Chûn Quoit

Chûn Quoit is a Neolithic burial chamber in western Cornwall, standing on a ridge above heather moorland near Pendeen and Morvah. It overlooks the open sea and sits close to the later Iron Age hill fort of Chûn Castle. The site commands wide views across the moors and coastline. Its capstone, still in place, measures over three metres across and rests on four upright slabs. A cup mark is carved on top of the capstone, a feature found at other quoits in the region. The quoit was built around 2400 BC, two thousand years before the nearby hill fort. Excavation in 1871 found no significant artefacts inside. Nearby lie other ancient sites such as Lanyon Quoit, Mulfra Quoit, Mên-an-Tol and Mên Scryfa. The rocky outcrop of Carn Kenidjack marks the midwinter sunset line to the south-west. Chûn Quoit remains the only dolmen in West Penwith with its capstone still resting on its original supports. Visitors reach the quoit by walking across open moorland from nearby paths. The chamber stands about two metres above ground, enclosed by a low mound of earth and stones. Heather and gorse surround the site, with distant sea views on clear days. The setting is quiet, with only the wind and occasional birdsong breaking the silence. The nearby hill fort adds a sense of layered history to the scene.