Dartmoor's a small place and it normally takes us about thirty minutes to cover a mile with young kids. Place a stone, make a wish, nod hello. At 621 metres High Willhays is only 2 metres taller than its more flouncy, nearest neighbour Yes Tor (a short walk across the plateau) and is often said to look shorter (image Yes Tor trig). I finished the walk off with a peer through the fencing at the gently decaying rolling-stock of theDartmoor Railway, their fully restored rolling-stock carries tourists and enthusiasts at certain times of the year over 15 miles of track. The weather wasn’t set to change any time soon, grey lead sky but no mist or rain forecast, so plenty of time to explore beyond High Willhays. Head NE down to West Mill Tor and then back down to the roadside. Meldon Dam, Okehampton Devon. - See 331 traveler reviews, 280 candid photos, and great deals for The Highwayman Inn at Tripadvisor. Dinger Tor, the next landmark, had a mess tent and a crowd. Self Catering & Cottage Holidays - Properties throughout the UK & Europe. Walks in the North of England. Now back at Meldon Dam, I followed a finger-post sign directing me north-east towards the viaduct. As you walk between these two you can’t fail to notice the rocky outcrop or two beside the path. Walks up High Willhays Walk grading - Learn how each walk is assessed and select a walk to suit your ability and experience by going to Walk Grading Details. A bit of climbing to do but the ground on the whole is not too rough. The ultimate sheep driving machine. He heard them too. Originally I planned this walk to be a circular walk returning back to Okehampton from High Willhays, but as I had two other walks to bag 7 Dewey's I thought I might as well make this a point to point walk and bag two more; Kitty Tor and Great Links Tor, finishing at The Dartmoor Inn or Fox & Hounds and get the Tavistock to Barnstaple bus back to … Please ask permission to use site content and images. Trev up high on Yes Tor With the exception of the tors, much of this walk is man-made. The undisputed highest point in Dartmoor and the South West. High Willhays Walk. High Willhays and Yes Tor is an excellent walk in the Dartmoor National Park. Whether you are experienced in map-reading, or have never used a compass before, this guidebook will sharpen your skills and have you exploring new areas in no time. I had found the perfect spot to take in all that is Dartmoor once more. I had planned crossing Dartmoor as part of my 1,000 mile walk down the length of Great Britain and this walk includes my crossing of the famous moorland. Walks up Yes Tor. Includes advice and useful links. High Willhays is the highest point in Dartmoor National Park and and the highest point in the county of Devon. Across the river valley, on Corn Ridge the sound of a voice could be heard, shouting loud and clear. Parts of the walk need good navigation skills in poor weather as the terrain can be confusing. Follow Walking Britain for the latest news. 9. This has been viewed 0 times. A few hikers having a bite to eat out of the prevailing wind is normally a good clue too. Dartmoor's (& Devon's) highest point. Stay safe on the mountains with detailed weather forecasts - for iOS devices or for Android devices. High Willhays, Yes Tor, Hangingstone Hill and Cranmere Pool . Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Yes Tor at 619m (2031ft). Yes Tor is 2031ft (619m) and High Willhays is 2037ft (621m). The top can be identified by the large cairn on rock tor. 10th November. This is a small tor at a lofty altitude, sitting in between the two high points on Dartmoor, Yes Tor and High Willhays. After a mile or so on public footpaths and narrow roads, Okehampton Army Camp and the start of the moor is reached. That brooding sky. The difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is a modest 2 metres, a little over 6 feet but if your quest is to walk to the highest point on Dartmoor then you need to go to the most southern of the tors at High Willhays, the OS Map shows … point however. These cookies do not store any personal information. This is where I got crafty and left them behind on a narrow path to Lints Tor. At 621 metres High Willhays is only 2 metres taller than its more flouncy, nearest neighbour Yes Tor (a short walk across the plateau) and is often said to look shorter (image Yes Tor trig). Note : The distances quoted to other walks in the vicinity are measured in a straight line. They have contributed 14 public walk reports including this summit. There's also a nice circular path heading round the lake to try. Sent to us by Andrew Ross, a viewer, this walk was a great day on Dartmoor. High Willhays despite the howling wind was sporting a rather fine cairn. To extend your walking in the area you could try our High Willhays Walk which also starts from the reservoir and visits Yes Tor on the way. I rearranged a few flat pieces of granite, added a couple of stones and stepped back carefully, having made this part of the moor a few artificially inches higher. Yes Tor was for years thought to be the highest summit on Dartmoor until piped at the post by its companion High Willhays, thanks to modern surveying methods. I’ve been spoilt for choice lately with Dartmoor dams. High Willhays is 621 metres above sea level. Rather then climb High Willhays and hike across the top to Yes Tor, I decided to make a beeline directly for Yes Tor and enjoy a bit of downhill walking for a bit! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It was a shade under a moderate 8 miles but would allow me to get fairly deep into the moor and also revisit the roof of Dartmoor, High Willhays. Decide whether you want to first visit the more impressive Yes Tor (head north) SX 580 901 and its windy trig point or the higher High Willhays (head south) SX 580 892 and its summit cairn. The walk to High Willhays is a long one, and arduous, one and a half kilometres and a climb of 140m from Black Tor, yet the views from up there more than make up for the effort to get there, in fact, you will surely forget the climb once you take in the views. Made easy by the fact the reservoir car park is already some 330 metres ASL. Beginning at Wembury Bay on the south coast and finishing at Lynmouth, the walk passes through the beautiful countryside of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Height gain: 238 metres. His instincts, his breeding told him this was something he could do, he understood this view. 6 miles (9 km) Climb to the highest point on Dartmoor on this splendid circular walk in the Dartmoor National Park. This is Hampster Tor. Walk de149 Yes Tor and High Willhays from Okehampton Camp. High Willhays is Dartmoor’s highest point and, when you stand next to its summit cairn, you are almost certainly the highest person in Devon and any other counties further south than the Brecon Beacons. Most of the walks are circular with a few longer routes that are linear and involve ascents of tors.More information, An instructive guidebook explaining map and compass techniques, to help readers enhance their outdoor experiences. A short walk from Yes Tor, once considered the highest point on Dartmoor brings you to High Willhays. High Willhays Walk. Large red words on the OS Map spell out a warning to hikers and tourists alike: Danger Area restricted access. Yes Tor Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map Yes Tor Open Street Map - … Great Links Tor is a summit in the Dartmoor region or range in England. High Willhays was a nicer summit than Yes Tor, with no permanent huts or radio masts, just a fine pyramidal crag and a large cairn. To extend your walking in the area you could try our High Willhays Walk which also starts from the reservoir and visits Yes Tor on the way. While the difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is only about two-meters, if you want to walk to the highest point in Dartmoor, its well worth the short walk. About 19 miles depending upon exact route, set up as a run challenge, but would make a good walk. Great Links Tor is 589 metres high. Please maintain social distancing - keep at least 2 metres away from other walkers. Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com. High Willhays Walk. His nose sniffed the calm air and his eyes scanned the distant valley slopes. Yes Tor is 2031ft (619m) and High Willhays is 2037ft (621m). The Highwayman Inn: Walk to High Willhays Tor. The undisputed highest point in Dartmoor and the South West. The difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is a modest 2 metres, a little over 6 feet but if your quest is to walk to the highest point on Dartmoor then you need to go to the most southern of the tors at High Willhays, the OS Map shows which. Dartmoor - Yes Tor and High Willhays 28 September 2003. Join us for a guided walk to High willhays the highest Hill on Dartmoor. A short walk south of the car park brings you to the impressive Meldon Dam constructed in 1972. We will teach you how to hike safely on the open moor and hills and how to navigate using a map and compass. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Join us for a guided walk to High willhays the highest Hill on Dartmoor. 123 People Used More Information ›› Visit Site › High Willhays Walking Route - Prominic.NET Save www.gps-routes.co.uk. High Willhays, Yes Tor, Hangingstone Hill and Cranmere Pool . Guidebook to walking Devon's Coast to Coast, a 117 mile route incorporating the Two Moors Way and a section of the Erme-Plym Trail. I had planned crossing Dartmoor as part of my 1,000 mile walk down the length of Great Britain and this walk includes my crossing of the famous moorland. The walks all vary in length from 2 to 12 miles long and each route is graded by difficulty from easy to moderate or hard. Or, if you like metric (I do, but feet sounds more impressive), it’s 621 metres. High Willhays is the highest summit on Dartmoor and the only 2000 foot hill. When you look at the list of hills in Devon, High Willhays and Yes Tor are the only ones with summits over 600 metres, which makes them, by some definitions, mountains. High Willhays (/ ˈwɪliːz, ˈwɪlheɪz / WIL-eez, WIL-hayz), or according to some authorities High Willes, is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 621 metres (2,039 feet) above sea level, and the highest point in the United Kingdom south of the Brecon Beacons. Parked at Meldon Reservoir, 12k circular walk up to Black Tor, onto High Willhays then Yes Tor. Clear windy day with amazing views from Yes Tor… It's very easy to bag both peaks in one walk. Its tiny tor is no match for others in the area. This strenuous 12km circular walk on Dartmoor's north moor, takes in the highest point (High Willhays) once again as well as a selection of fantastic Tor's (West Mill Tor, Yes Tor and Rowtor) and views of Meldon Resrvoir. The viaduct was opened in 1874 and is still standing proud in 2015. Granite outcrops or tors are a feature of the landscape and add visual interest. One of the highlights of a landscape with an abundance of rock is the making of cairns, small monuments of stones, dedicated to long forgotten causes. Sent to us by Andrew Ross, a viewer, this walk was a great day on Dartmoor. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com. The route includes the highest land in Southern England together with some wonderful Dartmoor scenery. County/Area - Devon. I had seen the highest point on Dartmoor and had walked 151 feet above a river on a marvel of Victorian railway engineering. Yes Tor and High Willhays Introduction: This Dartmoor walk to Yes Tor and High Willhays takes place to a large extent across the Oakhampton Military Firing Range but do not let this put you off. Time - 4 hours 30 minutes. Yes Tor (243) High Willhays (244) Hewitts (178) High Willhays (173) Marilyns (176)  High Willhays (57) HuMPs (444) High Willhays (100) Route. Slowly and methodically sheep began to move from right to left, first just a few and then a few more, then perhaps twenty, now forty, must be a hundred. I was of course very wrong and my hike to Yes Tor, High Willhays and the Meldon Dam and Viaduct proved that. Yes Tor and High Willhays are the only two summits over 2000 feet high to be found south of the Peak District. All the walking routes up Great Links Tor on Yes Tor Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map Yes Tor Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map A map booklet of the full route on OS 1:25K maps is included.More information, This guidebook contains route descriptions for 42 day walks in the Dartmoor National Park and its surrounding area. The summit of Highwillhays is clearly marked with a Cairn and on a clear day offers great views. After studying the OS Map at length I decided that I would walk into Okement Hill on the military track before going ‘off-road’ and cutting over to Dinger Tor and then the climb up to High Willhays and Yes Tor before returning to the car via West Mill Tor. Grade - moderate. As the army use the section of Dartmoor which includes High Willhays and Yes Tor it is worth checking the free phone number (0800 4584568) to see if it is in use. This is a pretty spectacular walk because of the views and because you get a good look at the edge of North Dartmoor. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); High Willhays and Yes Tor is an excellent walk in the Dartmoor National Park. The walk from Yes Tor to High Willhays is about half a mile and clearly marked. About High Willhays. Navigation Tips on High Willhays. High willhays - yes tor nice Dartmoor walk. You can follow his blog here too. High Willhays is within the Dartmoor Okehampton firing range and therefore access is restricted when red flags are flying. They have contributed 14 public walk reports including this summit. Time was fading as it always does so I walked across the viaduct, wire mesh safety barriers prevent you from getting too close to the edge. High Willhays is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (165th highest in England, 288th highest in England & Wales). North Dartmoor can be wilder and often more daunting than its softer, southern half. Some people don’t like the fact that this tor is named, preferring to include this as part of High Willhays. Yes Tor is the one with the trig. There is a large car park at Meldon Dam, with toilets and a map of the area. High Willhays and Yes Tor are the only summits in England south of Kinder Scout in the Peak District to rise above 2,000ft. Walkers are welcomed when the range is not being used and to avoid disappointment, a freephone number (0800 458 4868) is available, which has a recorded message giving availability. Required fields are marked * Comment. The route includes the highest land in Southern England together with some wonderful Dartmoor scenery. Either distracted by food, weather or the MOD firing guns! The Highwayman Inn: Walk to High Willhays Tor. More Information. There are also tips for GPS and digital mapping technologies.More information, Dartmoor National Park is wholly contained within the boundaries of Devon and is dominated by some of the wildest upland moorland in the UK. Dave watched, knowingly. We were all walking roughly the same route but no doubt with very different stories to tell over a cup of tea later. While the difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is only about two-meters, if you want to walk to the highest point in Dartmoor, its well worth the short walk. The sharpness of the fractured rocks, the twists and turns of every footstep, water running from every crevice. A recent trip to Cornwall, and some spare time gave me an opportunity to do some well-deserved and well-overdue hiking! The walk also follows routes which are undefined on the OS map. A GPS File is available for download (see walk description). Walk de139 Yes Tor, High Willhays and Black Tor from Meldon Reservoir. You begin to question your judgement and route, if new to walking this area. The difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is a modest 2 metres, a little over 6 feet but if your quest is to walk to the highest point on Dartmoor then you need to go to the most southern of the tors at High Willhays, the OS Map shows which.Place a stone, make a wish, nod hello. Settling down on a flat slab of granite the wind died away to silence, no longer tugging at my collar. Only two viaducts of this design remain in the UK and both are thankfully listed structures so hopefully we can enjoy them for many more years to come. Dropping down from the dizzy heights of High Willhays, a group of hikers could be spotted in the distance, making their own adventures, parallel to mine. A short walk south of the car park brings you to the impressive Meldon Dam constructed in 1972. I walked west to Black Tor, hoping to find a nice spot for lunch. Terrain: army tracks, some open moorland, exposed to weather, two fords. West Okement River. Yes Tor was for years thought to be the highest summit on Dartmoor until piped at the post by its companion High Willhays, thanks to modern surveying methods. Very much part of the attraction for me; what the eye doesn’t see, the mind starts to imagine.The plan was to walk from Meldon Reservoir in an easterly direction up to Yes Tor, a location for years I had always wanted to visit. Share. I was of course very wrong and my hike to Yes Tor, High Willhays and the Meldon Dam and Viaduct proved that. High Willhays is a summit in the Dartmoor region or range in England. Meldon Dam Car Park: OS Grid Ref: SX 56154 91787 Longstone Hill: OS Grid Ref: SX 56942 90492 Yes Tor: OS Grid Ref: SX 58072 90155 High Willhays: OS Grid Ref: SX 58032 89217 Black Tor: OS Grid Ref: SX 56627 89490 West Okement River: OS Grid Ref: SX 56052 89827 Meldon Reservoir: OS Grid Ref: SX 55969 90842 Meldon Viaduct: OS Grid Ref: SX 56444 92302. - See 331 traveller reviews, 280 candid photos, and great deals for The Highwayman Inn at Tripadvisor. I had an idea what to expect but until I stood directly beneath the towering superstructure I really didn’t know just how awesome it would be. It really was that easy. For those unsure as to the purpose of the humble trig point, these were constructed in the 1930s to help with the retriangulation of Great Britain. All following each other, like sheep do. Navigation Tips on High Willhays. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Terrain: army tracks, some open moorland, exposed to weather, two fords. Distance: 8.2 kilometres. A walk from Meldon Quarry to High Willhays & return via Black Tor, Black-a-Tor Copse, The West Okement River & Meldon Reservoir. High Willhays is also known as an English Nuttall (230th highest in England, 399th highest in England & Wales). Walking around Dartmoor - Part 1 - Meldom Dam to Yes Tor, High Willhays Tor & Black Tor then onto the Meldom Viaduct Circular Walk High Willhays No ratings yet. Route: Meldon Dam car park to High Willhays and back. 171 People Used More Information ›› Visit Site › High Willhays Walking Route - Prominic.NET Hot www.gps-routes.co.uk. The difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is a modest 2 metres, a little over 6 feet but if your quest is to walk to the highest point on Dartmoor then you need to go to the most southern of the tors at High Willhays, the OS Map shows which. Dartmoor - Yes Tor and High Willhays 28 September 2003. Given the close proximity of Yes Tor to High Willhays, we've avoided repeating summary routes here. The difference in height between Yes Tor and High Willhays is a modest 2 metres, a little over 6 feet but if your quest is to walk to the highest point on Dartmoor then you need to go to the most southern of the tors at High Willhays, the OS Map shows which. Dartmoor’s highest point is High Willhays, a great lumbering hill on the national park’s north western boundary. Also worth a look is the Dartmoor 600, a round of all 5 of the 600m peaks (Cut Hill, Whitehorse, Hangingstone Hill, High Willhays and Yes Tor) starting from Lydford car park by the Dartmoor Inn. Distance: 8.2 kilometres. Enough time to glance at the map and plot a compass bearing west towards Black Tor, overlooking West Okement River. I’ve been spoilt for choice lately with Dartmoor dams. Nat Park - Dartmoor. Other Notes: . Its tiny tor is no match for others in the area. Yes Tor & High Willhays This walk was planned to be 6 miles, but ended up being nearer 8 miles due to where we parked the car at Okehampton station on the Dartmoor railway. A short walk from Yes Tor, once considered the highest point on Dartmoor brings you to High Willhays. I had always imagined the walk to Yes Tor would be a battle against the elements, a challenge of man verses mire; boots verses bog. Author - Lou Johnson. It sits at over 2,000 feet, 2039 feet to be exact. - 22.53 km Lon Gwyrfai Rough Route - 16.04 km The Belan Bimble - 7.79 km Lon Eifion Cycletrack - 19.46 km Coed Niwbwrch – Newborough Forest - 11.29 km A Stroll in the Parc - 5.25 km Walk around Llyn Crafnant - 5.23 km The approach to Yes Tor from the west is deceptive, you cannot see the trig point and radio aerial at all. There's also a nice circular path heading round the lake to try. Walk de149 Yes Tor and High Willhays from Okehampton Camp. I stopped for a bite to eat, taking shelter out of the wind for a few moments. Only when beyond the false summit (the cairn visible from the west) do you then see the trig point and radio mast. ... VAmbrosini/Shutterstock Meldon Reservoir en route to Cranmere Pool. 6500 trig points were constructed and many still survive today though modern technology has rendered them obsolete; just a folly now; a nod to the 1930’s map makers. Do not head north of High Willhays, it … Ascent - 1250 feet / 379 metres. The car park by Meldon Reservoir is a popular starting point for an ascent of High Willhays and the nearby Yes Tor. All the walking routes up High Willhays on Mud and Routes can be found below. The reality on this grey but dry day was a walk around the edge of Longstone Hill, take an obvious path due west of Yes Tor summit and walk eastwards up to the top and take a photo or three. From Meldon Viaduct I retraced my steps back towards the car park at the reservoir. ... As the army use the section of Dartmoor which includes High Willhays and Yes Tor it is worth checking the free phone number (0800 4584568) to see if it is in use. High Willhays. After a mile or so on public footpaths and narrow roads, Okehampton Army Camp and the start of the moor is reached. The reservoir once a natural now flooded valley and the awesome (yes I will use that word) viaduct is very much man-made over nature. Get directions to the start of this … Tiny rapidly moving dots scoured the landscape in perfect harmony. The walk to High Willhays is a long one, and arduous, one and a half kilometres and a climb of 140m from Black Tor, yet the views from up there more than make up for the effort to get there, in fact, you will surely forget the climb once you take in the views. Unlike sunsets that don’t hold his attention for long, this working landscape captivated him whilst I watched and ate my humble lunch. I was thrilled to discover (after the event … But this time, instead of traversing Sourton Tors, we are going to climb them straight away. Yes Tor is the one with the trig. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. For scheduled firing times see www.access.mod.uk or call … I don’t think these intrusions detract from the beauty of the moors. You can safely say I was in aweCurving gently across the valley and old mine workings, the Meldon Viaduct is a bold statement in an already striking landscape. Walk Summary There are only two Nuttalls in Dartmoor and both are within ½ mile of each other so can be completed on the same walk, but as Devon is over 300 miles from home it seems a long way to go for just one days walking. Littered with UXBs and danger! T his testing circuit of north Dartmoor takes in three of its four highest summits, a number of more interesting lower tors, and a whole lot of rough, boggy moorland in between. Digital Mapping Guide - a simple guide of how to start using digital mapping. While Lucy and Henry were winning one of their classes at the Okehampton & District Show, Stephen and George went for a walk to the top of Dartmoor, the highest point in southern England. Yes Tor is a child summit of High Willhays. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. High Willhays is 621 metres high. Thanks to Malcolm Oakley of South Downs Walking. Time - 4 hours 30 minutes. Your email address will not be published. There are 398 Walkhighlanders who have climbed High Willhays. With a long and varied history there is much evidence of former ages from Neolithic sites to more recent industrial heritage. Clearly, walking to the top of both tors is a must if you are a keen hillwalker. Cranmere Pool. The military have been using Dartmoor for over 200 years and this walk is partly within a live firing range. All rights reserved. Vital Statistics: Length: 6.25ml (10km) Ascent: 1,188ft (362m) Time: 3½ hrs: Grade: (Moderate) Route Summary: - Okehampton Camp, Anthony Stile, Black Down, Red-a-ven Brook, Okehampton Army Firing Range, Yes Tor, High Willhays, West Mill Tor, Okehampton Camp. Yes Tor is just lower at 619 metres above sea level. Nothing too fancy, just a flat rock with a view. Ascent - 1250 feet / 379 metres. Yes Tor & High Willhays This walk was planned to be 6 miles, but ended up being nearer 8 miles due to where we parked the car at Okehampton station on the Dartmoor railway. Dartmoor's (& Devon's) highest point. High Willhays is the highest mountain in Dartmoor, in fact the south west of England. We will also stop at Yes Tor, Black tor and Blackator copse. Ah, the penny drops, so this will be the summit then. Now don’t imagine for one moment this would be an easy walk in thick mist, pouring rain, ice and hail. I apologise for the lack of drama in my opening words, the failing to enthuse. Short Dartmoor Walk High Willhays – Dartmoor’s Highest Point. Find cottages in Dartmoor for this hike. This strenuous 12km circular walk on Dartmoor's north moor, takes in the highest point (High Willhays) once again as well as a selection of fantastic Tor's (West Mill Tor, Yes Tor and Rowtor) and views of Meldon Resrvoir. A shepherd on a quad bike was commanding three sheepdogs. The walk from Yes Tor to High Willhays is about half a mile and clearly marked. You shouldn’t let the limited public access put you off exploring safely this part of Dartmoor as it is very bleak and atmospheric, drama and remoteness but easily accessible by road. No routes found but here are a few near you that you might like: Across the Rhinogydd – Rhinog Fawr and Llyn Du. Of course this didn’t last long and I was soon climbing again to the summit of Yes Tor. Start – Meldon Reservoir Route – Meldon Reservoir – Longstone Hill – Yes Tor – High Willhays – Fordsland Ledge – Black Tor – Meldon Reservoir Distance – 5 1/2miles Start time – 11am Time taken – 4 1/2hrs Highest Point – High Willhays 621m Weather – Overcast and the tops in cloud, brightened a little on the walk back This excellent return walk skirts Meldon Reservoir before tracing its way across country to the site of the first letterbox – not of the … Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Yes Tor and High Willhays are close together on a high moorland plateau. We will teach you how to hike safely on the open moor and hills and how to navigate using a map and compass. High Willhays Walk. After a spell of dry weather, you can walk directly to Yes Tor and High Willhays. High Willhays is also classified as an English Marilyn (49th highest in England, 726th highest in the UK).