Walk 10- Walk near Merrivale and Vixen Tor

So it’s been a while due to the fact that I started full-time work and havent found many spare days to go out walking! But walk 10, around Merrivale on 24.03.2012 hit another 5 tors off the list. Over the whole 10 walks I’ve now completed 66 Tors out of the 230+ on my list, so almost a third of the way there! Anyway my walk on Saturday was beautiful weather and a lovely stroll, not too energetic, and hardly any hill! Heres the routecard…

The walk comes in at 11km but only 285m of ascent. It was a lovely amble with some great views. Plus a lovely pub in Merrivale for a half way or on the way back drink!

So started by parking in one of the car parks after Merrivale I parked at SX 539 750, then headed South East up onto Whitchurch Common where there are a few rocks and outcrops. You can clearly see Feather Tor (SX 534 741) to the South of you. After Feather Tor, Pew Tor(SX 532 734) and the quarries around it come into view, there’s a lot of semi loose scrap here from old quarries so be careful! There’s a large and obvious path which leads off Pew Tor past a little cottage and through some very high heather, you can follow this and the boundary wall around until you can see Heckwood Tor (SX 538 738) which  is a lovely small Tor.  The path then leads you past a LOT of barbed wire fencing and past Vixen Tor. Vixen Tor has no access for the public (which you will be helpfully reminded of by large spray painted letters) which is shame as it really is a beautiful tor! Vixen Tor has had access issues for a very long time leading to mass trespasses many a court case, but as for now there is NO ACCESS. On past Vixen Tor and you’ll hit the road, turn right and follow this down through Merrivale.

The ‘second half’ of this walk starts when you hit the car park on the other side of Merrivale (Just past the bridge). If you walk south you will see a wall appear on your right, follow it. You can detour to visit the Stone Circles and Standing Stones. something that isn’t on the map above is the land between the Standing Stone and Kings Tor is still in the no access Vixen Tor land which is why the giant detour off east is necessary. But following it round, Kings Tor (SX 553 739) wil be on your left… Again there’s a lot of old quarrying stone around, some of which is likely to be loose. Hucken Tor again isn’t on the map but is at SX 550 737, and can be reached by following the old quarry road around to the east!

It’s then a matter of retracing your steps back around the Vixen Boundary Wall, past the Standing Stone, back to the road and then back to you car…possibly stopping at the Merrivale pub for a pint or two!