“Regaining the road, I go on towards Moreton, taking another circuitous route to visit the fine old cross on Week Down, just above Middlecott. It has an incised Maltese Cross on both sides at the intersection of the arms, which are probably more modern than the cross itself, as the …

‘Westward we have that beautiful ravine called Tavy Cleave, through which the river beneath leaves its mountain home, overhung on the one hand by a succession of rocky pinnacles, of which Great Tor – locally Gert Tor – is the boldest, and on the other by the steep bluff of …

As the ‘Way of the Dead’ or the Lych Way morbidly winds its way down from Lydford Tor it reaches the river Cowsic and  Conies Down Water at a ford known as Traveller’s Ford. On the west bank of Conies Down Water stands a large, black boulder that sits silently …

Back in the October of 2009 the sensational headline of ‘Atlantis and Mini Stonehenge Found in Devon‘ hit the archaeological world. It was referring to the discovery of some Bronze Age monuments when the Tottiford reservoir was drained for purposes best known to South West Water. At that time I …

Whilst flicking through the archaeological news feeds today (24.10.09) one came up from Heritage Key (see link opposite) dramatically announcing: ‘Atlantis and Mini-Stonehenge found in Devon‘. As the term ‘Atlantis‘ was used I assumed whatever had been discovered was along the coastline somewhere – wrong! On reading further this over …

“Proceed over the common to Three Barrow Torr; a lofty elevation, so named from three huge barrows, or karns, on its summit – supposed, from their vast size to mark the tomb of some eminent warrior.” – 1827. For once it is easy to see how this hill acquired its …

Imagine a scene some 4,000 years ago when a highly respected member of a Bronze Age tribe died, they may have been killed in some conflict or just simply died of old age. Either way the family and other tribal members respected them enough to give him or her a …

Along with the menhirs, stone circles, and kists of Dartmoor are the associated stone rows. It is estimated that there are 76 known stone rows and avenues all of which seem to have been built over a lengthy period of time. It is always difficult to date these features but …

As with most highland zones of Britain Devon has a number of Bronze Age stone circles, 16 to be exact and of these 14 are to be found on Dartmoor. They range in size from a diameter of 17.7 metres to 38.2 metres which when compared to the larger Avebury …

Stentiford or Stittleford’s Cross is another often unseen feature of Dartmoor which stands in the corner of an old newtake wall near Hemsworthy Gate. Although it is now lumped together with the other stone crosses of Dartmoor technically speaking the ‘cross’ is an inscribed stone. I am as guilty as …