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Kennon Hill

Kennon Hill is not one of Dartmoor's most impressive slopes. It's a flat grassy low contoured hill that contains just one marker cairn for the summit. However, it is surrounded by some of the wildest, wettest and most isolated parts of North Dartmoor. The views are pretty stunning. Kennon Hill is a good place from which to venture out and explore this territory. On the south side of the hill there are ruins of an early Bronze Age settlement.
Park at the Shilstone Tor car park. This walk headed more or less SW directly towards Kennon Hill over some wet and awkward ground. From Kennon the west track that leads easily to Hound Tor. From there a track leads on to Wild Tor and then to Hangingstone. This walk retraced it's steps back to Hound Tor. Another easy track northwards from Hound to to the Stone circle near to little Hound Tor. Then take the track that skirts around Cosdon with Raybarrow pool on your right. At first this is easy but it soon gets rather wet and boggy and care needs to be taken. Once past Raybarrow then head SE down to Throwleigh Common, over the common and back to Shilstone Tor.
This is a serious Dartmoor walk. Allow 4 or 5 hours at a reasonable pace. Some of the ground is rough and awkward and particularly around Raybarrow Pool it is wet and boggy. The landscape is exposed and you are entirely at the mercy of the weather. Most of the ground is outside of military training areas - but Wild Tor and Hangingstone are inside it.
 
Roadside parking at SX 659900. There's an offroad car park just behind where this picture was taken but it was full up.
Shilstone Tor (SX 659902). Hardly one of Dartmoor's biggest tors but near to the road and a useful place to meet up at. This tor has suffered from stone quarrying. It is likely that it earlier years the tor would have had a distinct rock jutting out (ie. the shiel rock) - maybe even a logan stone. This would explain the name.
Wet, gorsey and slightly unpleasant ground just west of Shilstone Tor. Mind you this was January and it had been raining days before.
More unpleasant ground - wetter but with less gorse. We haven't got very far yet.
The gorse reappears but at least the ground is drier. The SE view from the eastern slopes of Kennon Hill. Barely distinct is Buttern Hill with Whitemoor Marsh in between.
Gorse ground on the upper slopes of Kennon Hill - or to be more accurate Quennon. Not so bad to walk over.
The cairn of Kennon Hill - SX 642894. Although the cairn is distinct it is somewhat dwarfed by the scale of the landscape all around. Kennon has a flat and extensive top - certainly a football field or two in area. In the background lie the wilds of North Dartmoor.
A closer look at the cairn. I guess that animals are responsible for the vandalism.
The track that leads over to Hound Tor. At this point the landscape looks pretty featureless. Add some mist and bad weather and it would be very easy to get lost here. Miles away on the right horizon is Yes Tor.
In the depression that lies between Hound Tor and Kennon Hill. Not surprisingly it's wet here. We are on the edge of the bog of Raybarrow Pool.
Looking back at Kennon Hill from the track. On the left lies the edge of Raybarrow Pool.
This is the view from the southern slopes of Hound Tor. The track is the way that we take to get us to Wild Tor.
Hound Tor SX 629890 - not the famous one associated with the Hound of the Baskervilles. Hundetorre is one of the points mentioned in the great Dartmoor boundary perambulation of 1240. Probably got nothing whatsover to do with dogs.
The trackway leading from Hound Tor along to Wild Tor. There's a distinct causeway which may shelter the track from floods. SX 624886.
The grassy scenery just north of Wild Tor. In the distance is the whaleback of Cosdon. excellent horse riding country.
One of the pinnacles of Wild Tor - SX 623876. Wild Tor is true to its name. It's exposed, covers a big area and is composed of a number of substantial pinnacles and rockpiles.
A backward look at Wild Tor. We'll return to here after going to Hangingstone.
An unusual shaped cairn - unusual for Dartmoor anyway. This is a square kiln (at SX 622870). It was used to turn peat into charcoal before being taken off the moor.
A closer look at the kiln.
The ugly but distinctive military building on top of Hangingstone Hill. Hangingstone is the third highest point (603m) on Dartmoor.
The track that leads from Hangingstone down to Wild Tor.
Halfway between Hangingstone and Wild Tor. This is straightforward ground.
Wild Tor. Steeperton Tor is on the left.
Wild Tor
Getting near to Hound Tor which just appears above us on the skyline.
The view from Hound Tor. Groups of walkers are heading over towards Kennon Hill.
The track that joins Hound Tor with Little Hound Tor. This is easy walking as it takes us straight along the contour. Cosdon is on the horizon.
The White Moor stone circle near Little Hound Tor - SX 632896. This is an excellent example of a relatively unspoilt stone circle. Very popular with those stone circle enthusiasts who get here.
The start of the peatcutters trackway that runs along the SE side of Cosdon from the stone circle. This track joined up the upper Taw moorland with South Zeal village.
Continuing along the trackway at SX 635900 . On the right lies Raybarrow Pool - one of Dartmoor's more serious bogs. You can see the dark clump of willow in the middle of the grass. This is always a warning sign of wet ground. There are old stories about sheep thieves trying to escape capture by heading through Raybarrow. They got "stugged" instead.
Raybarrow Pool from the trackway at SX 639905. Another name for Raybarrow is Rayboro - which makes more sense. The ground around here is wet from runoffs from the slopes of Cosdon. Some care is needed to walk through it. You can still see the dark willow patch. Kennon Hill lies in the background.
Heading on down towards Throwleigh Common. Blackaton Brook is in front of us. Blackaton Brook is the main runoff of Raybarrow pool. Ironically it goes on to create another bog - Cheriton Combe bog - which you can just see to the left of the picture.
The grassy ground of Throwleigh Common - SX 651907.
An easy path to follow over Throwleigh Common. We're heading towards Shilstone Tor.
The rocks of Shilstone Tor appear.
 


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