Parking
Use Swallerton Gate car park, also called Hound Tor car park. Parking is limited; take the grassy path heading southeast from the car park.
Overview
About Hound Tor Walk
Why go
- A quick climb to a striking granite tor with broad moor views
Heads up
- Uneven rocky footing near the tor; limited parking
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Dartmoor map
Full mapElevation355–394 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Dartmoor alerts
- CautionDartmoor military firing restricts accessDo not cross the Okehampton, Willsworthy or Merrivale training-range boundaries when warning signals are displayed.Official details
- CautionAccess restriction at Huccaby FarmAccess to CROW Access Land at Huccaby Farm in the West Dart River Valley is subject to a current restriction notice.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Dartmoor Tour Guide
Your drive to Hound Tor Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Dartmoor National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Hound Tor and Its Deserted Village0:00 / 0:33
“Up ahead is Hound Tor, a jumble of granite towers reached by a short climb from Swallerton Gate. The walk to the rocks and back takes about half an hour, with rough ground near the top.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Dartmoor Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Ovens in Hound Tor's Barns
- Jay's Grave
- The Hunter in the Granite
- Becky Falls Woodland Park
- 298 audio storiesacross Dartmoor’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Western Roe Deer, Red Fox, European Rabbit, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 59 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Hound Tor Walk
A quick climb to Hound TorHound Tor Walk is a 0.
Hound Tor Walk is a 0.6-mile out-and-back, about 30 minutes from Swallerton Gate car park to the granite tor and back. The grassy route heads southeast, climbs to the scatter of rock, and opens onto broad views over Dartmoor. It is a quick hill stop, not a circuit or a long moorland walk; allow time for the rocky top, then return by the same path.
On the way upThe climb is short but not flat.
The climb is short but not flat. A grassy path rises over open ground, then the rocks become more prominent as you reach the tor. The upper slope is uneven, and the last few minutes call for steadier footing than the distance suggests. Follow the path southeast from the car park and use the granite outcrops as your landmark. Surrounding paths lead to longer outings, but they are not part of this short return.
What you reachHound Tor is a weathered cluster of granite blocks on open moorland.
Hound Tor is a weathered cluster of granite blocks on open moorland. Walk among the outcrops and the view opens across rolling Dartmoor, with the rock making a good foreground for a wide photo. The deserted medieval village lies southeast as a separate extension, not part of this 0.6-mile return. Its 0.5-mile figure is one-way from the nearest parking to the remains. The village has 13th-century longhouses, where families likely lived at one end and animals were kept at the other.
Parking and footingStart at Swallerton Gate car park, also called Hound Tor car park; spaces are limited.
Start at Swallerton Gate car park, also called Hound Tor car park; spaces are limited. The path leaves the southeast side of the car park. Hound Tor is exposed to Dartmoor weather, and the granite is rough underfoot. Ponies and sheep graze on the moor, so keep dogs on a lead. There is no café or toilet at the car park.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Dartmoor
32 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
37 sightingsEuropean RabbitMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
34 sightingsGreat Spotted WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
20 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Dartmoor. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
