Dartmoor - Haytor Rocks and Quarry

The articles about wild swimming on Dartmoor listed Haytor Quarry as a good place for a beginner - after a surprisingly warm September day exploring Parke I was itching to plunge myself in some water so got changed into my swimming gear and headed on up to Haytor for sunset. Parking at the Information Centre car park I wandered over to Haytor Quarry that lays just below Haytor Rocks.

It didn't take long to find - the rocks and fence give it away but the final clue was a guy coming through a gate with two dripping Springer Spaniels. As I turned the corner Haytor Quarry seduced me in an instant - this tranquil spot has a magic to it, made even better with the sun setting behind the boulders that pen it in. That said, I sized up the swimming and I just wasn’t feeling it - for one there were a number of couples sharing romantic picnics and I felt self conscious and for two it didn't look deep enough to submerge. It also looked quite pond like so with the absence of flowing water I was worried about slippery critters.

Monty took it upon himself to fully indulge in the pleasure of a swim though so I enjoyed just sitting and watching him. I headed on back to the car and it occurred to me at no point was I tempted to head on up to Haytor Rocks - I don’t know why I fight the popular but I seem to have it engrained in me to want to always be off the beaten path.

That changed in the morning - waking at 6.30am I just felt really called to head on up there to the rocks - as I was camping nearby it was just a case of hopping in the car and making the short trip. Whatever called me to the rocks for sunrise - please have my sincere thanks because it’s a moment I feel I’m going to cherish. Hiking up there, stopping to take in the evolving views every 100 yards or so, you get a sense of other worldness or even stepping back in time. Though I’d been planning this trip for months this spot wasn't on my agenda so I had no expectations having not read about it but standing up there at Haytor is an incredible experience - I purposely gave it twenty minutes before I picked up the camera and looked through the viewfinder so I could just take it all in with no motive.

I have no idea what the experience of this place is in a daytime but I would imagine being here this early for a misty, autumnal sunrise is about as good as it gets.

I couldn’t resist a second visit to the quarry while I was there and it was a whole new experience - a low mist lay over the water and the need to meditate washed over me - I sat there for a good 20 minutes before the silence was pierced by an over enthusiastic dog owner. a Dartmoor must. Take a flask and enjoy sitting in these spots - they’re not for whizzing through.

Parking and how to get there

Haytor Rocks and quarry is pretty simple to get to. Head for the National Park Visitor Centre at postcode TQ13 9XT. The car park is meter parking but if like me you had no change if you drive a few more seconds up the road another smaller car park will appear on the left. Park in either car park, cross the road and Haytor Rocks are visible at about 2’o’clock from the car park looking up the road. Haytor Quarry is below the rocks on the side you’re on and a little further away from the road. You’ll know you’re heading towards them as it is quarry like in appearance on the outside. There is a fence keeping the cattle out along which there are two gates, one at the south entrance and one towards the top of the quarry.

Enjoy!