White Ridge

About White Ridge

Rising above the western edge of Fernworthy Forest, this broad, peat-clad ridge offers a desolate contrast to the jagged granite tors nearby. While lacking a dramatic rocky summit, it provides a sense of immense scale, looking across the East Dart valley toward the distinctive, man-made crown of Sittaford Tor.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is thought to derive from the 'white grass' (Nardus stricta) that dominates the slopes; this hardy species bleaches to a pale, silvery straw colour during the winter, making the ridge stand out against the darker heather of the surrounding moorland.
• •At the southern foot of the ridge lie the Grey Wethers, two of the most impressive Bronze Age stone circles on Dartmoor. These near-identical twin circles were carefully restored in 1909 and sit on a level plateau that served as a significant prehistoric ceremonial site.
• •The summit offers a clear, unobstructed view of the remote Cut Hill to the northwest, one of the few places on Dartmoor where no modern buildings or roads are visible in any direction.
• •While the map marks this as a ridge, the lack of a defined granite tor means your arrival at the summit is usually signalled less by a dramatic vista and more by the realization that the ground has finally stopped rising and started becoming a sponge.