Why Hound Tor?
Dartmoor has over 160 tors, but Hound Tor occupies a special place. Where Haytor is immediately accessible and photographically perfect, Hound Tor feels wild — the granite here has weathered into dramatic vertical stacks and tilted slabs that create natural chambers, overhangs and scrambling routes, giving it the quality of a natural fortress. The tor name almost certainly predates Conan Doyle, but it's hard not to think of the Baskervilles when autumn mist rolls in across the moor and the rock disappears into grey.
The walk adds two things that elevate it beyond a straightforward tor walk. Below the southern face of the tor lie the remains of a medieval hamlet — Hundatora — occupied from around the 10th century until the mid-14th century, when the combined pressures of deteriorating climate and the Black Death led to its abandonment. The granite walls of longhouses and outbuildings still stand nearly a metre high in places, the ground plan of the settlement clearly readable. And Greator Rocks, reached on the return leg, adds a second dramatic tor to the circuit with views back towards Haytor.
📍 Getting to Hound Tor
From Bovey Tracey, take the B3387 west toward Haytor for 3 miles, then fork right toward Manaton. After about a mile, Swallerton Gate car park is on the right — a DNP pay-and-display site (postcode TQ13 9XE). Alternatively, approach from Manaton village. Do not use the postcode for the tor itself — it will lead you on the wrong road. The car park is signed "Hound Tor" from the Haytor road junction.
The Route
🗺️ Hound Tor & Medieval Village Circular (4 miles · 2–2.5 hours)
From the car park, a clear path heads north-west up the slope toward the tor — visible the whole way. The path is well-worn and straightforward. At the base of the tor, the full drama of the rock becomes apparent: the stacks rise about 20 metres, the highest section requiring a scramble that most walkers (and many dogs) can manage.
The tor rewards exploration — walk around the full perimeter before deciding where to scramble. The northern face offers the easiest ascent. The southern and eastern sides have more dramatic overhangs and rock chambers worth exploring at ground level. On a clear day Haytor is visible 2 miles to the east.
Descend south from the tor to the cluster of stone walls visible below. This is Hundatora — the medieval village. The ruins cover about an acre: four longhouses (where family and livestock lived under one roof), several outbuildings, and a corn-drying barn. The ground plan is remarkably clear. Interpretation boards explain the site's history.
From the medieval village, follow the path south-east across open moorland to Greator Rocks — a series of lower, more scattered granite outcrops with excellent views back to Hound Tor and across the Bovey valley. Less visited than Hound Tor, Greator has a quieter character and excellent picnic spots.
From Greator, head north-east across Hayne Down, a broad stretch of open moorland. A path leads back to the Swallerton Gate car park — bear north-east consistently and you will meet the road above the car park. In mist, use a compass bearing of NE from Greator to find the road.
⏰ Timing Tip
The medieval village catches the best light in late afternoon when low sun rakes across the stone walls, emphasising their texture and depth. If you can time your visit for 3–5pm on a clear autumn or winter day, the quality of light on the ruins is exceptional. In summer, the same effect occurs earlier — around noon the site can look flat in direct overhead light.
The Medieval Village — Hundatora
The abandoned settlement below Hound Tor is one of the best-preserved medieval village sites in England and one that most visitors walk straight past without realising what they're looking at. The granite walls, though roofless, are still waist-high in places, the rectangular floor plans of the longhouses clearly visible, and the relationship between the buildings — how they cluster together for shelter against the prevailing south-westerly wind — immediately legible.
The village was occupied from at least the 10th century. Its inhabitants were farming in an era when Dartmoor's climate was marginally warmer and drier than today — the high moor was more productive land, and settlements like Hundatora were part of a network of upland communities across the moor. The gradual cooling of the climate through the 13th and 14th centuries, combined with the catastrophic mortality of the Black Death (which reached Devon around 1349), ended the village. No one returned.
Archaeological excavations in the 1960s revealed evidence of the corn-drying kiln — one of the most diagnostic features of medieval Dartmoor farming — and confirmed the site's occupation over several centuries. The walls you see are original medieval granite, unmoved since the village was abandoned. It is a genuine and extraordinary historical survival.
Dogs at Hound Tor
Hound Tor is excellent for dogs — open access moorland, clear paths, no livestock on the tor itself (cattle and ponies graze the surrounding down, so leads are sensible when passing through grazing areas). The scrambling on the tor requires some dogs to be lifted through narrower sections, but most medium and large dogs navigate it happily. The medieval village ruins are open grassland — dogs can roam freely here.
Parking
Swallerton Gate car park (TQ13 9XE) is the standard start — pay and display, Dartmoor National Park rates. It fills quickly on summer and bank holiday mornings. An alternative is to park at Manaton village (about 1.5 miles away) and walk up via footpaths — this adds distance but avoids parking pressure and gives a gentler approach through farmland.
Extending the Walk
Haytor
The classic Dartmoor combination — Hound Tor in the morning, Haytor in the afternoon. A full Dartmoor day of about 7 miles with the granite tramway between them.
Becka Falls
Descend from Hound Tor via Hound Tor Wood to Becka Falls — a pretty waterfall walk near Manaton, ideal for families, completely different terrain to the open moor.
Grimspound
Continue north across the moor from Hound Tor to Grimspound — the Bronze Age settlement that predates even the medieval village by 2,000 years. A longer day of 8–9 miles.
What to Wear & Carry
- Footwear: Trail shoes or walking boots — the moorland can be boggy after rain, particularly on the descent from Greator toward the car park
- OS map: Explorer OL28 covers this area. Grid reference for Hound Tor: SX 742 790
- Layers: The tor is fully exposed — wind can be significant even on calm valley days
- Water: No water sources or cafés on this circuit — bring your own
- Café: The closest food stop is Haytor Vale village (Rock Inn) or Bovey Tracey town — plan a pub lunch around the walk