Hay Tor

Haytor
The larger eastern outcrop of Haytor
Highest point
Elevation	457 m (1,499 ft)
Coordinates	50°34′48″N 3°45′21″W / 50.58°N 3.7558°W / 50.58; -3.7558Coordinates: 50°34′48″N 3°45′21″W / 50.58°N 3.7558°W / 50.58; -3.7558
Geography
Haytor Haytor in Devon
Location	Dartmoor, England
OS grid	SX757770
Topo map	OS Landranger 191

Haytor, also known as Haytor Rocks,Hay Tor, or occasionally Hey Tor, is a granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. It is at grid reference SX757770, near the village of Haytor Vale in the parish of Ilsington. There is an electoral ward with the same name. The population at the 2011 census is 2,862.

Idetordoune (1566), Ittor Doune (1687), Idetor (1737), Eator Down (1762) and Itterdown (1789) are a few recorded examples of earlier names by which Haytor was known. The name Haytor is of comparatively recent origin, and is probably a corruption of its old name and that of the Haytor Hundred, which covered the coastal area between the River Teign and River Dart, itself now considered to have been named after a lost village located somewhere between Totnes and Newton Abbot.

In the 19th century steps were cut into one side of the tor and a metal handrail fixed to allow tourists easier access to the summit. This was not entirely welcomed and in 1851, a Dr Croker complained about the rock steps that had been cut "to enable the enervated and pinguedinous scions of humanity of this wonderful nineteenth century to gain the summit". The handrail was removed in the 1960s due to it rusting: the stumps of the uprights are still embedded in the rock.

In 1953, Haytor was used as a major location for the feature film Knights of the Round Table starring Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. An "elaborate and impressive castle" was built between the two main rock piles of the tor and traditional medieval sports, including jousting, were staged here for the film.