Southern Dartmoor

This part of Dartmoor is quite rich in Bronze Age monuments, or maybe it is only rich in surviving ones because the place is unsuitable for most types of farming, so has generally been left alone. 

Nearby there are the Trowlesbury complex and the Yellowmeade concentric circles, which have been mentioned elsewhere here. 

 These two sites don’t seem to be linked, however they are close to one another and can easily be visited together, parking near Cadover Lakes, or to the side of one of the country roads. 

The southernmost circle, near Brisworthy farm, is a large ring set on a pleasant, south-facing slope. Aubrey Burl, in his majestic “A Guide to the Stoen Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany”, points out that there were 42 stones at one point, with 24 remaining. The others are probably part of the farm wall nearby.

There was at one time a settlement on nearby Legis Tor from which this circle would have been visible. 

A short walk up the hill (300m or so) and you find the slightly unkempt Ringmoor Cairn Circle and an avenue of stones. Burl suggests that some of the stones from the avenue were used to help reconstruct the ring, back in 1909. 

Rising to the top of Ringmoor Down, one has a wonderful view of Sheepstor and Burrator, which is now a reservoir. On the morning I hiked up here the area was shrouded in mist, and the drone was able to get some beautiful shots.