Photographs taken 2008
The sight of Kilmar Tor slowly appearing from around the curve of the old Kilmar Railway track bed is something to behold. The railway was built in the nineteenth century to serve the small granite quarries around the far side of Kilmar Tor, and was an extension of the Liskeard and Caradon Railway that ran up to Minions and the mines around Caradon Hill and Stowe's Hill on Bodmin Moor.
Below the fore-boding crags of Kilmar Tor on its north side, is the harsh and ancient moorland of Twelve Mens Moor, named from twelve hardy men who were tenants of Launceston Priory, and who took land here to scrape a living during the 13th century. The land has been tamed, as well as tamed it can be, since prehistoric times, and bronze age and medieval villages have been also discovered here.
"Kilmar Tor reigns like some ancient
monarch, its jagged grey summits stabbing into wide skies: a ridge
of balancing rocks,
Nature's own marvellous sculpture. Time has
hardly touched this terrain."
Michael Williams (from Unknown Cornwall) ~ 1984
Approaching Kilmar Tor along the old Kilmar Railway track bed
"Standing on top of Kilmar Tor, for me,
was a great experience... the breathtaking beauty and variety of the
panoramic views from these pinnacles;
you are nearly 1,300 feet
up but the sensation is that you are standing on a mountain top. It
is worth the effort,
the cold clear air alone is a tonic; for the
rewards are various, especially for those who come quietly and with
humility."
...again, from Michael Williams (from Unknown Cornwall) ~ 1984
Kilmar Tor
Kilmar Tor and High Rock
Kilmar Tor has just as spectacular a "cheesewring" as the famous one
on Stowe's Hill
The summit of High Rock
Kilmar Tor from the west
The spine of Kilmar Tor (with huddled walkers taking in the
atmosphere!)
~ note that dogs must always be kept under close
control on leads 1st March to 31st July ~
(to protect lambing and
ground-nesting birds)
Looking east along Kilmar Tor towards Dartmoor in the far distance
The "summit" rocks of Kilmar Tor
The view across the moor with Sharp Tor on the left and Stowe's Hill
on the right
Over the moor to Siblyback Lake
Trewortha Bronze Age Village
At Trewortha Farm, there is the reconstruction of a Bronze Age Village, with circular huts and roundhouses, surrounded by many ancient Neolithic burial mounds, and a later medieval village field system. For further information, visit the Trewortha Bronze Age Farm website.
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