Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England. It is 208 square kilometres (80 sq mi) in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The name "Bodmin Moor" is relatively recent, being an Ordnance Survey invention of 1813. It was formerly known as "Fowey Moor", after the river which rises within it.

Dramatic granite tors rise from the rolling moorland: the best known are Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall at 417 m (1,370 ft), and Rough Tor at 400 m (1,300 ft). To the south-east Kilmar Tor and Caradon Hill are the most prominent hills. Considerable areas of the moor are poorly drained and form marshes (in hot summers these can dry out). The rest of the moor is mostly rough pasture or overgrown with heather and other low vegetation.

The Moor contains about 500 holdings with around 10,000 beef cows, 55,000 breeding ewes and 1,000 horses and ponies. Most of the moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and has been officially designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as part of Cornwall AONB. On the southern slopes of the moor lies Dozmary Pool. It is Cornwall's only natural inland lake and is glacial in origin. In the 20th century three reservoirs have been constructed on the moor (see Rivers, below).