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Kilmar Tor
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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 (Unknown Cornwall) ~ 1984
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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 (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.
The reconstructed Bronze Age
village of Trewortha seen from Kilmar Tor
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