Location notes - Yar Tor

The situation is warm and sheltered, and the ground is cultivated. The road descends to the Wallabrook, which it crosses to Babney. Thence a track leads down the Wallabrook to its junction with the Dart, where is disclosed what I hold to be one of the finest, if not the finest views on Dartmoor

Sabine Baring - Gould, A book of Dartmoor.

In classical mythology, the Roman God Janus is depicted with two faces, each looking in the opposite direction. He’s a God of  change and transition, and was often honoured at milestones in the agricultural year - birth and death, reaping and sowing, beginnings and ends. Whilst Dartmoor was not a major Roman settlement, and although it’s tors aren’t generally associated with divinity, it is tempting to see the influence of Janus in our next location - Yar Tor. For this is a place of two very different faces - one plain and uninspiring and the other gazing forever over a pastoral landscape largely unspoiled for millennia, and described so eloquently in Baring-Gould’s opening lines as possessing the finest views on Dartmoor.   

At first glance, Yar Tor is not the most photogenic. From the east, the tor appears of modest size, sitting on what appears to be a small, squat hill with no trees, no stone walls - indeed no landmarks of any great significance. But we all know that appearances can be deceptive, and to truly appreciate the site, it is best seen from Baring-Gould’s viewpoint in the valley below. From here, we see that Yar Tor actually occupies a commanding position on a high promontory, overlooking the East Dart River and that small squat hill is actually just the tip of a mighty 400m incline. When viewed from the west, its featureless landscape is transformed into countless rock formations, twisted trees and deep clefts giving the photographer endless opportunities. Indeed, I probably use Yar Tor more than any other location, and I am still finding new subjects and compositions all the time.  

For a site that sits so high and looks so far, Yar Tor is actually rather tucked away. Indeed I probably passed it regularly for a good twenty years before I actually discovered it! The easiest access is off a quiet single track road that leads to the hamlet of Babeny - one Dartmoor’s ancient tenements - farmsteads that date back to at least the 1200s. Just before the road descends to Babeny, there is a small parking spot on your right and it is from here that we shall base ourselves for our exploration of the area. And there is much to cover!

It makes sense to start with the tor itself. As a photographic subject, it isn't great. I don't say that to put you off - quite the opposite in fact; but in a landscape littered with amazingly photogenic outcrops, the tor really is quite plain. The rocks are linear - spread out along the ridge - and none are of significant height or weathered into interesting shapes. But then there’s the view.

I honestly dont know where to start with this one, but perhaps we could say that in a landscape that is packed with stunning viewpoints, none are as majestic as this. It boasts an almost 360 degree view, packed with features that, when picked out with a good telephoto lens, make for fascinating subjects. Start by looking east, and you have the Dart Valley and the truly dramatic Sharp Tor. This pointy outcrop - the Matterhorn of the moors - may be my favourite of all Dartmoor’s tors and i’ll cover it in more depth in an upcoming blog. Moving in clockwise direction, we next take in Holne moor and Combestone Tor, then round towards Princetown and out over the wooded valleys of the east Dart and on to Bellever tor standing proudly above its cloak of pine. We continue past Bellever to Soussons forest and finally all the way up to Fernworthy and Grimspound. And as the light plays across this vista, so many options present themselves - scudding clouds bathe the scene with light and shade, cloud bursts illuminate fields with shafts of light, mist fills the valleys, rain thunders across the horizon, and rainbows paint the sky. One of my very favourite photography techniques is to set up the tripod, fit the telephoto lens and just pan across the landscape to see what my viewfinder reveals. Zooming in to around 300mm picks out the tiniest detail that a wider lens would miss. Yar Tor is, in my opinion, the best location on the moor for this.

On the main outcrop is a spiral stone formation - a fairly modern addition on the site of a much older prehistoric cairn. It could make a really unusual shot when framed as the foreground interest to those distant views and I'm sure there is a stunning shot there somewhere, but try as I might, I've never found it. The problem is, that you can't stand back far enough without falling over the edge and even with my widest angle lens at 10mm, you just can't fit it all in. Don't let that stop you trying though, and if you work out any tips, please leave a comment below.

From the spiral cairn, I’d recommend taking a stroll across the ridge in a northerly direction because whilst there is no one standout rock formation, there are many outcrops that all have some character, especially shot in the warm light of golden hour. I prefer the dawn light, but that's just a matter of preference and I've had some equally successful shoots at sunset too. Of course, photography is all a matter of personal preference and these blogs are just my suggestions, but I find the most effective shots at Yar Tor centre around a large aperture focusing on a granite outcrop anchoring the foreground with that view stretching out beyond.

Whilst Yar Tor is rather deprived of trees, there is one very characteristic Hawthorn that may be worth your time. You need to head over the tor and start to make your way down the slope towards Dartmeet to find it. After you've come down about 100m, look north and at What 3 Words location eternally.doctors.comically you’ll see a windblown specimen amongst the rocks. Unlike the soft and wholesome blooms of, say, Combestone Tor, this one is brutal and twisted, forever tormented by the westerly wind and barely clinging on the barren slope it calls home. This one is unlikely to suit a spring or summer composition, no candyfloss sky or warm golden glow will compliment its skeletal form. But framed against an incoming storm, a menacing sky or winter fields this could make the perfect subject for a really mean and moody shot. 

A few words on timing. Yar Tor is versatile. Unlike, say Chinkwell Tor, which only really works well in the winter, or Emsworthy Rocks which really have to be shot at dawn, Yar Tor works throughout the year and at any time of day. It works equally well at sunrise and sunset. Sunrise gives you better options for the distant landscape views, the rising sun warming the fields, forests and valleys for miles around. As with any granite, the rising sun also warms the tor, giving it a golden glow and some lovely foreground interest to add depth to the views beyond. Sunset meanwhile, fully illuminates the western slope and if you can time it with some decent light cloud cover, gives you some sunning skies looking north/ north east. And because that view is ever changing, shoot in the spring and the valleys radiate a verdant green, the summer gives you fields of gold and the geometrical agricultural patterns found in rows of crops and the tramlines of harvest, the autumn gives you mist and mellow canopies, the winter brutalist skies and iron ground. As if that wasn't enough, this location is also (in my opinion) the best spot on the moor for heather and gorse too, but I will cover that in more detail in a separate blog later this summer. 

When you’ve fully explored all the compositions and angles Yar Tor has to offer, head back down to where you parked. If you look north, you’ll notice that as the road to Babeny dips away from you, two granite stones flank the road. These are the markers for the end of the Miller’s Mile - distance markers from the ancient Babeny corn mill and the point at which pack horse drivers would know to mount their steeds - the climb from the mill being too steep for the combined weight of a fully loaded wagon and riders. The mill is no more, and the stones largely redundant to most - but not perhaps, for the photographer. I really like shooting them, because they help frame a lovely composition, in which the road acts as a leading line, drawing your eye through their guard of honour, away to distant Fernworthy Forest beyond. Play with the light here - the mellow tones of golden hour work really nicely on this shot.

Just across the road the slope rises again and the most obvious feature is the striking Cave-Penny Cross. There are over 130 recorded stone crosses on Dartmoor and this one may be the newest. It may also be the most striking. It was erected in memory of Lt. Evelyn Cave-Penny who was killed by a sniper in WW1. Lt Cave-Penny was born in Exeter and commissioned to the regiment of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides in the Indian Army, his life being taken at aged just 19, north-east of Jerusalem. The last line of the inscription is quite moving and simply reads:

“Look up and lift up your heads”

I’ve photographed this cross a lot, and have often taken my inspiration from these lines. A lot of Dartmoor’s crosses are small and usually impossible to elevate beyond their surroundings, meaning that they get lost in the scenery and dont make a great shot. Here, the cross sits on a reasonably sized boulder known as the “Belstone Bible” and stands nearly 2 meters high. This puts it way above the surrounding hills, and makes a striking subject against Dartmoor’s big skies. Shoot facing south at sunrise for some lovely side light with Holne moor as a backdrop, or shoot facing north at sunset for a dramatic sky and far reaching views. 

To round off your exploration, head up the slope past the cross. A well defined path leads you to Corndon Tor which stands at the peak of Corndon Down and is around 30m higher than Yar Tor. Again, it isnt the most photogenic, but there are some interesting cairns you can work into your shot and having spent most of this blog exalting the views from Yar Tor, it has to be said that they may be even better from Corndon. The extra height gives you an even wider view and also introduces new viewpoints back over Widecombe and Hamel Down. The only drawback is that there are less options for foreground interest - the view being harder to anchor, but there are still a number of outcrops that you can easily work into the shot.

And with that, you can head back down the slope to your car. For a site that actually involves very little walking, there are countless photo opportunities and I would say that without doubt, I spend more time shooting at Yar and Corndon than anywhere else on the moor - and we haven't even mentioned nearby Sharp Tor or the glory of heather and gorse season. But all that is to come in my next blog, out later this summer just in time for those magical yellow and purple blooms.