Dartmoor is rich with prehistoric sites that offer a glimpse into ancient life, rituals, and settlements. From stone circles to burial mounds, here are some of the most captivating ancient and archaeological sites on Dartmoor to explore.
Image credit: Derek Harper / Hut 3, Grimspound / CC BY-SA 2.0
Grimspound
Grimspound is one of Dartmoor’s most impressive prehistoric settlements, dating back to the Late Bronze Age, around 3000 years ago. The site features the ruins of 24 roundhouses enclosed within a 150-metre-long, three-metre-thick wall. The site sits between Hookney Tor and Hameldown Tor, offering dramatic views. Visitors can explore the remnants of the stone walls and gain a sense of what life might have been like for its ancient inhabitants.
Archaeological excavations here have found flint tools, paved floors, cooking holes, porches and pottery. The entrance to the settlement is flanked by high walls, and it is believed that the wall was used as a barrier to keep farmed animals like sheep and cattle in, while protecting them from wild animals on the outside.
Image Credit: khaosproductions under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Merrivale Prehistoric Settlement
Merrivale showcases the remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a number of ritual sites, including three stone rows, a stone circle, standing stones, and burial cairns. These are believed to have been built over an extended period, between around 2500 BC and 1000 BC. Situated near Princetown, Merrivale offers a fascinating insight into ancient rituals and burial practices.
Higher Uppacott
Higher Uppacott is a rare surviving example of a medieval longhouse, complete with a shippon (where livestock was kept) and living quarters under the same roof. A longhouse was a common sight in a medieval farmstead – a long, single-storey building that housed both family and livestock on each end of the structure.
Higher Uppacott was built in the late 14th or early 15th century, and retains much of its original form to this day.
Image Credit: Herbythyme under CC BY-SA 4.0
Childe’s Tomb
A reconstructed granite tomb and cross mark the legendary resting place of Childe the Hunter. According to folklore, Childe was caught in a blizzard and, out of desperation, slew his horse and climbed inside to seek warmth. He was found weeks later, frozen to death
Although Childe the Hunter’s final resting place is in Tavistock, the legend says that Childe’s tomb marks where his body was found. The tomb lies on Fox Tor in open moorland and remains a mysterious site, combining legend with prehistoric significance.
Image credit: Tomorrow Never Knows under CC BY 2.0
Scorhill Stone Circle
One of the largest and best-preserved stone circles on Dartmoor, Scorhill dates back to the Bronze Age. Located near the village of Gidleigh, it features tall granite stones in a rough circle – 23 still standing and 11 which have fallen onto the moorland. The site has a mystical atmosphere, and many believe it to have once been used for ceremonial purposes or astronomical observations.
Image credit: Nilfanion under CC BY-SA 4.0
Hound Tor Medieval Village
The remains of the Hound Tor Medieval Village can be found near Hound Tor rocks and features the ruins of four Dartmoor longhouses, 13th-century barns and several smaller houses. It is believed to have been occupied during the 13th and 14th centuries, but it was abandoned by the early 15th century due to climate deterioration and the Black Death.
The 13th-century stone longhouses would have had a family living at one end and animals living in the other half of the property. You can also see views over to the Medieval Village from Greator Rocks.
Holne Moor Reave System
The reaves on Holne Moor are prehistoric land boundaries dating to the Bronze Age. These low stone banks criss-cross the moor and form part of an extensive system of land division that shows how the landscape was managed thousands of years ago.
Staldon Stone Row
The longest stone row on Dartmoor, and some argue the world, Staldon Stone Row can be found between a stone circle located on Bledge Hill and a cairn located on Green Hill. The stone row is 11,150ft long and currently contains a little under 1,000 stones, but it is estimated that there would have originally been closer to 2,000.
Image credit: Dave Farmer / Sussons Common Stone Circle / CC BY-SA 2.0
Soussons Stone Circle
On Soussons Common near Postbridge, you’ll find this stone circle comprised of twenty-two low stones in a circle. It is partially surrounded by forest growth, creating a secluded and ancient ambience. The stone circle is believed to be the remnants of a cairn or burial mound. A stone chamber sits at the centre of the circle.
Lydford Anglo-Saxon Burgh
Lydford was a fortified Saxon settlement (burgh) established by Alfred the Great to protect against Viking raids. Visitors can see the remains of the defensive earthworks and explore the later-built Norman castle, adding layers of historical depth to the area.
Image credit: Geoff Barker / Nine Stones / CC BY-SA 2.0
Nine Maidens
Nine Maidens, also known as the Seventeen Brothers, is a Bronze Age stone circle near Belstone Tor that is steeped in folklore. The stone circle was a burial chamber, but the chamber has been destroyed and the cairn robbed. The Nine Maidens is an incomplete circle, with 16 stones still standing.
Folk stories suggest that the stones were originally nine maidens who were turned into stone as punishment for dancing on the Sabbath, and are now forced to dance every day at noon. The story has also been told with seventeen brothers, hence the two different names of this area.
Spinster’s Rock
A Neolithic dolmen (burial chamber) located near Drewsteignton, Spinster’s Rock consists of three upright stones supporting a massive capstone. The name Spinster’s Rock comes from a folk tale that the chamber was built by three spinsters.
It is early Neolithic and thought to have been built around 3000 BC, and remains an iconic site on Dartmoor. It is likely that the chamber contained many bodies and was covered by an earthen mound.
Image credit: Brett Sutherland / Haytor Granite Tramway / CC BY-SA 2.0
Haytor Granite Tramway
While granite was used on Dartmoor for centuries, it was not used on a broader scale for construction until the early 19th century when the Granite Tramway was constructed to transport the material.
The Haytor Granite Tramway was used to move granite from the quarries on Haytor Down to the canal at Ventiford, before being shipped from Teignmouth. Instead of using iron, the tramway was made with granite rails on which horse-drawn carts ran. Its granite rails are still visible and offer a unique archaeological insight into Dartmoor’s industrial history.
If you’re looking to explore some of these ancient sites on Dartmoor as well as the many other historic sites on Dartmoor, then Mill End Hotel is the ideal place to stay to use as a base for your adventures. Mill End was originally a 15th-century mill, so you can immerse yourself in even more history during your visit!