TORS OF DARTMOOR
a database of both lesser- & well-known rocks and outcrops
Halstock Wood Tor Halstock Wood has managed to hide a good collection of outcrops on its steep upper western slope of the East Okement. When walking the rocky Tarka Trail through West Cleave Gorge, you'll be forgiven for watching each step rather than seeking tors. But if you do look up, you'll likely glimpse a small but beautiful emergent wall, wet and very slippery to the touch, just above head height. This unique 'water feature' is the foot of something much bigger.  If standing below the gradient wasn't enough to deter, the map confirms the contours are tight, so attempting to scale from here is not recommended. Ascent is somewhat gentler from the north, but we recommend heading further south to a footpath that climbs north-west to the walled upper edge of Halstock Wood. Here you have a simpler route to the higher rocks, approaching from above.  Those outcrops aren't immediately obvious, each of their tops adorned by a thick turf of moss. But work your way round to the underside of each and the metamorphic crags are revealed, with some as high as 3 metres. 
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