Bodmin Moor Tors on PhotoFile Cornwall

Photographs taken 2005

After deliberations and discussions, a list of the Tors of Bodmin Moor has been drawn up. To be on the list, a prospective "tor" had to meet either one of the following two definitive criteria:

1. To be a Tor (by name), it must be called a "Tor", or

2. To be a Tor (by nature), it must be an identifiable "tor", as in a "hill with rocks on", or more strictly:
"a hill with granite bedrock, that forms a naturally exposed and weathered rock outcrop, on or near the summit, surrounded by loose granite clitter or moorstones".

For a detailed description of the formation of a tor, see the Cheesewring page.

A typical Tor ~ the summit of Stowe's Hill; which is curiously called a 'hill' not a 'tor'

Accordingly, it has been determined that there are 35 Tors on Bodmin Moor:

Southern & Eastern part of the moor:

1. Fox Tor, (323m)
2. Smallacombe Tor (330m)
3. Carey Tor (270m)
4. Carneglos Tor (320m)
5. Hill Tor (324m)
6. Tregarrick Tor (310m)
7. Newel Tor (346m)
8. Trewortha Tor (318m)
9. Hawk’s Tor - the eastern one (329m)
10. Kilmar Tor (396m)
11. Bearah Tor (367m)
12. Notter Tor (270m)
13. Sharp Tor (378m)
14.Stowe’s Hill, including The Cheesewring, (360m) ~ "Tor by nature"

Northern part of the moor:

15. Rough Tor, including Little Rough (400m)
16. Maiden Tor (342m)
17. Alex Tor (291m)
18. Showery Tor (385m)
19. Garrow Tor (330m)
20. Butter’s Tor (316m)
21. Catshole Tor (346m)
22. Carkees Tor (281m)
23. Codda Tor (318m)
24. Trewint Tor (304m)
25. Tolborough Tor (348m)
26. Trekennick Tor (228m)
27. Brown Willy (420m) ~ "Tor by nature"
28. Louden Hill (315m) ~ "Tor by nature"

Western part of the moor:

29. Temple Tor (276m)
30. Carbarrow Tor (270m)
31. St.Bellarmin’s Tor (268m)
32. Colvannick Tor (260m)
33. Cabilla Tor (200m)
34. Carbilly Tor, including the "other" Cheesewring! (260m)
35. Hawk’s Tor - the western one (307m).

However, there are also four other hills that are very "possible maybe" Tors:

i. Blacktor Downs (268m) ~ was it ever Black Tor?
ii. The Beacon (369m) ~ the Elephant Rock feature?
iii. Bray Down (346m) ~ has some natural features?
iv. Leskernick Hill… lots of rock “clitter”, but is it enough? (329m)

...and the jury is still out on these!

For an excellent walking guide to tors on Bodmin Moor, or anywhere else in the area, then look no further than WalkaboutWest, run by Mark Camp, local book author and Blue Badge Guide. Mark has also contributed greatly to the drawing up this list of tors, and negating all those that aren't, but tried to be!

Bodmin Moor Tors

Photographs taken 2005

A typical Tor ~ the summit of Stowe's Hill; which is curiously called a 'hill' not a 'tor'

Stowe's Hill (Tor!)...

...and accompanying Torbaggers!