Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks, walking the Stone Rows and Stone Circles of Dartmoor

Dartmoor Resource: Search for Sites Nearby

Prehistoric sites within 3km of SX 61700 89650

Guidance for walkers: The monuments featured in this database are archaeological treasures and need to be protected and preserved - please do not disturb any sites. Please check access and firing times before visiting sites, not all sites listed are on open access land. Firing ranges and boundaries of open access areas are marked on the OL28 OS Dartmoor Explorer map. Please stick to the country code and consider giving support to the numerous agencies that help to keep Dartmoor a fabulous natural and historic environment!

About the database listings: In all listings clicking on the photo or the site name will open a page for the site with a larger photo and further details from the database. The database now has over 6680 records covering nearly all publicly listed sites on Dartmoor including around 4800 round houses. This level of detail is of interest to archaeologists but tends to swamp listings of sites more likely to be of interest for walkers. For this reason, the listings default to around 550 core sites only. These are the stone circles, stone rows and the ring cairns listed by Turner. The default search radius is 2 km. The controls below the map can be used to start a new search by entering a 6- or 8-digit reference (without the prefix "SX"). The search radius can be specified and you can add incremental Display layers of detail on top of the core sites. If using a more detailed layer you will need to decrease the search radius to avoid getting hundreds of search results.

Core sites Default listing of core sites consisting of stone circles & rows and some of the major ring cairns.
Plus cairns adds approx. 1000 cairns and other minor sites not included in the core listings but excluding round houses.
Plus round houses adds approx. 4800 round houses.
Plus non-sites adds in the records for sites that no longer exist or are not prehistoric sites.
Plus duplicates adds records excluded as duplicates. Those maybe duplicate records in external listings (e.g. the Historic Environment Records). For example, some sites have been identified as cairns in some listings and interpreted as round houses in other listings and both records appear.

These listings have incorporated, matched up and merged all of the records from all of the major archaeological listings including: Worth, Grinsell, Turner, Butler, Bill Radcliffe, Sandy Gerrard, Megalithic Portal, the National Monument Records and the Historic Environment Records. The author would like to thank Bill, Sandy, the lovely people both at Megalithic Portal (especially Anne Tate who did an amazing job to link listings) and at ACE Archaeology for collaborative work over the years to synchronise and correct listings across the various websites which now interlink. A culmination of years of work the final merger of cairn records took 3 months of cross referencing in 2017 the result being a snapshot of the records at that time. This data has in turn been refined since by field work and research. The round house data was supplied by Sandy Gerrard. Grid references are in order of accuracy: from Google Earth satellite, if visible and found, from a Garmin GPS reading, if visited by the author and from the literature otherwise. Individual site pages will state the source of the grid reference and provide satellite imagery. If a site listing lacks a photo it has not yet been visited by the author in which case the grid reference is from the literature.

Currently the database only includes sites which can be represented by a grid reference. Reaves are not included as they require GIS shape technology which is beyond the current capability of this system. To see the sources for the records, look at the tables on the resources menu. The database listings can also be viewed on a Google map and downloaded as GPS datasets for Garmin devices.

Corrections, or any feedback or suggestions are very welcome, email: info@dartmoorwalks.org.uk.

NOTE: Clicking on the icons for each monument in the map will give the name of the site. You can zoom in and out and drag the map around.

OS Map: SX 6145 8981
HER: MDV60304
ShortName: HT:Oke Tor2
Nearby sites: SX 6145 8981
Distance: 0.30km

Cosdon Hill SW Round House

OS Map: SX 62875 91225
HER: MDV56874
ShortName: HT:Cosdon Hi12
Nearby sites: SX 62875 91225
Distance: 1.97km

Oke Tor Round House

OS Map: SX 6140 8997
HER: MDV60299
ShortName: HT:Oke Tor3
Nearby sites: SX 6140 8997
Distance: 0.44km

Ruelake Pit Round House

OS Map: SX 6399 8874
HER: MDV65389
ShortName: HT:Ruelake P2
Nearby sites: SX 6399 8874
Distance: 2.46km

Taw Marsh S.3 Clearance Cairn

OS Map: SX 62183 90381
HER: MDV51214
ShortName: CN TawMarsh S3
Notes: "an irregular, much disturbed cairn situated on gently sloping stony ground at nw foot of metheral hill and measuring 4.1m ne to sw by 2.5m with maximum height of 0.6m.3 large learning slabs lie on sw side with visible smaller boulders forming the matrix. Probably designed to mark parish boundaries of dartmoor forest and south tawton, running from ngr sx62539001 on metheral hill to ngr sx61769094 on the river taw." Formely listed here as Taw Marsh S.4 renamed to S.3 after removign duplicate entries.
Nearby sites: SX 62183 90381
Distance: 0.88km

Cosdon Hill W Round House

OS Map: SX 63065 91473
HER: MDV52466
ShortName: HT:Cosdon Hi36
Nearby sites: SX 63065 91473
Distance: 2.28km

Cosdon Hill W Round House

OS Map: SX 63070 91423
HER: MDV52466
ShortName: HT:Cosdon Hi37
Nearby sites: SX 63070 91423
Distance: 2.24km

Kennon Hill S.W.3 Reported Cairn

OS Map: SX 638 891
HER: MDV19462
ShortName: CN:Kennon SW3
Notes: HER: Unlikely cairn - a mound of 5.0 metres diameter by 0.4 metres high to south-west of Kennon Hill
Nearby sites: SX 638 891
Distance: 2.17km

Cosdon Hill W Round House

OS Map: SX 63105 91600
HER: MDV6920
ShortName: HT:Cosdon Hi38
Nearby sites: SX 63105 91600
Distance: 2.40km

Cosdon Hill W Round House

OS Map: SX 6307 9152
HER: MDV52448
ShortName: HT:Cosdon Hi39
Nearby sites: SX 6307 9152
Distance: 2.32km

Okement Hill N. Reported Cairn

OS Map: SX 603 880
ShortName: CN?OkementN
Butler map: 42.9
Notes: Butler: Crossing recorded two more cairns in the area". The NMR record has a slightly different guessed NGR.
Nearby sites: SX 603 880
Distance: 2.16km

Taw Marsh S.1 (duplicate 2) Clearance Cairn

OS Map: SX 62100 90470
ShortName: CN:TawMarsh S7
Notes: UPDATE 31/12/2022. This was formerly listed on the HER as MDV52832 and duplicated with MDV52833 - both HER records have been removed. All details originate from the now deleted HER record. NB. Taw Marsh S.8 was deleted as a duplicate, but rather than renumber this entry it will be left as "9" as renaming can cause confusion.
UPDATE 04/11/2024; It is a duplicate of Taw Marsh S.1 (MDV13059), formerly listed here as Taw Marsh S.9
Nearby sites: SX 62100 90470
Distance: 0.91km

Okement Hill Summit Reported Cairn

OS Map: SX 603 877
HER: MDV4369
ShortName: CNxOkementSum
Butler map: 42.9
Grinsell: LYD 5a
Notes: Doubtful - probable peat stack. NGR supplied by Grinsell.
Nearby sites: SX 603 877
Distance: 2.40km

Blackaton Brook 1 Cairn

OS Map: SX 64545 90378
HER: MDV59576
PMD: Blackaton Brook
ShortName: CT:Blackaton 1
Notes: The monument includes a cairn cemetery and sinuous linear earthwork bank situated on a gentle east facing slope overlooking the valley of the Blackaton Brook. The cairn cemetery survives as a linear cluster of six mounds standing between 0.6m and 1.3m high. Three of the mounds are circular in shape with their diameters varying between 4.5m and 8m. The remainder are oval with lengths between 5.5m and 13m. Four of the mounds have been robbed or partially excavated and an edge set stone in the centre of the northern cairn may represent the remnants of a cist.

Update 29/12/2024 The PMD entry formerly had a separate duplicate record SiteID=3068. This has been deleted and details merged into this record. The identification of the PMD cist with Cairn 1, northern most cairn, is uncertain and will need confirming by fieldwork.
Nearby sites: SX 64545 90378
Distance: 2.94km

Blackaton Brook 2 Cairn

OS Map: SX 6453 9034
HER: MDV59577
ShortName: CN:Blackaton 2
Nearby sites: SX 6453 9034
Distance: 2.91km

Blackaton Brook 3 Cairn

OS Map: SX 6450 9033
HER: MDV59578
ShortName: CN:Blackaton 3
Nearby sites: SX 6450 9033
Distance: 2.88km

Blackaton Brook 4 Cairn

OS Map: SX 6449 9033
HER: MDV59579
ShortName: CN:Blackaton 4
Nearby sites: SX 6449 9033
Distance: 2.87km

Blackaton Brook 5 Cairn

OS Map: SX 6448 9032
HER: MDV59580
ShortName: CN:Blackaton 5
Nearby sites: SX 6448 9032
Distance: 2.86km

Blackaton Brook 6 Cairn

OS Map: SX 6447 9029
HER: MDV59581
ShortName: CN:Blackaton 6
Nearby sites: SX 6447 9029
Distance: 2.84km

East Bowden Round House

OS Map: SX 6034 9229
HER: MDV27418
ShortName: HT:East Bowd1
Nearby sites: SX 6034 9229
Distance: 2.97km

Taw Marsh S.2 (duplicate) Clearance Cairn

OS Map: SX 62160 90430
HER: MDV60315
ShortName: CN:TawMarsh S8
Notes: Duplicate of HER entry MDV13061. Fomerly listed here as Taw Marsh S.3, changed to Taw Marsh S.2 (duplicate) and now marked as a duplicate.
Nearby sites: SX 62160 90430
Distance: 0.91km

OS Map: SX 6218 8895
HER: MDV60294
ShortName: HT:Steeperto10
Nearby sites: SX 6218 8895
Distance: 0.85km

Metheral Hill 1 Cairn

OS Map: SX 62562 90119
HER: MDV60321
ShortName: CN Metheral 1
Notes: The eastern of two round cairns on the north slope of Metheral Hill. This heather and grass-covered cairn measures 8.0 meters in diameter, height 0.9 meters and has not been robbed. There are a couple of stones protruding. This cairn lies 185.5 degrees from the eastern of the nearby boundary stones and 193.5 degrees from the western one. The second cairn is 280 degrees and 40.5 meters from this one.

Located by the author on 11/10/2024. This pair of cairns are both around 30m to the east of the grid reference on the HER but separated by the same distance.
Nearby sites: SX 62562 90119
Distance: 0.98km

Kennon Hill Round House

OS Map: SX 64223 89033
HER: MDV4387
ShortName: HT:Kennon Hi10
Nearby sites: SX 64223 89033
Distance: 2.60km

Steeperton Tor NE Round House

OS Map: SX 6210 8914
HER: MDV4388
ShortName: HT:Steeperto18
Nearby sites: SX 6210 8914
Distance: 0.65km

OS Map: SX 64232 89036
HER: MDV4387
ShortName: HT:Kennon Hi17
Nearby sites: SX 64232 89036
Distance: 2.61km

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cosdon Hill Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX 63708 91593
HER: MDV6898
Megalithic Portal: 10325
PMD: Cosdon Summit S.
Alternate name: Cosdon Hill 3 Embanked Cairn Circle and Cist
ShortName: CT Cosdon 3
Butler map: 40.7.3
Butler Vol 5: p.164 & Fig.105
DPD page: 152
Grinsell: ST 2
Turner: B14
Barrow Report: 21
Notes: "Ring cairn and cist on summit ridge of Cawsand Hill. Cairn forms part of a cemetery including at least 2 round cairns, 2 ring cairns and one platform cairn. Earthwork survives as a 2m wide and 0.4m high circular rubble bank, faced with close set stones around its outer edge and surrounds an internal area measuring 18m ew by 17m ns. A mound measuring 6m in diam and 0.2m high stands in the centre of the area enclosed by the circular bank and contains a stone cist with 2 slabs surviving." Turner B14(diagram p.59). Butler Cosdon Beacon 3 Vol. 2. Map 40.7.3 (diagram Vol. 5. p.164). NMR Cairn B. Possible cist? This site is difficult to photograph, the photo shows part of one side of the ring.
Nearby sites: SX 63708 91593
Distance: 2.79km

Cosdon Beacon Cist

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cosdon Hill Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX 63740 91653
PMD: Cosdon Summit N.
Alternate name: Cosdon Hill 6 Cist
ShortName: CT Cosdon 6
Notes: The cist was originally noted by Falcon as being approximately 3 1/2ft to 4ft long and 2ft wide, aligned apparently NE-SW. The SW and NE sides were fairly recognizable. This cist is very near to the Cosdon Hill 4 cairn (Cosdon Beacon Cairn Circle and Cist (SiteID=419), MDV6925) and the details of this site have been incorporated and sometimes confused by numerous authors. Butler perhaps gives a fleeting mention as "Two slabs on the edge of the pit are probably the sides of a cist." although it is not clear whether this is a reference to part of Cosdon Hill 4. Neither the NMR nor the HER have separate entries for this feature but it is mentioned as part of the covreage of Cosdon Hill 4 "Two stones set on edge on the eastern periphery of the mound may represent a second cist."
Nearby sites: SX 63740 91653
Distance: 2.86km

Cosdon Beacon Reported Cairn

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cosdon Hill Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX 63716 91666
Alternate name: Cosdon Hill 7 Reported Cairn
ShortName: CN Cosdon 7
DPD page: 153
Notes: An arrangement a few paces north of cosdon Hill 4 and of a very similiar appearance. Might be a modern arrangement, perhaps the work of stone cutters? There is a notable cist shaped hole within this feature. Lethbridge diagram p.152, photo bottom right p.153. This feature appears not to be mentioned anywhere else.
Nearby sites: SX 63716 91666
Distance: 2.85km

Cosdon Beacon East Stone Ring Cairn Circle

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cosdon Hill Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX 63663 91492
HER: MDV6928
Megalithic Portal: 10325
Alternate name: Cosdon Beacon 2 Stone Ring Cairn Circle
ShortName: RC Cosdon 2
Butler map: 40.7.2
DPD page: 152
Grinsell: ST 4
Turner: A6
Notes: Located 25m to east of Cosdon Beacon. A near circular bank 1.6m wide of double slab construction and about 21m across. Turner A6 (diagram p.59). NMR Cairn A. Butler Cosdon Beacon 2 Vol. 2. Map 40.7.2. (diagram of Cosdon Summit cairns on p.207).
Nearby sites: SX 63663 91492
Distance: 2.69km

Cullever Steps Ring Setting Cairn and Cist

OS Map: SX 60787 91954
HER: MDV6867
Megalithic Portal: 17956
PMD: Cullever Steps
ShortName: CT Cullever
Butler map: 40.14
Butler Vol 5: p.181 & Fig.123
Grinsell: BEL 2
Turner: D11
Notes: "A Bronze Age ring cairn situated below Belstone Tor within the valley of the East Okement River. The cairn survives as a 0.5 metre high bank surrounding a 4.1 metre diameter internal area. The bank around the southern and eastern side of the cairn is faced on both sides with edge set stones. A large flat stone lying on the south western part of the ring bank may represent a displaced cist coverstone. The overall dimensions of the cairn are 9.5 metres east to west by 8.5 metres north to south." Butler Vol. 2. Map 40.14 (diagram Vol. 5. p.181).
Nearby sites: SX 60787 91954
Distance: 2.48km

Kennon Hill Cairn Circle

OS Map: SX 64213 88723
HER: MDV130499
ShortName: CC:Kennon Hill
Notes: This cairn circle has a diameter of 10 metres or approx 30 feet. It has a slab in its centre which matches the 1894 report by R.N. Worth except for the size and distance/location of the Buttern Hill stone circle. The central area of the circle is raised and the circle has a ring or bank. The raised centre suggests it is not a round house.

R.N.Worth Throwleigh [Buttern] circle is also noteworthy for having a companion, a short distance on the slope to the westward. The existence of this circle has not been put on record until now, and indeed it might well escape observation, seeing that there are only four certain stones still standing, with possibly a fifth, and that the remainder have disappeared. This circle was clearly not less than 60 feet in diameter. There is a very large block of irregular outline within its limits, which at one tirne may have stood fully six feet high. Menhirs occur in circles in Cornwall.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 796-797 When referring to Sandy Road, Hemery records that in crossing the south foot of Kennon between Rewelake Pit and Sandy Ford, it passes below the ruins of a possible stone circle. Spencer (Maps) has marked this as 'Kennon Circle six stones standing' and, running north-eastward from it, 'stone row one hundred yards'. The circle is decribed as 'completely unphotogenic', appears to have had a diameter of approximately sixty feet and now has only one standing stone. Not able to confirm the stone row.

Cunis, E, 2020, Possible stone circle and row, Kennon (14/12/2020) Features recorded during site visit with archaeologist from Dartmoor National Park Authority. Photographs of the features included. Possible stone circle and row recorded. In a very ruinous condition with vegetation covering the majority of the stone row. Circle SX 64201 88735, Row SX 64246 86657.
Nearby sites: SX 64213 88723
Distance: 2.68km

Kennon Hill Reported Stone Row

OS Map: SX 64246 88657
HER: MDV130499
ShortName: SR:KennonHill
Notes: Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 796-797 When referring to Sandy Road, Hemery records that in crossing the south foot of Kennon between Rewelake Pit and Sandy Ford, it passes below the ruins of a possible stone circle. Spencer (Maps) has marked this as 'Kennon Circle six stones standing' and, running north-eastward from it, 'stone row one hundred yards'. The circle is decribed as 'completely unphotogenic', appears to have had a diameter of approximately sixty feet and now has only one standing stone. Not able to confirm the stone row.

Cunis, E, 2020, Possible stone circle and row, Kennon (14/12/2020) Features recorded during site visit with archaeologist from Dartmoor National Park Authority. Photographs of the features included. Possible stone circle and row recorded. In a very ruinous condition with vegetation covering the majority of the stone row. Circle SX 64201 88735, Row SX 64246 88657.

NB. Grid reference for row confirmed by Emma and corrected.
Nearby sites: SX 64246 88657
Distance: 2.73km

Kennon Hill Reported Cist

OS Map: SX 64375 88926
ShortName: CT KennonHill
Notes: This looks like a cist but is in fact remains from tar and feather work as identified by Robert Naylor. This photo taken in August 2014 by the author and labelled as "looks like a cist" and marked as a Garmin waypoint "cist?". Located on the southern slope of Kennon Hill in an area of very deep tussocky grass. The author was unable to get back to check it out and posted about this on 4 February 2020 on a Dartmoor Facebook group. The author is grateful to Robert Naylor for having checked it out and clarifying that it is not a cist. Listing here as not a cist will help those in future who stumble across this. For more on this thanks to Max Piper and Dartefacts, see: feather-and-tare-cist-on-kennon-hill
Nearby sites: SX 64375 88926
Distance: 2.77km

Little Hound Tor (or White Moor) Stone Circle

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Little Hound Tor Stone Circle
OS Map: SX 63285 89611
HER: MDV4374
Megalithic Portal: 528
PMD: White Moor Stone Circle
ShortName: SC White Moor
DPD page: 154
Turner: G11
Notes: The circle is in good condition today but only 13 stones remained standing when the Dartmoor Exploration Committee re-erected 5 of the stones in 1896. The site is a fairly accurate circle of circumference 20.2m. A cairn lies close to the circle, a heather covered mound about 8.5m across. The White Moor stone lies 160m to the SE of the circle and it is thought to be contemporary with the circle but probably out of position having been re-erected at some point. It is now a boundary marker. Breton p.52. See also, Legendary Dartmoor: Dartmoor's Bronze Age Landscape of Whitmoor.
Nearby sites: SX 63285 89611
Distance: 1.59km

Metheral Stone Circle

OS Map: SX 62049 90436
ShortName: SC:Metheral
Nearby sites: SX 62049 90436
Distance: 0.86km

White Hill Enclosed Settlement

OS Map: SX 62656 90597
HER: MDV6887
Megalithic Portal: 36009
ShortName: ST:WhiteHill
Nearby sites: SX 62656 90597
Distance: 1.35km

White Moor Cairn

OS Map: SX 63299 89545
HER: MDV4372
Megalithic Portal: 10327
Alternate name: White Moor Stone (NW of) Cairn
ShortName: CN White Moor
Butler map: 40.5
Grinsell: ST 7
Notes: "Cairn, nw of white moor stone … turf and heather covered, in good condition … small cairn 64m nw of whitmoor stone, … (grinsell) cairn, slightly hollowed towards centre. Diameter 7.0m, height 0.6m"
Nearby sites: SX 63299 89545
Distance: 1.60km

White Moor Stone Standing Stone

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Little Hound Tor Stone Circle
OS Map: SX 63359 89491
HER: MDV4391
Megalithic Portal: 10326
PMD: White Moor Stone
ShortName: SS White Moor
Butler map: 40.5
Butler Vol 5: p.53
DPD page: 154
Notes: The White Moor stone lies 160m to the SE of the Little Hound Tor stone circle and it is thought to be contemporary with the circle but probably out of position having been re-erected at some point. It is now a boundary marker.
Nearby sites: SX 63359 89491
Distance: 1.67km

Wild Tor Reported Cairn

OS Map: SX 62218 87124
HER: MDV107564
ShortName: CN-Wild Tor 3
Notes: Photo by Steve Granger and reproduced here with his kind permission (copyright remains with Steve). This site is clearly not a prehistoric cairn but is of interest as a reported cairn. Eric Hemery in High Dartmoor (pp.824-5) states "approximately opposite the centre of the south 'bulb' of Bow Combe hour-glass, is a ruined cairn om a square base where a path branches right from the crest and descends the east flank of the ridge towards Gallavan Down. Not far from the cairn are the remains of two shelters, one circular, the other oval. The first may have been a shepherd's shelter, and the latter, the larger of the two a peat-cutter's house."
Nearby sites: SX 62218 87124
Distance: 2.58km

Winter Tor Cist

OS Map: SX 61112 91352
HER: MDV6881
Megalithic Portal: 45779
PMD: Winter Tor
Alternate name: Higher Tor S.1 Cist
ShortName: CT HigherTor 1
Butler map: 40.15
Butler Vol 5: p.169 & Fig.108
Grinsell: LYD 1
Notes: [Formerly listed as Higher Tor (S), renamed after PMD] Butler Higher Tor (S) Vol. 2. Map 40.15. (diagram Vol. 5. p.169). Ths cist was excavated by Prowse as described in his article of 1890. About 300 yards south-south-east of Winter Tor is a tumulus diameter 9 yards and height 3 feet, the top of which has been hollowed out. Within the hollow was a granite slab 4 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 9 inches, covering the remains of a cist, and another slab approximately 4 feet 9 inches by 3 feet 3 inches, either a second capstone or possibly part of the first cist. The cist contained nothing of interest except a few small porous and very brittle fragments of what is apparently bony tissue. After examination the capstone was replaced and covered with soil and stones.
Nearby sites: SX 61112 91352
Distance: 1.80km