Dartmoor CAM

This walk: 2012-2-22. Ringmoor Down, medieval farmsteads, longhouses, Legis Tor, vermin trap, Legis Lake, cist, stone row and circle.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

This walk occurred on a wet day, here are some photos taken in sunshine: 3rd September 2009,

Strollers negotiating the stile from the car park at Ringmoor Cottage onto Ringmoor Down.

Looking ahead to the abandoned farmstead in the middle of Ringmoor Down, where the grazing seems to have been kept improved by modern cattle grazing here and less on the surrounding Molinia caerulea, or purple moor grass.

Farmstead #1, the longhouse complex at SX 5699 6643; there are actually two longhouses at this location.

Another part of the longhouse complex.

Looking approx. SSW at the top of a gert from Legis Lake, from when the tinners were active hereabouts.

A corn ditch: corn ditches originate from the time when Dartmoor was a royal hunting area and there was a need to keep the King�s deer out of the cultivated land. A stone revetted wall and external ditch faced onto the open moor which deterred deer and other animals from jumping over, whilst the sloping grassy bank on the inner face allowed those animals which had entered to exit again without difficulty. Source: http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/aboutus/news/au-geninterestnews/au_crosspr10

The outside of the corn ditch.

Approaching Legis Tor in heavy rain! Location: SX 571 656, elevation 310 metres (1017 feet).

Legis Tor, ascended!

Vermin trap below the tor at SX 57069 65550, the best-preserved on Dartmoor .....

Caption competition .....

Now, where's this polecat!

General view of the vermin trap area .....

Internal view of the trap from one end .....

.... and from the other end.

A widening in Legis Lake, running from Legis Mire.

Longhouse at SX 5666 6583 .....

Another view ....

As previous photo.

Cist at SX 56594 65764, in a small cairn that is surrounded by kerb stones ..... described by J. Butler (1994), Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities III, The South West. 49.21 Ringmoor Down west cairns, fig. 49.21.1, pages 144-145.

Another view .....

Another view.

Ringmoor Down stone circle and row: looking from inside the stone circle along the stone row (1740 feet long) that runs in a NNE direction. The monument was largely re-erectoedin 1909. It is described by J. Butler (1994), Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities III, The South West. 49.20 Ringmoor Down stone circle and row, figs. 49.20 & 49.20.1, pages 142-143 .

Overview of the circle with the row behind the people.

Walk details

Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

This walk was reached by approaching through Clearbrook, passing Hoo-Meavy, driving to Brisworthy Plantation, turning left towards Meavy, turning right before Marchant's cross to Ringmoor Cottage, parking at the yellow cross.

Statistics
Distance - 4.74 km / 2.95 miles