Vixen Tor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vixen Tor |
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Vixen Tor from the car park near Merrivale on Two Bridges to Tavistock road
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 300 m (980 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Vixen Tor
Location in Dartmoor
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| Location | Dartmoor, England |
| Parent range | Dartmoor |
| OS grid | SX542742 |
Vixen Tor is a famous rock formation, called a tor, located in Dartmoor, England. It's a huge pile of granite rocks that stands out in the landscape. For many years, people have not been allowed to visit Vixen Tor because it is on private land. This has caused some discussion and efforts by hikers and climbers to gain access.
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Exploring Vixen Tor: A Giant Rock on Dartmoor
Vixen Tor is found in the beautiful Dartmoor area, between the towns of Tavistock and Princetown. If you were driving on the B3357 road, you would find a car park about halfway between Two Bridges and Tavistock. From there, the tor is only about 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) away.
How Big is Vixen Tor?
This amazing rock formation rises about 120 feet (37 meters) from the ground around it. Its highest point is about 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level. Vixen Tor is made of granite, which is a very hard type of rock. It looks like giant rocks have been stacked on top of each other. It's known as the tallest free-standing rock on all of Dartmoor!
What Does Vixen Tor Look Like?
People have different ideas about what Vixen Tor resembles. Some say it looks like the famous Sphinx statue in Egypt. Others think it looks like a vixen, which is a female fox. And some people even say it looks like an old man wearing a cap, with his back turned to his wife!
Climbing and Access to Vixen Tor
Even though Vixen Tor is a great place for rock climbing, with 27 different routes identified, climbing is not allowed. Just like walking to the tor, climbing has been banned since 2003 because the land is privately owned.
The Legend of Vixana: A Dartmoor Witch
There's an old story about Vixen Tor that tells of a witch named Vixana. The legend says she lived in a cave at the bottom of the tor. She supposedly made earth gnomes build this cave for her.
Vixana's Tricks
Vixana was described as a tall, bent, and ugly witch. She loved to cause trouble for travelers. Her favorite trick was to create a thick mist around the bog, or swampy area, at the foot of the tor. This mist would make travelers lose their way and get stuck in the bog, sinking down to their death.
How Vixana Met Her End
One day, Vixana tried to trick a handsome young man from the moor. But this young man had special powers! He could see through the mist and even make himself invisible. He managed to escape Vixana's trap. In one version of the story, he pushed the witch to her death onto the rocks below the tor. Another version says that Vixana herself drowned in the very same bog where she had lured so many other people.
