Crossing back over the moor from Bovey Tracey I decided to revisit Haytor before the inevitable crowds turned up on a rare sunny morning in Dartmoor's summer. Where is our summer? Did I miss it?
We scrambled up and onto the summit to sample the fierce winds blowing. The smell of fresh bracken in the air was amazing.
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| Hayer Rockface and clouds |
The quarries around the back of Haytor are fascinating. Opened around 1820 by George Templer to produce fine grained 'blue' granite for building London Bridge.
You can walk through the quarry and out the other side. The pits are filled with water, lily pads and rushes and look beautiful. Even the old rusty derrick from a crane looks charming.
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| Haytor Quarry and Lily Pads |
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| Haytor Quarry Pond and Crane Derrick Base |
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| Hayer Quarry and Foxgloves |
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| Hayer Granite Tramway - Templer Way |
Out of the quarries you encounter the granite tramway than transported the granite to Teigngrace (8.5 miles).
Follow the tramway round to Holwell quarry and you pass a superb granite apple crusher that has come a cropper during transport, and the quarry itself which has stunning views over the Becka Brook valley towards the famous Hound Tor.
Best of all is the quarryman's beehive hut hidden on a ledge just beyond the quarry floor and tramway. Truly a hidden gem.
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| Beehive Quarryman's Hut at Holwell Quarry |
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