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Stone Circle
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Aubrey Burl, in his usual 'right-on-the-money' style rates this as a 'a little known but fascinating site recommended to the enthusiast'....... I'd go a bit further and reckon it's one of the classic stone circles of Britain, all things considered. However, perhaps the sheer joy of reaching it after a two and a half(ish) mile uphill slog means I eulogise a bit too much... and Down Tor still remains my favourite Dartmoor site. But not by much, which is perhaps the highest compliment I can give.
The pilgrimage is such that I somehow manage to leave the superb triple stone row on the flanks of Cosdon Hill 'until the way back' - shades of Callanish, where the main event is all consuming. Managed to pick my way through the bog en-route without too much difficulty, but then again I am used to the (very wet) Welsh uplands, so I'm guessing the old tales of travellers disappearing into bottomless pits shouldn't be altogether discarded and sticking to the path is a must. Proper walking boots - and gaiters, if you have them - will help save the poor feet from a soaking.
The circle itself possesses that aura that only truly remote sites have.... absolute silence. In fact I only had one visitor in some 3 hours on site - a 65 year old local who obviously knew his stuff.
Returned to the Cosdon Hill rows via Cosdon Hill itself, the summit crowned by cairns as the icing on the cake. Finally, note that the initial stage of the walk - near Nine Stones - is a bit complicated with drystone walls and whatnot. I therefore asked a passing dog walker if this was the path to White Moor and received a complete blank look. 'No, this is the path to Whit' Moor..... '
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Posted by GLADMAN
3rd August 2009ce
Edited 4th August 2009ce
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