Hound Tor via Lustleigh on the edge of Dartmoor

A circular walk combining moorland, streams and woods on Dartmoor, passing the dramatic Hound Tor and close to the iconic Bowerman's Nose, with places for refreshments at the halfway point. It is a good length with some steep hills for hearty exercise and is mainly off-road, taking advantage of footpaths and tracks. Many parts are shaded in summer. You could start at Lustleigh or Manaton if you prefer, and there are short-cuts available if you wish to shorten the walk.

NOTE: this walk was amended to correct a plotting error, and the description has been further updated in August 2024 with extra waypoints and additional directions.

Technical sheet

2913078
Creation:
Last update:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 20.40 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 643 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 644 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 390 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 87 m

Description of the walk

(S/E) Start at the main car for Hound Tor at Swallerton Gate (grid reference SX 739 792). It gets a bit busy in summer, but you may find a snack van here on a good day.

(1) Walk up towards and around the tor. There are lots of routes round the tor, and opportunities to find a 'letterbox' or two. A well-used path heads south-east and join the bridleway at a stone wall (SX 743 787). Follow the bridleway, keeping Greator Rocks on your right. Note that these paths are sometimes diverted to reduce erosion, so the precise track may deviate from the plot on the map. Pass through a gate, downhill into the woods and across a stream.

(2) When you emerge from the woods, follow the bridleway to the left, then through a gate onto a track (SX 756 788).

(3) Continue straight ahead, following the sign to "Byway for road below Blackhill" and follow the track until it diverges from the dry stone wall.

(4) Turn left and walk down to the road.

(5) Turn left at the cattle grid, and follow the road down into the valley to Leighon Cross.

(6) Turn right at the junction towards "Becky Falls/Bovey Tracey". Follow the road for about 125 yards: it is a fairly busy road, so take care.

(7) Turn left off the road onto the footpath across a footbridge, follow the path, which bends to the left and then curves right, then turn hard right at the junction in the path. The public footpath takes you past Becky Falls - but it is carefully routed so that you cannot see the falls without paying the entrance fee for the visitor attraction.

(8) You will reach a fork in the woods where the footpath meets the Dartmoor Way trail. Take the track to the right and follow the Dartmoor Way along the "Byway to Trendlebere" as it descends through the woods and crosses a packhorse bridge (9). (You can shorten the route by following the path straight ahead instead: keep on the footpath, ignoring tracks off to the right, until you reach a sign for the "Clam Bridge for Lustleigh Cleave", then follow that bridle path downhill to (12).)

(10) After the bridge, turn left and follow the track.

(11) At the footbridge, turn left and cross the bridge. Follow the path as it bends right then left and down to the river. Part of this path hugs the riverbank, and is formed of loose stones that are scoured when the river floods. Follow the path through the woods as it rises and falls all the way to the footbridges.

(12) Cross a footbridge: you can choose either the modern bridge or the traditional 'clam bridge' made of single tree trunks. Follow the path and take the route to the right signposted "Lustleigh via Pethybridge" at the first fork. Ignore further paths to the right and follow the path straight on to Lustleigh until you reach the road.

(13) At the road, turn right then take the first turning left. Follow the narrow lanes as they zig-zag towards the village - the route of the bridle path is signposted. When you get to the larger road turn right, then turn left at the Baptist chapel towards the church.

(14) In the centre of the village you will find the shop, church, tea room and pub. After suitable refreshment, take the lane past the public lavatories, through the community orchard and into the woods. These woods are full of enormous, moss-covered, rounded boulders.

(15) There are multiple routes in this wood, but take the right fork and head in a north-north westerly direction towards the footpath in the open fields (SX 781 813).

(16) Go through the gate and cross one field on the northerly track, then turn left, and follow the path, which becomes a track before it narrows behind Lower Combe.

(17) Turn left and follow the track to "Hammerslake for the Cleave" for a short distance, before taking the footpath into the woods.

(18) At the road, turn right towards the footpath, then turn left to take the footpath uphill. After the stone steps built into a wall, the path bears left to join the bridle path.

(19) Turn right at the bridleway and head uphill. This is a steep climb up to Sharpitor, but the views at the top are worthwhile on a clear day. At the top, follow the bridle path along the ridge to Hunters Tor, then down the other side past Peck Farm.

(20) After Peck Farm, turn left off the concrete track and follow the bridle path along the lane to "Foxworthy Bridge".

(21) At Foxworthy, continue straight on along the farm track for a short distance until you have crossed the river.

(22) Turn left and take the bridleway into the woods, and continue to follow the bridleway when it rejoins the track.

(23) Take the second path on the left signposted "Horsham Steps or Manaton via Horsham". The path bears immediately left before curving right. Follow the path through the woods.

(24) Take the right-hand path at the fork to "Manaton". After passing through two small fields, the path crosses a field diagonally to the right and joins a lane at a cattle grid by a group of farm buildings. Follow the lane to the road just north of Manaton.

(25) Turn left at the road and head south towards the village.

(26) There are often home-made cakes for sale outside one of the cottages in the car park at Manaton: you might want to buy some for the final hill. When you leave the car park, go straight over the crossroads and then take the footpath on the right to cross the fields.

(27) Turn right at the lane and follow it up onto the open moor. The hill becomes progressively steeper as you climb up Hayne Down. Follow one of the paths up past the rocks. If you want to catch sight of the famous Bowerman's Nose rock formation, you will need to take a northerly diversion to the edge of the group of rocks. To continue the route, head down from the rocks in a south-westerly direction, joining the road at a gate.

(28) Pass through the gate, and walk along the road, turning left at the junction and back to the car park.(S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 357 m - Hound Tor car park at Swallerton Gate
  2. 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 386 m - Hound Tor - Hound Tor
  3. 2 : km 1.75 - alt. 286 m - Bridleway bears left
  4. 3 : km 2.39 - alt. 286 m - Signpost to Road Below Blackhill
  5. 4 : km 3.14 - alt. 338 m - Track diverges from wall
  6. 5 : km 3.27 - alt. 320 m - Cattle grid
  7. 6 : km 4.45 - alt. 240 m - Leighon Cross
  8. 7 : km 4.56 - alt. 241 m - Footpath
  9. 8 : km 5.62 - alt. 213 m - Fork in woods
  10. 9 : km 6.45 - alt. 116 m - Packhorse bridge
  11. 10 : km 6.47 - alt. 116 m - Junction
  12. 11 : km 6.89 - alt. 99 m - Houndtor ridge
  13. 12 : km 8.53 - alt. 135 m - Clam Bridge
  14. 13 : km 9.9 - alt. 171 m - Road
  15. 14 : km 10.86 - alt. 89 m - Lustleigh village
  16. 15 : km 11.14 - alt. 111 m - Fork
  17. 16 : km 11.23 - alt. 111 m - Gate into field
  18. 17 : km 11.79 - alt. 133 m - Path meets track
  19. 18 : km 12.23 - alt. 180 m - Road
  20. 19 : km 12.46 - alt. 220 m - Footpath meets bridleway
  21. 20 : km 14.82 - alt. 235 m - Path just after Peck Farm
  22. 21 : km 15.67 - alt. 194 m - Foxworthy
  23. 22 : km 15.73 - alt. 195 m - Bridleway into woods
  24. 23 : km 16.2 - alt. 212 m - Route leaves Dartmoor Way
  25. 24 : km 16.57 - alt. 252 m - Signpost to "Manaton"
  26. 25 : km 17.2 - alt. 288 m - County road
  27. 26 : km 17.52 - alt. 279 m - Manaton church car park
  28. 27 : km 18.12 - alt. 268 m - Lane to Hayne Down - Bowerman's Nose
  29. 28 : km 19.43 - alt. 355 m - Gate
  30. S/E : km 20.4 - alt. 358 m - Hound Tor car park

Practical information

Map

Ordnance Survey OL28 Dartmoor

Parking

There is a free car park at Swallerton Gate (1) (SX 739 792, ///mailer.wriggled.shaped). There is also a car park at Manaton (26). There is very limited roadside parking in Lustleigh.

Public Transport

There is a 'Haytor Hoppa' bus on summer Saturdays from Newton Abbot to Swallerton Gate, and a bus service runs once a day from Monday to Saturday from Newton Abbot to Lustleigh.

Food and drink

There is often a snack van in the car park at Hound Tor.
Lustleigh has a shop, open all day Monday to Saturday and on Sunday mornings, a pub open every day and a tearoom open selected days from spring to autumn.
Homemade cakes are often on sale near the car park at Manaton.

WC

There is a public convenience in Lustleigh.

Walking conditions

Most of the walk takes place on footpaths and bridle paths that are clearly marked. There are well-trodden paths across the open moorland sections, but they can be narrowed by bracken in summer. The paths will be muddy after rain, and are frequently uneven. There are several steep sections on this route, including the occasional boulder to climb and steep steps.

Variation

Only if the weather has been dry, at waypoint 17 (Foxworthy) you may be able to take the path to the left and cross the river at the stepping stones (grid ref. SX 763 813) and reach Manaton via Horsham. This route is impassable if the river is high.

In the nearby area

Hound Tor has a number of 'letterboxes' to find: boxes hidden among the rocks with a rubber stamp and visitors book for you to leave your mark.

The path passes close to the remains of a mediaeval village at Hound Tor.

The orchard at Lustleigh may well be the oldest community orchard in the country. It features a granite rock carved with the names of the village's May Queens, with a stone throne for the May Queen on top.

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Bog Trotter
Bog Trotter
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

Was a good walk but sometimes the left or right turns did not match up with the GPX map directions, but the GPX directions were right and easy to follow.
It was 23km and quite strenuous, a very up and down route, in lots of woods, not a lot of open moorland.

JillB66
JillB66
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

WARNING: the path between points 4 and 5 is NOT a public footpath/right of way. Rather it takes you through private property and the owner is rightly frustrated that the route is published. As a country-lover, it's important that we respect the rights of the farmers and landowners as much as they respect our rights of way, to ensure ongoing co-operation.

Other that that, a good walk but the directions are often sparce at best - take a map/use the OS app as back-up.

Gilroy
Gilroy
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great walk

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