Never Cross A Wicked Witch

Bowerman's Nose

One of Dartmoor's most famous sights is the eccentric pillar of granite known as Bowerman's Nose. It's a fantastic-looking place and well worth a visit for the wild moorland scenery it stands against. However, what really makes Bowerman's Nose so special is the terrific Dartmoor legend behind it.

Back in the day, Bowerman was a hunter who rode his pack of hounds across the moor in pursuit of tasty game. Being a generous, fair-minded kind of chap, he would then share the spoils of his sport with hungry local peasants. For such a reason was he loved by his neighbours.

But not the local coven of witches who, being thoroughly wicked and mean, grew to detest his charitable ways!

When he accidentally rode his hounds through the middle of their meeting one night, those women were extremely angry. They chased after the hunter and cast their dark magic upon him. Poor Bowerman was turned to stone and doomed to stand on the moor for eternity. His hounds were turned likewise into granite, the site of their petrification becoming known afterwards as Hound Tor.