HAYTOR ROCKS WALK
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At the end of the holiday the first draft of the manuscript of The Mysterious Affair at Styles was completed and, after the usual publishers' rejections, Agatha's writing career had started.
Nowadays the hotel is used for residential courses and is not open to the public but the land around the hotel where Agatha would have wandered deep in thought is open to all. Bernard Horton takes a walk in Agatha's footsteps.
The route:
Haytor Rocks is one of the most accessible tors on Dartmoor with car parks offering easy walking to the rocks. The tors on Dartmoor date back to volcanic action nearly 300 million years ago when molten magma pushed through the surface rocks to create outcrops of granite.
Park at the car park at the base of the tor. This car park has toilets and a National Park office and usually an ice cream van that may be welcome at the end of the walk. Cross the road and walk up one of the broad grass paths to the top of the tor. At the top, walk left around the rock to see the second row of rocks that create what is known as an avenue tor. Walk through the 'avenue' to enjoy the views over Becka Combe.
Return through the 'avenue' and take the path towards the upper car park. After 40 yards take a narrow path to the right. Near the road turn right on a broad path upwards to Emsworthy Rocks.
Turn right as you reach the rocks and head for a granite spoil-tip, Middle Quarry. Pass on the downhill side of the quarry and pick up a narrow path uphill to the right. When you come to a broad path crossing the path you are on, turn left and pick up the granite tramway. Follow the right hand track to granite shelter at Holwell Quarry, passing the old smithy. Up to eighteen horses were needed to pull trucks up this incline.
The Haytor Granite Tramway was built in 1820 by a local landowner to carry granite from the quarries to the canal at Teigngrace where barges would take the stones to larger ships waiting at Teignmouth. In all there was ten miles of tramways on the moor with granite rails for the horse drawn wagons to run on. The stone was quarried up to 1880 and used in major buildings, including the British Museum, National Gallery and London Bridge.
Return from the quarry on the tramway until you reach the broad path. Take this towards the paddock that encloses another quarry, Haytor Quarry. Walk through the gate into the quarry past the remains of the derrick and winding gear. Take the gate on the other side of the quarry and continue on the path back to the car park.
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