Country diary: Low sun cuts across where the pits once were | Virginia Spiers

Bodmin Moor, Cornwall: On a blowy but blue-skied day, we take a walk that brings us long views, prehistoric remains and some sun-loving bullocksAcross drab moorland on the eastern side of Bodmin Moor, blue sky is mirrored in rushy pools, hoof prints and seeping spring water. On the slopes of the ridge above Trebartha's woods, low sun highlights sharp edges of surface moorstone, cleaved centuries ago when cut blocks were manoeuvred downhill for local use as building stone, gateposts, lintels and farmyard troughs. Remaining granite is encrusted with lichens and tufts of emerald moss; the shallow pits beside part-buried boulders mere reminders of times when this remote hillside was the work destination for stonemasons.On the top, a melee of ruinous walls and stones on the site of a tumulus give long views across lower fields, scattered with wind turbines facing into today's north-westerly breeze. Up here, on this undulating spacious land, prehistoric remains are discernible among the rough grazing of coarse molinia grass, dark clumps and bushes of prickly gorse, and patches of well-drained turf favoured by cattle. Within Clitters Cairn, sheltered by a stunted thorn, is a solitary walker, contemplating the clear sky and peace of this ancient place. Straight lines of reaves - shallow boundary banks - may have defined the property of early communities when they used this land for seasonal grazing. The Nine Stones circle, inconspicuous stone rows and degraded ring cairns hint at ceremonial observance and reverence for this landscape. Continue reading...