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Stall Moor Stone Circle

Stone Circle

Fieldnotes

I approached this wonderfully remote stone circle from the south, parking at the road terminus near Watercombe, to the north east of the small village of Torr. From here it is possible to ascend Stalldown Barrow and take in the, quite frankly, superb stone row which runs north/south along the ridge first of all. There's also a small cairn circle to be found here, too.

The 'Kiss in the Ring' is a good mile or so further on, above and to the north of the confluence of the River Erme and Bledge Brook, the latter having formed a deep gulley which needs to be crossed. The intervening ground between Stalldown Barrow and the circle features an additional cairn well worth seeking out, shown on the 1:25 OS map.

The atmosphere at the circle is incredible, the sense of place absolute, the feeling of peace and calm total. Why, even if you was to meet someone else here chances are they would be a fellow stonehead, since no tourist is ever likely to venture up here in a million years! My guess is that this might be the most remote stone circle in England, even more so that upon White Moor?

As if this wasn't enough, Dartmoor's longest stone row continues northwards from the circle to - according to the map - eventually peter out upon the slopes of Green Hill. I carried on a little further, taking a look at a rather substantial cairn, before returning back to the circle to simply enjoy being within this marvellously evocative landscape.

Note Mr Hamhead's warning, however. This is a rough, tiring walking in good weather. In mist the 'ghostly hounds' affect your sense of direction, so make sure you have a map/compass. Don't take it lightly, please.
GLADMAN Posted by GLADMAN
9th August 2009ce

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