CONSERVATION charity BTCV will be running volunteering days on the last Friday of each month, including one in North Cornwall this week.
The work to be done will include clearance around hut circles, redefining old field systems, controlling bracken and gorse and making the sites more accessible... continues...
Carburrow is one of those areas on Bodmin Moor that contain so much history in such a small area. Extensive Bronze Age huts litter the southern slopes with the remains of a long house up against the wall at the bottom (very near Tor farmhouse). There are two cairns atop of the tor, the one on the eastern side was hollowed out in the 2nd World War so the home guard could use it as a lookout post.
Approach from the road to the east and scramble up through the undergrowth.
On top is a large cairn which has been tweaked at some point to include a rectilinear side space and a smashing cupola on top. Another smaller cairn a few yards to the north
It's got a excellent view of both coastlines to north and south, across to the hurlers and cheesewring to the east and some overgrown industrial nastiness to the west.
One of the best things is that the cupola makes a brilliant place to sit out of the wind and enjoy the place. Nice way to get a feel for the moor and look for cropmarks etc.
There are also extensive bronze age settlements on the SW side of the tor.
The two cairns each conceal a golden coffin, containing the body of a king. A flock of birds protects them and chases away intruders - perhaps you'll see them wheeling round if you visit? It is said that attempts to dig a Home Guard lookout at the site were interrupted by a flock of birds..
(mentioned in Grinsell's 'Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain')
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