Bellever Tor

Situated in the centre of Dartmoor National Park, the area around Bellever Tor is easily accessible and is a popular site for walkers. It provides a good example of a hill-crest granite Tor. Features seen here and at the nearby Cherrybrook Bridge Quarry illustrate the effects of weathering on granite and give a good indication of how the Dartmoor Tors were formed.

From the adjoining Forestry Commission plantation, there is a pleasant and relatively gentle walk up the moorland slopes towards the summit of Bellever Tor. The Tor shows well developed and flat-lying tabular jointing. Weathering has penetrated these joints causing the disintegration of the granite into large slabs which now form the debris, known as clitter that surrounds the Tor. The Tor is also cut by widely-spaced vertical joints which have weathered into broad gullies.

The effects of weathering on granite are also well demonstrated at the nearby Higher Cherrybrook Quarry, located by the roadside some 2km to the northwest of Bellever Tor. Here, the degree of loosening and weakening of the granite can be related to the proximity to the joints which, over millions of years, have allowed the rock to be attacked through the chemical and physical forces of water.

In addition to its geological significance, the site offers excellent views over South Dartmoor. The area also exhibits many remains of prehistoric settlement, including tombs and stone rows and circles.