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Quannon Hill

Notes: Also known as Ensworthy or Emsworthy Hill.

Reference:

  • Sandles, T. (undated): Legendary Dartmoor, Gazetteer.

Kennon Hill

A featureless, flat summit to this hill, with a small pile of rocks to locate the top. However, it is one of my most favourite places on Dartmoor. Fabulous views and dropping down the west side you really do feel like you are entering High Dartmoor. The settlement to the south is worth an exploration. I believe that just after WW2 an American pilot ejected from his plane and landed safely on this hill. (RJN)

GPS: Fixed to a height of 479 m on my GPS.

Update: “Legendary Dartmoor has not got this story quite right. Yes, a B17 Flying Fortress did fly over Dartmoor with only one engine working. The date was in fact 23.01.1943, freezing cold and sleeting. The plane was piloted by Oxrider, who told the crew to bale out, one parachutist, navigator Everett Dasher, was amazingly spotted by Monica Alford (my dear mother-in-law) who was riding on Kennon Hill. He had gathered his chute and was setting off towards Princetown. She rescued him and they remained friends until he died. Even more amazingly, Pilot Oxider succeeded in landing the plane in a field (actually two fields) in Starcross, and unbelievably the B17 was repaired on the site in two weeks, and flew off to fly another day.” (Bill Murray, Facebook, Dartmoor 365 Group, conversation about Kennon Hill ‘aircrash’, this information posted there on Sun 8 Feb 2026).