Concentric Rings

Yellowmead is a farm on the slopes of Sheeps Tor on southern Dartmoor, and is semi-famous for its unusual concentric stone circles.

The circles were not uncovered until relatively recently: the 1920s, when a fire cleared the area. The circles were restored almost immediately after, meaning the site is relatively complete.

It’s thought that originally there were a series of stone rows that led down the hills nearby towards the concentric circles.

One way to approach them is from Burrator, skirting the edge of Sheeps Tor, which offers commanding views of the nearby plantations.

Legendary Dartmoor observes that concentric stone circles are not rare, and there is no obvious pattern to their distribution, being found in Scotland, Cumbria and other places on Dartmoor. The other examples on Dartmoor are much less obvious than this one, though: even on foot it’s possible to appreciate the strange atmosphere created by this arrangement, especially on a foggy morning.

It’s worth noticing that this part of the moor is replete with other monuments. On the opposite side of the Gutter Tor car park is the huge Drizzlecombe complex, and Yellowmead is not far from Down Tor stone row, which snakes across the nearby valley.

The farm nearby means you don’t feel completely isolated out here, although it’s rare to see another soul, except perhaps down by the scout hut car park, where you might see the occasional hiker setting off in any one of several different directions available from there. 

From here, there are few paths, and it’s easy to get lost in the sodden ground. Best to stick to the marked paths.  

From a drone’s perspective, one gets a better impression of the scale of the site: