The hill takes its name from the two large cairns that sit atop the summit. Both have been much altered by travellers seeking shelter over the years...and I for one was welcome of the little circular shelter on what was a sunny but cold day.
The views up here are superb, looking down to the Cornish coast (and home) to the south west whilst to the east the barrenness of Dartmoor is there for all to see.
The “table” at the top of the site.
This is just one great area of rocks...at one time placed by man but now scattered at random. To my untrained eye there is very little that can be made out but i am sure the experts know every hut circle, burial cairn etc on this hillside. It is while walking uphill amongst the rocks that you first gain sight of the Drizzel Combe complex....i wonder if the two sites are connected?
At the top end of the settlement there is a rectanguler “table” of rocks a good 20 ft long and about 2 to 3 feet high. What it is I know not, but at least it is still there...
My first site on a walk that would take me to many other historic remains this sunny May day. The circle is small...and too perfect for my liking! Something in my head tells me that this originated as a simple cairn but when the restorers got here they decided to create a stone circle (or 4). I missed the stone row but as i was to see later that would tie in with the cairn thoughts.
It is a nice spot (although the aroma from the recently spread field nearby was a bit off putting) with Sheeps Tor towering over it from the west. To think I sat up there on countless occasions back in the late 80s and never even noticed this site....
Stowes Hill from the northeast, atop of Sharp Tor. Rillaton barrow on horizon, far left.
They say the devil has all the best tunes...Iron Age man had all the best forts
Although little remains on Kenidjack headland except three banks on either side of the narrow istmus it is easy to see how this place could easily be defended. Two ridges of rock run along its crest and according to Robin Payne in “The Romance of the Stones” it may have been used in the Bronze Age as a natural defence.
The area all around is heavily mined and tin streaming would have been going on in the valley below to the west since those far off days.
Forget Lands End...come here to experience the end of the world!
Oh...and if you come in the spring you may get to see the peregrins.
Three banks lie right on the edge of the eastern side of the headland. There are others on the west bank but not so prominent.
Mentioned in “The Romance of the Stones” as a possible menhir it was erected in 1980 when the road was being improved. Not easily missed! it sits beside the road not far from Chun Quoit. Is it or isn’t it? was it or wasn’t it?
Does it matter....how do we know every other stone is original, many of the stone circles in Cornwall were reerected in the late 1800’s early 1900’s and not allways using the original stones.
Came up Saturday morning hoping to walk to the quoit....thick mist covered the hillside and Kathy decided she was not going out in it...So we drove back down the hill to Botalack and had a stunning walk along the cliffs in wonderful sunshine.
Sunday morning (21st march 2005)and the mist had lifted and we walked up from the Trewallah turning accross freshly burnt scrub. It is great to see all the old field boundrys exposed and i kept me eyes to the ground in the hope of finding something interesting....
The quoit sits in all its glory surrounded by sunshine...I am always a little unsure about entering these ancient places but in the end I squeezed my self into the quoit just because I could (and that was after a full breakfast!)
Walked over to the castle afterwards then back down to the car, Kenedjack was hooting at me but time was against me....perhaps another day?
The approach from the west...note recent burning of gorse/heather.
Archeological recording done in Jan 2004 on fields to the north of the rock uncovered 10 hearth pits. These were found to contain neolithic pottery, a quern. flints and burnt hazelnuts.
It is thought that the hearths were possibly constructed for seasonal ritual gatherings rather than a permanent settlement.
Found during the “dig” of 2003 by geophisical survey. This round house is 8 meters across and contained a large broken pottery vessel dating from 1400-1000BC.
Five other enclosures have been discovered in the adjoining fields around Padderbury with the aid of aerial photography in the last 20 years. Have only driven past but the views from the fort must be fantastic.
I have had it suggested today (by someone who I believe knows what he is talking about) that if you look west along the main stone row at Merrivale, it lines up with the Rillaton Barrow at Minions.
Not going to go into too much detail as these are hopefully temp notes whilst Ed tries to find the original site.
There are several ways of finding the circle but i think (after using different routes) that the easiest way is to drive up the moorland road signposted Bastreet just north of North Hill. The road climbs up through woodland, goes over a cattle grid and levels out just past a farm. Here you can park on the side of the road. Make for a small stone cross on the moorland to your right and carry on up the hill marked Ridge on maps.
Once on the ridge (large tumuli to the east) descend onto East Moor. The stone circle should come into sight between yourself and Fox Tor.
This route is reasonably easy and avoids the marshy ground that lies between the circle and Fox Tor.
The stones themselves are nearly all sitting in pools of water, caused by countless animals using them as rubbing posts.
One of the barrows dotted around the tor. This one has been dug into and rusty sheets of corrugated iron litter the centre.
Natural rock basins on Carey Tor. A source of fresh water in the days before taps!
Carey Tor is one of the lesser known of Bodmin Moors tors. It is not that high, not on a main walking route and generally forgotten by one and all. OK, I admit, I had no knowledge of it until last Sunday (6 March 2005) and I claim to know the moor!
Anyway, I “discovered” it at the end of a cold days walking and only had a brief look around. I was on my second battery in the digital camera...and that was running low...and the sun was setting in the west and I still had a good walk back to the car.
So, what is there to see? Great natural rock basins, two of the stones on their sides which tells me that they fell before the last Ice Age washed away all the soil from beneath them. I found one hut circle but the OS map shows more, and some cairns.
The site is not far from Nine Stones circle and all the other ritual sites dotted around East Moor and Fox Tor.
The tor itself showing fallen top stone. It shows that natural cups in the surface where made before the last Ice age as they could have not formed at such an angle (either that or someone has tipped it over...which I doubt)
Lying at the end of the footpath from Tresellern Farm, I was unsure if this was a manhir or not. It does have one hole drilled about half way up on one face so may have been used as a gate post at some time.
However the fact that the wall has been built to go round it as opposed to being incorperated makes me think the people who built the wall had a little bit of superstition amongst them.
I got home and checked the listings for North Hill parish and found the stone is listed as a menhir under the name Colquite.
Colquite does not feature on the maps but I can well believe that at some time there was a settlement of some sort here in the middle ages.
There are a couple of barrows in a field just to the south but I did not try to visit them due to the fact that the field had about 8 dead sheep in it in varying states of decay....Nice!
Clitters Cairn as seen from the southwest whilst approaching Nine Stones from Basstreet road.
Looking north, note blocking stone of East Moor stone row just left of centre
Did not get to the medieval settlement as the ford was to deep to wade through. However did visit two cairns perched on the edge of the hillside to the north. Both are about 12 ft in diameter and have been dug into by way of a deep trench. They also have a good covering of grass and gorse.
This is a lonely part of Bodmin Moor which I doubt gets many visitors. To the north of the two cairns is a featurless area stretching away until it reaches forestry and the A30, no landmarks just flattish moorland. To the southeast the mighty ridges of Twelve Mans moor dominate. I shall return when the ford is lower.
Two cairns just north of Rushyford gate, both dug into and overgrown with gorse.
I am calling this the Jumbo rock....just one of many interesting features on Trewortha Tor.
A long east west running ridge strewn with granite boulders. Many balance on top of each other at wonderful angles. At the west end of the ridge and set apart from most of the stones is a clump of stones that include King Arthur’s Bed.
To reach the tor take the road from Berriowbridge up as far as the moor gate. Park here and walk along the track passing Hawks Tor on your right. Access from the track is restricted due to razor wire. This has been erected to stop people breaking down the walls/fences. To reach hawks Tor it is necessary to retrace your steps back down the road to a gate and public footpath sign on the left. Go through this and follow the footpath until access signs point you in the direction of the tor.
Trewortha Tor can then be reached once the fields surrounding Hawk’s Tor are passed. King Arthur’s Bed is on private land and access is subject to certain restrictions which from the end of August 2005 can viewed on www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk or in person at Trewortha Farm
The western end of Trewortha Tor is where you will find King Arthur’s Bed, to give it its proper name. Photo looking northwest.
Looking southeast towards Kilmar Tor (one of the finest ridges in the country)
I have often stood at the quoit and wondered why it was positioned in such a place. With the surrounding trees, hedges and houses it is hard to make out the landscape.
Yesterday I was out walking a footpath to the west of the quoit and took this shot. It shows that it sits atop a small hill, take away the surrounding modern day objects and build a mound over it and ....
The two stones in the field in the foreground are possibly rubbing posts....I could not get close to look.
In Macleans guide to the “Deanery of Trigg Minor” published in 1876 he states that the Stipple Stones were first mentioned in the time of Queen Elizabeth the First.
The site has now been cleared of all stone to make a field. It is thought by Cornwall Arch Grp that it was most probably a hut circle.
Still trying to get a shot that shows this thing off...this was taken early morning 13th Jan 2005.
....anybody got a helicopter?
16th Jan 2005
Can confirm Rhianon’s news that they are working to reclaim Uley Bury from nature. They’re making a bit of a mess of it but I am sure things will improve.
Great views down to the Severn and across into Wales, so this would have been an easy place to defend. The walk around the fort is about a mile in length, most of it being in the ditch, apart from the far west end.
16 Jan 2005
I find myself far from home and looking for somewhere to walk after a late night the night before. A book I have gives details of a walk from Uley to the hillfort then onto the Tump and then via another village back to Uley.
We set off up the steep escarpment behind the church reaching the eastern end of the fort (Uley Bury), the walk around is nearly a mile but well worth it, the views are amazing. Reaching the far end of the fort we joined the Cotswold Way and followed it until it reached the road beyond the tump (no scrambling up the bank for us). Turning back on ourselves we walked along the road (there is a good grass verge).
At the tump we missed a troop of ramblers by about three minutes... phew! I have come prepared, torch, waterproofs... it looks like it could be a long wet crawl in. Imagine my surprise after getting all dressed up for a trogloditic exploration that once under the large stone at the entrance you can virtually stand up and everything is nice and dry.
Kathy, my better half and not one for dissapearing into holes even sticks her head under and comes into the inner sanctum. There we sit eating oranges (yes we took the skins with us) and marvelling at the workmanship.
What I can’t figure out is why is the tump so large and yet the chambers only go in about 20ft? Must ask on the forum.
We opted not to continue the walk as it said in the book but headed back along the road to Uley. Not quite so easy between the tump and the hillfort we opted to retrace our steps around the hillfort rather than follow the raod back into the village. The pub in the village brews its own beer, didn’t try it, still recovering from night before.
10.45pm 11th Jan 2005
Returning back across the moors from a meeting at Jamaica Inn, as I rounded the corner before reaching the turn off to the pool, a large barn owl swooped down and flew along in the in front of the car. it then turned to the left and dissapeared over towards the pool.
I just had to stop the car and get out. All around was black, a faint crescent of moon shining through thin cloud, the only sound that of the wind blowing across the bleak moor. The owl had gone, somewhere to my left sat the pool but it was too dark to make out anything.
As I went to get back into the car I heard a hoot from somewhere in the darkness....
Leskernick Hill as aproached from Jamaica Inn
