High Willhays routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 2 measured routes up High Willhays, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

High Willhays routes, easiest to hardest

Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.

High Willhays route times by Naismith's rule

The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.

Each High Willhays route

Meldon Reservoir

Cross the moor south from the reservoir to the granite ridge, on grass and heather that is wet in places. It starts from Meldon Reservoir car park. 4.5 km one way with 334 m of ascent. About 1h 25m to the summit and 2h 20m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Okehampton Camp via Yes Tor

Follow the military tracks south to Yes Tor, then walk the ridge south to High Willhays. It starts from Okehampton Camp. 5.9 km one way with 302 m of ascent. About 1h 40m to the summit and 2h 50m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

High Willhays route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a High Willhays route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open High Willhays, plan the route in the route planner (or import a GPX you already have), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.

Get Peakify on the App Store.

Before you pick a route

The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb High Willhays today and the High Willhays 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on High Willhays routes

The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.

Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

If you are new to High Willhays, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.

Questions about High Willhays

What is the easiest route up High Willhays?

Meldon Reservoir has the easiest grade of the 2 routes listed here (Moderate).

How much time does each High Willhays route take?

Meldon Reservoir: about 1h 25m up and 2h 20m there and back. Okehampton Camp via Yes Tor: about 1h 40m up and 2h 50m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.

Can I get a GPX file for a High Willhays route?

Not from this page. In the Peakify iPhone app, plan the route in the route planner (or import one), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.