[1] With your back to the Information Centre carefully cross the road, turn right and walk along the grassy verge.
(A) On your right is Moorlands, now owned by HF Holidays. Originally the Moorlands Hotel, the setting inspired Agatha Christie to write her first book “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” whilst staying there.
After approximately 300 metres turn right at the phone box (signed Haytor Vale). Go over cattle grid and immediately turn left and walk down the hill. Where the road bends to the right, with a row of cottages on the left, turn left onto public bridleway.
(B) The row of cottages were built in 1825 for workers in the nearby Haytor quarries (which we will be seeing later). The Rock Inn was a hostel for single workers.
Shortly afterwards turn right onto a footpath (signed Smallacombe). Continue down through woods following the stream first on one side and then the other.
(C) What looks like a small quarry on the right is in fact an adit entrance to an iron mine that was worked on and off from the 1820’s to about 1918.
[2] Shortly after the mine the path forks. Take the left fork following the footpath signed to the road.
(D) There are splendid views along this lane across the Bovey valley as far as Newton Abbot and Teignmouth. On a clear day the sea can be seen.
Follow the tarmac lane. Just before reaching a cattle grid, bear left through a gate (signed bridleway). Cross the road with care to meet a broad grassy track which is the “Templer Way”.
There is an option here to turn right and walk down the tramway for approx 150 metres to find the tramway 6 mile stone marker slightly hidden on the right. This marked 6 miles to the terminus of the canal.
Alternatively turn left following line of the old tramway with the road is on your left hand side.
(E) The Templer Way follows the route of the Haytor Granite Tramway. This was built in 1820 by George Templer to carry granite from the Haytor quarries which he owned. The tramway is unique in that the rails for the horse drawn wagons are made of flanged granite blocks. The loaded trucks descended by gravity to the terminus of the Stover Canal where the stone was transhipped to Teignmouth. The empty trucks were pulled back up by horses.
[3] Continue following line of the tramway and ignore any paths on your right and cross over a lane.
(F) Just before the lane crossing can be seen a set of points on the granite tramway, probably for a passing loop. There is a similar set of points shortly after the crossing.
Keep straight on, ignoring a turning on the left by a prominent large stone.
[4] Where the tramway forks, go left towards Haytor.
(G) Here you start to see sidings going off in different directions as there were actually several different quarries being worked on the side of Hay Tor. The tramway goes over an embankment crossing a stream just beyond the junction.
Follow the tramway round to the left, keeping the spoil heaps on the right.
(H) Hound Tor, visible in the distance is so named because its outline is said to resemble a pack of hounds turned to stone for hunting on a Sunday. This may well have stirred Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his story of the “Hound of the Baskervilles”.
Turn right just before 3 trees with spoil heaps still on your right.
(I) Surrounding the three big trees you will be able to make out the outline of a former collection of cottages which were the homes of quarry workers.
At the path junction, turn right and go through a gate in the fence to visit the quarry.
(J) You can enter the flooded quarry through the gate in the fence. This is an eerie place now full of wildlife but the remains of some old machinery are still visible.
Alternatively to continue the onward route, turn left and after 100 metres bear left down a grassy path to the Information Centre.
Enjoy the far reaching views as you make your way back.
Have a look in the Visitor Centre as you will find much more about the history of the area in there.