Location notes - Combestone Tor (North)

“Dart, Dart, cruel Dart, every year thou claim’st a heart.”

The north elevation of Combestone is the probably the least photographed and that’s a real shame. The Tor is rightly popular with photographers because of its iconic tree and rock formations on the east and west sides, but the north elevation has real gems too – you just have to look a little harder to find them. This blog post takes you through some of Combestone’s lesser known photo opportunities - from the valley below, to a dwarf hawthorn, from spring blossom and dry stone walls to some of Dartmoor’s best panoramic views. Read on to find out more.

Legend tells us that sometimes, as you explore Combestone, you may hear strange booms, whispers and moans coming from the river below. Is it the westerly wind whistling down the valley (in all honesty, it probably is!) or could you be hearing the fabled Cry of the Dart?

As you look north from Combestone, you can see Dartmeet (known locally as Badger’s Holt) which is the point at which the East and West Dart rivers converge to form the River Dart. This mighty watercourse flows across the moor to meet the sea at Dartmouth, and is steeped in legend – most notably it’s appetite for a taking a life once a year. The Dart’s most infamous victim was a young farm labourer by the name of Jan Coo, who lived just below Dartmeet. For many nights, the farm workers all reported hearing a mysterious cry from the direction of the river, and Jan was convinced it was calling him by name. He tried his best to ignore it, but eventually curiosity got the better of him and one night he followed the sound to the edge of the river. He was gone all night and when dawn broke the next day no trace of Jan could be found. He was never seen again. Jan was an orphan and some say he was a changeling, lured away by Piskies. Others believe his soul was claimed by the Dart – the annual sacrifice to the old Gods of the river. Whatever the truth, the cry fell silent that night, and was not heard again for some time to come.      

Personally, I’d love to believe the folklore on this one, but in all honesty, the conditions which most likely cause the cry of the Dart also make for fantastic photo opportunities.

The Dart flows through a deep, steep sided valley, crashing over mighty moss-covered boulders and cutting through vast swathes of sessile oak and temperate rainforest. Combestone sits high above the valley and gives photographers magnificent views that can be used to spectacular effect throughout the year. Autumn is probably the most dramatic, with the tree canopy a vibrant orange, and cold clear nights seeing fog and mist filling the valley below. At dawn some really special inversions can be captured at first light. Some impressive tors line the valley here too, with Sharp Tor in particular, adding pointy, angular drama as you follow the river slightly east. 

Combestone is most famous for its two iconic hawthorn trees. These are photographed a lot, so if you are looking for a different tree shot, there is a little gem a short distance away from the tor - and I do mean little! I don’t see this tiny hawthorn photographed much, but it really deserves your time and attention. Its hard to pinpoint its location exactly, but if you stand at the northern most extremity of the tor and head down the slope about 50m you should find it easily (alternatively try What3words location – roaming.connected.plates ). What makes this tree special is the background – perfectly aligned with the valley, Sharp Tor, Yar Tor and all the way to Fernworthy Forest beyond. For this to work you have to get really low- almost ground level and shoot with a fairly wide-angle lens. The tree is only around 3ft high so anything other than this will result it in being completely lost against the background. There is a nice triangular boulder at the base of the trunk which adds some foreground interest too. I’ve shot this tree at sunrise and also in broody conditions both summer and winter, and all work well. Its northerly aspect means the sky gets the best of the conditions at both ends of the day, with both sunrise and sunset making the most of the light.

Another composition on this side of the tor, can be found a short walk down the slope and away from the rocks. There is a fairly well defined track running between the tor and the two hawthorn trees on the western side. An easy stroll down the track in a north west direction, crosses the now dried up Wheal Emma Leat which once took water from the River Swincombe, across Foxtor mire to power the Wheal Emma copper mine outside Buckfastleigh. On the other side of the leat channel are two great locations that are definitely worth your time. The first, is another leat, this one still actively carrying water. You’ll see a bigger hawthorn standing to the side of a small bridge. This location wont work at sunrise as you are looking straight into the sun, but it does work nicely at sunset, where the golden hour light gives the whole scene a very pleasant glow. The best time for this shot is May as this tree is heavy with blossom. The tree can be found at What3words location - shell.laughs.dress.

If you time your shoot to make the most of the blossom, the second location, is found just beyond the hawthorn at Wheal Emma Leat. To find it, you need to head back up the slope to Combestone. About half way back to the tor, look back past the leat and you’ll see numerous hawthorns dotted between some really nice drystone walls. Timed right, during golden hour and when the blossom is out, you can find multiple compositions, using the walls as leading lines. I’d recommend using the longest lens you have to pick out the detail – looking through the viewfinder and panning about until you find something you like. Go for an aperture of around F5 to keep the closest trees sharp and the background soft through your depth of field. This is quite a big area but start at the gate found at What3words location yield.escaping.pizza and look for compositions beyond.

Whilst you are looking north beyond the tor, take some time to appreciate the view across the moor. For me, this is one of the very best far reaching Dartmoor views, taking in Princetown, across to Beardown tors, Bellever tor and finally Fernworthy Forest and all the fields, farms, rivers and rocks between. It's a great spot to make the most of Dartmoor’s ever changing light and shade and I tend to use the technique described above – sitting the camera on the tripod, and panning about with a long lens until I see a composition I like. I particularly enjoy this type of photography because the opportunities are infinite – every time you do it, you will be in a slightly different position, so features will always line up differently, giving you literally endless compositions.

So that’s the north of the tor covered. Lots of options can be found in both the foreground and the vast landscape beyond – or a combination of both. These locations are just my suggestions to get you started. In my mind, photography on Dartmoor is all about the pleasure that comes from spending time outdoors in nature, so the fun at Combestone comes from taking your time, walking about and finding scenes and compositions that speak to you. What is rewarding, whatever you shoot, is finding those lesser known gems, but in the next blog, I’ll take you through some of the really famous, classic photographic subjects on the west side of Combestone Tor.