We approached the burial chamber from Buttern hill stone circle, where by you just go straight up and over the hill. But no matter what direction you come from just look for the large walled enclosure on the east side of Buttern hill, walk round it til you find the chamber on the east side of the enclosure, at it's south east corner.
This site isn't going to set your megalithic world on fire, it is a fairly luke warm place. But there aren't many chambered cairns on Dartmoor, no wait, actually there's probably loads, but they're not what Dartmoor does most of, so we decided to go back to the car this way.
Right at the corner of the walled enclosure there are some big stones that look like they could well have been part of some now toppled monument, I thought they were what I was looking for but they didn't look anything like the pictures on here and on the Portal. So I kept on looking, one place immediately took my eye, bracken growing out of some stones, they must surely be it. They are.
It's pretty ruined, the chamber is recognisable, and because you can see the chamber all the other parts fall into place, passage stones, portal stones one up one down. The view east is quite extensive, but crosses only over farmland.
Hunger had made itself known to me some time ago, every footfall now wobbled pains around my stomach. We quit the hill, and made a bee line for the road, retrieving the car at quarter to nine, a little over four hours had passed. Cosdon stone row, stone circles White moor and Buttern hill and here, all seen.
In 1975 there were two Chambered Cairns discovered on the east side of Buttern Hill. The uphill/west one is the best preserved and the stones of the chamber ,although not very big, are still in position. The other cairn is in poor condition and lies obout 500 metres to the east.
They are best seen in the winter/ spring as they are covered with bracken during the rest of the year. I had to clear it to get the photos. There is quite a good field system that lies between here and the Buttern Hill Circle, and the newtake which is to the west of the cairns stands on the original walls of part of it. If you go looking for the cairns they are situated near to the east side of this newtake whick is very visible as it stands alone on the east side of Buttern Hill.
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