Cox Tor circular

Walked on Thursday 7 May

From Higher Longford Cottages. About 5.5 Miles. Fine sunny morning, though the wind was noticeable on the open moorland.

We collected a map for this walk from the caravan site shop - a very useful facility, and many thanks to the person who worked it out. Here is the garmin trace of our walk

We turned left from the caravan site entrance, and walked for a couple of hundred yards before turning left at a crossroads on to a minor road towards Moortown. This road was lined with flowery banks, including one section where wild strawberry flowers promise good pickings in a month or so.  It dipped down for a while, towards Pennycomequick, then over a cattle grid to a moorland road turning to the left at a junction. It passes cottages named Lower Quarry and Higher Quarry, and the caravan site at Langstane Manor. 

Shortly after this the road bends to the right, but we took a footpath directly ahead with a farm over to our left. The path climbs for a while before heading left (north) and up to the car park.  No icecream van at 10am, and anyway it was a little windy. 

Over the road and up the wide grassy track to Cox Tor (442 meters high). Along the path we were accompanied by skylarks, and saw more when we paused for an essential coffee at the top. The views all around are spectacular.

The route down is unmarked, but best to keep slightly  left to avoid an area of largish rocks which make for tricky walking. We made for the minor road, then turned left to meet the track between walls leading into Collaton. It isn't indicated as a path here, but the other end has a fingerpost marked Public Bridleway Moor.

We followed the road to the junction and turned left. This road (from Peter Tavy) meets the B357 Pork Hill, at the crossroads near the start of the walk, so it was just a matter of turning left and heading back to the cottage.