📍 The Edge of the Ancient Moor – Shaugh Prior
Coordinates: N 50° 27.156' W 4° 03.223'
You are standing above Shaugh Prior, on the southwestern fringe of Dartmoor — one of the most historically rich landscapes in Devon. These quiet slopes hide Bronze Age settlements, medieval tin workings, and Victorian industrial remains, all layered into the moorland around you.
⏳ Prehistoric Landscape
This area forms part of the Shaugh Moor Bronze Age complex, containing hut circles, ancient field systems (reaves), cairns, and stone rows. Archaeologists have uncovered pottery, hearths, and tools here, making it one of the most important prehistoric zones on Dartmoor.
🏰 Medieval Shaugh Prior
Recorded as Seaga in medieval documents, Shaugh Prior was shaped by tinners, shepherds, and packhorse routes linking the moor to Plympton and Tavistock. Many paths and boundaries you see today follow routes used for centuries.
⚒️ Industrial Past
Nearby valleys hold the remains of the Shaugh Bridge Gunpowder Works, which supplied explosives to Dartmoor’s quarries. The Lee Moor Tramway, once carrying china clay across the moor, left trackbeds still visible in the landscape.
🌿 Modern Conservation
The area sits beside Dartmoor National Park and includes rare heathland, ancient woodland, and wildlife such as nightjars, adders, and Dartmoor ponies.
🧭 The Journey
Expect granite stiles, old drovers’ lanes, and views toward Shaugh Moor’s prehistoric features. The terrain is uneven but rewarding, with glimpses of thousands of years of human activity.
📦 The Cache
A small, weatherproof container with a logbook. Please re-hide exactly as found.