Contributory members are able to log private notes and comments about each site
Sites Anne T has logged. View this log as a table or view the most recent logs from everyone
Merrivale 5
Trip No.133 Entry No.9 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
Merrivale 5 submitted by SandyG on 4th Mar 2017. View looking along the row from the western end. Hollow Tor on the horizon sits above the tall stone at the end of the row. 6 July 2016.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Merrivale 5 stone row: I was getting really 'dazed and confused' about the different stone rows here and what I was photographing, so I asked Sandy, Dave and Andrew to each place a foot on or near each stone of this row!
Merrivale Menhir
Trip No.133 Entry No.11 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Merrivale Menhir submitted by AngieLake on 10th Apr 2015. This shot shows the "smaller pillar" that Butler describes, in relation to the menhir and the cairn 6 pit. He says: "The menhir, 3.1 m high, still stands in its original position, 42 m almost due south from the centre of the stone circle. There is no evidence that the smaller pillar, 2 m long, lying a few meters away ever stood upright, but it was erected in 1895 in the pit alongside, toppling again a few years later. Between these two stones cairn C6 (3.0 x 0.3 m) has a central pit. Three st...
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Merrivale Menhir: This tall stone made up for the small size of the stones of the stone circle, and I enjoyed visiting here. My goodness, with the three stone rows, the fallen menhirs, the cairn and the pits, it was certainly interesting here. I'd taken my notes for this site with me, but the wind was so strong I was unable to get them out and read them! Now having the Butler series of "Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities" has made it much easier to understand the layout and complexities of the site, as far as I'm able.
Merrivale 6
Trip No.133 Entry No.10 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
Merrivale 6 submitted by Anne T on 8th Jul 2019. Comparing my photographs to those on Sandy G's Stone Rows of Great Britain website, the only stone visible of Merrivale Row 6 is in the foreground of this photo. Standing just to its west, looking east.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Merrivale 6 stone row: Only one stone was visible of this row, and thankfully we had Sandy G to point out the location of the row and the only stone of this very short row visible - the western most stone. So many features around the Merrivale Menhir. I'm really glad we had our guide for the day, and also, at home, the Butler "Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities" (volume 3) to help interpret all the different stones, cairns and pits.
Merrivale Second Menhir and Cairn
Trip No.133 Entry No.12 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Merrivale Second Menhir and Cairn submitted by Anne T on 9th Jul 2019. To show the relationship of these monuments with the tall Merrivale Menhir, the recumbent granite pillar is in the foreground, with its pit immediately behind it; the cairn is visible as a low mound behind it (just right of centre) The tall menhir is in the background. The cairn is 5.5m from the menhirs and the granite slab 2m from the cairn. Row 4 runs from the centre to the middle left of the photo; the western stone of row 6 is to the left hand side of the menhir.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Merrivale Second Menhir, pit and cairn: All these monuments were so close together, it was a bit mind-boggling. I made sure I wrote down the monuments and the photo numbers so I didn't mix them up when I processed the photos later (the wind was still gusting strongly so we didn't get my folder with pre-printed notes out in case they blew away).
As a group, we were fascinating with all the pits around here and spent some time exploring them and taking grid references. Dave P later contacted me to tell me these had been documented by Butler in his Volume 3 of "Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities".
Leeden Tor
Trip No.133 Entry No.13 Date Added: 9th Jul 2019
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5
Leeden Tor submitted by Brian Byng on 7th Feb 2002. Leeden Tor - Cairn at upper end SX 5653 7147.
A scrappy row 107 m long but with only 4 stones still upright. Cairn 6m dia
with large central pit. Runs NW - SE with cairn at uphill N W end. The cairn
Has a reeve cutting across it and the row has another reeve cutting across.
Reeve - local word for a prehitoric field boundary maade from roughly
assembled granite blocks now sometimes only traces exist as here. Reeve
building on Dartmoor circa 1400 BC. Seems likely that the rows pred...
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Leeden Tor Stone Row: It was now the afternoon of 14th May. Having driven from Merrivale to the small car park nearest this site at SX 56725 71397, we had 10-15 minutes to spare before everyone arrived. In the meantime, Sandy led us up the hill to look at this stone row. By this time the wind was howling around us, with strong gusts that threatened to blow me over - thank goodness for my walking poles! I took a little satisfaction in watching the small group of soldiers out on exercise also being pummelled by the wind.
When the stones in the row and the cairn at its head were pointed out to me, I could see the alignment and also its relationship to the reave.
Whilst this stone row is near the car park, the tussocky grass made walking a little tricky.
Black Tor (Meavy)
Trip No.133 Entry No.14 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Black Tor (Meavy) submitted by Brian Byng on 7th Feb 2002.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Stanlake Stone Row (aka Black Tor): Our second stop of the afternoon, and our hope was that as we crossed the road and descended from the slopes that we'd be more sheltered from the wind. Not a chance! However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the next few sites.
From the Leeden Tor stone row, we crossed the main road, ending up in what -after a spell of wet weather - would have been a boggy dip, but at the time of our visit was relatively dry. Even so trying to find a way across that I, and my wonky knees could manage, was a little amusing. Angie stopped to have her photographs taken against the Tors and woodland behind.
This double stone row is partly hidden by a dry stone wall/earthen bank, put up when the landowner enclosed his land, telling his workers to ‘enclose up to and including the stone row’ according to Sandy.
We had intended to come back and photograph this stone row on the way back, but because I couldn’t make it to the sites we'd planned to go to later in the afternoon because of the steep drops by the leat, we didn’t return this way.
Black Tor Stone Row Cairns (Stanlake)
Trip No.133 Entry No.15 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Cairn
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
Black Tor Stone Row Cairns (Stanlake) submitted by Anne T on 10th Jul 2019. The three cairns which can be found at the south western end of the Black Tor/Stanlake Stone Row.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Black Tor, cairns at south-western end of the stone row: These cairns lie just to the south western end of the stone row, to the south of the field boundary containing the northern side of the stone row and just to the west of another field boundary which runs NNW-SSE. Whilst I vaguely recognised these as cairns, without Dave Parks and his magic GPS, and Sandy G coming to give us an explanation, I might have dismissed these as being relatively unimportant. Wrong!
These cairns are recorded on Sandy’s Site Report 4 for the stone row (diagram 6, page 12) but again it was too windy to get these out and study them in any detail. I would really have loved to have spent more time here on a lovely, bright sunny day.
These run just to the west of another field boundary which runs NNW to SSE and just south of the field boundary containing the stone row.
Stanlake Settlement
Trip No.133 Entry No.16 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4
Stanlake Settlement submitted by AngieLake on 29th May 2019. With the men out of the way we can see the abundance of lovely bluebells inside the hut circle on this sunny, but very windy, 14 May!
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Stanlake Prehistoric Settlement: Walking down slope from the western end of the stone row, we soon came upon a very interesting, complex and intriguing mix of hut circles, dry stone walls and other features. I lagged behind the group a little, trying to determine what I was seeing as I saw it, but failed miserably - there was so much to take in!
Sandy waited for his Intrepid Dartmoor Expedition Group around the spot marked 6 on his plan (taken from his survey report for Meavy Valley Archaeology: site report 1, figure 3, which I've added as a link to Angie's main site page text.
It is interesting that in his report, Sandy links this settlement to the nearby production of tin, with a large tin works just to the south of the Devonport leat.
Having studied point 6 for some time, we wandered over the hut circles and attached compounds, walking to the south and west, and back round to the long house, of which very little now remains, but there are low banks in the ground, partly cut by a modern field wall.
I was sad to leave, as I could have spent at least another couple of hours here. Yet it was to be my last site of the day, as further to the NW along the Devonport Leat, there was a section of steep drops down into the river and the l eat, and I was unable to proceed any further. As it happened, it was a good job we stopped earlier (it was gone 4pm by this time), as Andy B has caught an earlier train and was waiting in Newton Abbott.
Bennet's Cross
Trip No.134 Entry No.1 Date Added: 22nd Jun 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Bennet's Cross submitted by thecaptain on 2nd Aug 2006. This is a lovely cross, believed to have been carved from a prehistoric menhir.
It stands about 1.7 metres tall, and is just beside the B3212 road near its high point as it crosses the moor between Moretonhampstead and Postbridge.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Bennet's Cross, Devon: Not on our schedule for the day, but as we drove right past this cross, we pulled over in the small car park just to the eastern side of the B3212to take a closer look at this cross and to take some photographs. A slight problem on the morning, as the car park, even before 9.30am was chock-a-block with a party of ‘twitchers’, so as our car was blocking some of theirs in, Andrew stayed with the car and I ran over to the cross.
The early morning sunshine was really bright, so parts of the cross were in deep shade. I did see the carved WB on the cross, but the shadows were really deep. The intention was to stop on the way back and photograph the cross in a different light, but we were so tired at the end of the day, I forgot.
St Leonard's Well (Sheepstor)
Trip No.134 Entry No.16 Date Added: 22nd Jun 2019
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
St Leonard's Well (Sheepstor) submitted by KiwiBetsy on 21st Nov 2004. St Leonard's Well is enhanced by a recycled church window.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: St Leonard's Holy Well, Sheepstor: I spotted this well as we were driving down to the car park near Whittenknowles and we stopped to photograph it on the way back.
The sunshine was really, really bright coming over the wall, so the few photos I took worked out best looking at the well from an angle. The well was completely dry, with the well structure full of ferns and weeds.
Our last stop of the day before going for an ice cold drink at Princetown.
Roman Cross (Sheepstor)
Trip No.134 Entry No.15 Date Added: 22nd Jun 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5
Roman Cross (Sheepstor) submitted by Anne T on 22nd Jun 2019. The Roman/Rumon Cross in Sheepstor, showing its location just outside St Leonard's Church.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Roman Cross, Sheepstor: After having been to Whittenknowles, Drizzlecomb & Yellowmead, we drove back through Sheepstor and I asked to be able to stop and photograph this cross, which I'd seen on the way, just outside St. Leonard’s Church in Sheepstor village.
The cross has been restored, and almost looks modern, but reading its relatively complicated history, it is fortunate to have survived (see the references in the main site page text).
The cross is in a lovely location, and I would have loved to have had time to pop into the church, but my aching feet and the need for a meal and a drink dictated otherwise!
Standing Stone Near Cairn at Head of Drizzlecombe Row 4
Trip No.134 Entry No.16 Date Added: 16th Jul 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3
Standing Stone Near Cairn at Head of Drizzlecombe Row 4 submitted by Anne T on 1st Jun 2019. This photo is taken just from the SSW of the stone, showing its north-north-eastern face.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe West Standing Stone: Whilst Sandy and the rest of the intrepid "Dartmoor Expedition" were searching lower down the slope for the enigmatic and mysterious Drizzlecome West Stone Row, I'd wandered up slope, stopping at this stone and looking at the nearby cairn. Failing to attract the attention of my fellow explorers, I wandered off to look at the large cairn near the southern and smaller of the two pounds. When I came back, I found Sandy in full 'Bronze Age Mode' with his ranging pole standing by this stone.
We photographed it and took a grid reference with our GPS. More research to be done on this stone - not apparently recorded in Butler or any of the other Dartmoor Archaeology books I now possess. Have asked the rest of the group to contribute to the information on this stone, if they are able. Sandy plans to return in September 2019, so more information to follow.
Whittenknowles Rocks
Trip No.134 Entry No.2 Date Added: 11th Jul 2019
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3
Whittenknowles Rocks submitted by thecaptain on 15th Jun 2008. To the west of the Drizzlecombe sites, on a southern facing hillside, can be found the remains of the very large Whittenknowles Rocks ancient settlement.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Whittenknowles Rocks Enclosed Settlement: We parked in the small car park at SX 57880 67316 next to a small stream and a ford. Walking across the road bridge, we dived off across a small stream and walked next to a small wood, entering the moorland and continuing in a southerly direction, following an old dry stone wall, then turning eastwards. Most of the walking was really easy, even though this was rough moorland.
We started to come across wall lines and groups of stones, and as I started to ‘get my eye in’, the hut circles and compounds became much clearer (see Butler’s plan, “Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities”, volume 3, page 126). The hut circles and enclosures were inter-dispersed with uncleared lines of rocks, which Sandy said were natural, and the occupants had just left them as they were.
Towards the southern side of the site, towards the long houses, we came across a small leat, where Sandy explained there had been ‘in the past, a natural disaster’ and all the soil had come down the slope, presumably leaving no soil for growing crops.
I couldn’t believe how far this site extends – some 4.7 hectares (11.61 acres).
I took photographs, blithely thinking the external GPS device on my camera was capturing the locations of the photographs. It wasn't until a couple of days later that I realised there was no lat/long information on the photographs, so I've had to guess, from Butler's plan, more or less where the photos were taken.
Drizzlecombe Brook
Trip No.134 Entry No.3 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Marker Stone
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3
Drizzlecombe Brook submitted by Anne T on 11th Jul 2019. This is the 'standing stone' at SX 5870966946, in between Whittenknowles Rocks Settlement and Drizzlecombe Brook with its old tin workings.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe Brook 'Standing Stone': This stone was between the settlement an the tin works that Sandy showed us and I was hopeful of having spotted another monument on the moors not on today's list of sites to visit.
Not having a grid reference from the camera, we’ve tracked it down to one of six stones (one of which I photographed later, but which turns out to be the abandoned gate post!). Looking at the photograph and how near we are to the tin-works at the stream, this stone is at SX 58709 66946.
Judging by the photograph with the group, I estimate it to be just taller than Janet – 1.7m or just over.
Drizzlecombe row 1
Trip No.134 Entry No.4 Date Added: 2nd Aug 2019
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe row 1 submitted by Karen on 27th Oct 2003. Drizzlecombe SE row looking up the row from its longstone
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe 1 Stone Row: Having been able to glimpse these stones rows as we walked across the moorland from Whittenknowles Rocks settlement, I couldn’t wait to see these rows at last. But, my goodness, what a richness and complexity of sites all in one small-ish area. I made careful notes throughout the day of which photographs belonged to which row, and hopefully these now all make sense.
Stone Row 1, similar in some ways to the Merrivale Rows, but then again not, had a much, much taller pillar stone. Located at the SW end of the row, this pillar stone can be seen on UK Grid reference finder: SX 59053 66858.
The stone row is unusual because it starts off as a single row (74.5m), then becomes a double row (for 47m), then back to a single row (28m to the cairn) – total length 149.5m.
I was surprised to see quite a few walkers stroll along this valley bottom, some along the row, others not. With the River Plym to our east, the water shimmered in the afternoon light. There were also a lot of cattle in the field, but all seemed used to people and just carried on grazing.
Drizzlecombe menhir 1
Trip No.134 Entry No.5 Date Added: 2nd Aug 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe menhir 1 submitted by thecaptain on 1st Feb 2008. Drizzlecombe menhir 1 viewed from the southwest, with the row running away to the left.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe Menhir 1: I counted this pillar stone as part of the stone row, although Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks and Pastscape record it separately. I have switched some of my photographs over to this site page. Beautiful stone, and lovely location.
Drizzlecombe Giant's Basin
Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Cairn
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe Giant's Basin submitted by Bladup on 12th May 2017. The large Giant's Basin.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Giant's Basin and associated smaller cairns: Before we arrived at the stone rows, despite having printed off the Pastscape and Historic England entries for these sites, I hadn’t really got the full picture of how complex and interesting this area of Drizzlecombe was.
The Giant’s Basin, to the south east of the cairn at the top of Drizzlecombe Stone Row 1/A, is enormous, and reminiscent of the large cairns at Kilmartin, albeit covered in grass.
Thanks to Dave P and his trusty GPS (along with vast knowledge of Dartmoor, of course!) took me over and pointed at the three cairns at its western side.
I walked half way up the slope to the top of the cairn and photographed part of the the robbed out interior.
Drizzlecombe menhir 2
Trip No.134 Entry No.7 Date Added: 2nd Aug 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe menhir 2 submitted by TheCaptain on 13th Jun 2007. This magnificent menhir at the downhill end of row 2 (or C) at Drizzlecombe is the largest on Dartmoor, and said to be "by far the finest in the west of England".
I wouldnt argue with that.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe Menhir 2: I took this to be an integral part of Drizzlecombe Stone Row 2, so have moved a couple of my photos over to this site page.
Drizzlecombe Cist 6
Trip No.134 Entry No.6 Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Cairn
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe Cist 6 submitted by thecaptain on 23rd Feb 2008. Drizzlecombe Cist 6 has a capstone 1.8 m by 1.2 m sitting on top of a broken box, which is now three side set slabs, probably two side slabs and a single end stone.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Giant's Basin Cist (Drizzlecombe Cist 6): This cist was pointed out to me by Dave Parks and Sandy G, but I only seem to have one photograph of it, although I remember standing over it and taking photos from different angles. Perhaps I've got muddled up with all the other wonderful stone settings and cairns in the area. A brilliant area to visit. So much to see, all in very close proximity.
Drizzlecombe menhir 3
Trip No.134 Entry No.10 Date Added: 2nd Aug 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3
Drizzlecombe menhir 3 submitted by thecaptain on 15th Feb 2008. Drizzlecombe menhir 3 seen from the west.
Many of the stones of row 3 can be seen running away from this terminal longstone to the left.
In the background is the glorious menhir 2.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: Drizzlecombe Menhir 3: Again, I took this to be an integral part of Drizzlecombe Stone Row 3, so I've swapped some of my photos to this site page. I've duplicated the trip/order number with row 3 to match my walk/photo journal.