St. Breock Downs and the Surrounding Area
Breock Downs and the Surrounding Area
Shamefully, considering that from our first house in Wadebridge we could see St. Breock Downs, I had previously spent little time up there, except for passing through twice while walking the Saints Way. In March 2007 it was time to put that right and explore the many ancient monuments in the area. A glance at OS Explorer sheet 106 will tell you just how much of interest there is in these relatively unconsidered parts. Sites include two major standing stones, Men Gurta and St. Breock Windfarm Longstone; an inscribed stone at Nanscow Farm; a fallen standing stone, the Fiddler; Cornwall's only serious stone alignment, the Nine Maidens, visible from the A39; a little known portal dolmen, Pawton Quoit; and an estimated fifty or more burial barrows, though many of these can hardly be recognised as such. I tried very hard to figure out how I might fit all these into walks from home but, in the end, did that only with Nanscow Inscribed Stone and Pawton Quoit. For the two major longstones, I parked by the windfarm on the downs. For the Nine Maidens and the Fiddler I just parked at the side of the road. I have to admit that it seems quite incongruous that you can get the massive turbine towers of the windfarm in photos of many of these sites. I also have to say that it is quite fun to see the contrast between the once purposeful ancient and the relatively purposeless modern.
Nine Maidens, nr Wadebridge - St. Columb road
St. Breock menhirs and Pawton Quoit
St. Breock Menhirs
More in Antiquities
St. Breock Menhirs and Pawton Quoit
and Pawton Quoit
St. Keverne and the Surrounding Area
Keverne and the Surrounding Area
Stannon and Fernacre Stone Circles
On a cold sunny day in late January 2008 I set off to find three stone circles on Bodmin Moor - Stannon, Fernacre and Louden. Stannon is to the south of the china clay pit and I was able to park within 100 yards. From there I headed south-west for Louden Hill circle. I didn't find it this time but did find it later in the course of my Camelford Walk 01. So I headed for Fernacre circle, clearly visible from almost a mile. On the way I encountered numerous cairns and standing stones and two cists, the Steping Hill one visible from a distance. Then, after climbing Roughtor and exploring the settlement on the hill's south-west side, I headed off to Louden Hill for the logan stone. From Louden Hill, if you look across to the nearest hill westwards, you might think you see quoits and standing stones but the hill is a Stannon Pit spoil heap and they have been placed there for fun. But what I did find, at the western base of Louden Hill, close to the Stannon Pit boundary fence, was an impressive (I assume) hut circle, its walls two or three feet high and grass covered. Finally, I followed the boundary of Stannon Pit to find the impressive Stannon stone circle.