Location notes - Heather & Gorse Season

“There’s not a cloud a sailing by, that does not not hold a shower;

There’s not a furze bush on the moor, that doth not put forth flower.

Above the roots we need not delve, the branches need not prune, 

The yellow furze will ever flower, and ever love’s in tune”

Sabine Baring Gould - Furze Bloom: Songs of the West- Folk songs of Devon & Cornwall.

I can think of very few locations that bring more seasonal interest than Dartmoor. The calendar is littered with colour and life that is as varied as the landscape itself - the bronze of the dying bracken, the red of the hawthorn berry, the rose blush of granite in the twilight. Lambs and foals, foxgloves and bluebells, misty orange river valleys on an autumn dawn - each season brings out a cast of characters for the photographer to enjoy. Everyone has their own favourite and I often feel spoiled for choice, but for me the main event will always be heather and gorse season.   

True Dartmoor is wild. Its spaces vast and untamed. In late summer a cooling breeze races across the plains, clouds scudding by and buzzards ride the thermals. The sound of skylarks and curlews fills the air - this is beautiful, glorious emptiness of the kind we rarely see in today’s crowded world. And nothing symbolises this wilderness more than that sea of purple and yellow that crowns the slopes in August and early September - a last hurrah of colour before the palette shifts down several tones and winter takes a hold. This is the moment that the camera was made for - the moment when wild Dartmoor can be captured at her most majestic. 

Of the two plant species, gorse is the more abundant and can be seen on most parts of the high moor. It actually flowers for most of the year and its abundance leads to its colloquial name of “Dartmoor Custard” and to the ancient devonian saying “When gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion”. Often referred to by its old English name of Furze, the plant is a staple of moorland life, providing shelter and sustenance for livestock, sculpting paths and trails and even as fuel for cooking and heating in days gone by. Gorse is rich in folklore too, often associated with protection, love and the fae folk - indeed on Dartmoor, it is told that gorse is a place where the pixies dwell - its thorny branches acting as a protective barrier to the mystical realm (although it should be noted that this is also said about the Hawthorn too - and you can read more about that in my Combestone Tor West blog. More evidence I guess, that the veil is thin up here)

Heather on the hand, is much more seasonal and from late July to early October, the slopes start to turn purple. There are three types of heather native to Dartmoor - Ling, Bell Heather and Cross-leaved Heath. Of these, Ling is the most common but it is perhaps Bell Heather that produces the most colourful display. Heather is a vital ecosystem builder for moorland wildlife, providing an essential habitat for Grouse, Skylarks, Stonechats, adders and more. Much like gorse, heather has always played a rich part in moorland life - from its use as a thatching material for cottage roofs, to dye for wool cloth, as a fuel, a medicine and even as an essential component in magic; heather and Dartmoor are symbiotic. 

And so to photography. 

As we have seen, both species come into their own at different times of the year, and whilst you can shoot gorse in your images for most of the year, it is late summer when they combine to produce a symphony of colour. I always set August aside to shoot them, and unlike Dartmoor’s bluebells (which are more temperamental and condition dependent - 2025 for example was a very poor year), heather and gorse appear with Swiss precision and so you can always rely on them for your images. 

Gorse is present across the moor, but there are two locations that I really recommend - partly because of the quality of the display and partly because of the views they frame. 

Firstly, and continuing from my last blog, is Yar Tor and Corndon Down. If you’ve read that entry, you will know that I use this location a lot throughout the year, but in August it becomes my second home. I think there are two ways to work these blooms into your shots - the traditional method of using the yellow and purple colours to give a sense of identity and location to your image (afterall nothing says Dartmoor more than granite, gorse and maybe a pony or two!) or by focusing on the leading lines forged over hundreds of years by walkers, drovers and their livestock. At Yar tor you can use both. 

A shot I like to use a lot is based around Corndon Tor. From the little parking space at Yar Tor, cross the road and head up the slope past the Cave-Penny Cross. There are multiple ways up to Corndon Tor, but there is a “main” path that heads up right next to the cross- you cant miss it. At first, the gorse is not evident but keep the faith, and as you ascend, you’ll notice the path becomes properly flanked. Once the Tor comes into sight, you should find blooms everywhere, with the path drawing your eye into the shot towards the rocks. This shot really only works in the evening - shoot in the morning and you’ll be looking directly into the sun, but shoot in the late golden hour, and the rocks glow gold complimenting the gorse in your image. The sky plays a part in this composition too, and what you go for depends on your taste. A sunny evening gives the rocks and sky more colour, giving you a really saturated shot - high on impact. I tend to prefer a slightly more brooding sky though - heavy dark grey clouds tend to make the yellow gorse blossom stand out even more, but to be honest both work well. 

While you are up that way, venture past the tor. There is a stretch of moorland ( click here    for the rough What 3words location ) where the heather is really plentiful and mingles with the molina to frame far reaching north easterly views over Hameldown. Again evening works best for this shot. 

The options at Corndon are nice, but for maximum impact head back down to where you parked and cross over to Yar Tor. There are several paths to the tor, and I am a creature of habit, but I strongly recommend a nice little circular walk that allows you to consider three different viewpoints, each more colourful than the last. Starting from the carpark facing west, take the “main” path that leads up to the tor. As a marker point the what 3words location in the middle of this path can be found by clicking here . At around this point look north down the slopes towards Babeny and there is a good display of gorse, but in honesty lacks much foreground interest. See if there is a composition you like, but if time is limited, don't dwell too long here, as there are better options ahead. Carry on up to the tor and as you reach it, turn south and follow the path to roughly the 3words location found by clicking here . Here, the heather starts to mix with the gorse giving you a much better display and small outcrops of granite clitter give you a subject to focus on, with the vast, hulking expanse of Holne Moor as your backdrop. I love the contrast you get with this shot - warm colourful blooms in the foreground and the raw wilderness of the moor beyond. There are lots of compositions for you to play with here, and it really is rewarding - indeed I chose an image from this location for the font cover of the 2024 edition of my annual Dartmoor calendar. When you are done, carry on down the path for the best composition of all. About 200m ahead you will turn to face Sharp Tor. Sharp Tor is actually the most common tor name on the moor with William Crossing listing at least ten such locations. But this one really deserves the name - a mighty triangular peak, more like a child’s drawing of a mountain than a Dartmoor tor. Standing at around 370m and described by Eric Hemery as “providing striking views in all directions..with a massive weathered rockface on it’s west side”, this may be one of the most photogenic tors on Dartmoor. Its shape alone will give any shot interest, but with distant glimpses of Venford Reservior beyond, and framed against both the Dart Valley gorge and Holne Moor, the landscape photographer has so many compositions to choose from. Of course this view offers options all year round, but it is here, on the slopes of Yar Tor down that the heather and gorse combine so spectacularly. A literal sea of yellow and purple flows for about half a mile away from you towards Sharp Tor and here, at around the what 3words location ( click here ) several stock trails forge through the gorse, right from your location towards the tor, giving your shot the most appealing leading lines - a technique coveted by landscape photographers to pull the viewer’s eye into the shot. I’ve looked back through my catalogue of shots and found that I shoot this very location every year - indeed it may be my favourite location on the whole of the moor. Again, conditions vary depending on how you want your shot to look, but I like sunset for this one. Dawn light can be a little harsh, but for this location, that soft golden hour glow, with the westerly setting sun catching the tip of Sharp Tor and bathing the field of purple and gold in your foreground, the conditions can be truly magical.

A different location altogether is Hookney Down, set just north of Grimspound. Unlike our previous location, Hookney down is much more wild and uncultivated - like the open moorland described at the start of this blog. This is an old place with notable links to the ancient gods. Grimspound itself takes its name from Grim the Anglo Saxon God of War, the road you drive in on is known as Woden’s way. Grim and Woden are both alternative names for Odin, the widely revered deity of Germanic Pagan and Norse mythology. But there are signs of human habitation here too (Just ignore the 3,000 year old settlement here for a sec - for the purposes of this shot I’m thinking much more recent!!) with stone walls radiating in all directions. Some of these snake and zig-zag away in crazy angles and lines, giving you a chance for some really interesting compositions. The best examples of these are photographed from Hookney Tor looking north over Coombe Down and Shapley Common. And it is here that the heather really thrives. There isnt so much gorse at this spot, so this gives you a chance to focus on the heather for a very different shot. Acres of wild Purple Moor Grass are interlaced with Bell and Cross Leaved Heather and where they meet the walls you get some really nice options. A favourite spot of mine is at the intersection of a series of four paths and a number of walls just north of Hookney Tor ( Click here for What 3Words location ). You’ll see that on one side you have a drystone wall, and next to it what looks like the upright section of an old granite gatepost. Clitter lies all around and the heather grows in between, and beyond are far reaching views to Fernworthy and the great, wild north moor. You can focus on the walls, you can focus on the heather, you can focus on the views, or you can combine them all in one,and shoot through the gatepost for some wonderful framing to your shot. The heather is so good in this location, that the monks of Buckfast Abbey still have working beehives here, with the heather scented honey used to make mead. I honestly cant think of a better single location if you want a little wild purple in your shot!

 So these are just my thoughts. Anyone who knows Dartmoor, will of course know that both heather and gorse can be found across the moor and the locations I have suggested should certainly not be viewed as the only options. I have chosen them because of the rich and varied opportunities for photography and composition but they also make great walks too, so even if photography isnt your thing, then I would still encourage you to head out in August and check them out. I’d also love to hear any recommendations that you have for other late summer locations - as always, please pop your suggestions in the comments below.