Scorhill

Scorhill Stone Circle stands on Gidleigh Common near the village of Gidleigh in north-east Dartmoor. It is one of Devon’s largest and best-preserved stone circles, built in the Bronze Age. The circle measures about 27 metres across, with stones rising from less than a metre to over two metres high. Twenty-three stones remain upright and eleven lie flat, their jagged shapes still visible. The tallest stone has a pointed tip that aligns with the setting sun on Midsummer’s Eve. Archaeologists have found flint tools nearby dating back to 8500 BC, showing people used the land long before the circle was made. Scorhill is recognised as Devon’s finest stone circle and is listed as a scheduled monument by English Heritage. Many stones bear rows of holes where cutters tried to split them, leaving marks of past damage. Estimates suggest the original circle had between fifty-one and seventy stones, making it one of the widest in Devon. Unlike some restored sites, Scorhill has never been repaired, so its ancient feel remains strong. Local folklore tells of unfaithful women forced to run around the circle three times before passing through a nearby stone hole called the Tolmen for forgiveness. Visitors walk among the standing and fallen stones on open moorland with wide views across Dartmoor. The circle sits in a landscape rich with other ancient sites, adding to its sense of history. Nearby, the Tolmen stone overhangs a stream, its large hole still visible. The site offers a quiet place to imagine Bronze Age rituals and later stories of justice. No modern changes have altered the circle’s rough edges, keeping its past alive. The open moor around it stretches far, making the stones feel both isolated and connected to the wider land.