Stone Circle Site on Dartmoor
There’s nothing more exhilarating than walking in the wilds of Dartmoor and coming accross an ancient monument such as this. It’s not a famous stone circle. I certainly hadn’t heard of its existence before I moved to Dartmoor, and it’s no Stonehenge. But, when you stand on top of Mardon Down, and look around you at what has been described as the biggest stone circle on Dartmoor, you can’t help thinking about the history involved and the people who built it.
I am fortunate that this is on one of my usual dog-walking routes, and I sometimes forget that people don’t come accross these ancient sites every day!
The Circle sits at the top of Mardon, with a panaoramic backcrop of the HighMoor behind it. From the there, looking south you can see Hay Tor, Hound Tor, Manaton Rocks and Easdon down; on a clear day, the view is breathtaking, but usually windy!
At the centre of the Circle, people have built a small stone fire ring, and a trail goes through the middle of the stones. There was, at one time, a small fence announcing the monument and advising people to walk around it, rather than through it, but this seems to have vanished.
The stones area clearly visible, and the largest of them stands to the northwest of the ring. A lttle further down the hill, there is another circle of stones, but this is much smaller, and the Ordnance Survey Map lists it as a ruined cairn.
The stone Circle is easy to get to; the nearest town is Moretonhampstead, which sits at the base of Mardon Down. There are good car parks within Moreton, which also has plenty of Bed and Breakfasts, a hotel, a handful of restaurants, pubs and shops, providing all basic needs for the walker or holidaymaker (click here for detailed information)The round walk from Moretonhampstead is about three miles, but could be made longer if so wished.
Uncategorized | Georgina_writes | 
November 24, 2009 3:57 am
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