エクスボーンの天然記念物・トップ13

West Mill Tor 542.7m P20.3 (1780ft) (DoBIH Hill ID: 19861) [JNSA s2045] Dartmoor National Park Definitive List summit.

West Mill Tor is an easy climb from the base of Yes Tor and offers fantastic views in all directions. A sizeable outcrop with various routes to climb to get to the top, varying from safe and simple to steep and trechuous. There is a small stream to cross at the base between Yes Tor and the ground can be waterlogged so will require abit of dry hopping or good footwear.

Part of the okehamptons three sisters of row tor, west mill and yes tor, west mill is a great pitch for a camp and view of yes tor

Make sure to check out the military times. As drills are taken out here on certain days.

Just below Belstone Tor, Higher Tor is huge. The granite rocks extend across the hillside and give a glimpse into the past when the whole of the area would have been strewn with rock. Running up here you'll find rewarding views across to Yes Tor in the West and Cosdon Hill in the east.

If you are hiking to Yes Tor, don't pass by West Mill Tor without a visit. It almost looks like the ruins of a castle and is very recognisable. The views from up here take you all the way across to Exmoor National Park in the north or south west to Yes Tor. Simply stunning.

A charming start to the extensive collection of tors on the Belstone Ridge, Tors End is a long thin band of exposed granite, stretching up the north-western edge of Belstone Common, with an extensive clitter field on the western side. In 'High Dartmoor' Hemery mentions the outcrop but appears to incorrectly place it at the northern edge of the higher ground, at what we call 'Belstone Common Tor'; "...the land falls sharply to a fine satellite pile; smaller, but fiercely characteristic, its bold cone dominates the declining northward crest and is aptly known as Tors End (approx. 1,500 feet)." Also, there is, according to Hemery, a small quarry at the north end known as 'Sand Pit'. As Tors End was the easiest tor to get to and being located closest to the village it seems to have been a target for quarrying. A quarter segment of an abandoned apple crusher can be found on the east side of the main outcrop. There are also abandoned millstones and troughs on the slopes all around the Belstone Tors area. Tim Jenkinson (2001/2) writes; "The quarry at Sand Pit is symbolic of the interest in Belstone's granite and most probably reflects the execution of Venville Rights, a privilege bestowed upon the inhabitants of Dartmoor in return of the payment of rent to the Duchy." Venville Rights allow local people "to remove anything from the Forest that may be for their own use and good"; they date back to 1609 during the reign of James I when it was decreed that the "digging and removal of moorstone is to be used only for the mending of houses and land." Just over 100 years ago Dora James (1911) depicts an interesting scene at the village of Belstone; she bemoans; "There are now at least two granite working yards in the village, although the owners have I believe to pay an annual fee to the Duchy for the removal of stone in such large quantities, which, if for their good, can scarcely be considered for their 'own use'." At that time Belstone was a hive of industry and rocks that were being plundered from the tors, and some stones were worked upon in situ and presumably cast aside if imperfect - that's why we find so many abandoned artefacts up there. Dora was very unhappy about the whole situation as she calls the working places an "eyesore" and felt that the process of "digging out and cutting up the glorious piles" of Belstone Tors "are infinitely to be regretted." She refers to the stones as "grey memorials". It is more commonly accepted by the locals that this, the lower outcrop, is the actual location.

Unfortunately, the Ordnance Survey representation of the Belstone Ridge is rather disappointing, naming only Belstone Tor and Higher Tor; and while indeed these are prominent tors, it leaves out equally impressive and fascinating outcrops, particularly at the north end. As a result of this, there has been confusion as to the names for some of these rockpiles, leaving some to call the entire collection 'Belstone Tors'. One tor in particular between Belstone Tor and Tors End despite its prominence appears to have never been named, so we have simply labelled this 'Belstone Common Tor'. In the past it has been incorrectly labelled 'Tors End' and even 'Ladybrook Tor', the latter a robust outcrop sitting on the opposite hillside above the River Taw. Eric Hemery (1983) mentions the outcrop at the northern end of the high ground but identifies it, in our opinion, incorrectly; "...the land falls sharply to a fine satellite pile; smaller, but fiercely characteristic, its bold cone dominates the declining northward crest and is aptly known as Tors End (approx. 1,500 feet)." Whilst this is certainly the end of the high ground, which may have swayed Hemery, it ignores the outcrops below to the north-west, which are the true end of the Belstone Ridge and the accepted location of Tors End known to locals. Belstone Common Tor is a fabulous tor in its own right, sufficiently detached from its neighbours to warrant an identity. Its composition is surprisingly dissimilar when compared to the rest of the common: its main pile is a massive heap of broken stones, presenting almost alpine-like from the south. The tor's appearance - that of a jumbled mound of granite rocks - is reminiscent of Sharpitor near Burrator Reservoir. The concentration of clitter all around, but particularly on the east flank of the hill, is mesmerising and indicative of these tors' former magnitude before they were brutally broken up by weathering. The area, strewn as it is by magnificent granite blocks, has also been a target for stonecutters who utilised the abundance of rock and easy accessibility from Belstone village to cut up stone for monetary gain. The north side of Belstone Common Tor has suffered by the scar of a small quarry where you can find an abandoned granite roller at SX 61589 92494, buried in the turf. Where granite cracked under pressure or transportation was deemed to be too laborious, these artefacts were simply abandoned in situ. A number of millstones, troughs, and apple crushers can be found amidst the clitter. The lively stonecutting industry at Belstone Common was not without its critics, however. One well-known figure was Dora James (1911) who proclaimed that the "digging out and cutting up of the glorious piles are infinitely to be regretted." Later, she refers to the stones as "grey memorials", clearly expressing her sadness and frustration at the enterprise. It is fortunate that the extent of the quarrying was kept to a minimum and never took off or else we may be left with an entirely different scene today. On top of the tor you will notice the remains of a concrete flagpole base; presumably this was placed here because of the more extensive views afforded of Belstone from where it could be viewed. Bob Fitzpatrick (2017) also noted no less than three rock basins near to this which are thought to be undocumented. At least two of the basins can retain water and are unusual in that none of the other Dartmoor tors this far north possess any basins. Mr. Ormerod (1859) himself states that: "From near the same point in the northerly part of the moor the Tavy flows westerly and the Teign easterly: to the north of these rivers very few rock-basins exist, and those too are in the immediate vicinity of these rivers. The Belstone examples are therefore unique.