TORS OF DARTMOOR

a database of both lesser- & well-known rocks and outcrops

Home Search Map Access About Team Blog Social

Hammerslake Tor

Donkey Cave, Donkey's Cave

A quite magnificent tor resides in the woodland above the hamlet of Hammerslake on the path to Lustleigh Cleave that was first described as a tor by Paul Buck in 2016. This is below the more well-known Sharpitor and due to its lack of vegetation is perhaps the grander of the two rockpiles that is more readily accessed.

The lower pile is the most striking feature here, a huge cave that was dubbed 'Donkey's Cave' by Liz Jones in her book entitled 'Circular Walks on Eastern Dartmoor' (1997), although the exact reasoning for the name 'Donkey' remains unknown. Hammerslake Tor is the first outcrop encountered when walking up the steep, rocky path to the Cleave and several huge boulders are noticed before reaching the most distinctive section.

The inside is quite damp and dark, but it nonetheless forms a good shelter. More details about Hammerslake Tor can be found in Issue 132 of Dartmoor Magazine (2018) by Tim Jenkinson. There is a fine pair of slotted gateposts at the foot of the giant rocks at SX 77304 81595, one of which supports a boulder possessing a gate hook.

icon
icon
Hammerslake Tor
The map above is not a navigation tool and we recommend that the grid reference shown below is used in conjunction with an Ordnance Survey map and that training in its use with a compass is advised.
Grid Ref:
SX 7726 8153
Height:
230m
Parish:
Lustleigh
Tor Classification:
Valley Side
Access:
Public
Rock Type:
Granite
Credit:
Paul Buck
Reference / Further Reading:
Jenkinson, T. (2018): The Rock Piles of East Dartmoor: The Hidden Landscape Part 1, Dartmoor Magazine 132, pp.38-39
Jones, L. (1997): Circular Walks on Eastern Dartmoor

Please Support Us

We are proud to see the names of lesser-known tors are now being used more commonly on other websites and whilst this is to be encouraged we do request that, should you wish to use the information on this page, you provide a backlink to the website as reference, by copying the relevant address:

https://www.torsofdartmoor.co.uk/tor-page.php?tor=hammerslake-tor

Please also consider a small donation to the upkeep of the site; any contribution goes toward the fees to keep the database online and any costs incurred when undertaking research such as subscriptions to online archives.