About
Hound Tor Deserted Medieval Village lies on the eastern edge of Dartmoor between the granite stacks of Hound Tor and Greator Rocks, where farmers lived in the 13th and 14th centuries in stone longhouses, the family at one end and their animals at the other. Excavations in the 1960s traced three or four farmsteads, each with a longhouse, small barn and yard, and one barn still shows the flues of a pair of corn-drying ovens. The land had been farmed in the Bronze Age, and Domesday Book records a settlement called Hundetorra. From the top of Greator Rocks there is a fine view over the abandoned village. Reviewers enjoy the wide views across the moor. The site is managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority for English Heritage. From Swallerton Gate car park it is a half-mile walk over Hound Tor, including a challenging climb. Ponies and sheep graze freely, so keep dogs on a lead.
Open in daylightFrom English Heritage's calendar
- Open any reasonable time in daylight
From English Heritage's published calendar, updated 1 October 2026, with dates up to 16 March 2027.
Opening times may change at short notice.
Free entry; open any reasonable time during daylight hours.
Managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority on behalf of English Heritage. No facilities on site; Widecombe in the Moor, 3 miles away, has a pub and cafes. An English Heritage audio guide can be downloaded from its website.
Accessibility: a half-mile walk from the car park over Hound Tor with a challenging climb; remote, exposed moorland with uneven ground and slip and trip hazards.
Parking: limited spaces in Swallerton Gate Car Park.
Photo: Nilfanion. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hound_Tor_Medieval_Village_(4175).jpg. Resized for display.
Dogs at the location: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs must be kept on a lead because ponies and sheep graze freely on the moor.
Dog walks in the grounds: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs on a lead within the open-access moorland site.
Leads: Leads required because ponies and sheep graze freely.
PricingFreeFree for all visitors
Free entry for everyone
Entry
Free for everyone
Pricing details
Free to everyone; open access site.
ParkingParking not known
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
Parking details
Limited parking in Swallerton Gate Car Park, about 1.7 miles after turning off the B3387. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight.
Driving arrival: Swallerton Gate car park below Hound Tor; the village is a half-mile walk over the tor.
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