Shaugh Prior

Shaugh Prior stands on the south western edge of the moor above the valley of the Plym, a small village with a granite church tower and lanes running down into steep oak woodland. The parish has been shaped by china clay, which was worked on the moor above and carried down through the valley, and the ruins and spoil of that industry are part of the landscape here.

Below the village the Dewerstone rises out of the woods above the meeting of the Plym and the Meavy, a great crag that is one of the best climbing rocks in Devon and one of the most atmospheric places on the moor. Its name is the reason: Dewer is the Devil, and this is where the Wild Hunt, the phantom pack that rides the moor at night, is said to drive its victims over the edge. The walk up through the woods and out onto the crag is short and unforgettable.