Bellever Cairn Circles and Cists, Bellever, Dartmoor National Park

Bellever Cairn Circles and Cists, Bellever, Dartmoor National Park

Postbridge National Park Visitor Centre

We'd recommend visiting Postbridge National Park Visitor Centre before exploring Bellever's prehistory.

Whilst the second floor Dartmoor prehistory exhibition covers all aspects of the area's distance past, there's a section concentrating on the 'landscape of monumental burials'. An information board reads: 'Unlike modern cemeteries, burial monuments were not confined to special enclosures. Instead they were spread widely throughout the landscape. The period saw the beginning of cremation and single rather than collective burials in barrows (mounds of earth) and cairns (mounds of stone)'.

 

Recommended route to Bellever Cairn Circles and Cists for the first time

Cross the B3212 and cattle grid into Bellever Forest. You'll see a car parking area to your right as you enter the forest. A forestry track starts/ends at this car parking area. Follow the forestry track all the way to the clearing at the top of which sits Bellever Tor. Once at the clearing, turn right, or west, on the ancient Lichway/Lych Way. At the west side of the clearing, turn right, or north, and you'll come to the area in which many of the best Bellever Cairn Circles and Cists are located.

We've positioned one of the Bellever Cairn Circles and Cists on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location.

Note that this is the easiest route to get to the stone row. There are quicker routes but some of the tracks cutting through Bellever Forest can get very boggy.