CollabsTravel

Great Links Tor Hiking & Travel Guide

Mountain·Lydford

📍 Lydford EX20, United KingdomHikingHikingScenic
AddressLydford EX20, United Kingdom
Coordinates50.6500, -4.0500
CategoryHiking, Hiking, Scenic
Nearest cityOkehampton
RegionEngland, United Kingdom
Sourcesgeonames

Great Links Tor Hiking & Travel Guide

Great Links Tor is a mountain in Lydford, United Kingdom. The nearest service base is Okehampton, roughly 10 km away.

  • What it is: mountain (Hiking)
  • Where it is: Lydford EX20, United Kingdom — coordinates 50.6500, 4.0500
  • Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
  • Time needed: two to four hours
  • Best season: late spring to early autumn

Quick Facts

Place typeMountain
Primary categoryHiking
Also good forHiking, Scenic
County / regionLydford
Region / stateEngland
CountryUnited Kingdom
Postal addressLydford EX20, United Kingdom
Nearest cityOkehampton
Coordinates50.6500, -4.0500
Nearest base townOkehampton (10 km)

Great Links Tor earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified hiking in England, United Kingdom,. Its position 10 km from Okehampton also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for hiking, scenic as much as for hiking. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.

In plain terms, Great Links Tor is a mountain in the Lydford area of England, United Kingdom that travellers book around hiking trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for hiking, scenic too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Okehampton - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.

The Story of Great Links Tor: History & Background

Great Links Tor is a prominent tor on the north-western flank of Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is visible for a considerable distance on the approach to the moor from the west. It is one of the highest points on Dartmoor, standing 1,939 feet (591 m) above sea level and is dominated by a monolithic outcropping of granite some 40 feet (12 m) high. There is an OS Triangulation point on a block to the west of the main outcrop, which is where most who visit the tor will climb to. The highest outcrop is inaccessible without a climb, the easiest route being up the eastern chimney (grade D). Other routes can be found here. Close by are the remains of the Rattlebrook Peat Works at Rattlebrook Head and the ruins of the appropriately named 'Bleak House'.

Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "Great Links Tor", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.

What people mean when they call Great Links Tor beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. The light does most of the work: mid-latitude light gives the place two looks: clean blue summer noon and a low amber angle in spring and autumn. The seasons restyle everything around it - wildflower spring, deep-green summer, gold-and-rust autumn and, above the snowline, a winter version of the same scene. And the beauty compounds with context: with 8 other verified places nearby, the Lydford area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.

Getting There

Great Links Tor sits at 50.6500, 4.0500 in Lydford, United Kingdom. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - Great Links Tor names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.

Base yourself in Okehampton and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Okehampton is about 10 km (6 mi) each way, so allow Okehampton as your anchor for the day.

Best Time to Visit

Late spring to early autumn (May to September) brings the warmest and most reliable conditions across United Kingdom. Shoulder months just before and after that window trade a little weather for noticeably lower prices and thinner crowds.

  • Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
  • Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
  • Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
  • Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds

Things to Do

Planning what to actually do at Great Links Tor comes down to the setting it sits in:

  • Arrive with the exact coordinates (50.6500, -4.0500) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
  • Walk the shortest signed loop first, then decide how far to push on with the lightest pack
  • Check sunrise/sunset times before setting out; carry water for double the distance you plan
  • Photography stops at the first viewpoint are usually the best framed ones
  • Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route

None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at Great Links Tor is one anchor at the trailhead or first viewpoint, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.

Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Okehampton and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and Great Links Tor is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.

Midday. From Great Links Tor, Yes Tor is only 6 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.

Afternoon. Keep going to Great Mis Tor (9 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.

Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour Great Links Tor is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.

Evening. Sleep at Okehampton unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.

  • Save the pin (50.6500, -4.0500) offline - reception in Lydford is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
  • Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
  • Carry more water than the plan says; shade is usually optional on these routes
  • Tell someone the turnaround time - help arrives slower than it looks from the trailhead

Nearby Places Worth Combining

Great Links Tor does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:

Planning More of Your Trip

See everything in United Kingdom on the United Kingdom country hub, browse the full Hiking United Kingdom collection, or take in the whole England region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Great Links Tor worth visiting?+

Yes, if you are in the area for more than a single day. Great Links Tor is a verified mountain in England, United Kingdom that most drive-by lists miss, and the official-record provenance behind this page means the location, name and access facts are checked rather than guessed. Give it two to four hours.

Where exactly is Great Links Tor?+

Great Links Tor sits at Lydford EX20, United Kingdom, coordinates 50.6500, -4.0500. The postal locality is Lydford - use the coordinates rather than the name alone, because place names repeat across regions and a map pin beats a keyword search.

How far is Great Links Tor from the nearest city?+

Great Links Tor is about 10 km (6 mi) from Okehampton, which is an easy out-and-back day trip - most visitors base themselves in Okehampton and make the run in well under an hour each way.

What is the best time to visit Great Links Tor?+

late spring to early autumn. Book the shoulder months either side of that window for the same scenery at lower prices, and check seasonal closures before fixing dates.

How long do you need at Great Links Tor?+

Plan on two to four hours for a first visit - the highlights at a normal pace without rushing. Add another half day if you want to combine it with the nearby places listed above.

Is Great Links Tor good for families with kids?+

With kids, judge Great Links Tor by the shortest signed loop rather than the headline route - if the first viewpoint holds their attention, extend; if not, leave early and nobody is disappointed.

Does Great Links Tor cost anything to visit?+

Most public places like this have no entry fee, but parking, guided programs and seasonal shuttles are the usual small costs. Confirm current fees with the official source cited on this page - they change more often than guidebooks do.

What is near Great Links Tor?+

The closest verified neighbour is Yes Tor; the nearby list above has the full set with distances, and combining two or three of them is the standard way to fill a day around Great Links Tor.

Is Great Links Tor open to visitors, and do you need a permit?+

Public places listed here are visitable by default; the permit exceptions are usually specific activities (backcountry camping, drones, commercial photography) rather than the visit itself. Check the cited official source for anything activity-based.

Should you visit Great Links Tor in bad weather?+

Rain reshapes rather than ruins the day - viewpoints become cloud-scapes and trails get muddy. Keep Great Links Tor as a fair-weather item on your trip and swap in the covered alternatives from the regional list when the forecast turns.

What makes Great Links Tor different from other places like it?+

Its exact combination: a mountain in England, United Kingdom with verified coordinates and, where listed, an official designation. The difference is usually the setting and the access pattern rather than the category label - the facts table on this page shows that specifically.

Can you visit Great Links Tor as a day trip?+

Yes - at two to four hours on site, a day loop is realistic: morning at Great Links Tor, one nearby stop, and home by evening. The Perfect Day section above has the hour-by-hour version.

What is Great Links Tor known for?+

In the wider record, mountain-class place: Great Links Tor is a prominent tor on the north-western flank of Dartmoor, Devon, England. This guide adds the practical layer - verified coordinates, access, seasonality and what to combine it with.

What is the most beautiful thing about Great Links Tor?+

The honest short answer is in The Beauty of Great Links Tor section above, but distilled: what people mean when they call great links tor beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. Come for the light and the setting rather than a single checklist object.

Is Great Links Tor crowded?+

Great Links Tor sits below the headline-name tier in its region, so crowding is an event-and-weekend problem rather than a standing one. Weekday mornings in the shoulder season are the quietest version of the visit.

What is the history of Great Links Tor?+

The History & Background section above quotes the coordinate-verified Wikipedia lead for Great Links Tor, which is the shortest trustworthy path into its past - dates, name origin and the events that shaped it, with the full referenced article linked there. ## Source Verification This guide's facts come from official public datasets: [Geonames record 2648066](https://www.geonames.org/2648066). Location data is reviewed in per-state batches before publication.

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