The Devil versus the Church

A climb up to the Church of St Michael de Rupe at Brent Tor in West Devon.

Distance 4 miles (6.4km)

Minimum time 2hrs

Ascent/gradient 425ft (130m)

Level of difficulty Easy

Paths Tracks and green lanes, open fields and lanes

Landscape Open moorland and rolling farmland

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 112 Launceston & Holsworthy

Start/finish SX 495800

Dog friendliness On the lead on road at Brent Tor, some livestock in fields

Parking Lay-by past cattle grid outside Mary Tavy on moorland road to North Brentor village

Public toilets At car park, Brent Tor

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Directions
Background
Information

1 Walk straight ahead from your car towards Brent Tor, which positively invites you to visit it. Where the lane veers right turn left along an unfenced lane (dead end and weak bridge signs). Go gently downhill and over a cattle grid. The tarmac lane becomes a gravelly track and passes Blacknor Park (left), to cross the old railway line.

2 The stony track runs steeply uphill, levels off and runs into a green lane. At the next T-junction of tracks turn left to pass South Brentor Farm and a lane (right), and keep straight on slightly uphill - under beech trees - to pass 'Hillside' on the left.

3 Just past a pretty white cottage on the left the lane bends sharp left. Turn right through a wooden gate (no sign) and along the bottom of the field, keeping the hedge left. Brent Tor is above to the right. Pass through double metal gates to meet the Tavistock to Lydford road - take care.

4 Turn right to reach the car park, toilets and information board for Brent Tor on the left.

5 Turn right and take the steep path up to the church - it's always windy up here - then retrace your steps to the road and turn right to pass the Brentor Inn on your left.

6 When you reach two white cottages on either side of the road, turn right down a tarmac lane signposted 'Brentor and Mary Tavy'. The lane runs gently downhill, with the moor rising steeply up behind the village ahead. This western edge of the moor is very different from the eastern side, where there is usually a long drive-in along wooded river valleys.

7 At the edge of the houses go straight on, keeping the old chapel right, until you reach the 1914-18 war memorial. Turn right slightly downhill to pass the phone box, church and village hall. Follow the lane as it veers right to cross the old railway line. You can see the old station complete with platform canopy below you to the right.

8 Pass over the cattle grid onto the open moor, and up the lane. Where the lane bends right and you see two big granite gateposts in the beech-lined wall right, cut left diagonally over the edge of Gibbet Hill on an indistinct grassy track. The lane leads back to the car, but this is a more pleasant route. At the crest of the hill you will see your route back to your car on the lane below to the right.

Anyone exploring western Dartmoor cannot fail to notice a conical peak, topped with a tower, protruding high above the rolling fields and woodlands towards the Cornish border. This strange natural formation is Brent Tor and, surprisingly, has nothing to do with the granite tors of Dartmoor. It is a remnant of the mass of lava that poured out onto the seabed here over 300 million years ago, when the area was a shallow sea. The softer rocks around have been eroded away over the millennia, leaving behind this extraordinary landmark 1,100ft (334m) above sea level. The name is thought to derive either from the Anglo-Saxon brene, meaning 'beacon' (to burn) or from the Celtic bryn (hill or mound). Lying just inside the National Park boundary, it provides the perfect focus for a relaxing exploration of this quiet corner of West Devon.

The 13th-century Church of St Michael de Rupe ('of the rock') was originally built by Robert Giffard, Lord of the Manor of Lamerton and Whitchurch, around 1130. Rebuilt towards the end of the 13th century, the 40ft (12.25m) tower was added during the 15th century, and it is the fourth smallest complete parish church in England. Services are held on Sunday evenings from Easter to September, and the views from here are quite breathtaking. A similarly located church, St Michael's on the Mount at Glastonbury, is said to be linked to Brent Tor by a ley line.

It is said that while the church was being built the Devil himself hurled stones from the top of the hill onto the unfortunate parishioners below. Another legend tells of how a wealthy 14th-century merchant vowed to build a church here in gratitude to St Michael for saving one of his cargoes from a terrible storm at sea. The Devil came every night to destroy the building work, so the merchant called in St Michael to help again. The saint hid behind Cox Tor, to the south east, and hurled a boulder at the Devil, so chasing him away. In return the church was dedicated to St Michael.

North Brentor was added to the parish in 1880, and all burials then took place at Christ Church in the village, since the soil on top of Brent Tor was too thin to accommodate a decent grave. Burial logistics seem to have featured strongly in this part of Devon over the years. The Church of St Petroc at Lydford, originally a Saxon foundation, used to hold the only consecrated ground close to the northern part of the moor. Bodies were carried across the moor for burial along a route known as the Lich Way (lich meaning corpse), from which comes lychgate, the entrance gate to many churchyards.

While you're there

Visit Lydford, signposted off the A386 to the north. It was a Saxon fortress town, with its own mint in the 9th century. Lydford Castle, actually the moor's infamous stannery prison, is worth a visit. Just down the road is the National Trust's Lydford Gorge, where the crashing waterfalls and whirlpools of the River Lyd - the most impressive being the Devil's Cauldron - can be seen from a number of woodland walks. The 98ft (30m) White Lady waterfall is spectacular.

What to look for

Just south west of Brent Tor is an enclosed area of mounds and depressions, all that remains of a 19th-century manganese mine, a major source of employment from 1815-56. The manganese was used in the production of glass, bleach and steel, and was shipped out down the River Tamar from Morwellham Quay.

Where to eat and drink

The Brentor Inn can be found after Point 5, before the turning to North Brentor. It's a free house, with a family room and beer garden. If you drive north to Lydford go to the 16th-century Castle Inn (hotel and restaurant), which is a superb place for lunch, dinner, or to stay the night. There is also a National Trust restaurant at Lydford Gorge.