Latest Fieldnotes

The cairn at Thornworthy Down sits on the south side only a few metres from the edge of Fernworthy Reservoir.When it was excavated in the 1870’s it was found to contain two kists,the one in the photo in the centre and a smaller one on the southern side.The smaller one was removed and placed on display in the Torquay museum where it remained until 2004 when it was taken to the High Moorland Centre at Princetown.

I lived here for almost ten years. It was a brand new housing development , in the early 70’s and during the building several Bronze Age and Neolithic sites were found. They are well documented in the Society of Antiquarians in the National Museum of Scotland. Anyway, we had one of the first houses opened and two gardens down they found a cist burial and a cremation burial with an alter type structure. I was lucky enough to watch the excavation as an 11 year old. The whole area is dotted with burials and structures, many destroyed by farming or building. The menhir was well used by us kids as a play area. In some ways I’m glad it was/is still used. The burials were beaker people, with a pot ,a dagger and some jet beads. Fife is a very rich site for standing stones, burials and possible temples. The area is called Standing Stone Walk. The skeleton and artefacts are hels and displayed in Dunfermline Museum, which sadly the last time I visited was only open by appointment.

This beautiful tomb is situated at the top of a small hill between Torr Head & Fair Head (D21284063) It is a complex site (to me anyway!) but there appears to be a ?court tomb at the centre of what must have been an extensive cirular cairn. The views to Rathlin and the Mull of Kintyre are spectacular, although somewhat spoiled by the adjacent antennae! On the plus side, the proximity to these structures makes locating the monument much easier.

Edited: Research at the Dept of Heritage suggests it is a passage tomb. The cairn kerb is 19.5m N/S by 20.7m E/W. The chamber is 1.8m by 1.15m.

The pound at Dunnabridge has been in use for many thousands of years.The walls which can be seen now are around two metres tall and are built on the remains of a prehistoric Pound which are still visible.
It is easily accessible as it is right beside the B3357 not far east of Two Bridges.The so called Judges Chair is just inside to the left.It is said that it was brought down from the Stannery Parliament on Crocken Tor.

The Willings Walls Reave runs from Spanish Lake in a northerly direction to Hentor Brook.There is a medieval long house built very close on the left side just down hill from where the photo was taken.There are a number of reaves in the area,the Rook Reave which runs south from Shell Top,the Cholwichtown Reave which runs north west from the centre Rook Reave to Spanish Lake and the Penn Moor Reave which runs east from the centre of Rook Reave.
The area can be easily reached by walking from Cadover Bridge to Little Trowlesworthy Tor then go east to the area.

This cup marked stone stands in the east wall of Long Plantation approximatly 300 metres north of the B3357.It is one of only three found on Dartmoor.There are 14 cups on the face, which for some reason has the number 81 painted on it as you see it today but with a closer look I think the stone is upside down from when it was painted.Check the way the paint has run on the bottom of the numbers.

In 1975 the OS said , of this stone ,“It was difficult to know whether these rather poor cup-like markings are due to weathering or are genuine weathered cup marks ” . nae doots here . Access to this stone is easy if you can find a parking place . A track to the W. of the golf club follows the Tullypowrie Burn ,about 1/4mile S. of Tullypowrie farm there is a gap in the dyke to the West ,one of the foundation stones , under moss, is the stone .

The photo I’ve posted is of the most upright of the two stones still standing on four stones hill. The view over Haweswater on a seemingly beautiful February morning only lasted a few moments before a heavy downpour crept over the hills and greyed the whole thing out. Part of a well worthwhile circular walk along the north shore of Haweswater and then up the hillside by the side of a waterfall, along the tops to the standing stones site and then back down to Burnhead where we started.

This site is a Scheduled ancient Monument with evidence of Paaeolithic Settlement. Nestled high in the Crag with great views across the bay.

Directions.

Head out of Warton down Sand Laneand onto New Road. Go past the Caravan park and at your first major bend in the road after the park youll see a layby to your right park there and its directly above you in the Crag.

There is a large settlement to the east of the Yealm and to the north of the Ranny Brook.It has around sixty houses associated with it either inside or around it.The settlement is still in good condition as it is well within the moor so has not had much damage other than by the tinners who have cut two leats through it.
As I said it is well into the moor so is not that accessible.The best way is to park near to the water works at SX 630612 and walk across the moor in a north north westerly direction.The settlement will become clear on the side of the hill as you go over Stall Moor.

There is a very good settlement at Yes Tor Bottom.It is close to the Yes Tor Brook, from where it gets its name.There are a number of houses in the enclosure and in the near vicinity.It is best accessed from the disused Princetown railway track,either by walking from Princetown and going south [down hill] just before the branch for Swell Tor Quarry or by walking over Leeden Tor to the railway line then going east past Ingra Tor until you come to the bridge over the Yes Tor Brook. Cross the brook and after a hundred metres or so head north east to the settlement which will be visible on the hillside in front of you.

There are a 10 cairns on Wigford Down, six on the summit,seven running down the east side towards Cadover Bridge near to some disused clay pits and one single cairn and kist to the south west near to a field wall.There is also the remains of Bronze Age field systems and huts along with a reave all taken up in the Medieval farms and fields and the remains of two Long Houses.To the north,down the hill there are also remains of tinning in the area.There is a tinners’ gully along with a reservoir and some leats.It is a good place to spend a few hours wandering around taking in all there is to see left by many millennia of occupation.
It is easy to access by parking to the north side of Cadover Bridge and walking in a north easterly direction to the summit from where there is an excellent view of the surrounding antiquities and further afield.

Visited 1st August 2004: Achmore is now signposted from the road, but there’s a degree of guesswork involved. You need to go through the gate, then ascend the hill bearing right. From the gate you can’t see it, but you’re aiming for a bench and an information board.

I’d strongly advise reading the information board before you leap off looking for stones. This isn’t an easy site to interpret without a plan. The bench is a nice touch, with excellent views towards the pregnant ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

Achmore is great! I loved it. The stones that remain buried in the peat fascinated me. It’s a real insight into how parts of Calanais would have looked before the peat clearance. As for the stones and sockets that are clearly visible, some are in very good condition. There are excellent examples of stone sockets that are extremely clear and easy to match with their accompanying stones (all now fallen). If you’re interested in how standing stones were planted this is a fantastic place to visit.

The Sharpitor west stone row is to the west side of the B3212.It is a single row with a cairn at the north east end and a terminal stone at the south west,it around 130 metres long.It rises up hill from the terminal stone to the cairn.There is disturbed ground a small stream and a reave crossing the lower end very close to the terminal stone.It is well worth a visit as it is a much better row than the nearby one at Goatstone Pool.

There are theee cairns in close proximity on the west side of Chittaford Down.The two shown in the photographs are the southern pair,the other one being to the north of a nearby newtake wall.They are around 8 metres in diameter and were both excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in the 1890’s.Both contained wood charcoal and the eastern one some burnt bone.The third cairn was found to contain a central kist.They can be reached by walking from Postbridge up the Drift Lane to the Archerton newtake then following the wall west until it turns south west.From here follow it until it turns 90 degrees where you will see another wall which leaves the newtake at 90 degrees to the south west,this is opproximately 100 metres from the corner.This is the wall to follow ,it will take you to the cairns just over a kilometer away.Care should be taken as you near the cairns as when you come down hill along the wall there is a very wet area where the Cherry Brook needs to be crossed.As the name implies it is boggy.

The track up to the circle is marked as authorised access only for vehicles so if you can leave your car at the bottom, do so. The (uphill on the way there) walk is beautiful anyway! There’s a 3 car or so parking option maybe 20 yards before the fork at Cragg Hall, on the verge opposite a gate.
A glorious afternoon, with the frozen patches in the fields, and icicles where the tiny streams drop down to the track, glistening in the sunshine.

A very chilly Sunday morning in February would normally find me happily tucked under the duvet but it was so crisp and clear (OK, make that freezing) that there was no one else around, no traffic for miles before or after – just a glorious spot. Checking TMA book version when I got home, the “3 miles from the junction” is actually only 1½ – but it’s not like you can miss it driving past!

I’d never turned off to Greycroft before despite being in the area quite often – a combination of Foot & Mouth restrictions and expecting to be disappointed with the location – but I was far from disappointed. We parked just by the bridge to the east of the circle and followed the path round with a cheery wave from the farmer on his digger in the next field. The bank to the north attempting to hide the power station looks much more part of the landscape than the pictures I’d seen, and a fabulous crisp clear morning gave views across to the Isle of Man and over the snow capped Cumbrian mountains. Look east, look west. Close your eyes to the north, and to the golfers to the south.

I was back on the moor today in search of Elgees enclosures in Bella Dale Slack themodernantiquarian.com/post/12986. The slack is completely waterlogged, thank god for G-Wax.
There is quite a defined bank & ditch on the westerly margins of the slack but as for his other enclosure walls, I’m not so sure.

I took a look at the pit alignment, one of the pits appears to have been excavated, I’m not sure whether this was done in the past or recently, I can’t recall it being there before.

The Beardown Man stands on Devil’s Tor above the Cowsic River at SX597796.It is 3.5 metres tall and is the only noteworthy prehistoric remain in the area.It can be reached by walking up the West Dart From Two Bridges,passing Wistman’s Wood ,then on to Crow Tor from where you turn north west.It is then about a mile to Devil’s Tor.Alternatively you can walk up passed the Long Plantation to Holming Beam keep north until you come to the Cowsic and follow it to SX596792 where you can turn east and climb the hill to the Tor.
If this way is taken there is a stone in the wall of the Long Plantation worth looking out for as it is a cup marked stone which is rare on Dartmoor.It is easily noticed as it is painted with the number 81.It is at SX591765.
If the other route is taken there is a well preserved Kist on the side of Crow Tor that is worth a visit.It is at SX605786.
There are some superb views from the Beardown Man.If the weather is fine it is a good place to stop a while and take it all in.

This site is on a very pleasant walk with great view across one of Yorkshire’s finest valleys. From its position Castle Hill (an Iron Age Hill Fort) is very imposing, across this valley is an ancient burial area. The stone is an outcrop on Netherton Edge. I identified the site having been informed about its existence by Paulus, and looking at rock climbing websites! The rock has stunning views but I have as yet to find the legendary footprint. Paulus... it’s over to you.

The site is best accessed by walking north east from Dunnabridge Pound.The Longstone stands to the west end of a double stone row which has a large area missing from the centre.It stands slightlyout of line to the row and is in the centre of a small cairn.It stands 2.4 metres high.

Reaves are a prehistoric form of land boundary which can be found in many different places all over Dartmoor.The Great Western Reave runs from west of Sharpitor close to the B3212 to the north of Leeden Tor where it turns north westerly to the east of King’s Tor .It then passes the east end of the Merrivale Stone rows, crosses the B3357 and enters the Merrivale Newtake. It passes through the newtake to a point opposite Shillapark farm where it turns west and is taken up in the wall of the farm.From here it runs north west over the top of Roos Tor then down the other side to a newtake wall where it turns north to pass through Whittor enclosure.The section in the photo is from Shillapark farm to the top of Roos Tor.
The Reave is accessable from many point along it’s route one of the easiest being beside the B3212 near to Sharpitor.

Biller’s Pound is situated on the south west slope of Hickaton Hill.There are the remains of 6 dwellings inside the pound and 10 outside.There is also the remains of a tinner’s building built into the wall on the south east side of it .Near by at the confluence of the Avon and the Western Wella Brook stands Huntingdon Cross. The site is best accessed by walking up the Avon from Shipley Bridge on the path to the Avon Dam and following the path on the north side of the reservoir around to Huntingdon Cross.The pound will be on the right just before the cross.
There are two other settlements on the way there these being near to where the Brockhill Stream meets the reservoir.

To get to the dolmen you take Stoke Road by the water Tower, down Stoke Hill follow the road past the shops and up Druid Hill.The second to last house before you reach Druid Stoke Avenue on the left is the one you want.
Remember this is a private house and access must be asked for,it would be a shame if the gates were kept shut.