The Thirlestone on Watern Tor, Dartmoor

Rising above the remote northern moor, the remarkable granite formations of Watern Tor are amongst the most distinctive on Dartmoor.

The Thirlestone is particularly fascinating, its great masses of weathered granite displaying an extraordinary series of closely spaced horizontal joints. From certain angles, the rocks appear almost like enormous slabs carefully stacked one upon another, creating shapes that seem more sculpted than naturally formed.

Photographed in May 2016, I was drawn to the dramatic profile of this particular outcrop. Its uppermost layers project outwards above the hillside, giving the formation an almost wing-like appearance against the pale blue sky.

The low sunlight picks out the intricate textures of the granite, revealing countless cracks, ridges and weathered surfaces. Below, rough grasses and scattered rocks cover the open moorland, while the distant hills provide a quiet backdrop to the imposing stone.

Although the granite appears to be arranged in layers, these are actually natural joints within the rock, gradually widened and exposed through weathering and erosion over immense periods of geological time.

Watern Tor is one of those places that rewards a closer look. Its unusual granite formations have an extraordinary variety of shapes, and simply moving a few steps can reveal an entirely different character.

For me, this photograph captures the remarkable natural architecture of Dartmoor's granite tors, where time and the elements have created something far more fascinating than anything deliberately carved by hand.