Location notes - Combestone Tor (East)

I had to start this blog series with my go-to location - Combestone Tor.

Combestone (pronounced locally as Cum-stone) Tor is no secret location. It is immensely popular with walkers and photographers alike. In fact it may well be one the most photographed sites on the whole moor – and for good reason. I probably shoot here most months, and I'm still finding new angles and options. For any budding photographer It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The main appeal of Combestone is its accessibility. Dartmoor is a rugged and often challenging landscape and that may be a problem for some. Here though, some of the best spots are no more than a 30 second walk from the car and that opens it up to almost everyone. Situated on the road between Holne and Hexworthy, it can easily reached by car with a decent amount of parking and simple stroll on mostly level ground.

Unlike some sites I’ll cover in these blogs, Combestone can be shot throughout the year and throughout the day – with each giving very different opportunities. The tor sits around 350m above sea level in a commanding position above the Dart Valley. The rocks lie in a North / South orientation so its stands to reason that one side of the location works better at sunrise and the other at sunset and that means there are plenty of reasons to keep going back. 

Combestone is very famous for its trees -in particular two iconic Hawthorns to the west of the rocks, whilst another, equally well known Hawthorn sits alone on the east side. The granite outcrop itself is also worth your time – the northern face is rounded and squat, whilst the southern elevation is rugged and dispersed. But for me, the rocks and the trees are just the supporting cast to the real star of the show. It's elevated position gives some of the very best far reaching moorland views, which, if positioned carefully , can be used as a stunning backdrop to your shots, turning them into something really special.  

Because there are so many options here, I’ll break the location down into different elements  with this blog concentrating on the eastern side.

The classic and probably most photographed view lies to the east of the main outcrop and slightly down a gentle slope. Here, a lone Hawthorn stands proudly in defiance of the howling moorland winds and makes perfect foreground interest for vista beyond which can be either Dartmeet to Fernworthy forest (if shot facing north) or Sharp Tor and the Dart Valley (if shot facing east). Both make beautiful scenes. Like many moorland trees, the trunk is gnarled and twisted and makes a great focal point. The light really matters at this location. Generally this side works best at dawn as the sun gets lost behind the rocks as the afternoon progresses, leaving the whole scene in shade. You can shoot in the evening during high summer but you need to time the light carefully. Personally (and depending on the exact position of the rising sun) I find shooting north produces the best results at dawn, with the golden hour light warming the trunk and highlighting it’s features.

Clitter is a Westcountry term for loose rocks, and this tree has some good examples close to the base. They add even more foreground interest and catch the sun beautifully, but to make the most of them, you probably need to get very close and shoot with a wide angle lens (10-20 mm should do nicely) If you don't have a wide angle, just stand a little further back and compose the scene to make the tree the prominent feature. 

However you position yourself for this shot, to avoid losing the tree against the drama of the background, try to get very low to raise the canopy above the horizon. An alternative would be to stand much further back and shoot with a zoom lens (75mm or more) and wide aperture to make the tree really stand out against the scenery beyond..

This tree gives you very different options throughout the year. Starting in early May, it is heavy with delicate blossom and the canopy is in full leaf, but that can make the subject harder to separate from the background. Winter makes the scene more stark and striking and the added benefit of plentiful red berries give a bit more colour. Both work well but just think carefully about positioning as it really is easy to lose the tree if you don’t get low enough.

If you want to try something different to the tree, you could try shooting the tor instead. From the east side of the slope, turn to face west and step right back and focus on the rocks. This doesn’t work at sunset as you are looking straight into the sun and the rocks are in shade, but at dawn you can make a feature of the warming sun lighting up the granite. The scene isn’t as stunning, but with good cloud cover, the results can still be rewarding and the tree can still be used to give some additional interest but from a different perspective.

In the next blog, I'll take a look at the north side of the tor and some of the lesser known (but most rewarding) subjects that can be found there.