The fourteenth event in a series of monthly events taking place in different squares of the Dartmoor 365; the square chosen at random by pulling out a square at each event. The square pulled out for this month is E17 Cranbrook Castle. The event will start at around 10am at the given co-ordinates (upon the bank of the Castle) for geo-chat, TB exchanging etc. People are free to come and go as they please. Lala and I will be there until around 11am, but depending on the weather/attendees it may go on for longer.
Those who attended the E18 Willingstone Rock event will remember that the parking around here can be tricky.
According to Dartmoor 365, of the three Iron Age forts above the Teign Gorge Cranbrook Castle is the easiest to get to as it is on open land and not hemmed in by trees. The southern half of the fort has impressive defences; two concentric bank and ditches. It is thought that the inner rampart, which is much higher than the outer one, may have been added later. A walk around the ramparts will show that the northern section of the bank has almost disappeared, largely due to roadmakers in the 18th and 19th centuries who found it a convenient source of supplies. Two other similar forts in the neighbourhood are Wooston Castle (Lala and I did an excavation there last April) a mile and a half to the east, and Prestonbury Castle on the other side of the gorge above Fingle Bridge. To the Northwest across the river stands the newest castle in all England- Castle Drogo (Lala has a multi there!).
Further research beyond the Dartmoor 365 book: Cranbrook Castle includes a slight univallate hillfort situated on the summit of Cranbrook Down overlooking the River Teign. The hillfort survives as a square enclosure measuring 160m across internally. It is defined to the north by a single rampart, to the east, west and south is a substantial rampart bank with a stone core, some stone revetment and a deep outer ditch. Whilst to the south and south west only is a further ditched counterscarp bank. There are two entrances to the interior, a simple gap with causeway to the east and to the south west a causewayed gap further protected by a curved extension to the ditched counterscarp bank. Partial excavations in 1901 by Baring-Gould of two hut circles on the eastern side of the hillfort interior produced some pottery and part of a rotary quern, although these features are not visible as earthworks. Cairns within the northern part of the hillfort are thought to be clearance cairns from past cultivation of the interior.