Dartmoor & Exmoor
Rough Tor
400M
1312FT
About Rough Tor
Rising above the Camelford plains, this is Cornwall’s second-highest point and perhaps its most atmospheric summit. The peak is a chaotic tumble of granite stacks and logan stones, surrounded by a vast prehistoric landscape of hut circles and ramparts. It offers a rugged, wind-swept experience with a straightforward ascent from Poldue Downs.
Key Statistics
Rank
55th Highest in Region
Parent Range
England
Prominence
?
86m
Nearest Town
Camelford
Geology
You are walking across the Bodmin Intrusion, which is made of granite. This rock formed as molten material cooled and hardened deep within the earth.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SX145807
Latitude
50.5965°N
Longitude
4.6224°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Cornish 'torr', meaning a rocky peak or hill, combined with the Old English description of its fractured, weathered granite summit.
- •The tor is home to a sprawling Neolithic hillfort and over 100 Bronze Age hut circles, making it one of the most significant and well-preserved prehistoric landscapes in the South West.
- •The summit offers a clear view across the valley to Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall, while looking north reveals the Atlantic coastline stretching toward Tintagel and Boscastle.
- •Near the base stands a memorial stone to Charlotte Dymond, a domestic servant whose 1844 murder on the slopes of the tor became one of Cornwall's most famous Victorian mysteries.
- •The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division memorial on the summit commemorates the soldiers who used this rugged terrain for training before the D-Day landings in 1944.
- •The tor features a logan stone—a naturally balanced boulder—though any attempt to make it 'log' (rock) today will likely result in disappointment and a strained back, as it has long since settled firmly into its base.