Ten Commandments Stone

Date Added: 31st Jan 2023
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 7th Dec 2022. My rating: Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: A day to myself, and decide to go to Totnes, but first go the scenic way through Buckland, then decide to walk out to Buckland Beacon for a look at the Ten Commandments stones. The views from here are fantastic, right down to the sea all around the south, including right along the Teign estuary. Great to spend time looking all around the north and west trying to figure out all the various tors and bits of Dartmoor previously visited. Magnificent. There is a very interesting series of Boundary stones to the north, one of which looked to me like an old cross originally.

Hamel Down Cross

Date Added: 27th Jan 2023
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walking back northwards along the ridge and from the top of Broad Barrow, Hamel Down Cross can be seen shining in the sun away from the modern track to the west, so I go for a look. It’s a lovely weathered old stone cross which has lost its head and one of its arms. It has some sort of carving on it's east face, probably a Duke of Somerset boundary marking, but the cross clearly predates that.

Zennor Quoit

Date Added: 22nd Jan 2023
Site Type: Portal Tomb Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2008. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: I don’t quite know how I have never been to visit this before, and it takes a bit of finding, despite the fact it can be seen from a long way away on the hilltop, the problem is finding a path through the chest high gorse and brambles which takes you to it. I eventually got to it from Sperris Quoit via several long zig zag pathways, probably walking three times the distance to it as would be how the chough flies ! Wow, this is a big old thing, far bigger than I was expecting. Makes me wonder what it was all like originally, before part of it was destroyed, the capstone fell and the other alterations. This is a lovely spot up here, lots of blue scabious? flowering all around, birds singing and insects buzzing. I try a few “arty” pictures using the shadows and gaps in the stones.

Sperris Quoit

Date Added: 22nd Jan 2023
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2008. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: I parked in a little lay-by near to the Eagles Nest house, and then took the footpath up onto the moors from there. After a while the path was fairly enclosed within tall bracken and gorse, and near the top of the hill, became fairly difficult to proceed along. Once at the top of the hill, I turned left at the remains of a mine building, and took a “path” towards the natural granite outcropping, from the southern end of which the single standing stone of Sperris Quoit could be seen. However, getting to the stones from here was a bit of a bugger, with chest high gorse, brambles and bracken. Good luck to anyone wishing to visit. The remains which can be found today include a single standing stone, 6 feet high, with a few other slabs laying around the remnants of the chamber. There are also traces of an oval mound, but the whole place was very overgrown when I visited.

Hamel Down Beacon cairn

Date Added: 14th Jan 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: On to the southern top of Hameldown at 517m, at a corner of the field wall, is another prominent large cairn, again with a Duke Stone on its top. The field wall makes no attempt to avoid the cairn, running right over it, but not across the centre. From here the views to the south open up with almost the whole of the southern moor and southeast Devon to be seen.

Blackaton Down south (Hamel Down)

Date Added: 3rd Jan 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Just to the south of the large obvious barrow can be seen the remnants of the southern saucer barrow, also within the enclosed field.

Blackaton Down north (Hamel Down)

Date Added: 3rd Jan 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: From the field wall corner can be seen the next large barrow, a bit further to the south, but within the enclosed field on the western side of the wall. I didn’t cross into the field for a closer look.

Two Barrows (Hamel Down)

Date Added: 2nd Jan 2023
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Onwards southward slightly downhill to a field wall where there is another barrow with a Duke Stone on top, named as Two Barrows. Looking for the second, and it can be seen right under the corner of the walls, no doubt it has been used as a boundary corner for a long time.

Single Barrow (Hamel Down)

Date Added: 2nd Jan 2023
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Further south along the track, and just to the west of it is the next barrow, known as Single Barrow, which is smaller and less obvious than Broad Barrow. It too has one of the Duke Stone boundary markers on top of it.

Broad Barrow (Hamel Down)

Date Added: 31st Dec 2022
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walking on to the south, there is an obvious large cairn know as Broad Barrow atop the highest point of the down at 532m. This is one of the largest cairns on Dartmoor, but mostly an earthen construction, unlike many of the others. In its southern edge is an excavated stone structure, whether the remains of an old chamber or a more modern construction I do not know. In the central area on top is what looks like a grave, with a dug stony area and a "headstone", put here by the Duke of Somerset as a boundary marker in 1854.

Grimspound

Date Added: 31st Dec 2022
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: I've not been to Grimspound for many a year now, in fact too long. It really is wonderful, with a multiplicity of circular hut buildings within a huge encircling wall. A lovely place to sit and eat my lunch in one of the huts, with the Challacombe stone rows visible on the hillside the other side of the valley and the Warren House Inn way beyond them. Triffic.

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)

Date Added: 31st Dec 2022
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 6th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Climb up to the top of Hamel Down for a walk along the ridge, with splendid views down onto Grimspound from the slopes. Once at the top there is a large cairn and trig point. It looks to me as though the current pile of stones is a relatively modern construction, but there seems to be a large circular platform which is presumably the base of the original cairn here, with some large stones spaced around it. Beautiful views all around, I spend some time trying to figure out all of the various tors and features which can be seen.

Money Pit cairn

Date Added: 28th Dec 2022
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Passing by the Money Pit cairn, had to go for a quick look. I also had a quick look for the southern, top, end of the treble stone row, but didn't follow it down the hill, as we were walking the other direction.

Rippon Tor

Date Added: 24th Dec 2022
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 9th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: The forecast is for a cold icy but bright sunny day as we pack up and leave Splash Cottage, so I decide for a walk up to Rippon Tor and around before the journey home. Unfortunately the real weather up there means I am in the clouds and fog. I make the effort to climb the tor, but its freezing fog up there, and can't see more than about 25 metres, so have a quick wander to the hilltop cairns, cross and millstone, then back down to the car via an old boundary cross at the edge of the frozen Blackslade Mire.

Bowerman's Nose

Date Added: 22nd Dec 2022
Site Type: Rock Outcrop Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 5th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walk up and over the hilltop, then go and have a proper look at Bowerman's Nose, a really fabulous rock outcrop, said to represent the giant hunter turned to stone by a coven of witches. Lots of photo opportunities here!

Hound Tor Deserted Medieval Village

Date Added: 22nd Dec 2022
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 5th Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walk from Hound Tor over the top and down to the deserted medieval village in a dip on the eastern side of the Tor. This started in the bronze age, but the remains to be seen these days are from the medieval period. The remains include several longhouses and other buildings which are really fascinating to wander around, trying to figure out what was what.

Corndon Down Cairns

Date Added: 21st Dec 2022
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walk from Ponsworthy up and over Corndon Hill, taking in the money pit, Sharp Tor and Dr Blackall's ride, stopping for lunch at the Tavistock Inn. At the top of the main, southern summit, is a granite tor surrounded by masses of cairn material. About 50 metres to the north is another large cairn, which also encompasses a granite outcrop. Both are about 25 metres diameter. To the west of the tor top cairn are several edge set slabs in a line, which may have once formed part of a stone row up here. Butler states that it is possible that these are the remains of a double stone row. Crossing recorded an unfound treble stone row somewhere in the region, with a double stone row not far off. As for the northern summit, we weren't hanging around this grey cold windy day, so I didn't spend any time having a proper look.

Corndon Down N Cairns

Date Added: 21st Dec 2022
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Dec 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walk from Ponsworthy up and over Corndon Hill, taking in the money pit, Sharp Tor and Dr Blackall's ride, stopping for lunch at the Tavistock Inn. At the top of the northern summit, east west across the top, are two large cairns about 20 to 25 metres diameter, both of which have been mutilated by previous visitors to make crude shelters. There is an ancient reave running across the hill, and I thought I saw signs of a possible row emanating from the northwestern side of the eastern cairn but we weren't hanging around this grey cold windy day, so I didn't spend any time having a proper look.

Askham Fell Stone Row

Date Added: 24th Nov 2022
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: From Moor Divock 5, I walk off to the northwest towards White Raise cairn, which can clearly be seen. Much of the bracken has been cut back, and it seems a reasonable way to go. I start to see lots of stones poking their pale tops clear of the grass. Am I imagining it, or is this some sort of stone row. It certainly looks possible. Further on, and there are more stones, some of them quite large and certainly not in natural positions. Intriguing. I now start to think I am seeing two rows of stones, fairly unevenly spaced, and not particularly parallel, but definitely there. At this point, everything is disturbed by a large shakehole and gulley, so I cannot directly follow what would have been the line of the stones. Once past this, and there are more stones standing in amongst the ferns, and it is now noticeable that the bracken has been cut back along the line of this avenue. Its a pity I hadn't spotted this before, and just headed off directly from the northern hillock at MD5 towards White Raise. This just has to be an avenue of stones running between MD5 and White Raise. It is only much later when I start to log my findings that I see there is an avenue included on the portal, under the name Askham Fell, not Moor Divock. It is really pleasing to have sort of found this all by myself without any prior knowledge. Several weeks later I still feel chuffed!

Moor Divock 5

Date Added: 23rd Nov 2022
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: I walked further along the main trackway, before taking a small path out towards the obvious cairn of Moor Divock 5. It is an obvious large round cairn with three large stones in a sort of row sticking out across the top and many others laying around, presumably once making up a ring around a hollow in the centre of the cairn. Nearby to the north is another raised mound which initially looks to be another cairn, which the sheep like to sit on. When I do get to have a closer look, there seems to be possibly a cairn, but I am not 100% convinced this is anything other than a natural lump in the ground.