Dartmoor & Exmoor
Hangingstone Hill
605M
1984FT
About Hangingstone Hill
Sitting deep within the remote northern fen of Dartmoor, this 604-metre Tump offers a landscape of wild peat hags and isolation. The summit features a military observation post and the boundary stone that gives the hill its name. Look out for the distinctive profile of Fur Tor to the southwest.
Key Statistics
Rank
4th Highest in Region
Parent Range
England
Prominence
?
89.9m
Nearest Town
West Devon
Geology
You are walking on granite from the Dartmoor Intrusion. This solid rock formed when a massive pool of molten material cooled and hardened deep underground.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SX617861
Latitude
50.6581°N
Longitude
3.9580°W
Did You Know?
- •The hill takes its name from a boundary stone on its western flank. In local dialect, 'hanging' often described stones that appeared to lean precariously or marked parish boundaries—in this case, the division between Lydford and Chagford.
- •The summit is topped by a functional military observation hut, known as Observation Post 22. It serves the Okehampton Range, and walkers must check live firing times before visiting, as the hill sits within a designated danger area.
- •It is situated in one of the moor's most inaccessible regions, frequently bagged alongside a visit to Cranmere Pool to the south, the site where the very first Dartmoor 'letterbox' was placed in 1854.
- •The view south from the top provides an excellent perspective of the high moorland wilderness, specifically looking across the Tavy headwaters toward the isolated granite crown of Fur Tor.
- •Despite the name, do not expect a dramatic, gravity-defying boulder; the eponymous 'hanging' stone is a modest, weather-beaten slab that spends most of its time being leaned on by damp sheep.