The current condition of many of the Dartmoor stone circles owes much to the work of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee (D.E.C.) Vol. Wray Valley Trail In the case of Shovel Down the excavation of the nearby Roundy Pound showed evidence of iron working and the extensive reave and field system in the area between Shovel Down and Kestor would suggest the area was occupied during the late Bronze Age and through to the Iron Age.21, Whilst specific dating evidence of Dartmoor Stone Circles is lacking there is evidence from other archaeological excavations which might throw some light on the context of the stone circles. 29 pp.145-65 (1897) Both circles have 30 stones. Also known as the Throwleigh circle. It had only 4 stones standing and 3 prostrate, the remainder having been removed by new-take wall builders. The original survey by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee suggested that there might have originally been a secondary concentric circle consisting of elvan rather than granite stones although the evidence for this today is unclear (see Extract from the Second Report of the D.E.C. Gutter Tor 4. Dartmoor Walks & Experiences Dartmoor's Daughter - Walks & Nature Connection Experiences on Dartmoor, Devon We use cookies to help us improve, promote, and protect our services. Rising like lonesome watchtowers, these distinctive landmarks are the goal of popular walks. The Sittaford circle was found by Alan Endacott in 2007. The sites featured are archaeological treasures and most are protected by the law, please treat these sites with respect! Lydford Gorge Walk 3. This stone appears to have been removed from the original circumference, and its height is 1.4m. There are stone rows and cairns close to the Fernworthy, Merrivale, Shovel Down and Tottiford circles. Dartmoors Daughter has received the Were Good to Go Industry Standard Certificate. Continue up the hill and along the grassy bridle path aiming for the top of the hill ahead of you. It would seem likely that most circles were established near population centres and sited to ensure ease of access to the whole community, they probably acted as ritual centres and perhaps also a place for community gatherings much like a local church or town hall. Save. Down Ridge (Hexworthy) was partially excavated in 1904 with charcoal being found "strewn on the floor". Dartmoor is also home to many ancient settlements, including the Iron Age hillfort at Grimspound and the medieval village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The tallest of the stones is over 8 feet high. If you have a cold, flu, cough, temperature or are diagnosed with COVID-19 please do not join the walk. So far we do not even have accurate dating evidence for these monuments although it seems that they are from the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. These are thought to mostly date from the Bronze Age although it is thought that some could be late Neolithic or built on earlier Neolithic sites. FEE: 25 per adult including taxi/minibus back to start point. Stringer, Chris Homo Britannicus - The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain (Penguin, 2006) The Merrivale circle consists of 11 stones which are smaller than those at Fernworthy. The remaining nine stones range in height from 0.3m to 0.75m. Grid Ref: SX663868Nearest postcode is TQ138ET but Sat Nav is unlikely to get you to the exact location (it usually stops about 3/4 mile before the meeting point near the hamlet of Teigncombe) so please follow the directions which will be emailed to participants. 5Petit p.14 The moorland landscape we see today is a direct consequence of this period. No liability accepted for accidents or incidents. Alternative parking is sometimes available further back the road towards round pound at SX663 867 when the boulders blocking the seasonal car park are removed and the ground is hard. Burrator Reservoir Walk 5. Lethbridge pp.139-145, diagram p.139.Nearby sites: SX65838620, OS Map: SX 63017 82814NMR record: HER record: 110432Megalithic Portal: 35327PMD: Sittaford TorShort Name: SC SittafordDimensions (m): 34.0Notes: Discovered by Alan Endacott in 2007 as described in Devon Archaeological Society Newsletter No. 1 miles (1.8 km) This walk visits the Scorhill Stone Circle and the Wallabrook Clapper Bridge in the Teign Valley of Dartmoor . Car Sharing - Please car share where possible. No dating evidence was found but pollen analysis suggested the row and accompanying cairn circle had been built in a forest clearing.24, The exact purpose of stone circles remains unknown. late Neolithic and early Bronze Age (to see both Cut Hill Stone Row and Whitehorse Hill Cist in relation to Grey Wethers, see Monuments within 4km of Grey Wethers or alternatively easier to see via Monuments within 4km of Quintins Man Cairn). In addition there are the multiple cairn circles at Shovel Down and Yellowmead. 19Wessex Archaeology Time Team Report Appendix 2 Radiocarbon Report on Charred Hazelnut Shell p. 37 (2011) Carry on down the other side of the hill along the wide grassy path until you reach a small bridge over a leat. CANCELLATION: The event will go ahead come rain or shine. Thank you. In 2004 a previously unknown stone row was found on the remote Cut Hill, approximately 4km west of the Grey Wethers. Ancient Stone Row From the stone circle continue to walk uphill you will come to the first double stone row. Unfortunately, there is little accurate dating evidence for the monuments on Dartmoor which is largely due to the fact that the necessary organic remains used for dating have not survived in the acid soils. Click here for more information on cookies and our Privacy Notice. Clearly many, if not most, of settlement remains that can be seen today post date the stone rows but it is possible that many of these were built on sites or in localities which had been occupied for generations or even millenia before hand. around 8000 BC). On your right there is a gateway into a field, one of the gateposts is a good example of the old five bar gateways with an upside down L socketed granite post to take the bars from the opposite gatepost prior to the introduction of the modern fivebar gates. Click here for more information on cookies and our Privacy Notice. Fox, A Excavations at KestorT.D.A Vol. Dewerstone to Ivybridge on the Dartmoor Way. The Tolmen Stone is a massive boulder lying on the bed of The River Teign. The path takes you down hill into the woods and continues downhill left at another signpost to the North Teign River, which you cross by way of a wooden footbridge SX671 875. Nearest public toilets are Princetown Visitors Centre. Breton, Henry Hugh, Beautiful Dartmoor And Its Interesting Antiquities, (1990) No. Gerrard, Sandy, English Heritage Book of Dartmoor: Landscapes Through Time, (1997) Only 34 stones remain of the original 65, and only 25 of those are standing . Hound Tor Walk 8. It takes place on the weekend of 9 and 10 June. Some stiles and open moorland to cross. By continuing to use the site, you agree to cookies being used. After crossing the Manga clapper bridge carry on up the slope using the well-worn footpath up to the gateway in the wall on your right. Photo: White Moor (Little Hound Tor) Stone Circle. Walk & Wild Camp Across Dartmoor Three days hiking and wild camping from the southern edge to the northern tip of Dartmoor National Park. These areas would rapidly become infertile and would be abandoned to re-grow. Many of the stone rows on Dartmoor lead to a cairn circle and not all of these obviously include a cairn, again these are not considered to be proper stone circles. A low rubble bank surrounds the circle which can be seen on LIDAR data. Sale, Richard Dartmoor the Official National Park Guide (Pevensey Press, 2000) Barn Hill/Pork Hill car park. 29 pp.145-65 (1897) 1. Before the restoration only 4 stones remained standing, a limited excavation found evidence of charcoal. The path takes you through the woods to an open clearing and vehicle turning area where the footpath sign indicates your way to a lane under some large Beech trees. Dartmoor National Park is the area within the Datrmoor National Park boundary. Thanks to Simon Dell of Moorland Guides for this walk. At the time only 9 stones remained standing in the north circle and 7 in the south circle. Sit by the open fire and enjoy some renowned Dartmoor . The Scorhill, Brisworthy circles are located near rivers but others such as the Mardon circle are nowhere near a river. Two Dartmoor National Park Authority stonemasons are recutting the lettering on the Ten Commandments Stone at Buckland Beacon, a well-known landmark. LEVEL: Moderate - approximately 7 miles or 11 km in open and hilly moorland terrain. Group size is limited so pre-booking is essential. Source: There are two massive megaliths one of which is on the north-western part of the circle. According to R.N. The charcoal deposits in the soil of this period provide evidence that Dartmoor was deforested due to fire. "situated on a gentle north facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Dart. Dartmoor's Daughter: Dartmoor stone circles - See 335 traveler reviews, 164 candid photos, and great deals for Dartmoor National Park, UK, at Tripadvisor. It was actually discovered back in 2007 by Alan Endacott, but the hard work of unearthing the stones (by the Dartmoor Preservation Association volunteers) was carried out in April 2015. Dartmoor is home to an impressive number of stone circles and rows. The Dartmoor stone circles are mostly of a similar local character and do not include characteristics such as central pillars found in some of the circles in Cornwall such as Boscawen-Un. Take a look at the circular walks you can do here. Head back round Batworthy Corner to take a look at the Round Pound. 7Gerrard p. 26 Take the left fork where the modern standing stone . In terms of funerary practise it should be pointed out that cists often have cremation remains and they are widely distributed, often very distant from stone circles, although they could reflect later cultural practise. Typically cairn circles on Dartmoor are much smaller in size with very few having diameters greater than 20 metres. Worth, R.H. Worth's Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1971), Wessex Archaeology Time Team Report: Tottiford Reservoir, Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results. 27-86 (1990) (1964) 1Stringer 2006, see also First humans arrived in Britain 250,000 years earlier than thought and The first Britons At the sharp left bend in front of Cherryford House turn right to Scorhill and carry on up the hill under the trees to the end of the lane at he vehicle turning area and the gateway that leads out onto Scorhill Down and the open moors at SX660 877. The climate on the moor can be unforgiving, so the centre of the site is often flooded and boggy. 3 Baths. 01:42. Later Neolithic farmers were more proficient in agriculture and started deliberately clearing large areas of forest for agricultural use. Thank you. Chambered tombs (or their remains) such as those at Corringdon Ball, Cuckoo Ball and Spinsters Rock (near Drewsteignton) are from this period12. It is clear that many settlements were built long after nearby stone rows, for example the enclosures known as Erme Pound Rings were built with total disregard for the Hook Lake double stone row which is partially incorporated into one of the enclosure walls19. We have found that circular walks are the most well-loved, so here we have a large number for you to choose from! The stone circles and many, if not most, of the stone rows would have been constructed long before this period of settlement. DISTANCE: 4.5 miles (medium difficulty) Circle consists of 30 recumbent stones and has a diameter of 32m. Around 1700BC there was a major influx of settlers into Dartmoor. The Sourton Tors circle consists of 32 stones all but 6 of which remain were they have fallen. These early farmers are thought to have used wooden shelters and no evidence remains of their settlements. Grey Wethers had a partial excavation in 1898 which uncovered remains of charcoal. The two close-set NE stones display smaller packing stones in the erosion hollows at their bases. Behind you are fine views away to east Devon. 4Newman p.24 Directions will be forwarded closer to the date. These fires might have been for cremations or for feasts and celebrations, we can only speculate on this. 1014 Dartmoor Pl. The circle was excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1897. It is now a boundary marker. Particularly fine examples include the Nine Stones on Belstone Common, the Soussons Common cairn circle and a fine cairn circle on Mardon Down. Anthropologists and archaeologists use a number of terms to describe periods. 7Worth (1953) On Shoveldown see p. 221, on stone circles see pp.248-264 At the next signpost you turn left up into the trees, signposted Mariners Way. Many appear to have been located to give the most impressive vista on approach, the Buttern Hill circle would have been silhouetted on the skyline when approached from the south, on the other hand the Little Hound Tor circle when approached from the west only comes to view at a distance of 100m. 37 pp. Just a brief walk from the town square lay the moor . There are claims that stone rows such as those at Hingstone Hill (Down Tor) and Merrivale17 may have alignments to sunrise in mid-summer and mid-winter although the overwhelming evidence is that there are no such astronomical alignments for most Dartmoor rows and it maybe that the claimed alignments are nothing more than accidental18. There are two find examples of the slotted five bar gateposts at this farm. Turn right down the lane towards Gidleigh. It's believed that there may have been around 40 stones here once, but now only 16 remain. On Dartmoor there are over 60 known stone rows, but the most impressive examples are also the most inaccessible. There are many double and a few triple stone rows on Dartmoor. Ascent: 510m. The gate is locked but there is a stile here and as you climb it you will see, ahead of you over the fields, the tower of Gidleigh Church. At sunrise around the summer solstice the shadows of the stones leading to the cairn circle are cast back from one stone to the next along the length of the row. In poor visibility, especially on the Teignhead section of this walk a map and compass is essential. Dartmoor has long been known for the richness of its prehistoric heritage; stone circles, hut circles, massive burial cairns, and stone rows all pepper the landscape. The monuments were probably built over a long period of time in the Bronze Age, between 2500BC and 1000BC (From a safety perspective, this offers additional protection against Covid-19 if there were to be an accident and first aid is required by me or the rescue teams. The Dartmoor Walks website suggests a few walks for those interested in visiting the ancient settlements and antiquities such as stone rows and stone circles on Dartmoor. WHAT TO WEAR/BRING: Sturdy hiking boots with gaiters if you have them (there are two wet/boggy areas to walk through); plenty of warm layers including hat and gloves; waterproof jacket and trousers (whatever the forecast); drinks/hot flask, snacks, picnic lunch; and head torch.Dogs - By arrangement only please. 117 January 2014. Vol 24 (1894) p.303-4. 16Baring-Gould, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Socket holes were found at Merrivale: "The outlying stone to the east of the circle and the two 0.3m deep pits survive in situ; they may represent the remains of a second, concentric, stone circle". 537 views, 53 likes, 9 loves, 4 comments, 3 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Dartmoor Magazine: A deserted Scorhill stone circle on #Dartmoor, visited on a great 10-mile circular walk today. 17For a discussion of Down Tor and Merrivale and their solar alignments at the solstices, see Walker Dartmoor Sun and Brian Byng's Dartmoor's Mysterious Megaliths. The outer ring of Yellowmead is the largest by diameter of these examples with a diameter that approaches 20 metres. Rambles on Dartmoor: Moor-Walking for the Geographically Impaired. These are great books for anyone who enjoys a good walk, Dartmoor is one of the last wild places in the UK, and I highly recommend these books for anyone who . Near the base of the Tor you will see a stone circle or cairn erected to surround a round burial barrow from the Bronze Age, or kistvaen, as they are named on Dartmoor. A recently discovered stone row on Cut Hill has been found to be embedded in peat that has been accurately carbon dated to 3500 BC, around a 1000 years before Stonehenge13. Many of these monuments appear to be associated with nearby settlements and with burial sites. Dartmoor Walk- Sheeps Tor, Down Tor, and a Pixie House Adventure. The route goes up Sheeps Tor, and Down Tor, and then snakes it's way back through some wooded areas along Devonport Leat. The remains of 24 stone roundhouses survive here, within a massive boundary wall about 150 metres in diameter. Staldon stone row. Route is dependent on weather conditions and group pace. Sacred Crescent Walk - 8 Stone Circles in a day Dartmoor's Daughter - Walks & Nature Connection Experiences on Dartmoor, Devon We use cookies to help us improve, promote, and protect our services. For a photo of this site, see: Megalithic Portal: Buttern E - Stone CircleNearby sites: SX64958848, OS Map: SX 65516 72084NMR record: SX 67 SE 64HER record: 6400Megalithic Portal: 863PMD: Down Ridge Stone CircleShort Name: SC DownRidgeTurner: G9DPD: 92Dimensions (m): 25.0Notes: Also known as Hexworthy Circle. It is formed by eleven stones spaced between 2.7m and 6.7m. It gave way after the last ice age, around 12 thousand years ago, to a gradual move towards farming - the Mesolithic or middle stone age period. There are taller stones at each end. 90 m. 90 m. Easy hike. The article can be read on line here: The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England We also recommend bringing personal masks, a pair of disposable gloves, and a personal first aid kit. LEVEL: Strenuous. Here you can pick up a footpath along the River Teign Walk and follow it south west up to the stone circle on Scorhill Down. These rows, some of which have little cairn-circles at their higher ends, are still an enigma: no one knows for sure why they were built. FEE: 35 per adult including a coffee and pastry for breakfast to encourage an early start! 14Gerrard p.37 The well defined path continues over the hill with views to the right of Cosdon Beacon, the wall drops away to the left but we carry on up the hill over the down. In the 1970s a new dimension was added, with the recognition that the long-ignored reaves (ruined walls) are also prehistoric; Dartmoor now posed all sorts of questions about the . A cairn lies close to the circle, a heather covered mound about 8.5m across. This gateway affords panoramic views across the valley to Kestor Rock. The day-to-day life and culture of prehistoric peoples would have remained lttle changed from the late Neolithic through to the early Bronze Age. For example, another recent excavation in August 2011 of a cist at Whitehorse Hill, just over 3km north-west of Grey Wethers, results in an estimated "date between the 19th and 17th century BC"23 which fits in more with the generally accepted time frame of Dartmoor monuments i.e. 18Breton (1990) Part 1, pp.51-2 This year's two-day walk is an almost entirely new route, this time going from north to south and covering some of the most interesting and atmospheric parts of the moor. Thank you. The Tottiford circle was discovered in 2009 when there was lower than usual levels of water in Tottiford reservoir; it featured as part of a Time Team dig in 2010. Browse the best walks in Dartmoor and see interactive maps of the top 20 hiking trails and routes. By continuing to use the site, you agree to cookies being used. to 0.5m. Perfect. This excludes the numerous cairn circles and hut circles on Dartmoor. Once over the bridge you enter an oak wood where many of the trees have ferns growing out of their boughs. At the end of the plantation turn left and only a few hundred yards will bring you to Batworthy Corner and your vehicle. 10White p. 4 Photo by Zoe Lester taken on 04/09/22. SITES OF INTEREST: Mardon Down Stone Circle & Cairns PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Exeter to Moretonhampstead via Dunsford (Country Bus 359) runs Monday to Saturday.
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