Hounds of Love

A crisp and cool perfect running day dawned and inspired by the latest Sherlock episode 'The Hounds of Baskerville', it was off to Hound Tor for a blast. I don't often get over to this bit of the moor (the last time was doing a nav course more than 2 years ago). It has atmosphere by the bucket load and a good choice of location, especially being close to a road with a burger van called The Hound of the Basketmeals in the car park during the summer months.

I know it's just a little pile of rocks, but they manage to punch above their weight and do things like 'brood' and 'loom' with a bit of 'menace' chucked in.

The tor-top shots from the episode were taken from here with the top secret military chemical weapons base tucked in behind Greator Rocks. The kids were 'shushing' me when I pointed this interesting fact out, along with the fascinating insight that the tor isn't surrounded by dense woodland either. My inner anorak lurks close to the surface. The pub shots and the creepy hollow were a bit of a mystery though along with the 'nocturnal activity' car park....

We descended past the medieval settlement of Hundatora and down to the Becka Brook before the slog up to Smallacombe Rocks. By now I was regretting the Helly and tights combo and wishing I'd worn my shorts. After a quick circuit of Black Hill we made for Haytor. The unmistakeable lump featured a few times in the episode and although lacking the charisma of Hound Tor can be photogenic when it wants to be.

After heading out to Saddle Tor we looped back to Holwell Tor before the steep little blast down to the Becka Brook followed by the sweaty ascent to Hound Tor and back to the car park.
I was chuffed they'd filmed it on the moor - only a few Hound of the Baskervilles adaptations have been. One was filmed on the Isle of Man to 'give a flavour of Dartmoor' Erm.....
The Futureheads' version's not bad but there's nothing quite like the real thing.....