dartmoor stone circle walk

The slight differences between the two circles could even be a result of the restoration. FEE: 35 per adult including a coffee and pastry for breakfast to encourage an early start! 29 pp.145-65 (1897) The Nine Stones. The tallest of the stones is over 8 feet high. My walk starts from the Pork Hill car park on the B3357, and heads for Staple Tor with its rock towers, then nearby Roos Tor and across a wild stretch of moorland to the Langstone Moor stone circle. We also recommend bringing personal masks, a pair of disposable gloves, and a personal first aid kit. The stone rows and cairns probably came later and surround the site. Anthropologists and archaeologists use a number of terms to describe periods. 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. The Grey Wethers, Brisworthy and White Moor (Little Hound Tor) circles were all restored and are impressive although they have smaller stones than Scorhill. Hound Tor Walk 8. 19Butler Vol. You will be able to transfer your booking to another walk. Breton, Hugh Beautiful Dartmoor And Its Interesting Antiquities (Forest Publishing, 1990) Newman p. 26 refers to c 4000 BC - 2000 BC. It consists of a large internal hut circle about 12metres in diameter with an oval shaped pound around the outside. Lethbridge p.101, diagram p.99 and p.100.Nearby sites: SX63957319, Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial ComplexOS Map: SX 65829 86196NMR record: SX 68 NE 47HER record: 29944Megalithic Portal: 1259PMD: Shovel Down Stone CircleShort Name: SC Shovel DownButler map: 36.6Turner: G15DPD: 139Dimensions (m): 16Notes: "The remains of an alleged stone circle lie on the gentle NE facing slope of Shovel Down 200m SW of Batworthy Corner. IV (1894), (2010, Kessinger Publishing reprint) The outer ring of Yellowmead is the largest by diameter of these examples with a diameter that approaches 20 metres. In the West Country there are 25 stone circles in Cornwall, 17 in Devon (15 of these on Dartmoor), 5 or 6 in Somerset and 7 in Dorset4. HAZELL SILLVER met archaeologist Andy Crabb to find out more about these Dartmoor National Park is in South West England in the county of Devon. Lethbridge pp.16-18, diagram 16.Nearby sites: SX55367464, Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Scorhill Stone CircleOS Map: SX 65458 87399NMR record: SX 68 NE 26HER record: 6122Megalithic Portal: 540PMD: Scorhill Stone CircleShort Name: SC ScorhillButler map: 38.8Turner: G6DPD: 146Dimensions (m): 27.0Notes: One of the most impressive stone circles on Dartmoor and one of the few that has not been restored. Arc formed by eight stone circles (Sittaford in blue) See also: Map of Dartmoor Stone Circles. The Dartmoor Way is a new 108-mile hiking route that circumnavigates Dartmoor, just within the edges of the national park. The mild hospitable climate of the Bronze Age deteriorated after a few thousand years leaving these areas uninhabited and consequently relatively undisturbed to the present day. Petit (1974) refers to 12 circles (his list presumably excluding Shovel Down & Mardon). This row runs due east-west and is about 260 metres long. Newman, Phil The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor (English Heritage, 2011) The stone circles of Dartmoor are parochial and small in character in contrast to the grand regional circles at Stanton Drew and Avesbury. A number of the ceremonial centres include stone circles, stone rows and cist burials which suggests the stone circles are roughly contemporaneous with the culture that practised cist burials, although many of the cist burials could have been later. The archaeologists define stone circles as being sites which do not contain burials and as such are thought to be purely ritual monuments. Car Sharing - Please car share where possible. Continue up the hill and along the grassy bridle path aiming for the top of the hill ahead of you. Baring-Gould, Sabine, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Browse the best walks in Dartmoor and see interactive maps of the top 20 hiking trails and routes. 4Butler (1997) p.145 This gateway affords panoramic views across the valley to Kestor Rock. 17Baring-Gould Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. 4 p.71 The Nine Maidens . The stone circles of Dartmoor are parochial and small in character in contrast to the grand regional circles at Stanton Drew and Avesbury. It is located 1km from the Grey Wethers and remarkably extends the arc pattern bringing the total to 8 stone circles in the apparent arc (see diagram above and Map of Dartmoor Stone Circles - Sittaford circle marked in blue). Turn left out of the car park and follow the road up towards the village. The remains of 24 stone roundhouses survive here, within a massive boundary wall about 150 metres in diameter. Now continue over the hill walking parallel with the edge of the forest on your left using one of the well-defined paths. The lads of . At this time there was a rapid period of deforestation and grasses and bracken appear in the pollen records indicating a period of deforestation at the tree line. 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. See also: Legendary Dartmoor: Dartmoor's Brisworthy Circle. This stone circle is one of Dartmoors finest: only thirty four stones remain of an original sixty five to seventy, and only twenty five of those are still standing. The later Neolithic period sees the transition from the use of stone tools through to the age of widespread metal working, first the Bronze Age and then the Iron Age. This is a memorial to the Dartmoor author, Harry Starkey. Walk out of Belstone village on the western side, go through the gate and out on to the moor, then make your way towards Belstone Tor. The article can be read on line here: The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England All the stones are quite small but they have recently been excavated by one of the Dartmoor volunteers so they are all quite visible. Thank you. 94-114 (1979) This would suggest Dartmoor was first exploited by humans in the Lower Palaeolithic although the evidence is weak. Perfect. A further 12 recumbent stones lie where they have fallen." Fine examples include the Erme or Stall Moor Circle, The Pulpit (Trowlesworthy Warren E.), the Down Tor Circle (Hingston Hill) and the Ringmoor Down cairn circle and the Hartor cairn circle. There are around seventy six known stone rows and fourteen stone circles on Dartmoor and there are numerous menhirs or standing stones. Fyfe, Ralph M. & Greeves, Tom The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England Antiquity Vol 84, No. The stone circle functioned as a burial chamber, although the cairn has since been robbed and the cist - burial chamber - destroyed. As soon as you enter the trees the path takes you up and slightly to the right past a large moss covered rock. Newman, Phil The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor (English Heritage, 2011) "Nine of the original stones are still standing, plus one larger stone which is incorporated in the remains of the old wall which bisects the western extremity of the circle. This is a low, prehistoric structure close . Sale, Richard Dartmoor the Official National Park Guide (Pevensey Press, 2000) It takes place on the weekend of 9 and 10 June. 30 pp.97-115 (1898) No liability accepted for accidents or incidents. Worth (1953) lists 11 circles but this was prior to the discovery of the Sourton Tors circle in 1966 and does not include Mardon (perhaps not considered on the moor) or Shovel Down although he does refer to it as a "stone circle?" Vol 34 pp.116-7 (1902) Pre-war photos give a sense of how spectacular this site used to be. Vol. See The Disappearing Stone Monuments of Dartmoor T.D.A. There are taller stones at each end. On Dartmoor there are over 60 known stone rows, but the most impressive examples are also the most inaccessible. The walls of this structure are huge, up to 4 metres in width and 2 metres in height, with an entrance made using large slabs. The East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve and Bovey Valley holds many clues and can tell many stories about our ancestors' lives in the area. The remainder of the circles are fragmentary with many of the stones either fallen or long lost as is the case for the Mardon, Buttern Hill, Down Ridge, Sherberton and the Shovel Down circles. 3Burl (1976) (p.8, 11) states that there are over 900 stone circles. The singular feature of this outer circle is that the three stones are of a fine elvan, entirely different from the nature of the stones in the inner circle, with the exception of one, which also is of elvan.". The circle was excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1897. Just a brief walk from the town square lay the moor . Whilst stone circles are not unique to the British Isles the examples in the rest of Europe are typically later and smaller and usually surround burial mounds, the exception being stone circles in Brittany which are similar to those found in the south-west peninsular of England and probably have the same cultural roots2. It is worth a brief detour to turn right here to visit to lovely standing stone known the Three Boys with its parish boundary marks of the Gidleigh Parish (GP) and the Duchy of Cornwall (DC) lands. A cairn lies close to the circle, a heather covered mound about 8.5m across. 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). It would not be difficult to produce accurate circular structures with a peg and a rope yet only the Scorhill, Little Hound Tor and the two Grey Wethers circles are close to being exact circles, the others having the appearance of having been laid out roughly by eye. 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 small sharp microliths were used in arrow heads and as cutting and boring tools to work bone, antlers and leather. Book the best deals of hotels to stay close to Fernworthy Stone Circle with the lowest price guaranteed by Trip.com! Six stones remain upright and another 16 lie roughly in place. Photo by Zoe Lester taken on 04/09/22. Parking is limited on Dartmoor. The Mesolithic is the period between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic or "new" Stone Age. Sacred Crescent Walk - 8 Stone Circles to celebrate Summer Solstice Dartmoor's Daughter - Walks & Nature Connection Experiences on Dartmoor, Devon We use cookies to help us improve, promote, and protect our services. Behind you are fine views away to east Devon. This will lead you up to the impressive double stone rows on the hillside. 5. Trees only remained in the lowland river valleys and peat bogs started to form probably as a direct consequence of this landscape manipulation by humans in the Mesolithic period11. 8.15am for 8.30am walking start at the grassy car parking area near 'Roundy Pound' on the way to Batworthy-In-The-Moor above Chagford. "The remains of a Bronze Age stone circle situated on level ground overlooking the valley of the North Teign River and Whitemoor Marsh. FEE: 25 per adult including taxi/minibus back to start point. 5727 Dartmoor Cir is a 2,136 square foot house on a 7,560 square foot lot with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Dewerstone to Ivybridge on the Dartmoor Way. In 2004 a previously unknown stone row was found on the remote Cut Hill, approximately 4km west of the Grey Wethers. 1Burl (1976) p.11 Continue to Round Pound at SX 664 868 on your left.Round Pound is so impressively built that even the local road has been built in a curve around the outside. 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. The examples of cairn circles mentioned here are those that have commonly been referred to as stone circles and represent the more substantial monuments, there are over 13012 cairns with retaining circles the vast majority of which are less than 10m in diameter (see Cairn Circles). Some of the cairn circles have multiple circles, the best examples being the four-fold cairn circles at Yellowmead and Shovel Down. The footpath is part of the Two Moors Way with the distinctive MW sign on the finger-post indicating the way to Gidleigh and the Mariners Way, another long distance path Mariners Way is an ancient trackway supposed to have taken its name from the sailors who founded it. 9see also NMR SX 68 NE 29 . WHAT TO WEAR/BRING: Sturdy walking boots; warm layers; sunscreen; waterproof jacket and trousers (whatever the forecast); walking poles if you have them;drink/flask and snack or picnic lunch. Around 1 million years ago Britain was connected to the continent and the first humans arrived in Britain. Directions will be forwarded closer to the date. Dartmoor National Park Authority A Guide to the Archaeology of Dartmoor (Matthews-Wright Press, 1978) This stone circle is one of Dartmoor's finest: only thirty four stones remain of an original sixty five to seventy, and only twenty five of those are still standing. ), see also HER MDV4226. Photo: Emily Woodhouse. Stone Circle Walk Dartmoor's Daughter - Walks & Nature Connection Experiences on Dartmoor, Devon We use cookies to help us improve, promote, and protect our services. 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. No liability accepted for accidents or incidents. The other notable excavation was of the Cholwich town stone row and cairn circle carried out in 1964 by George Eogan. White Moor (Little Hound Tor) circle was restored in 1896. The final descent of the day takes down clitter strewn slopes to reach the Tarka Trail near Nine Stones stone circle. By continuing to use the site, you agree to cookies being used. The pollen records show that after the last ice age Dartmoor initially became a heath land and was becoming woodland at around 10,000 years ago (i.e. In addition three pits were also dug; "the whole of these gave the same indications of charcoal - the remnants of fires of wood; in fact, fires seem to have been kindled all over the circle, for every scoop of the pick and shovel displayed charcoal.". A short arc of seven stones remains in position on the south-east of the circle. These are all under a metre in height, and the ring measures about 8 metres in diameter. 4 Beds. 6.20 km. Ascent: 510m. It was discovered in 2009 when reservoir levels were very low and excavated in 2010 by the Time Team. The original restored circle consisted of 16 stones in a 20.9m circle. Gerrard (1997) states there are 18 circles which is 4 more than Butler although he includes the 4-fold cairn circles at Yellowmead and Shoveldown and two other smaller circles which presumably would now be considered to be cairn circles. Source: Barn Hill/Pork Hill car park. 48 pp. If a child with Whooping Cough passed through the stone a cure would also be found. These prehistoric stone circles form an approximate arc. Join us for a virtual walk through Dartmoor stone circles. 01:42. Haytor is the most famous of these rocks. Prijava. Reproduced with kind permission - copyright remains with Zoe.Nearby sites: SX81108316, Dartmoor Resource: Guide to Dartmoor Cists, Extract from Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, Monuments within 4km of Quintins Man Cairn, The Disappearing Stone Monuments of Dartmoor, Report on the Prehistoric Antiquities of Dartmoor, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England, Excavations at the Whitehorse Hill cist, Dartmoor, Legendary Dartmoor: Dartmoor's Brisworthy Circle, Megalithic Portal: Buttern E - Stone Circle, Megalithic Portal: Down Ridge - Stone Circle, Legendary Dartmoor: Dartmoor's Fernworthy Stone, Dartmoor Site: Grey Wethers Double Stone Circle, Dartmoor Site: Langstone Moor Stone Circle, Stone Row & Settlements. The Buttern Hill and Tottiford circles are in valleys where as the Mardon circle is on the summit of a large hill. 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. These fires might have been for cremations or for feasts and celebrations, we can only speculate on this. Worth, R.H. Worth's Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1971), Wessex Archaeology Time Team Report: Tottiford Reservoir, Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results. Prehistoric Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1974) The circle is 26.8m (88 feet) across. Fernworthy Stone Circle Loop from Throwleigh. Karin Murray-Bergquist. The sites featured are archaeological treasures and most are protected by the law, please treat these sites with respect! The Grey Wethers were restored in 1909 by Burnard. Hound Tor - An atmospheric Tor with the remains of a deserted Medieval Village called Hundatora close by and a number of Bronze age hut circles. Park in the carpark opposite Belstone Village Hall - marked 'P' on the OS map at SX621938. 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 circle stands near the confluence of the North Teign River with its tributary the Wallabrook. 15The precise date range for the Neolithic period varies according to different authors. 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 . RISK: Walks and activities are at your own risk. It had only 4 stones standing and 3 prostrate, the remainder having been removed by new-take wall builders. 25, The location of the stone circles varies greatly. Teign Gorge Walk 7. They started to use stone building materials for their settlements and monuments. This would suggest the figure for "true" stone circles is considerably smaller. 117 January 2014. Some of the stone circles seen on the moor are believed to have been for purely ceremonial purposes. Fox, A Excavations at KestorT.D.A Vol. Since the days of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee when hundreds of hut circles and other monuments were excavated in a decade or so of frantic activity only a few Dartmoor monuments have been excavated. Route is dependent on weather conditions and group pace. It is 32m in diameter consisting of recumbent stones of a similiar size to those used in the Grey Wethers. 86 (1953) Dartmoors Daughter has received the Were Good to Go Industry Standard Certificate. The Nine Maidens Stone Circle. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The walks featured are all based on the use of public transport, see Guide to Public Transport. Chambered tombs (or their remains) such as those at Corringdon Ball, Cuckoo Ball and Spinsters Rock (near Drewsteignton) are from this period12. Many of these monuments appear to be associated with nearby settlements and with burial sites. Today the circle is fairly dilapidated. Burnard, Robert, The Disappearing Stone Monuments of Dartmoor T.D.A. Park at Batworthy Corner by the bridge to Batworthy Farm taking care not to obstruct the turning circle for the local school bus. Baring-Gould, Sabine, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Butler points out that reaves constructed later near the circles seemed to make deliberate deviations in their course to ensure that the circles were not included in enclosed land such as at Scorhill and perhaps at Fernworthy (the reave at Fernworthy has been destroyed but the projected path excludes the circle), only the "Grey Wethers pair, Langstone Moor and Little Hound Tor are located some distance from settled areas".26. Britain would have been uninhabited again during a further cold period known as the Loch Lomond Stadial which ended around 10,000 years ago4. Likewise at Hurston ridge the stone row is similarly partially incorporated into an enclosed settlement20. At this point a small detour to our right, along the path will take us to Scorhill stone circle at SX654 873. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A moderate walk with one steep hill taking in woodland, ancient ruins and scenic views Distance: nearly 5 miles (over moorland and road, one . Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "ringmoordown" Flickr tag. Dartmoor Walk- Sheeps Tor, Down Tor, and a Pixie House Adventure. Scorhill Stone Circle. Inside the pound are the remains of several walls connecting between the central hut and the outer wall. Yes Tor And High Willhays Walk 9. 1. After signing off a boat in Dartmouth, they would trek across the peninsula to sign on with another boat at Bideford. It would seem that most major prehistoric settlements on Dartmoor would have had their own monuments just as most villages in the historic period would have a local church, a centre for religious, ceremonial and social gatherings. Hazel, oak and elm appear in the pollen record and by 7000 BC most of Dartmoor is wooded up to tree line at around 1500ft (460 metres) 10 and remained relatively undisturbed woodland until about 5000 BC. Once you have reached the point where a second stone row joins the main row your turn westwards and across the open Shovel Down to take a look at the extensive ruins of the mediaeval settlement remains. These early humans were not Homo sapiens but of the same genus Homo. At the end of the plantation turn left and only a few hundred yards will bring you to Batworthy Corner and your vehicle. During the ice ages the region became unpopulated. Finish time will be approximately 6-7pm depending on our group pace and how long you want to spend in the circles.