Hunter's Tor

About Hunter's Tor

Guarding the northern entrance to Lustleigh Cleave, this granite outcrop provides a spectacular vantage point over the Teign Valley. It is a characterful Tump where rugged moorland meets steep-sided woodland. The summit offers a sense of exposure that belies its modest height, looking out over one of Dartmoor’s most dramatic valleys.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely stems from its historical use as a strategic lookout for hunting parties tracking game as it moved between the sheltered Teign Valley and the open heights of the moor.
• •The summit is the site of an Iron Age hillfort; though weathered by centuries of Dartmoor weather, the ancient ramparts still encircle the tor, commanding the approach from the valley below.
• •From the granite stacks, walkers can look directly south-west across the valley to the village of Manaton and its church tower, framed by the massive ridge of Hameldown rising behind it.
• •The tor sits at the head of Lustleigh Cleave, a deep, boulder-strewn valley. The name 'Cleave' is a local term derived from the Old English 'clif', referring to a steep hillside or escarpment.
• •The ascent from the River Bovey is surprisingly steep, climbing through the dense oak canopy of Nutters Wood to reach the sudden, open light of the ridge.
• •While it is named Hunter’s Tor, the most dangerous thing you are likely to encounter today is an energetic spaniel or a particularly determined group of rock climbers.