Catshole Downs

Nearest town:
Hallworthy (10km N)
OS reference:
SX171783
OS sheet:
201
Latitude:
50° 34' 30.58 N
Longitude:
4° 35' 0.4 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking south, the cairn on top of Tolborough Tor prominent on the skyline to the left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.6.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 24, 2023
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The tallest upright at the northeastern end of the cairn. Looking southwest.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.6.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 24, 2023
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Edging kerbs along the northwestern side of the cairn. The hill on the right is The Beacon, Hendra Downs.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.6.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 24, 2023
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking along the length of the cairn from its southwestern end. The stones that can be seen on the skyline in the centre of the image form Catshole “Quoit”.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.6.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 24, 2023
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by Mr Hamhead

Hopefully a better photo than earlier ones...although being mid July the grass is longer and stones less prominent.

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Jul 21, 2011
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by Mr Hamhead

Looking up the cairn to the “headstone”, just right of centre...not large stone to left..

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Sep 28, 2006
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by Mr Hamhead

Sept 28 2006
Not the best day for photography. Cairn running downhill in near distance.

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Sep 28, 2006
Image of Catshole Downs (Long Cairn) by pure joy

Catshole Downs Long Cairn – 28.3.2004 – From the north

Image credit: Martin Bull
pure joy
pure joy Apr 18, 2004

Articles

Catshole Downs

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Sep 28, 2006

Stuck out on the middle of the moor between Jamaica Inn and Brown Willy, this cairn is not the most easily accessible monument on the moor. It can be found by walking up the valley to the left of Codda farmhouse (Nth of Jamaica Inn) until you come to the boundry wall between the two parishes (Altarnun and St Breward) It sits close to the wall on the north side of the valley.
In shape it resembles a boat with a headstone at the upper blunt end. I would estimate it is about 15 yards long and 6 yards wide at the top end.

Catshole Downs

pure joy
pure joy Apr 4, 2004

Catshole Downs – 28.3.2004

For one way to get to the general area, see the Tolborough Downs page.

To get towards the Catshole Downs Long Cairn and the eastern Catshole Tor cairn, from Tolborough Tor head north to the gate in the angled bit of the field (circa SX171782). This leads you out towards these sites.

The Catshole Tor settlement and western Catshole Tor cairn are in the opposite field. From Tolborough Tor head for another gate, just to the west of the angled bit of the field. These gates are very close to each other. This leads you out towards these sites. Note that these four sites are in two separate fields with a fence in between.

Technically most land on Bodmin Moor is ‘private’ as it is owned by someone, even Downs and Common land. But in reality places like the Tolborough Downs are rarely visited by anyone or anything and as long as you use the normal common sense country code I don’t imagine anyone challenging you (don’t quote me though as some sort of magic access key!).

Catshole Downs

pure joy
pure joy Apr 4, 2004

Catshole Downs Long Cairn – 28.3.2004

For directions etc, see the main Catshole Downs page.

This long trip is worth it for this alone. A huge rarity and relatively easy to find (once you get to the general area), especially if you’ve previously seen a picture of it. You can also spot it from Tolborough Tor.

From Tolborough Tor head for the gate in the angled bit of the field (circa SX171782). Note -the downs were pretty swampy in places when I visited (& more swampy than other upland areas in Devon & Cornwall). The Long Cairn is then 100m away just to the right of the old field wall.

What does a Long Cairn look like? Imagine a small long barrow, made of stones instead of earth, in a triangular shape, typically 17 to 30 m long sometimes with traces of internal structure. At Catshole you can see the large-ish front stone, and from there you can make out what might have been flanking stones, and a small litter of stones in the interior. They are of the fourth millennia BC.

Peter Herring and Peter Rose, in ‘Bodmin Moor’s Archaeological Heritage’ (Cornwall County Council – 2001), map three long cairns on the moor, with three other possibilities. They suggest that the Catshole long cairn is carefully aligned to the east part of Catshole Tor. What I can add is that the cairn in general does align with the west cairn on Catshole Tor, the south cairn on Brown Willy, and the Tolborough Tor Cairn, although the long cairn can only been seen from the Tolborough Tor Cairn, whereas the other three can all be seen from one another.

Sites within 20km of Catshole Downs

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