Sinuous alignment ascending the hill at Dry Lake Ford. View from the south.
The longest prehistoric stone row in the world is of the single type and measures 3,386m long, including around 922 mainly medium and small-sized stones together with some large orthostats situated in the Erme Valley. The row, which is sinuous in character is orientated north to south has a sea view reveal and visual links to the landscape. There are cairns at the both ends, the one at the south is kerbed and the upper one at the north is surprisingly small and nondescript. The row passes through a landscape rich in prehistoric archaeology.
Location
| England Devon Dartmoor SX 63663 67796 Lat 50.49399554 Long -3.9235669 |
Map showing the location of Upper Erme stone row.
Simplified plan of the Upper Erme stone alignment (Source: Butler, J. and Google Earth).
Plan of the Upper Erme stone row (Source: GPS survey by Sandy Gerrard and Dave Parks)
Characteristics
| Type: Single | Length: 3,386m |
| No. of stones: 922 | Size of stones: Small, medium and large |
| Orientation: 1° | Altitude: 474m |
| Upper end: Cairn | Lower end: Cairn |
| Straight (Yes or No) : No | Sea View: Yes |
| Context: Cairns and prehistoric settlements | |
| Notes: Longest row in Great Britain | |
Other Information
| Public Access: Yes |
| Land Status: National Park |
| Scheduled Ancient Monument: Yes |
Identification
Category: Plausible. No substantiated doubts have been expressed regarding the prehistoric interpretation of this row.
Typology
This stone row is of Type S12. Information on this form of stone row and other rows of this type is available here.
Sea Views
The sea is visible from the northern end of the stone row. Viewshed analysis originally identified this visual relationship and Neil Mortimer has kindly provided the fieldwork evidence. A photograph taken by him from the cairn at the northern end of the row shows two slivers of sea separated by Stalldown on which Hillson’s House cairn can be clearly seen on the skyline. The point at which the sea becomes visible is not currently known but it is likely to be near to the end of the row and the siting of the terminal point is likely to have been influenced by the sea. It feels as if the row is seeking a sea view and once achieved it happily stops after its marathon journey. This row provides further evidence for a relationship with the sea and in turn contributes to our appreciation that the rows were often intimately linked with their landscape.
Looking south from the Green Hill cairn at the northern end of the row with the sea views either side of Stalldown highlighted by an arrow (© Neil Mortimer).
A more detailed view of the sea views from the Green Hill cairn at the northern end of the stone row (© Neil Mortimer).
The third sea view visible from the cairn at the northern end is towards the south east.
The third sea view.
Photographs
Kerbed cairn at the southern end of the row. View from south.
Stone row leading from the kerbed cairn. View from south (Scale 1m). Prehistoric enclosed settlements are visible above Hook Lake in the background.
Upper length of the row and kerbed cairn. View from the west.
Row leading to the kerbed cairn. View from north west (Scale 1m).
A length of the alignment with prehistoric settlements and Hook Lake row beyond.
Stone row leading towards the kerbed cairn. View from north (Scale 1m).
The Stalldown row and Hillson’s House Cairn are visible on the skyline from the southern end of the row. View from north.
The near length of the row is aligned on the cairn but it changes orientation to pass to the east. View from south.
The alignment constantly changes orientation. View from south.
The row leading across the hillside passed a large cairn.
The row is composed of stones of very different sizes.
The row winds it way passed a large cairn. View from the south.
This length of the row consists mainly of medium sized stones. View from north.
View from north looking along a well preserved length of the row.
This length of the row includes mainly small stones. View from east (Scale 1m).
This length of the row includes mainly small stones. View from west (Scale 1m).
The scale of this row can be appreciated from this viewpoint. View from north.
The row is far from straight. This length has a significant curve. View from the north (scale 1m).
Row passing the large cairn at SX 63520 64955. View from south east.
Row passing the large cairn at SX 63520 64955. View from east (Scale 1m).
Some of the stones have been exposed by peat cutting. View from south east (Scale 1m).
Sinuous length of row within an area of historic peat cuttings. View from south.
From this viewpoint the sinuous character of the row is clearly apparent. View from north.
From this viewpoint the sinuous character of the row (highlighted) is clearly apparent. View from north.
In places the row is completely buried beneath deep peat. At this point (SX 63688 65399) a stone is exposed and illustrates the considerable depth of the peat. This exposure provides an opportunity for environmental and dating analysis. View from north (Scale 1m).
The stone row passes Erme Pound which is a prehistoric enclosed settlement which was re-used in the historic period.
Sinuous length of row ascending a hillslope at SX 63671 66403.
Some large stones in the vicinity of the row were not utilised by the row builders although at least two substantial orthostats were incorporated. View from south.
The row winding up a hillslope. View from south (Scale 1m).
The row winding up a hillslope. View from south (Scale 1m).
A length composed mainly of medium sized stones. View from east (Scale 1m).
A length composed mainly of medium sized stones. View from east (Scale 1m).
Looking south along the row. The tin streamwork earthworks beyond will have truncated the row in this area (Scale 1m).
Throughout the length of the row the size of the stones varies considerably. View from north.
Throughout the length of the row the size of the stones varies considerably. View from north east (Scale 1m).
Cairn at the northern end of the row. This unimpressive mound contrasts markedly with the scale of the row. View from south (Scale 1m).
View from the cairn at the northern end of the row. The kerbed cairn at the southern end of the row only becomes visible when the northern cairn is reached. For much of the row the kerbed cairn cannot be seen appearing only at the point where the row stops. This precise visual link is likely to be significant.
A mixture of small and medium sized stones.
View from Stalldown. The photograph below highlights the route of the alignment.
Only part of the alignment (highlighted) is visible, but from this angle its sinuous character is very obvious.
Two rows or one?
A consensus exists that this row is a single site albeit split into segments by the River Erme. Certainly when walking along beside it it forms part of a single route. The only problem with this interpretation is that at SX 63688 65725 near to the River Erme the row suddenly becomes a double row and stops. The position of these stones in the valley bottom is problematic in itself as the valley bottom has been streamed for tin and therefore one would not really expect any stones to survive at all. This said, the scarp denoting the edge of the streamwork in this area is unclear and it is possible that at this point the row has survived. Unfortunately time to investigate the situation was not available and a return trip may be necessary. Assuming that the short length of double row is original it could be argued that this represents the southern terminal of the northern length. Tempting whilst this idea may seem we need to remember that combination rows which consist of both single and double lines of stones are known on Dartmoor and indeed at Drizzlecombe 1 the double length is found in the middle of the row. For the moment it would therefore seem appropriate to think of the row as one structure, although future work might mean that this conclusion needs to be reviewed. Given the short length of double row it is perhaps best to think of this site as a single rather than a combination row.
A short length of double row at SX 63688 6572. View from the south.
Access Information
This has never been an easy row to get to. When visited in 2013 car parking was available at SX 62524 61120. Recently (2016) this car parking area has been closed making it much more difficult to access this part of the moor. An alternative car parking location is at SX 64342 59548. From here the easiest way to reach the row is probably to head east to the Two Moors Way at SX 65765 59965. Then follow the track north to SX 64683 63454. From here navigate north west taking care when crossing the River Erme. Given the effort to get to the area it would be a good idea to have a look at the Hook Lake Row and if you have time the splendid one on Stalldown as well as some the amazing prehistoric settlements. Another option maybe to park at SX 60395 70806 and approach the row from the north via Crane Hill. A full day but hopefully a rewarding one. Best contemplated in the summer.
Online Resources
Megalithic Portal Modern Antiquarian PastScape Historic Environment Record
Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks
Other References
Burl, A., 1993, From Carnac to Callanish – The prehistoric rows and avenues of Britain, Ireland and Brittany, Yale University Press, New York and London, pg. 215.
Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities – Vol. 4 – The South-East, Devon Books Exeter, pgs. 74-77.
Timeline
VISITED:- 6th April 2013 and 24th July 2020
FIRST PUBLISHED:- 24th January 2016
LAST UPDATED:- 21st August 2020
The Stone Rows of Great Britain 