Down Tor

Also known as:
Hingston Hill, Hingston Hill Stone Circle and Hingston Hill Stone Row
Nearest town:
Tavistock (12km WNW)
OS reference:
SX5868969275
OS sheet:
202
Latitude:
50° 30' 20.11 N
Longitude:
3° 59' 34.85 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by costaexpress

Once again stretching out in front of you taking your breath away in awe, love this place

costaexpress
costaexpress Mar 27, 2022
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

10th September 2018

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Sep 22, 2018
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by A R Cane

Small cairn about 50m NW from the cairn circle.

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Aug 9, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by A R Cane

It took a little longer than anticipated to find this beauty, but thanks to some local rangers we sorted out where we were and eventually stumbled on it. And we were not disappointed.

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Aug 8, 2016
comment 5 comments
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by A R Cane

Panorama from East to West. There seems to be an obvious gap, or missing stone, at this end. I know that the largest stones were re-erected earlier in the 20th Century. I wonder if one had gone missing over the centuries?

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Aug 8, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by A R Cane

Looking back along the row westwards to the cairn circle.

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Aug 8, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

The cairn to approx north-west of the cairn-circle.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

The cairn to approx north-west of the cairn-circle. Pretty substantial.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Looking toward the circle from the far end of the row...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Eylesbarrow looks pretty featureless beyond. However it is crowned by two massive cairns and well worth the continuation to visit.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

The cairn within the circle....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

The row from the cairn-circle...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Dragon’s teeth.....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Here the stones seem to have erupted from within the earth itself...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 4, 2016
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Hingston Tor. Blimey. Personally I think the ponies have got the right idea......

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jan 15, 2011
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

The row from its eastern terminus. The curve is largely an optical illusion created by the contours of the moor.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.7.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 2, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

The dug out centre, showing possible fragmentary remains of a cist.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.7.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 2, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

The disturbed central cairn in the terminal circle.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.7.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 2, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

Looking ENE into Dartmoor’s empty space.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.7.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 2, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Not the longest row on Dartmoor by a long chalk... but what a circle at the end.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 13, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

Possibly my favourite site..... a classic cairn circle with a little ‘something extra’ added for good measure. With bloody great Big Ben bells on.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 12, 2010
comment 1 comment
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by GLADMAN

The row terminal stone is approx centre right, background.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 12, 2010
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by postman

The cairn that the stone row leads to but doesn’t reach

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 21, 2008
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Meic

20th December 2003

Image credit: Michael Mitchell
Meic
Meic Oct 17, 2006
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by postman

This place was swarming with cattle,but the kindly farmer took em all home,cheers

Image credit: chris bickerton
postman
postman Oct 11, 2006
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by postman

the bend only seems evident from this end

Image credit: chris bickerton
postman
postman Oct 11, 2006
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by Mr Hamhead

Looking west along the row...French persons to far away to be seen.

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead May 22, 2005
Image of Down Tor (Stone Row / Alignment) by doug

Hingston Hill Stone Circle and Row, 349 metre Row.

Image credit: Doug
doug
doug Dec 29, 2004

Articles

Down Tor

ironstone
ironstone Aug 7, 2014

I’ve parked in the carpark at the eastern end of Burrator reservoir as directed and set off down the main path with the plantation on my right. After passing a picnic area with a ruined house there’s a path to the left up through the bracken emerging out on to the moor and a steady climb up to the top of Down Tor. The views are fantastic, Sheeps Tor away to the southwest, and the sky’s a mix of bright blue and high, fluffy clouds, some darker ones threatening the forecast rain which mercifully doesn’t come. I expect to see the circle and row from the top of the tor but then remember the sweetcheat’s note and put my disappointment on hold, cresting the next rise and there it is, majestically isolated in this epic landscape.
I’m not big on the tecnicalities of these sites, it’s all about atmosphere for me and this place has it in shedloads. The big stone at the end of the row abutting the circle really is a big beast and looks to have been dressed on its south-facing side, so smoothly does it present itself to the circle. I walk to the end of the row and back, a permanent smile fixed on my face and get twenty minutes to myself before someone else hoves into view so I decide to leave it to him, exchanging appreciation as I pass. He echoes Greywether’s comment about it being sufficiently remote to deter visits from most of those parked back at the reservoir, but I pass six more people heading towards it as I climb back up Down Tor. The views remain stunning and I face the prospect of the long drive back to London with spirits lifted.

Down Tor

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 14, 2010
comment 2 comments

Once I climb down from the top of Down Tor itself, I’m expecting to see the first of today’s sites. After all, it’s a very well-preserved circle, together with a 350m long row and a terminal stone standing nearly 3m tall. In fact, there’s no sign of it until I head further east. Suddenly I’m over a small crest and practically on top of this megalithic wonder. What a beauty this is! The circle itself is lovely, 12m across and surrounding the remains of a damaged but recognisable central cairn. Another cairn sits a few yards away to the northwest. This really is a terrific site, aided by the splendid isolation I get here today.

And then there’s the row. It extends away to the northeast, heading further into Dartmoor’s magnificent empty space. Clouds race past, drawn towards a convergence over the horizon. At the southwestern end, next to but separate from the circle, the row terminates in a huge upright monolith, almost 3m tall and very thick – it weighs about three tons. Seen from this end, the row appears pretty much straight (which it is). It leads uphill towards another cairn, as well as a small prehistoric enclosure. By the time I reach the northeastern terminal stone, the row appears to curve away back to the cairn circle. This is actually an optical illusion, caused by the gently sloping contours that the row crosses. This weird “not curve” further enhances what is undoubtedly one of the best sites I’ve been to. I still struggle rather with Dartmoor chronology and don’t really know whether the row post-dates the large-scale clearances carried out during the Bronze Age. It’s hard though to imagine creating such a wonderfully designed monument in the middle of trees, where the form could not be easily appreciated.

comment 2 Comments

Down Tor

Billy Fear
Billy Fear May 8, 2009

I managed to witness a fantastic sunrise for the Summer Solstice in 2004. But the sun did not rise in line with the row. It came up quite a bit North of it. It didn’t take any of it’s magic away especially as there was ground frost around. Summer in Dartmoor!
It would be quite interesting to go for the Winter Solstice sunset and stand at the bottom end of the row.

Down Tor

postman
postman Jun 22, 2008

This was my second attempt to witness the summer solstice sunrise at Down Tor, last year my daughter and I camped on a Tor half way between carpark and stone circle/row, but it was raining windy and cloudy so we left it for another time...this time!
Well well well what do you know, despite last nights awsome sunset, I awoke this time to clouds and fog, at least it wasn’t raining, so I gave it another go.
The walk to the stones is long and arduous up and down over three rocky tors the last one not so rocky, in good weather a delight to trek over. But this time on the second hill the fog came in really badly and I got turned around and ended up very lost. five in the morning in fog on the moors alone isn’t the most happy feeling Iv’e embraced. It wasn’t till I stumbled across the cuckoo stone that I realised where I was and with a view to the resrvoir through the fog, I knew which way to go.
Before long the tallest stone could be seen peeping over the low hill, then another and then more, untill my relief must have been obvious even to the small bird that was drawing me on.
Even in the fog this place is cool, the perfect little circle with internal cairn and the stone row, starting of with a whopper of a stone( reset deeper than the original stone hole) but quickly dwindles to knee high stones. I followed the row up to the other cairn, the terminal stone is about 5 ft tall but doesn’t go all the way to the cairn, it stops about 50 m away. The pound is still quite well preserved several stones sticking up maybe entrances to huts.
Now it was time to go and find Yellowmead after a long soggy walk back to the car

Down Tor

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead May 22, 2005

A local tells me that the sun rises in line with this row at Midsummer...It is not facing due NE but taking in to account the dip in the hills to the east he may be right. The row dips in the centre as it crosses the hillside rising to the cairn (Stone Circle) at the western end. I did not get to look at the cairn as it was full of French people standing bolt upright pretending to be stones...

Down Tor

greywether
greywether Dec 15, 2003

This is a wonderful site. Far enough away from the car parks at the E end of Burrator Reservoir to deter casual visitors but a pleasant enough walk in for the rest.

Its open location, the grading of the stones and the way they run downhill and then up make it look like a Richard Long landscape sculpture.

See the links below for directions, descriptions and plans.

Miscellaneous

Down Tor
Stone Row / Alignment
doug
doug Dec 29, 2004

would this Circle and Row, be similar to the one’s mentioned in Uriel’s Machine (The Prehistoric Technology that Survived the Flood) by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, and would anyone check it out on the Summer and Winter Solstice (while i stay in bed) and every month after plant wooden posts in the ground (take them up again) to see if you can measure the months.

Topics

Idiot proof directions to Down Tor 3
B
Bunnymen
Apr 2007

Sites within 20km of Down Tor

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