This week I was alone for various reasons, I re-visited some old haunts and found a new one. Ditsworthy Warren House was one of the first established and the last working Rabbit Farm on Dartmoor. It for many years served as a training feature for the military but its real claim to fame is that it was the location of the farm in the film War Horse.
Ditsworthy Warren House.
During its MoD time it was maintained out of the Plymouth Naval Dockyard by apprentices.
These shots are of the kennel compound where they kept their dogs which were used to keep predators at bay.
On from Ditsworthy Warren House I went along the track towards Drizzlecombe to the stone row and Menhirs.
I was following the cart track but as we have had some very heavy rain these last few days the track became washed out and very boggy. I could have waded my way through but this is supposed to be pleasure so I went round and found an easier path.
First real sight of the smaller Menhir (about 8 or 9 feet).
Once out of the bracken I could see the whole row and the big Menhir.
The big Menhir is about 14-15 feet high and is an odd shape.
Looking back from the top Menhir I could see the main stone row and in the distance the trees surrounding Ditsworthy Warren House, my way back to the car.
After re-negotiating the bracken I got back on to the main track and before long I was looking at the back of Ditsworthy Warren House.
On the way back I passed the head of Gutter Mire, looking down towards the old Scout Hut (now known as Gutter Tor Refuge) which is an outward bound type of building now which is used by both civilians and military to overnight.
The track then led me under Gutter Tor.
Once back at the car I decided to have some lunch before phase 2 of the walk whish was the search for Yellowmead Stone Circles which are reported to be the best example of concentric stone circles on Dartmoor (if not in the UK).
I set off to find them and as I was passing the Refuge some soldiers were setting out on a “Yomp”, we greeted each other and I remarked I thought my pack was big and heavy but then again I do have 50+ years on most of those lads.
I wandered around in the area of the given Grid Ref looking for the circles which I was expecting to be spectacular, when I eventually found them I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed.
They are much smaller than I had thought they might be and because the grass/reeds were high it was difficult to get a clear shot of their concentricity. I have seen photos of them on the internet and I now think they must have been shot using a Drone.
As I made my way back to the car by a somewhat more direct route I saw the circles clearly (they are in the lower part of the shot in the second layer of foreground), if I had set out this way finding them would have been much easier. Once again better research would have made the task easier, it seems I will never learn.
That’s all for this week folks, sorry no Ponies this time.
As always comments welcome.
Tags: Dartmoor Menhirs Landscape and travel Prehistoric Stone Circles
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