TORS OF DARTMOOR
a database of both lesser- & well-known rocks and outcrops
Westcott Rocks Described in 1996 as 'a monster' and given the name of Westcott Rocks (WR) by Sanders and Watson following a visit in November of that year, there is a magnificent tor hidden in the trees to the north east of Westcott Farm. Shown on Ordnance Survey maps as just a single large unnamed outcrop, there is in fact a bewildering sprawl of huge overhangs and twisted rock stacks set on the slope here. This is one of the finest rockpiles on the eastern side of Dartmoor extending downhill for some 200 metres or more.  The main part contains interesting caves, fissured rock faces and an abundance of vegetation covered boulders. Some of the rocks are so massive that they take your breath away they are phenomenal. That said most of them are still obscured by the trees and not visible from the road below; it is only from the higher rocks that you get an opportunity to view the surroundings. The summit is particularly impressive described as a 'massive surface outcrop' where up to at least six albeit shallow rock basins have formed.  The name of WR resurfaces in a book about Bouldering by James Clapham in 2017 who not only emphasises the grand stature of the rocks but also warns that they are wholly set on private land and should not be visited without the express permission of the landowner. That restriction still applies. 
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