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Scubi's World Tour of Dartmoor
| Visited Dartmoor on August Bank Holiday 2009, the weather wasn't great but was said to improve as the day went on. First visited Spinster's Rock as I had a friend with me and wanted to impress them with a visually stunning piece of prehistoric workmanship, and they were. This is actually on Dartmoor but I think it is within the national park. I have visited this site a few times and always without fail miss the little turning that leads up to the farm. There is a little lay-by with a sign pointing the way to the dolman so it's dead easy to find. In the past there have been a pony's or donkey in the field but not today. The dolman sits close to the hedge so you have to go right into the field before you see it. Standing on three uprights, it is large enough for somebody of my limited height to easily walk under. After spending a little time at Spinster's Rock we headed for the moor. After a very long and tortuous drive and having to negotiate some bridges barely wide enough to get my car through we arrived at Batworthy farm where there was a small area onto which you easily get 4-5 cars. The hill fog was dense quite (about 100m) thick and there was a little light rain and a lot of wind but undaunted we put on our wet weather stuff and set forth. As we climbed the fog thickened and rather mystically a horse and ram appeared from the gloom, stared at us for a short time and then scurried up away back into the fog. We were following the tree line on our right which at this point had stopped and almost double backs on itself. At this point we could continue to follow the trees towards Scorhill or continue straight out Southwards and onto the moor towards Shoveldown. As we had both a map and compass we headed for the moor. As we went forth we kept our eyes out for the rows. I had not been here before so I wasn't sure what to look for exactly and the fog didn't help as it made everything in the distance look like a possibility. However as we continued it became obvious as we picked up the end of a perfectly straight double row of small stones. This was my first view of the Dartmoor stone rows and I was quite impressed with how neat and straight and parallel the stone rows were. As we walk further on the row was interrupted by two large fallen stones and what at first looked like a jumble of smaller stones. However on close inspection this jumble was a series of concentric but incomplete rings. On the western side was another Stone row which seemed longer and more complete, disappearing southwards into the now quite thick fog. My map and TMA notes showed a Standing stone farther south and as I was sure of my bearings we continued on. The stone row petered out with the odd stones or group of stones appearing as we went. Eventually we found the standing stone and quite impressive and somewhat eyrie in the bellowing mist. At a guess I would say it was about 10ft tall and had a series of packing stones around the bottom which is usual and seen at most places I have visited. Another site mention was the Three Boys which was supposed to be close by. We decided to have a quick scout around in the fog but were careful not to wander too far off the path. Unfortunately we didn't find anything and decided we would go back to the original tree line via the rows and find our way to Scorhill. As we headed NW along side the wall and trees we were stunned by the numbers of large stones. We also found what I thought might be a cairn with a stone lined cist in the centre but which isn't marked on the OS map. Eventually we found our way to the Teign which had an impressive flow. I could see the Tolman on the other side but there was no way to cross here. We head up river and found the stone clapper bridge and made our way across. We had a quick look at the Tolman but I wasn't up for passing through it as one slip and I would be up to my arse in cold fast flowing water. We headed up the hill and eventually came to a clear path. The fog was still too thick to see any great distance but after a short while we found Scorhill stone circle. This was very impressive and quite atmospheric in these conditions. There is one tall stone about twice the height of the rest that has quite an unusual shape; one angle reminding me of a big foot for some reason. There are a couple of fallen stones, one with a series of holes in it that I assume were some sort of attempt to split it. This particular circle appears on the opening credits of the BBC Countryfile program and on which I thought the stones looked bigger but the circle looks smaller. We contemplated walking further on to Buttern Hill and White Moor but I was unsure of the weather and reluctantly decided to go elsewhere. As I walked back to the car I thought to myself this was definitely a place to revisit on a clearer day. We drove through the windy lanes, over the narrow bridges and around the reservoir eventually after what seemed like miles, ending up at a little parking area at the end of the road. I calculated that Fernworthy was a short walk up the metalled bridleway to the west. After about 10 minutes the fur trees cleared and the tops of the stones could just be seen above the long grass. Unfortunately there were a group of people in the circle taking various measurements, so it was difficult to get a complete photo without somebody in the shot. We went for a quick walk about to try and find the slotted stones mentioned on the Standing-With-Stones DVD. However the surrounding land was quite boggy and very wet plus there was a lot of overgrowth about and I didn't know exactly where these stones were. After a period of time we gave up looking and returned to the circle. The people were still there, but we had a bit of a chat with them and apparently were carrying out a survey as part of a course assignment. I gave them a pointer as to where else they could look or as questions about the circle (including TMA of course). I took a few more photo's including the stone rows and we left for the car. Just at that moment the whole site was suddenly covered in a thick veil of cloud that had rolled in. We were going to go to Greywethers but again due to the weather we decided to go else where and returned to the car. Are next visit was somewhere I had visited for years and was determined to go to on the excursion to Dartmoor. As we drove down the hill I could see the stone rows on the hill to my left. The fog had cleared and this sight and knowing what was waiting made my mind begin to race. We parked at a car park just before Merrivale village and almost falling out of the car in the rush I grabbed my bag and headed off up the gentle(ish) slope. We approach the first stone row and it was good to see it without the mist. Having only the ones at Shoveldown to compare to this one, it felt longer if not straighter. However, wanting to see the whole area first, we preceded along and over a small brook that winds its way between both the rows and seemed to have some sort of meaning. I am not sure if this was significant (or even existed) when the rows were constructed but it seems to fit in with the rest of the environment very nicely. The second stone row is a little more impressive with more shape and additional features on and about it. The central cist being one of these features and is quite small but sits right in between the double stone row. Also around the middle section but off to one side is the much larger cist with the large broken stone on top. When we were there it was full of water and you risked getting your hair wet if you dared stick your head inside. From this cist it is possible to see both the stone circle and the tall outlier further on. I must admit to not being overly impressed with the stone circle but this was not the case with the outlier. It reminded me so much of Long Meg and I almost expected to see spirals and shaped carved upon it. A little way to the east was a fallen stone that looked like it could be a smaller version of the other. There was a small circular group of stones and I did wonder whether this smaller (not so) standing stone was once standing in this position. We walked back round to the other end of the rows to take some pictures and noticed another standing stone a short way away we walked over to it just as a cow and calf decided to use it as a rubbing post. Maybe this was really a rubbing stone I am not sure but again over towards the hill in the east (the one with the mast on it) was yet another standing stone. This place is truly a little Mecca for stones and well worth a visit especially on such a fine day. Loads of photo's later we returned to the car for our final visit of the day. After another dart across country we drove through Sheepstor and along a small lane then track towards the youth hostel. At the end of the track we found the small car park absolutely full with vans and cars. Eventually we squeezed in between two vehicles but had to leave the car jutting out due to a small grassy bank I thought to myself that if others have driven this far then they won't mind swerving around a car or two. A quick check of the map and we headed off northward towards the moor. Well the descriptions of it being somewhat damp under foot were not in exaggerations as in some parts my leg would disappear to the knee in a mossy water filled hole. Trying to keep your eye on both the horizon and where you feet were proving very difficult and resulted in a very hard going 'walk'. After about 100 meters things started to improve a little and it became easier to spot the less wet bits and better concentration what was around us as it had been said this site was easily missed. A small ridge with a stream below it ran along to our left heading north so in the hope that it would be dryer and better to see we headed for that. I took a bearing on Sheepstor and Combshead and was able to guesstimate the rough area of Yellowmead circle. At first we found a couple of cairns which was great as the map showed that we were in the right area but we couldn't see the circle. We spread out a bit and suddenly my friend called out 'is that it?' Just above the vegetation the tops of a number of stones could be seen back towards the road. It looked bigger (taller) than I imagined we made our way over but as we arrived it was obvious that the circle was slightly raised from where we were. However it was absolutely wonderful. It reminded me of the concentric rings we had seen at Shoveldown earlier but the rings were more obvious. This was a lovely site in a good backdrop (Sheepstor) and well worth the visit. The sun had gone back in now but I managed to get a few good photo's nonetheless. We made our way back to the car but this time following the edge of the field between the circle and the track. When I return this will be the easy way of finding it. Just follow the field boundary on the left from the parking area. After a while it will head west after about 100 meters head north again and you should be able to see the circle after a few minutes. Well that is all from our little journey around Dartmoor. Like I always say after these things…I will be back. |
Posted by scubi6311th September 2009ce scubi63's TMA Blog
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I really enjoyed reading that, quite a lot to take in so I will read it again. Someone I know who lives down that way sent me a Spinster's Rock link earlier in the summer - some interesting folklore attached to it. My over-riding impression was that I was glad you had a friend with you. It sounds more than a bit hazardous to do a trip like that alone "in some parts my leg would disappear to the knee in a mossy water filled hole." bw june |
Posted by tjj14th September 2009ce |
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