'Slightly Bodmin'
There is a current TV show, ‘Doc Martin’ set in Cornwall, where the phrase Bodmin is used as a euphemism for madness. So midway through the holiday, it was time for a little madness up on the moors.
We headed up the A30, then turned off right onto the A38. My intention was to look at various crosses and wells throughout the day, whilst aiming for Rillaton Barrow up by the Hurlers, then moving across the A30 to get up to Stannon Moor stone circle.
The first stop was for a pair of inscribed stones at a crossroads at Welltown (SX136678). Of this pair, only one is mentioned in Cheryl Straffon’s ‘Cornish Earth Mysteries Guide to Bodmin Moor and Tintagel’, and then in a slightly different location, against a farm building. These stones now sit high on the hedge at the crossroads just to the north of the hamlet.
Next up was a small cross head, at SX142680 which I can find no reference to in Andrew Langdon’s excellent Cornish Cross series of books. This was sadly surrounded by rubbish bags, and a yapping dog meant I had no wish to stay longer than I had to here, so a quick photo, and away.
The Crowpound Menhir was our next stop, at SX174677. Robin Payne suggests this is of unknown antiquity, but it certainly looks and feels like the real thing, although it is a bit too close to the roadside to be in an original location. It stands across the road from a mediaeval enclosure, from which it takes its name.
A comfort break in St Neots afforded the opportunity to see the churchyard crosses there, a veritable collection of no more than three old Cornish crosses, along with a beautiful cross shaft, covered in Celtic knotwork, very similar to that seen on the King Doniert’s Stone a short way NE of the village.
Passing the Wenmouth wayside cross, the aforementioned King Doniert’s Stone, and Long Tom, we continued on to Minions, where I left Mikki in the car and headed up to the Hurlers.
Taking a direct line through the Hurlers and heading for the Cheesewring, once the stones were out of sight behind me I headed off to the right to successfully seek out Rillaton Barrow. This is of course where the famous Rillaton Gold Cup was discovered in 1818. We had seen a facsimile of this in the museum in Truro on Monday.
I took several photos of the Hurlers and the nearby Pipers before returning to the car to plan the next leg of the excursion.
We decided to cut back to Golitha Falls and follow the line of the River Fowey up toward Bolventor, where we rejoined the A30 briefly, before heading up towards ST Breward, passing the Trippet Stones in the process.
I had hoped to spot some of the Holy Wells in the area, but had come badly prepared with only the OS map to guide me. I guess I’m just not as enthused about wells as I am the other monuments, as I failed to find a single one today. Abandoning the Well search, we headed for Harpur’s Downs and the Stannon Circle.
This really is an amazing place. The road crosses the downs, then finally just peters out, ending at Stannon House, by what to all appearances looks like a massive Iron Age hillfort.
Appearances can be deceptive though, as this is the outer bank of the china clay works that sits just a couple of hundred yards from the circle. The road turns into a track from here, but it is possible to take the car to within 50 yards or so of the circle, and I was pleased when Mikki agreed to enter the circle - she doesn’t get to many of the sites I visit.
Just to the northeast of the circle is a strange arrangement, listed in Robin Payne’s book as the Devil’s Teeth stone setting, possibly the remains of a stone row.
Back at the car, I noticed that the Moorgate Menhir was only a short drive to the north. Last time I’d been there, it was swathed in fog, so I was tempted to take another bite of the cherry. Parking is precarious though (I’ve no idea where I parked last time!) and as Mikki’s ME had flared up, we decided to call it a day and head back to the chalet. One last stop just north of Bodmin itself, at Longstone, meant that I saw both the stone and cross erected there.
An early finish to a busy day.
We headed up the A30, then turned off right onto the A38. My intention was to look at various crosses and wells throughout the day, whilst aiming for Rillaton Barrow up by the Hurlers, then moving across the A30 to get up to Stannon Moor stone circle.
The first stop was for a pair of inscribed stones at a crossroads at Welltown (SX136678). Of this pair, only one is mentioned in Cheryl Straffon’s ‘Cornish Earth Mysteries Guide to Bodmin Moor and Tintagel’, and then in a slightly different location, against a farm building. These stones now sit high on the hedge at the crossroads just to the north of the hamlet.
Next up was a small cross head, at SX142680 which I can find no reference to in Andrew Langdon’s excellent Cornish Cross series of books. This was sadly surrounded by rubbish bags, and a yapping dog meant I had no wish to stay longer than I had to here, so a quick photo, and away.
The Crowpound Menhir was our next stop, at SX174677. Robin Payne suggests this is of unknown antiquity, but it certainly looks and feels like the real thing, although it is a bit too close to the roadside to be in an original location. It stands across the road from a mediaeval enclosure, from which it takes its name.
A comfort break in St Neots afforded the opportunity to see the churchyard crosses there, a veritable collection of no more than three old Cornish crosses, along with a beautiful cross shaft, covered in Celtic knotwork, very similar to that seen on the King Doniert’s Stone a short way NE of the village.
Passing the Wenmouth wayside cross, the aforementioned King Doniert’s Stone, and Long Tom, we continued on to Minions, where I left Mikki in the car and headed up to the Hurlers.
Taking a direct line through the Hurlers and heading for the Cheesewring, once the stones were out of sight behind me I headed off to the right to successfully seek out Rillaton Barrow. This is of course where the famous Rillaton Gold Cup was discovered in 1818. We had seen a facsimile of this in the museum in Truro on Monday.
I took several photos of the Hurlers and the nearby Pipers before returning to the car to plan the next leg of the excursion.
We decided to cut back to Golitha Falls and follow the line of the River Fowey up toward Bolventor, where we rejoined the A30 briefly, before heading up towards ST Breward, passing the Trippet Stones in the process.
I had hoped to spot some of the Holy Wells in the area, but had come badly prepared with only the OS map to guide me. I guess I’m just not as enthused about wells as I am the other monuments, as I failed to find a single one today. Abandoning the Well search, we headed for Harpur’s Downs and the Stannon Circle.
This really is an amazing place. The road crosses the downs, then finally just peters out, ending at Stannon House, by what to all appearances looks like a massive Iron Age hillfort.
Appearances can be deceptive though, as this is the outer bank of the china clay works that sits just a couple of hundred yards from the circle. The road turns into a track from here, but it is possible to take the car to within 50 yards or so of the circle, and I was pleased when Mikki agreed to enter the circle - she doesn’t get to many of the sites I visit.
Just to the northeast of the circle is a strange arrangement, listed in Robin Payne’s book as the Devil’s Teeth stone setting, possibly the remains of a stone row.
Back at the car, I noticed that the Moorgate Menhir was only a short drive to the north. Last time I’d been there, it was swathed in fog, so I was tempted to take another bite of the cherry. Parking is precarious though (I’ve no idea where I parked last time!) and as Mikki’s ME had flared up, we decided to call it a day and head back to the chalet. One last stop just north of Bodmin itself, at Longstone, meant that I saw both the stone and cross erected there.
An early finish to a busy day.
posted by Alan S. | 13:12
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