Rippon Tor

About Rippon Tor

Rising prominently above the eastern moor, this expansive granite-topped hill offers one of the most accessible high points in the national park. The climb is short but steep, leading to a summit crowned by a trig pillar and prehistoric cairns, with sweeping views extending across the South Hams to the distant coast.

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• •The name likely derives from the Old English 'hrip-dun', meaning 'shrub hill'. Over centuries, the local dialect softened this into Rippon, though the granite outcrops that define its profile remain its most striking feature.
• •The summit is dominated by two massive Bronze Age cairns. The largest is approximately 28 metres in diameter, serving as a reminder that this high point has been a significant navigational and ceremonial landmark for over 3,000 years.
• •On a clear day, the vista from the trig pillar is exceptional, spanning from the nearby granite stacks of Haytor and Saddle Tor to the Teign Estuary and the English Channel beyond the South Hams.
• •Lying on the southern slopes is an abandoned, unfinished millstone. It was likely carved in situ from a granite boulder in the 19th century but left behind when a flaw in the stone was discovered, or perhaps when the stonemason simply decided the effort of moving it wasn't worth the pay.
• •Despite its modest height, the direct ascent from Hemsworthy Gate is steep enough to make you question your fitness, though the sight of the tourist crowds at nearby Haytor usually provides sufficient motivation to keep moving away from the road.