It’s a Short Window

The walk from Meldon Reservoir car park to Black Tor is one I have taken on many occasions. There are magnificent views along the way and if you include High Willhays on your route you can also claim to be standing on the roof of Devon. For me, the photographic highlight though is Yes Tor, which is not far from High Willhays.

But Black Tor is not to be ignored if you are out with your camera. If you are looking to photograph it during the golden hours, things get a little more tricky though. There is only a small window during the summer when the sun sets in a direction that will illuminate the tor with the best light.

It’s even more challenging to photograph it at sunrise as the surrounding hills can block the light from the rising sun until well past the golden hour. So, for those few weeks either side of the winter solstice I try to make the challenging walk up from the reservoir car park to Black Tor and watch the sunrise.

**Black Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon** - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO64.

My Only Attempt?

I missed out on photographing sunrise at Black Tor at the end of 2025 because I was delayed in my return from Scotland, and then there was Christmas. I don’t think I took any photos over Christmas!

Roll on 2026 and a late opportunity presented itself and I managed to capture the photographs you see in this blog. I do however think I was a little late in the window of opportunity as it took nearly 20 minutes for the sun to break over the hills, so the light was harsher than I hoped for.

**Black Tor, Dartmoor National Park, Devon** - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 21mm, f/13, 1/8 sec at ISO64.

One More Try?

I’ve reckon I’ll have one more go at it this weekend. I suspect I’m a bit late now for Black Tor sunrises, and a lot depends on the weather. Even if I do make the early morning walk and I don’t get the shot, it’s a fine way to start the day and I’ll make my walk a little more adventurous by walking up to the roof of Devon.