
Bullseye
Bullseye
It was so misty when we started I wasn’t keen on our chances of finding this site, but the voodoo goddess did her thing and miracles happened.
A bit Down Tor isn’t it?
Zooming over the stones towards the “zone of utter devastation” that is the china clay works, which has grown in size since my map was printed. Eric said this of the quarry, awesome yet terrifying, imagine what the world would be like if we were actually trying to break it.
Great Trowlesworthy Tor fades in and out of reality, but the stone circle remains steadfastly in our dimension.
A crack in the clouds.... the Trowlesworthy Tors grace the skyline.
The ‘circle in its landscape... the stone row can be seen advancing from the left.
Sorry, just caught the Gladman rucksack far left.... not another stone.
Surely the ‘bite’ taken from the stone wasn’t part of the original plan? Souvenir hunters, perhaps? Or very tough Dartmoor ponies. Aren’t they just?
From the east....
From the south, showing the iconic leaning/bent/twisted orthostat...
The backdrop of China Clay workings isn’t the best.... but this is nonetheless a lovely cairn circle and row. Viewed from approx north.
Sunburst from the east....
Trowlesworthy 12th July 2004
Circle and the E row
I cant believe we found it, quite easily too despite no compass, despite the fog, or prior knowledge of what to look for. Eight stones remain of this stone circle, also known as the Pulpit. The circle stone that is closest to the circle is the tallest, and most leany, Burl say it is four foot two, but if you stand in the dip where sheep fidget it’s almost five foot five. It also has a gnarled and twisted form, and a big streak of raptor poo on one side.
We pick a stone and sit for a while, the mist is, I think, beginning to clear, revealing a lot more stone work to the north and the west, I regard the map and see that there are settlements almost all around, and blow me down another stone row and a possible stone circle. We’ll have to have a longer look round.
Time for some elevation, I attach the camera to the tripod and extend it all the way and hoik it up into the air with camera on ten second countdown, trying again and again to get the right angle, this is the first time Eric’s seen this, he laughed at me. How rude.
It is a great little stone circle, but to make the long drive down well and truly worth it, we’ll have to go and see a couple more stone circles elsewhere, right after I’ve had a look at that other stone row.
This site is part of a complex that includes the circle itself and an eastern and western stone row.
The circle has 8 stones and is about 7m in diameter.
The attached eastern row runs away to the SE.
The alignment of the row and circle is up the hill towards the hut circles on Trowlesworthy Tors
Two stone circles and two stone rows at this Dartmoor site. The small circle is probably a cairn circle.