Tavy Cleave and Hare Tor Circular

The Tavy Cleave and Hare Tor Circular is a 4.42-mile loop from Lanehead Car Park, following the River Tavy through a boulder-filled gorge before climbing open moor to Hare Tor and returning over Ger Tor. Allow about 2½ to 3½ hours for roughly 238 m of ascent. The numbers look modest, but the walking is much rougher than they suggest: the river section mixes wet mud with large, uneven rock, and the upper moor has stretches where a path is hard to pick out. I’d choose this for a varied, remote-feeling circuit; skip it if you want a smooth trail or a quick, steady pace.

From the small car park, take the track east to Nattor Farm, then bear left along the leat carrying water from the Tavy. The leat is a trace of the area’s copper-mining past and leads to a small inlet building at the mouth of the cleave. From there, the route stays on the river’s north bank as the valley tightens into Tavy Cleave. The river drops into waterfalls and pools, with granite boulders filling the bed and small rock tops above the steep sides. Take your time here: the line is indistinct in places, and footing switches between slick wet stones and muddy ground. Boulder-hopping slows you more than the map suggests. Higher up, the valley opens and splits. The right-hand branch leads to Watern Oke, a prehistoric settlement with more than 70 hut circles; that’s an optional detour beyond this loop. The circuit turns left.

After the split, follow the west side of Rattle Brook upstream, staying above the stream. Faint path strands fan across particularly boggy ground, so keep checking direction instead of following the clearest rut. Near Dead Lake, bear left toward Hare Tor. This is the least obvious stretch: an open, rolling slope with tussock and no dependable path. A military track appears on maps, but it isn’t a reliable line on the ground; cloud strips away the landmarks, making navigation part of the hike. Hare Tor is a small rocky top with an army marker pole and broad views across the moor. Its bare summit comes into view as you climb, so pause for it instead of pushing straight on.

From Hare Tor, descend steeply south, then cross easier open ground southwest to Ger Tor. The outcrop looks over the mouth of Tavy Cleave, and you can see Lanehead Car Park below. From there, the route drops back to Lanehead over a footbridge across the leat. For a photo in the cleave, include one of the large boulders in the foreground so the cascades have a sense of scale.

Lanehead is at the end of the public road from Mary Tavy; the car park is fairly small. The walk lies within Willsworthy Range, where public access closes during live firing. Check the current firing schedule and obey the range warnings: red flags by day and red lamps at night. Dogs may accompany walkers on Dartmoor access land, but use a short lead from 1 March to 31 July and near livestock at any time. Mary Tavy Inn is a separate pub-food stop in the village after the walk; check its current opening times.