Dartmoor CAM

This walk: 2009-5-6. Hound Tor, cairn circle and cist, Haytor, dew pond, grass (Carex species), Greator Rocks, reave, Holwell Lawn, bumble bee, Holwell Tor, pixie land, Harvey's jump, lichens blowing in the wind, laurel flowers, Medieval village, longhouses, drying barns for corn, the witch.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

Cairn circle and cist at SX 74100 78768. Some stones were removed and used in building a nearby road.

A view of the cist, which is quite a large one.

A view of the cairn and cist with Hound Tor behind (elevation 392 meters / 1286 feet)..

Looking towards Haytor, 2.4 km (1.48 miles) away.

Dew pond at approx. SX 7417 7859, said to have been the possible water supply for the nearby Medieval village.

Not a clue .............. anyone? Email me

Looking down at Greator Rocks (or, Great Tor).

Looking back at Hound Tor.

Fallen, twisted tree with Hound Tor behind.

Just through the gate into Holwell Lawn, at SX 74570 78688, looking along a reave that runs north with Hound Tor at top left.

Bumble bee.

Haytor in the distance with the rocks of Holwell Tor in front.

Pixie land, with horse jumps.

Part of a jumping course showing possible Harvey Smith influence, or is it just a lucky jump?

Lichen, long and beard-like, blowing in the wind .............................. to strains of Bob Dylan?

Another view, showing a second form known to some as "knicker elastic" ............ he said .......

Laurel in the old garden area of an abandoned cottage on Holwell Lawn.

Laurel, close-up.

The hearth and chimney breast of the abandoned cottage.

Another view of the cottage.

A sea of bluebells ........... soon ........... next week?!

A zoomed view of an enclosure, below Holwell Tor, at SX 748 775.

Greator Rocks again.

Bluebells.

Formation in Greator Rocks.

Longhouse 3 at the Medievel village at SX 746 787. Note the signs of the central drainage channel in the shippon at the far end, where the animals were housed, with the people at the near end. Also note the central walk-through passageway through the house.

Probably Longhouse 8, later a barn.

View of the passageway through Longhouse 7, see next photo.

Longhouse 7, with its L-shaped annex to the right. Again, with drainage at the far end. Known locally as the Manor House due to its size etc.

Outhouse/store on the side of Longhouse 7.

Corn-drying barn B1 with fireplaces at the far end to provide heat to dry the corn in the damp climate as it changed to colder weather. The village is believed to have been established around AD 1250 and abandoned again in AD 1400.

Close-up of the fireplaces.

Looking northwards towards Manaton, with an island of sunlight ......

The Witch.

Was there a story to these rocks, I wonder?

Reproduced from Dartmoor OS Explorer map 1:25 000 scale by permission of Ordnance Survey
on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number 100047373.
Also, Copyright © 2005, Memory-Map Europe, with permission

This walk was accessed from Plymouth via the A38 past Ashburton and then turning north following the Sigford sign at Alton Cross. Then to Owlacombe Cross, turning left to Hemsworthy Gate passing Rippon Tor, turning left to Harefoot Cross, turning right and continuing until parking below Hound Tor, at the yellow cross on the map above.

Statistics
Distance - 4.54 km / 2.82 miles.