Long Stone Standing Stone (Shovel Down), Chagford, Dartmoor National Park

Long Stone Standing Stone (Shovel Down), Chagford, Dartmoor National Park

On the edge of Shovel Down by Chagford Common is a large standing stone known as the Long Stone. The Long Stone is part of the Shovel Down complex of prehistoric monuments and is at the southern end of the Shovel Down Stone Rows. Letters were subsequently carved into the stone for use as a boundary marker. These letters are clearly visible.

To visit, head for Batworthy Corner. We'd suggest you walk up to the Shovel Down Stone Rows and then trend south along the wide, grass track to the Long Stone. It's difficult to miss. Fernworthy Forest is beautiful behind. To help you find the Long Stone, we've positioned it on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location. On that satellite imagery, you can pick out the various stone rows in addition to the standing stone and its shadow.

These standing stones are also referred to locally as menhirs and longstones. As we understand it, the Long Stone is a Bronze Age monument but we'd welcome any further expert information relating to its age and purpose. Holiday in Dartmoor was conceived to help visitors discover Dartmoor National Park. Whilst we photograph and explore the moor, we're not academics or specialists on Dartmoor's prehistory. We'd love to share knowledge about the standing stone here so if you can contribute send information to info@holidayindartmoor.co.uk. Many thanks.