Lints Tor, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
A number of Dartmoor tors stand proud at the head of a valley. The most obvious, and impressive, is Steeperton Tor at the southern end of Taw Plain. Another is Lints Tor at the top of the Upper West Okement Valley.
Study the area around Lints Tor on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map and you'll see a mass of thin, blue lines running along the valley floor and extending across the tightly packed contour lines overlaying moorland. This map view of the area can make the prospect of visiting Lints Tor daunting. In reality, the terrain is relatively easy to walk in.
Dartmoor's a small place. You can walk to most of its tors and hills from all directions. Whilst it's possible to visit Lint's Tor from the direction of Dinger Tor, High Willhays, Kitty Tor and Great Kneeset, we'd recommend following the Upper West Okement Valley to get to the tor. Start from the car park at Meldon Reservoir. Follow the track that runs around the east side of the water to get to an area marked Vellake Corner on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map. Follow the track up the valley to Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve. The beautiful Black Tor rises above you to the north east. Walk through the National Nature Reserve and follow the track all the way to the foot of Lints Tor. Even after awful weather, such as the storms at the beginning of 2014, it's possible to cross the network of waterways without difficulty. Clearly, there are dangerous, boggy spots next to the West Okement River but these are easy to spot. It's a short, sharp climb to the rocky outcrop on top of Lints Tor. A very distinctive column of granite rises from the summit of the tor. When you visit, it looks like the column could easily topple over after a fierce storm.
The views from Lints Tor are amazing. Great Kneeset and Fur Tor dominate the skyline to the west. The highlight, in our opinion, is the view back down the valley past Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve to the Shelstone Tor area and beyond.
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