High Willhays hard to explain. High Willhays is near the northwestern edge of Dartmoor, about south east of Meldon Reservoir and about south of the town of Okehampton. Although it is the highest point of the moor, it is relatively insignificant in comparison to most of the moor's tors, consisting of no more than a few low outcrops of rock along a north-south ridge. The largest outcrop is crowned with a cairn. The more impressive, but slightly lower, Yes Tor is about north along this ridge, which is known as "the roof of Devon". High Willhays and Yes Tor are the only
High Willhays England south of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales, but since then surveys have shown that Kinder Scout is also higher (albeit less prominent). The geology of High Willhays, like most of Dartmoor, consists of granite intruded about 280 million years ago. However High Willhays is in an area of the northern plateau of the moor where the exposed rock has noticeably fewer of the large feldspar megacrysts that are typical of most of Dartmoor's tors. Each of the outcrops displays lamellar bedding. High Willhays is within one of Dartmoor's Danger Zones, areas used periodically by the British Army for exercises.