Start and route
Lane End Car Park via Ger Tor, Brat Tor, several river crossings, Fur Tor and Tavy Cleave.
I set off from Lane End Car Park at 7:35am, with the temperature already giving a fairly strong indication that this was going to be a sweaty one.
The route began with a steep ascent towards Ger Tor—plenty of huffing, puffing and wondering why I had not taken up a relaxing hobby such as stamp collecting. After a brief stop to admire the landscape, I continued to Brat Tor for another steep climb and a very welcome breather at the summit.
Following the trail into the valley brought the first river crossing. Weeks without meaningful rain had left the rivers extremely low, making the crossings relatively straightforward. Beyond them, tussocks, long grass and dried-out bogs slowed progress considerably.
Fur Tor finally came into view in all its rugged splendour. It looked impressive—then I remembered one small detail: I still had to climb it.
More rocks, more steep ground and considerably more sweating eventually brought me to the summit. A young man was wild camping on Dartmoor for the next couple of days, so I stopped for around 45 minutes for brunch and a chat. As it was his first visit, I suggested a few places to explore and offered some unsolicited advice from someone who has spent rather a lot of time getting lost on these moors.
I left Fur Tor at around 10:40am for the tough return. At least three river crossings, rock scrambling, rough ground and a great deal of gorse made the next mile feel more like an assault course—especially in temperatures of 28–29°C with virtually no wind.
The ground eventually eased as I made my way through spectacular Tavy Cleave, reaching the car at around 1pm. Fur Tor is never easy, even by the shortest route, but what a place: remote, rugged, beautiful and worth every drop of sweat, every scratch and every moment spent questioning my life choices.
