These small sharp microliths were used in arrow heads and as cutting and boring tools to work bone, antlers and leather. The Tolmen Stone is a massive boulder lying on the bed of The River Teign. 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. But it was worth it. Stringer, Chris Homo Britannicus - The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain (Penguin, 2006) 20Gerrard p.25, Baring-Gould, S A Book of Dartmoor (Halsgrove, 2002) 17Baring-Gould Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. It is about 1km from the Grey Wethers which are to the ENE. Lethbridge p14, diagram p13.Nearby sites: SX55647820, Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Little Hound Tor Stone CircleOS Map: SX 63285 89611NMR record: SX 68 NW 2HER record: 4374Megalithic Portal: 528PMD: White Moor Stone CircleShort Name: SC White MoorTurner: G11DPD: 154Dimensions (m): 20.2Notes: The circle is in good condition today but only 13 stones remained standing when the Dartmoor Exploration Committee re-erected 5 of the stones in 1896. Some cairn circles are found terminating stone rows, good examples being those found at Down Tor and the 2 mile long double stone row on the Erme plain. Burl8 (1976) and Turner (1990) both list around 30-40 circles but these listings include sites which are now considered to be cairn circles (see Turner Stone Circles). Once you have visited the Tree Boys stone you carry on up to Kestor Rock where on the summit you will find an example of one of the finest Rock Basins (or Pans) on Dartmoor. 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 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. The Legend of Grey Wethers On the south eastern slopes of Sittaford Tor, are two broken stone circles formed of thirty rough blocks of granite. 2Burl (1976) p.20-1 Later Neolithic farmers were more proficient in agriculture and started deliberately clearing large areas of forest for agricultural use. The Buttern Hill and Tottiford circles are in valleys where as the Mardon circle is on the summit of a large hill. Two cart tracks run right through the ring, making its appearance even more impressive. The lads of . The generally accepted number of stone circles on Dartmoor is 16 including the one discovered in 2009 under Tottiford reservoir (see table below) and the newly reported Sittaford stone circle. Newman p. 26 refers to c 4000 BC - 2000 BC. Britain would have been uninhabited again during a further cold period known as the Loch Lomond Stadial which ended around 10,000 years ago4. (Red route: 5-mile deviation) By turning off early and going straight to Oke Tor, returning the same way . 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). 1Burl (1976) p.11 After the Church continue along the lane to a T junction where you turn left signposted to Scorhill and Creaber. Lethbridge p.34-35. 18Breton (1990) Part 1, pp.51-2 Baring-Gould, Sabine, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Today the circle is fairly dilapidated. in a discussion about the rows on Shovel Down7. Some of the cairn circles have multiple circles, the best examples being the four-fold cairn circles at Yellowmead and Shovel Down. In 2004 a previously unknown stone row was found on the remote Cut Hill, approximately 4km west of the Grey Wethers. Apparently "wether" is an old English name for sheep and legend has it that a drunken farmer leaving the Warren House Inn was persuaded that the Grey Wethers were a desirable flock for sale! 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. This leads to the lane taking you to the ruinous Manga Farm, well worth a visit. 20Newman (2011) p.25, Gerrard (1997) p.24 The walk covers a lot of moorland and prehistory and provides some awesome views. Newman points out that specifying a precise time period is misleading since the practices that define the Neolithic period varies in "their occurence, intensity and chronology depending on what region of Britain, or indeed of europe, one examines". Hound Tor Walk 8. The Stone Age is seen as spanning the Palaeolithic, the Mesolithic and the early Neolithic periods. 27-86 (1990) Park at Batworthy Corner by the bridge to Batworthy Farm taking care not to obstruct the turning circle for the local school bus. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Today only 3 stones remain intact with 10 having been destroyed and the rest overturned during World War Two. 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.". 12See for example; Worth, Petit, Gerrard, Butler, Newman 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. The dig did not find specific dating evidence for the stone circle but it appeared as part of a ceremonial complex of other monuments including a double stone row which appeared to lead to a large mound. There's fascinating geology, a variety of wildlife and a number of granite tors there's so much to see. 10Butler (1997) p.145 Vol 24 (1894) p.303-4. The remaining nine stones range in height from 0.3m to 0.75m. It's a double stone row separated by a leat which is 263 metres long. 19Wessex Archaeology Time Team Report Appendix 2 Radiocarbon Report on Charred Hazelnut Shell p. 37 (2011) The Neolithic famers were more permanently settled than their Mesolithic predecessors. The two close-set NE stones display smaller packing stones in the erosion hollows at their bases. 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. The White Moor stone lies 160m to the SE of the circle and it is thought to be contemporary with the circle but probably out of position having been re-erected at some point. The lane follows the woods on your left and open farmland on your right until you reach a gateway leading out onto a tarmac lane. There are two find examples of the slotted five bar gateposts at this farm. It is possible that these stones constitute the remains of a stone circle however, no such feature is noted in the antiquarian records so it must remain a doubtful site". Some of the stone circles seen on the moor are believed to have been for purely ceremonial purposes. Vol. Thank you. Only 34 stones remain of the original 65, and only 25 of those are standing . Grey Wethers had a partial excavation in 1898 which uncovered remains of charcoal. The largest by diameter are the Mardon Down stone circle (38.2 m) and the Grey Wethers (North 32.2 & South 33.6), the smallest are the Shovel Down (17.7 m) and Merrivale (19 m) circles. 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. No. Behind you are fine views away to east Devon. 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 prehistoric stone circles form an approximate arc. These settlers were responsible for the remarkable construction of the widespread and systematic field boundaries known as reaves. This stone appears to have been removed from the original circumference, and its height is 1.4m. Great for any fitness level. Before You Go. There are many great guides to walking on Dartmoor, many include descriptions of these sites, but it is difficult to find guides specifically for those wanting to visit these sites. As you stand at the clapper there is a small boulder only a few yards away from the bridge that has a cross inscribed on it and a few worn words. IV (1894), (2010, Kessinger Publishing reprint) 18See, Emmett, D.D., Stone rows: the traditional view reconsidered, D.A.S.P. Book the best deals of hotels to stay close to Fernworthy Stone Circle with the lowest price guaranteed by Trip.com! FEE: 35 per adult including a coffee and pastry for breakfast to encourage an early start! Join us for a virtual walk through Dartmoor stone circles. This 5.5 mile circular walk takes you from the village of Belstone, past intriguing Irish Man's Wall, over the hill and across a ford to Taw Plain. A further 12 recumbent stones lie where they have fallen." A low rubble bank surrounds the circle which can be seen on LIDAR data. During the ice ages the region became unpopulated. Three upright stones, between 0.3m and 0.75m high, are visible. 14Bate (1872), see Report on the Prehistoric Antiquities of Dartmoor Suitable for all skill levels. 16Baring-Gould, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. 15Burnard (1894) pp. This excludes the numerous cairn circles and hut circles on Dartmoor. For a photo of this site, see: Megalithic Portal: Sourton Tors Stone CircleNearby sites: SX54688959, OS Map: SX 81095 83161NMR record: HER record: 102539Megalithic Portal: 24205PMD: Tottiford ReservoirShort Name: SC:TottifordDimensions (m): 25.0Notes: 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. Buy Searching For Stone Circles: On Dartmoor (North) by B, Miss Helen Louise (ISBN: 9798576157488) from Amazon's Book Store. Worth, R.H. Worth's Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1971), Wessex Archaeology Time Team Report: Tottiford Reservoir, Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results. Butler, Jeremy Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities five volumes (Devon Books, 1994) Newman, Phil The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor (English Heritage, 2011) Route is dependent on weather conditions and group pace. The Dartmoor stone circles are around 20-40 metres in diameter and typically consist of small stones enclosing a flat interior located on very gently inclined slopes. The archaeologists define stone circles as being sites which do not contain burials and as such are thought to be purely ritual monuments. 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. The tallest of the stones is over 8 feet high. 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 six-mile walking route to the summit of White Tor in Dartmoor National Park. There are around 500014 'hut circles' on Dartmoor and it is estimated that the population on the moor would have been around 10,000 at its peak. Scorhill Circle is arguably the most impressive stone circle having the largest stones, one of which is over 8 feet in height. Dartmoor National Park Authority A Guide to the Archaeology of Dartmoor (Matthews-Wright Press, 1978) Two settlements are thought to be early Neolithic, these are found on the hilltops of White Tor and Dewerstone. It is now a boundary marker. Walk through an ancient and ritual Dartmoor landscape. Dartmoor Walks This wonderful National Park in south Devon is a haven for walkers with miles waymarked trails. 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. We will stop and spend time at each stone circle (as well as the Whitehorse Hill burial chamber of the Bronze Age Tin Priestess/Princess) for anywhere between 10-20 minutes each depending on our pace. 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. Dewerstone to Ivybridge on the Dartmoor Way. 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. They are known as Grey Wethers as, it is said. These early farmers are thought to have used wooden shelters and no evidence remains of their settlements. 11Gerrard p.25 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. 30 pp.97-115 (1898) RISK: Walks and activities are at your own risk.
dartmoor stone circle walk