Name: Family Walking around Hound Tor
Distance: 3 - 4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Features: Great tors to climb on, the Becka Brook, a quarry, a mire, and a ruined village
Summary
This walk has a lot of variety and plenty to interest children. We start by visiting a Bronze Age grave, then walk downhill to a clapper bridge over a stream. We walk through some lovely woodland and up a hill to Smallacombe rocks - good for climbing, letterboxing and excellent views. We cross the valley (passing a mire with real insect-eating plants in) and get to a quarry and the only granite tramway anywhere in the world. Passing a "beehive hut" (straight out of the Flintstones cartoons) we drop steeply down into the valley, cross the stream on another clapper bridge and stop in the lovely meadow beyond to have enjoy some time beside the stream. Then there's a short climb through a bracken jungle to the ruined medieval village of Hundatora, home of Bowerman the huntsman who got turned into stone by witches. The final stretch takes us up to Hound Tor itself for some good climbing - and by this time we can see the car park again where the refreshment trailer will be serving ice cream and cups of tea for tired walkers.
