We have mistimed our trip to Cornwall to coincide with half term. So we are more than grateful that we have found a quiet retreat away from the crowds at the bijou residence Five Degrees West
The cottage is just a short walk inland from Cape Cornwall, the Botallack Tin Mines, and the Queens Arms. All of whom we intend to explore in fine detail as this week progresses.
The rental is also within easy striking distance of Botallack and Truthwall Common, and Carn Kenidjack. After settling into the cottage – we headed straight out onto the heath to visit Tregeseal stone circle situated on the south-west edge of Truthwall Common.
The footpaths are overgrown, and in full flower – as we walked through the tall vegetation we flushed numerous butterflies, bumblebees, and hoverflies. Of the latter I was happy to get a photograph of Volucella bombylans an instantly recognisable species, but one I am entirely unsure as to whether I have seen before?
Volucella bombylans
Reaching the open vista of the commons, we could hear at least two Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in full song – from the directions of Carn Bean and Boswens Common. High overhead the joyous scream of the local swifts (Apus apus) made us smile.
The stone circle itself, appears to be in good condition – the result of restoration in the 1930’s. A second circle recorded by Borlase in the mid-19th Century, was subsequently completely dismantled by the 1960’s (Historic England 2023).
"I am, you are, we are, crazy! I am, you are, we are, crazy! I am, you are, we are, crazy!
Hey Pete, you gotta meet the Pot-Head Pixies I am, you are, we are, crazy! So meet, you'll never beat the Pot-Head Pixies I am, you are, we are, crazy! Oh me, they're something to see, the Pot-Head Pixies I am, you are, we are, crazy! Oh my come from the sky, the Pot-Head Pixies I am, you are, we are, crazy!"
Daevid Allen (1973)
Although the overnight forecast had been for an open sky with an accompanying severe drop in temperature, yesterday evening I put the moth trap out again for the second night in a row, hoping to improve on the first night’s catch.
When the alarm went off at 4:30AM this morning I groped around in the dark of the unfamiliar bedroom, trying not to wake A in the process. On leaving the cottage, I flushed a pair of Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) from the garden pond (I am still not sure who jumped the most - myself or the ducks?). Out on the moor a Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) called repeatedly into the still morning.
I barely looked in the moth trap, simply noting that it looked like another meagre haul. I covered it up with the groundsheet – before heading back to bed.
Later, sorting through the egg trays I was chuffed to turn out an Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthus ocellata) a species that I have only seen once before, maybe some 15 years or so ago – when I had chanced upon a specimen lying in the middle of a pavement on a busy street in Southsea. I had picked the moth up and put it in some foliage atop the garden wall of the local Mosque.
Eyed Hawk-moth
Moth trap; 20W actinic heath trap:
1 x Eyed Hawk-moth 2 x Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica) 2 x Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1 x Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) 2 x Caddisfly (unidentified)
Common Cockchafer
With supplies running low, we drove into Tavistock mid-morning, stocking up on food, beer, and wine. At FatFace we bought long-sleeved linen shirts to cover our sunburnt arms and necks.
Never one to miss an opportunity to peruse an independent bookshop we visited Book Stop in the hope of finding a copy of George Thurlow’s tome “Thurlow’s Dartmoor Companion” (2nd Edition 2001) – a copy of which is in the cottage’s library. It transpired the book is out of print, the shop assistant found a second hand copy available online, wrote the address of the website down for me, and encouraged me to order it directly to our home address, rather than through the shop. Conscientiously saving double postage costs as well as reducing it's carbon footprint.
Not wishing to leave the bookshop empty handed I bought a copy of Paul Rendell’s “Exploring Around Burrator, A Dartmoor Reservoir" (2nd Edition 2023). As well as a couple of free leaflets from swlakestrust describing walks around the Burrator reservoir.
This afternoon, we decided to stretch our legs on the southern flank of Sheepstor, as I was intrigued by an entry in the cottage welcome pack, which referred to the Pixies’ House, and was also annotated on the OS Explorer OL28 as “Piskies or Pixies House”. From the brief write up in the welcome pack, it was a natural cave which at some distant point in the moor’s history had hidden an important man from persecution following some notable historical event? I had barely taken in the detail, and set off in pursuit of the cave, thinking it would be simple enough to find the feature in such a small area.
However, the cave was not easy to locate. I went up and down the slope peering between and under rocks to no avail. At one point I struck out purposefully towards a “large opening” visible just below the tor summit. As I got closer, I had to admit that I was literally chasing a shadow. Much to A’s amusement - who had tagged along to humour me. She waited patiently, as I scoured the rocks for an opening.
Frustrated, I turned to Google, and did an internet search, relieved that I was in full receipt of 4G. Several images flashed up, and it was apparent that I was only some 20m below the rock face which held the cave.
It did not take me long to scramble headfirst into the small hole at the foot of the vertical crack in the boulders. A dutifully took a photograph of me confirming I had survived the ingress.
The cave comprises of a small almost rectangular box, with two low creeps running parallel and away from it for a couple of meters.
Retreating from the confinement, I sat outside and drew a sketch of the rock face in my moleskine, as a reminder, should I ever wish to return to the site.
Shortly afterwards, we were back in the cottage, and taking stock of the Papillon Gin, mixed with Luscombe Grapefruit Tonic Water, and a slice of pink grapefruit. Following the recipe recommended by the helpful shop assistant in Roots and Vines, Tavistock.
Whilst we sat on the patio in the sunshine with our drinks, I flicked through the copy of Thurlow’s Dartmoor Companion (ibid) and discovered that on p.70 there was both a brief description of the cave, and its historical significance - along with a detailed illustration of the rock face, it was under!
Rather than paraphrase here the tale of the cave from Thurlow, I will leave the telling to the Tim Sandles the author of the online gazetteer “Legendary Dartmoor.”
We started out from Yellowmead Farm at 10:50AM crossed the fields to Yellowmead Stone Circle, following the field boundaries - as per the instructions in our cottage's welcome pack.
The stone complex as recorded on the OS map reads “Cairn Circles” (OS Explorer OL28). However, the description is of a fourfold stone circle (four concentric stone circles) in "The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor" belonging to the Early Bronze Age (Newman, P. 2011).
The circles do surround a central cairn (Historic England 2023) although this was not obvious, and I had to intuitively sense its placement rather than see it in situ. Any raised ground indicating the presence of a central cairn being slight enough to suggest natural topography.
four concentric stone circles
central stone circle surrounding a cairn
To the immediate southwest the remains of a double stone row are visible. This site reminded us in part of Shovel Down, which also boasts a double stone row terminating at a four concentric stone circles. Whilst the latter fourfold circle is just half the diameter of Yellowmead (Thurlow, G. 2001) the combined stone settings at Shovel Down is landscape scale compared to the remains at Yellowmead.
William Lethbridge (2015) indicates that the Yellowmead Circles, differs today from the earliest description of the site made by R. H. Worth of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee [DEC]. The committee surveyed and produced literature between 1893 - 1906 (DartmoorCam 2023). In the DEC report the circles comprised of 104 stones – now 106; and with six stone placements at right angles to the circles which have since disappeared, along with two of the stones of the double stone row (Thurlow, G. 2001).
double stone row detail
Leaving Yellowmead behind us, we headed south, and explored the numerous cairns at the base of Gutter Tor, looking for, but failing to find the Cist.
one of several cairns at the base of Gutter Tor
Gutter Tor
Ascending Gutter Tor I found the natural rock basins in the summit rocks.
natural rock basins, Gutter Tor
After lunch, we set a compass bearing for the remains of a farmstead on Ringmoor Down. From the farmstead, we planned to follow the field boundaries anti-clockwise to avoid crossing Legis Mire on our way to the local stone row. However, after scanning a distant anomaly with the binoculars – I noted a single standing stone – so we decided to head straight for that instead.
"that looks like a standing stone over there .. .. although it could just turn out to be a cattle rubbing post?"
Crossing Legis Mire we found it was not as wet under foot as anticipated. The standing stone turned out to be in the northern end of the sought-after stone row alignment, and we followed the row south and uphill to the cairn circle which was set at its terminus. As we ascended the stone row in places became a double stone row (Lethbridge, W. D. 2015).
heading south (and uphill) along the stone row
Evidence that it may have originally been a double stone row? after Lethbridge (2015)
And on to the terminal cairn
Newman (2011) indicates that although there is a lack of precision in dating the stone rows of Dartmoor, it is most probable that they belong to the late Neolithic / early Bronze Age periods. Particularly with respect to those rows, such as at Brisworthy which are strongly associated with cairns, and often with burial remains. See also below for the stone complex at Merrivale (Blogs passim).
At this point, in our walk, we had to concede that we had both come out ill-prepared for the dry heat and clear sunny skies that the day provided. We had forgotten to bring sunblock, underestimated our water requirements, and along with the prolonged exposure on the open moor, we were starting to feel overheated and sunburnt. As such we decided to head back north, rather than extend the walk south to the Brisworthy Stone Circle, but not before we had located the bijou stone circle to the southwest. Lethbridge (2015) suggests that this small circle has had several stones added in more recent times.
Our return journey took longer than we had hoped given how hot and tired we both were by mid-afternoon. The higher moor to the east of Yellowmead Farm’s field boundaries was heavily waterlogged and we could not find and refollow the outward route. After a significant detour, we reached the Farm at 15:30 PM. Over our day’s walk we had covered 10.5KM but with the exposure on the moor it had felt a lot further!
