Walking near Haytor in Devon offers some quieter and just as accessible routes. This short walk up the border of Black hill and Haytor down on Dartmoor delivered some amazing views away from the coach-loads of tourists scrambling up to the main tor. We rarely park at Haytor these days, tending to park at a place we like to call “Echo Valley” [Google map].

Starting at the Picnic tree in Echo Valley (so-called because we used to have picnics there), we basically walked straight ahead, following the well-worn trail up Black Hill.

Once we got to the top of the hill, the vast views were revealed. From here you can often see Torbay to the East, Haldon Belvedere to the North, and the opportunity for more Dartmoor adventures to the West and South!

We approached a small rocky outcrop (possibly Leighon Tor), and enjoyed the fresh air for a while, watching as a small herd of Dartmoor ponies approached.

Heading back across the edge of Haytor Down, we could clearly see Haytor just a short distance away. It’s really not that far, and we sometimes extend this walk to visit Haytor and Haytor Quarry.

All in all this is one of our favourite short Dartmoor activities – walking near Haytor in Devon – it takes about 40 minutes in total, unless you want to hang around up on the top for a while longer.

Finally, when you get back to the car or at home, make sure you do a full tick-check – this walk gets you close to the bracken and long undergrowth, so there’s a good chance that one or two of them may have hitched a ride!