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<< Our Photo Pages >> Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) - Cairn in England in Devon

Submitted by AngieLake on Sunday, 22 April 2007  Page Views: 4461

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) Alternative Name: Grinsell Manaton 2; Turner E54
Country: England County: Devon Type: Cairn
Nearest Town: Ashburton  Nearest Village: Widecombe in the Moor
Map Ref: SX70318057
Latitude: 50.610387N  Longitude: 3.834296W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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TheCaptain visited on 6th Dec 2022 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3 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.

lauraaurora visited on 14th May 2021 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 2

AngieLake heidavey have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 2.5

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by TheCaptain : Atop Hamel Down tor 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. Viewed here looking southeast, with Haytor and Rippon Tor framing the cairn top (Vote or comment on this photo)
The northernmost cairn on Hamel Down. It stands on the high point (529m) of Hameldown Tor, next to the Two Moors Way footpath. A trig. station has been placed next to it, rather spoiling the ambience. Grimspound settlement can almost be seen from here, though you'll need to walk down over the down's northwest slopes a little.

Butler calls this a 'platform cairn' in his Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Vol. One - The East. He thinks that a few earthfast slabs set continguously around its northern edge may have been an original circle of stones that surrounded the base.

It's quite a long walk from the southern end of Hamel Down where I parked, but can also be accessed via Grimspound. This would be the shorter route if parking near that settlement.

Update October 2019: This cairn is featured on the Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks (PDW) website - see their entry for the Hameldown Tor Cairn, which tells us this is: "a denuded cairn with kerb of large stones on northern half only. Pillar and conical mound of small stones of evidently modern date. Remainder of kerb visible (11 stones). Remainder of cairn largely grassed over but head sized granite boulders visible (OS trig. Point and recent mound of stones on top)".

The cairn is also recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 445638 and as MDV8768 (Cairn in the parish of Manaton) on the Devon and Dartmoor HER. The cairn is also scheduled as Historic England List Entry No. 1003194 (Cairn on Hameldown Tor).
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Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by AngieLake : The platform cairn on Hameldown Tor. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by AngieLake : The most northerly platform cairn of Hamel Down barrow cemetery on Hameldown Tor. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by TheCaptain : Atop Hamel Down tor 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. Viewed here looking southwest (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by TheCaptain : Atop Hamel Down tor 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. Viewed here looking northwest out onto the main bulk of Dartmoor (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North)
Hamel Down Platform Cairn (North) submitted by TheCaptain : Atop Hamel Down tor 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. Viewed here looking northeast

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 408m NW 323° Grimspound* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX70078090)
 473m SSE 165° Hamel Down Cross* Ancient Cross (SX70428011)
 605m N 9° Grimslake Cist* Cairn (SX7041881165)
 718m SSE 157° Broad Barrow (Hamel Down)* Round Barrow(s) (SX70577990)
 844m NNW 330° Hookney Tor Cairn* Cairn (SX6990281310)
 1.0km ESE 104° Berry Pound Ancient Village or Settlement (SX713803)
 1.1km SSE 165° Single Barrow (Hamel Down)* Round Barrow(s) (SX70577953)
 1.1km SSE 163° Hamel Down* Barrow Cemetery (SX706795)
 1.3km ESE 111° Hamel Down row* Stone Row / Alignment (SX71488010)
 1.3km W 275° Challacombe Down Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SX69028072)
 1.3km W 279° Challacombe rows* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX68988082)
 1.4km W 280° Challacombe Down Cairn Circle* Cairn (SX68968083)
 1.4km SSE 165° Two Barrows (Hamel Down)* Round Barrow(s) (SX70657921)
 1.5km SSE 165° Blackaton Down north (Hamel Down)* Cairn (SX70687909)
 1.6km SSE 163° Blackaton Down south (Hamel Down)* Cairn (SX70737904)
 1.7km NNW 328° Shapley Common Ancient Village or Settlement (SX69428206)
 1.7km SSE 161° Hamel Down Beacon cairn* Cairn (SX70837891)
 1.9km WNW 302° Birch Tor Cairn* Cairn (SX6868681654)
 2.3km SSE 161° Hamel Down Cairn and Cist* Cairn (SX7100878345)
 2.4km NW 310° Bush Down Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX6849282173)
 2.5km WNW 293° Bennet's Cross* Ancient Cross (SX68008162)
 2.6km NNW 347° Challacombe Cross Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX69788313)
 2.7km WSW 256° Soussons Down Stone Row Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX6767079980)
 2.8km WSW 250° Soussons Down Cairns* Barrow Cemetery (SX6770079671)
 2.8km N 357° Leeper Cross* Ancient Cross (SX7022083325)
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