Merrivale Six-Mile Circular
Five tors, Windy Post and a windswept 5.96-mile circular with Age, rounded off with ice cream and a well-earned pint.
Hike at a glance
Route & GPX
- Distance
- 5.96 miles
- Time
- Not recorded
- Parking
- Pork Hill car park
Open what3words: ///successor.cricket.hag - Difficulty
- Moderate — Steep climbs to the tors and uneven moorland over 5.96 miles.
- Tea/Pub stop
- Tea breaks at Roos Tor and Pew Tor; post-hike pub (not named).
- Map planning
- Open OS Maps
Recommended pubs
- Dartmoor Inn (organic)
- Prince of Wales, Princetown
- Burrator Inn, Dousland
- Rock Inn, Yelverton
Estimated grades based on the full route in clear, dry conditions: Easy — mostly level, straightforward paths; Moderate — some climbs or uneven ground; Hard — sustained effort, steep or rough ground, or remote navigation; Very hard — exceptional distance or repeated steep climbs. Weather, mud, tides and visibility can make a walk much harder.
Details from this walk’s report. Times reflect this outing; check parking and access before travelling.
Tors, tea and a well-earned pint
With my friend Age for company, we set off from Pork Hill car park and headed straight into the steep climb to Cox Tor. Nothing quite like an uphill start to get the legs working and make you question why you didn’t choose a flatter hobby!
From Cox Tor, we crossed relatively easy terrain towards Roos Tor, where we stopped for a cuppa and a bite to eat. The wind was certainly making its presence felt — keeping hold of lunch was almost as important as eating it.
After around 15 minutes, we continued to Great Staple Tor and Middle Staple Tor. Low cloud drifted across the moor, broken by welcome bursts of sunshine that revealed spectacular views. Classic Dartmoor conditions: a little bit of everything, with the wind firmly in charge.
We then descended to the road, crossed over and picked up the trail towards the beautiful Windy Post granite cross and nearby waterfall. Naturally, the traditional photo session followed — you can’t walk past somewhere like that without adding a few more pictures to the collection.
From there, a steady climb took us up to Pew Tor, where we enjoyed another break and took in the wonderful views. Twenty minutes of appreciating the scenery also gave our legs a convenient excuse to do absolutely nothing.
Eventually, we made our way back down towards the cross and returned to the car park, where a well-earned ice cream rounded off the walk. Then it was on to the pub for a post-hike pint or two — an essential part of our rather loosely defined recovery programme!
At 5.96 miles, this was just shy of a six-mile circular, packed with impressive tors, beautiful moorland scenery and plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy it all. I’m confident the walk to the bar covered the missing distance. For a longer day with Age among woodland and rivers, try my 8.50-mile Stepping Stones via Hexworthy walk from Dunnabridge.
The route
Pork Hill car park → Cox Tor → Roos Tor → Great Staple Tor → Middle Staple Tor → Windy Post → Pew Tor → Windy Post → Pork Hill car park.
The hike in photographs
Select a photograph to view it larger.
Location & getting there
Pork Hill, near Tavistock and Princetown, Devon
Parking & travel: Pork Hill car park
Find Pork Hill car park on a map
This map locates the place named above; use the report’s route links to follow the walk.