Dartmoor Trig Points

A trig pillar is the squat concrete pillar found on many British hilltops, built by the Ordnance Survey as a fixed survey point for the Retriangulation of Great Britain. The work began in 1935, directed by Martin Hotine, and ran until 1962; about 6,500 pillars were built. By 1939 the primary network, the largest triangles, covered all of England and Wales, and the secondary and lower-order stations that filled in between them were added after the war. Each pillar carries a numbered metal plate on its side, the flush bracket.

Satellite positioning has long since replaced them for mapping, but many people still set out to reach every pillar in an area, and TrigpointingUK keeps a public record of visits, photographs and condition for each one. Yes Tor alone has more than 200 logged visits.

There are 30 pillars inside Dartmoor National Park and 21 more within 5 km of its boundary. The highest is on Yes Tor (619 m). Several stand beside Bronze Age cairns, as on Cosdon, Hameldown, Rippon Tor and Three Barrows. Most are on open access land; the Brent Hill pillar is on private land, and many of those outside the park stand in farmland, so check access before you go.

Inside the National Park

• Bel Tor, SX 69642 72988, 354 m. On Bel Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Bellever Tor, SX 64465 76438, 444 m. On Bellever Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Bowden, SX 82063 80786, 260 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Brent Hill, SX 70313 61698, 311 m. On Brent Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Butterdon, SX 65538 58641, 365 m. On Butterdon Hill (Harford). TrigpointingUK record
• Cawsand Hill, SX 63615 91491, 551 m. On Cosdon Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Cox Tor, SX 53070 76178, 442 m. On Cox Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Cramber Tor, SX 59238 71215, 446 m. On Cramber Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Cranbrook Castle, SX 74198 88810, 337 m, moved. On Cranbrook Castle. TrigpointingUK record
• Drascombe, SX 69517 91832, 275 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Easdon Tor, SX 72946 82307, 439 m. On Easdon Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• East Hill, SX 59576 93893, 349 m. On East-Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Gibbet Hill, SX 50312 81149, 353 m. On Gibbet Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Great Links, SX 55074 86762, 587 m. On Great Links Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Hameldown Tor, SX 70312 80570, 530 m. On Hameldown Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Henlake Down, SX 63020 57228, 213 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Lee Moor, SX 60261 64496, 493 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Meldon Hill, SX 69566 86105, 390 m. On Meldon Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• North Hessary Tor, SX 57872 74216, 517 m. On North Hessary Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Penn Beacon, SX 59940 62934, 428 m, slightly damaged. On Penn Beacon. TrigpointingUK record
• Ringmoor Down, SX 57526 66743, 351 m. On Gutter Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Rippon Tor, SX 74658 75572, 476 m, slightly damaged. On Rippon Tor. TrigpointingUK record
• Roborough Down, SX 50606 64126, 199 m. On Roborough Down. TrigpointingUK record
• Ryders Hill, SX 65977 69062, 516 m. On Ryder's Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Shaugh Moor, SX 55892 63211, 305 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Sourton Tors, SX 54324 89817, 440 m, slightly damaged. On Sourton Tors. TrigpointingUK record
• Three Barrows, SX 65326 62574, 461 m. On Three Barrows. TrigpointingUK record
• Wallaford Down, SX 70553 65884, 291 m. On Wallaford Down. TrigpointingUK record
• Westcott Farm, SX 78789 86376, 336 m. TrigpointingUK record
• Yes Tor, SX 58089 90153, 619 m. On Yes Tor. TrigpointingUK record

Within 5 km of the park

• Ball Farm, SX 62591 96244, 258 m, 1.2 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Bere Alston Reservoir, SX 45509 66974, 2.9 km outside the park, destroyed. TrigpointingUK record
• Bilsdon, SX 82423 91976, 198 m, 2.5 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Boringdon, SX 53616 57735, 113 m, 4.3 km outside the park, damaged. TrigpointingUK record
• Brownston Farm, SX 74932 62952, 201 m, 2.0 km outside the park, slightly damaged. TrigpointingUK record
• Cross Farm, SX 76595 94541, 218 m, 1.6 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Crown Hill Fort, SX 48654 59197, 137 m, 4.5 km outside the park. On Crownhill Fort. TrigpointingUK record
• Diptford, SX 73004 57999, 185 m, 2.5 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Fowelscombe, SX 68974 55247, 182 m, 2.4 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Galford Down, SX 47963 85827, 255 m, 2.6 km outside the park. On Bowl barrow on Galford Down, near Westdown Pool. TrigpointingUK record
• Halsworthy, SX 75360 68231, 189 m, 0.7 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Hemerdon Ball, SX 57059 58195, 212 m, 2.9 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Highweek Resr, SX 84663 72175, 100 m, 3.9 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Ingsdon Burn, SX 81709 73447, 186 m, 0.7 km outside the park. On Ingsdon Hill. TrigpointingUK record
• Kilworthy, SX 47605 77132, 228 m, 1.5 km outside the park, slightly damaged. TrigpointingUK record
• Knowle Hill, SX 87473 89208, 219 m, 4.3 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Maddaford, SX 53538 94415, 264 m, 2.7 km outside the park, damaged. TrigpointingUK record
• Preston, SX 62931 53754, 147 m, 2.8 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Quarry Beacon, SX 80200 67379, 142 m, 4.7 km outside the park. TrigpointingUK record
• Walreddon, SX 48425 71712, 172 m, 0.8 km outside the park, damaged. TrigpointingUK record
• Whitleigh, SX 46907 60381, 101 m, 4.7 km outside the park, destroyed. TrigpointingUK record

Sources: TrigpointingUK (pillar positions, heights, flush brackets, condition); Wikipedia, Retriangulation of Great Britain.