is a stark reminder that while the moor looks wild today, humans have been trying to dig it up for millennia.
• •The ascent is so relatively straightforward that the main hazard isn't the climb, but the local sheep who have mastered the art of looking deeply disappointed in your choice of hiking snacks. Expect to be judged silently by a ewe while you catch your breath.