TORS OF DARTMOOR
a database of both lesser- & well-known rocks and outcrops
Little Tor Largely overlooked in the literature still to this day, this small but nevertheless impressive tor presents as three closely grouped outcrops of distinctive appearance. Etched as they are with tightly packed horizontal joints the rocks are reminiscent in miniature of the grandiose Thurlestone at the northern end of Watern Tor. This phenomenon is known as lamellar bedding where the outcrops are arranged as plates caused by the contraction of granite upon cooling, lamellae being the Latin word for 'little scale'.  Best accessed from the military road running to the east Little Tor is the first rock pile that is encountered when walking across the barren moor that rises to the north of Dinger Tor a fact that occasions Hemery (1983) to describe it as 'a happy afterthought of nature to relieve the bareness of the long featureless ridge.' Aptly named the tor is overshadowed in stature by the nearby West Mil Tor some 400 metres or so to the north and the gargantuan slopes of Yes Tor to the west.  Writing in 2002 Tim Jenkinson offers a word of warning 'Little Tor has been a good friend over the years, often located in the fog or driving rain that can frequent the northern moor, particularly in winter, its low outcrops have been a source of great reassurance in an otherwise barren landscape. However, inexperienced walkers locating the rocks in poor visibility, might be misled into thinking they were much further north at West Mil Tor as there is no indication of any rock formation at this point on popular maps.' 
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