Country diary: this stony grazing is littered with prehistoric remains

North Hill, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall: Marks of cutting on the edges of split rock are softened and disguised by turf, moss, lichen and rushy poolsRun-off streams down the lane leading to isolated farmsteads and moorland above the Lynher Valley. Thick moss and pennyworts soak up wetness on boundary walls, and polypody ferns thrive on dripping branches of the overhanging trees. Uphill, little fields adjoining the open moor are exposed to yet another blast of heavy rain; bedraggled sheep drift towards the shelter of hedge-banks and, to the south, King Arthur's Bed, Trewortha, Hawk's and Kilmar tors disappear in cloud. As the rain eases, rainbows brighten and fade against the dark sky; a delivery van heads for Bastreet waterworks and a lone rider leads a second horse along this unfenced way beside the ridge. Continue reading...