Branscombe's Loaf (and Cheese), Sourton, Dartmoor National Park

Branscombe's Loaf (and Cheese), Sourton, Dartmoor National Park

In her work 'The Outline of Dartmoor's Story', Sylvia Sayer tells the story of Bishop Bronescombe and his loaf:

'Bishop Bronescombe often travelled on the Moor himself ... [He] was a great character and well known to his flock, who loved to tell stories of his doings as they sat around their peat fires of an evening - especially the one about the time he got lost with his chaplain and servants on the Moor when journeying from Widecombe to Lydford; how tired and hungry he became, and how a stranger approached him with an offer of bread and cheese, if, in return, the Bishop would get off his horse, take his cap and call him "Mast"; how the famished bishop almost did, but the chaplain spied the stranger's cloven hoof just in time - at which the Bishop cried out to God and made the sign of the cross, whereat the stranger vanished, leaving the bread and cheese turned to stone: it still can be seen on Corn Ridge ... and is still called Branscombe's Loaf and Cheese!'

We've positioned Branscombe's Loaf on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location.

To visit, head for Prewley Moor or the village Sourton. There's plenty of parking on Prewley Moor and limited parking in front of the church in Sourton. From either start point, head for Sourton Tors. The vast Corn Ridge rises to the south east. Follow one of the grass tracks up the western end of Corn Ridge and you'll see Branscombe's Loaf in front of you.