North Hill: History and Landscape on Bodmin Moor

In the village of North Hill, St Torney’s Church stands on the edge of Bodmin Moor. The parish brings together protected church architecture, prehistoric sites, moorland and the course of the River Lynher. When choosing where to stay, it is worth distinguishing between these different highlights: building history, archaeological traces and landscape each shape a visit in their own way.

Church and prehistoric traces

St Torney’s Church is a Grade I listed church. Its oldest part is the chancel, dating from the 14th century. Those interested in historic architecture will find a specific indication here of the building’s age, while its location connects the village with the edge of Bodmin Moor.

The prehistoric sites also offer distinct highlights. Hawk’s Tor is home to a well-preserved unenclosed settlement of roundhouses. It comprises ten stone roundhouses spread over an area of 0.6 hectares. Three small enclosures and two cairns are also part of the scheduled monument; surviving masonry adds to the picture of the site. On the lower western slope of Kilmar Tor lies another protected small unenclosed roundhouse settlement, also in eastern Bodmin Moor and within the parish of North Hill.

A prehistoric menhir stands on Twelve Men’s Moor: a slender granite slab at least three metres long, in a high valley between Bearah Tor and Kilmar Tor. The moor’s name recalls twelve men who were granted grazing rights on the moor by Launceston Priory. Twelve Men’s Moor forms the western part of the parish of North Hill and lies in the treeless expanse of Bodmin Moor.

River, moor and circular walk

St Torney’s Holy Well lies beside the River Lynher, a quarter of a mile southeast of St Torney’s Church. Lush vegetation usually partly obscures the spring. At the geological transition by the spring, pure water emerges, which earlier residents of the area greatly valued. Its riverside setting is part of a landscape in which the River Lynher has carved its channel along the transition between the granite of Bodmin Moor to the southwest and the surrounding slates and shales to the northeast.

The parish of North Hill also displays a marked contrast in landscape between its outer areas: parts of the west lie on the high granite of Bodmin Moor, while the eastern side belongs to the gently rolling landscapes of the Tamar Valley. Mining and quarrying industries once flourished in the parish, extending from the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. The present-day landscape and traces of earlier land use thus exist side by side, without needing to be reduced to the same place or period.

The circular walk from North Hill to Hawks Tor follows prehistoric trade routes through the Lynher Valley and offers sweeping panoramic views across Bodmin Moor. It starts in North Hill, where granite was quarried for the construction of Westminster Bridge. The combination of route, valley and views across the moor makes this walk a distinct highlight alongside the church architecture and archaeological sites.

Getting there and choosing a hotel

The nearest railway station to St Torney’s Church in North Hill is Okehampton, 27 miles to the east. Buses connect Launceston with North Hill via Liskeard; as bus services can change, check the current timetable before setting off. When looking for a hotel for your trip, you can first decide whether you would like to focus your stay on church architecture, prehistoric monuments or a walk on the moor. These themes give the destination different points of focus without requiring you to choose a particular type of accommodation.

Discover more destinations

Saint Austell, Par, Poundstock, Lansallos, Porthcurno, Camelford, Bodinnick, Looe

For the main travel overview: Cornwall.