Things To Do near Swincombe Reservoir
Tavistock to Ashburton Packhorse Track, Ashburton, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
This ancient track is shown on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map. Unsurprisingly, it runs between Tavistock on the western border of the National Park to Ashburton on the eastern border. The central section of the track pretty much follows Conchies Road. We include Tavistock to Ash...
Wheal Emma Leat (Dry Channel), Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
A wheal is a mine. A leat is a man-made waterway used to channel water from, say, a river down to a mine, mill or town/city. Wheal Emma Leat is the now dry channel of a leat built in 1859 that once collected water from near the source of the River Swincombe as it flows past the eastern side of Foxto...
Swincombe, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Swincombe is a collection of ruined, disused buildings just west of Hexworthy. It's named on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map. The buildings are drawn on an area of private land on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map but not named. Swincombe consists of Higher/Upper and...
Swincombe Bridge (Swincombe Fairy Bridge/Swincombe Ford Bridge), Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
The River Swincombe rises on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau. It flows into Foxtor Mires where it meets Strane River at Headweir Ford. From there, it picks up speed and tumbles through a very pretty valley to a reservoir. Downstream of the reservoir, by the ruined buildings at Swincombe, is the...
River Swincombe, Dartmoor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
By Dartmoor standards, this is a short river that rises on the edge of the National Park's south plateau and meets the West Dart River in Dartmoor's central bowl near Hexworthy. The river rises at Swincombe Head above what the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map refers to as Suns...
Swincombe Headweir Ford, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
The River Swincombe and Strane River (having been fed by Nun's Cross Brook) meet at the eastern end of Foxtor Mires near the beginning of the old Wheal Emma Leat (Dry Channel). Just before they meet, there are two fords spanning each waterway. After a spell of dry weather, the ford across th...
Mount Misery Cross, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Moorland climbs steeply south and east of Foxtor Mires. On the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map, the land south of the mires is marked Crane Hill. The land to the east is Ter Hill. The Dartmoor expert Eric Hemery edited the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map and used many loca...
Foxtor Farm, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Foxtor Farm is a collection of ruined buildings and enclosures east of the infamous Foxtor Mires. Fox Tor, a series of rocky outcrops on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau, is to the south. Today, the farm ruins are in a remote and quiet area of the National Park. On the route of ancient paths and...
Ter Hill Cross (West), Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
There are two stone crosses close to one another on Ter Hill on the flank of Dartmoor's south plateau. These crosses are part of the Buckfast to Tavistock Monastic Route and, along with many others, were used as waymarkers for the journey between Buckfast Abbey and Tavistock Abbey. We'v...
Ter Hill Cross (East), Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
One of two crosses on Ter Hill on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau. The cross is part of the Buckfast to Tavistock Monastic Route. See our Ter Hill Cross (West) listing for further information and directions.
Ter Hill, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Roughly speaking, Dartmoor consists of two areas of high moorland divided by a central bowl. The south moor rises from hamlets and villages south of Hexworthy, Dartmeet and Holne towards a series of very shallow domed hills. Ter Hill is one of these shallow domed hills on the northern flank of the N...
Down Ridge, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Down Ridge provides great access to the crosses on the Buckfast to Tavistock Monastic Route up at Ter Hill and Mount Misery. From there, you can also drop down to Foxtor Farm and Childe's Tomb. We've positioned Down Ridge on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its locati...
Childe's Tomb and Cross, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Who was Childe? Whilst hunting on Dartmoor, Childe was overwhelmed by a snowstorm. To survive, he killed his horse, disembowelled it and then climbed inside for shelter. The snowstorm continued and Childe froze to death. Upon the event of his death, it became known that he'd leave his lands at Plyms...
Sunshine Valley, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
There are lots of old mining works around Foxtor Mires. Whiteworks is to the north west. The wonderfully named Sunshine Valley and nearby Mount Misery are to the south east and east. Marked on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map, Sunshine Valley is at the head of the River Swinc...
Foxtor Mires, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
There are some places on Dartmoor that are best avoided. Raybarrow Pool by Cosdon Hill on the north moor is a dangerous place. Down on the edge of the National Park's south plateau, Foxtor Mires is another. Said to have been the inspiration for Grimpen Mire in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Hound of...