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Hart Tor Stone Rows, Hart Tor, Dartmoor, Devon SX577717
Visited Friday, 4th June 2004
Situated on the south-western slopes of Hart Tor, just across the river Meavy from Black Tor can be found the two Hart Tor stone rows. Parking is available beside the B3212 to the south west of Black Tor, leaving a walk of less than half a mile to the rows, but it can be tricky getting across the river in wet times.
The northern of the rows is a double row avenue which has its lower end at the river Meavy and progresses up the hillside in an easterly direction to a nice cairn at the upper end, 125 metres distant. It has been said that in the past, the lower end of the rows was marked with a giant monolith, which no longer remains. The two rows are about 1.7 metres apart, and the stones less than 2 feet in height. The cairn at the top of this avenue is about 9m in diameter, and is surrounded by a lovely ring of 15 stone slabs. It is possible that there is another ring of stones still present within the cairn.
Just to the south of the cairn circle is another, slightly smaller, cairn with a remaining circle of only small stones. The southern row leads downhill from here at an angle which takes it slightly away from the northern avenue. The stones are much smaller, and the row is much more ruined than its neighbour, and has a length of about 60 metres. Where the original end was is open to question.
Both rows have been cut through in the past by tin workers, with a large ditch and also a leat.
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