Country diary: walkers admire the long views from the stony summit

Linkinhorne, Bodmin Moor: People ponder the origin, alignments and earlier uses of this imposing placeOn this balmy autumn day voices carry through calm air on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. Two walkers stand out as silhouettes on the stony summit of Sharp Tor; others clamber across the squared-off top of Stowe's Hill, where a prehistoric rampart encloses ancient hut platforms and natural rock formations like precarious cheese or cider presses. Nearby, in the Rillaton barrow, a corrugated cup beaten from a single sheet of gold was discovered in the 19th century and is now displayed in the British Museum. Quarrying and mining remnants adjoin or cut through some of the earliest archaeological features, and this land remains a focus for locals and visitors who come for recreation, and to admire its long views across the Lynher and Tamar valleys towards the pale blue skyline of Dartmoor. Continue reading...