About
Merrivale gathers one of the finest groups of prehistoric monuments on Dartmoor, where a Bronze Age settlement lies beside an older ritual landscape of stone rows, a stone circle, standing stones and burial cairns raised over many centuries. Two double stone rows of more than 150 stones each run east to west, the longer stretching 263 metres, and near its middle a kerbed cairn and a stone-lined burial cist may mark an important burial. To the west stand a ring of 11 low granite stones and a menhir more than 3 metres tall, while over 50 roundhouses spread across the hillside towards the road. Managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority, the site is open moorland with uneven ground and fast-changing weather, and English Heritage offers a downloadable audio guide. Reviewers single out the evening light over the stones and the ponies grazing among them. Keep dogs on a lead, as ponies and sheep graze freely.
Open in daylightFrom English Heritage's calendar
- Open any reasonable time in daylight
From English Heritage's published calendar, updated 1 October 2026, with dates up to 16 March 2027.
Opening times may change at short notice.
Open any reasonable time during daylight hours, all year.
Free to everyone. Managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority for English Heritage. A free English Heritage audio guide can be downloaded.
The site is remote and exposed: check the weather, wear suitable clothing and keep children under close supervision.
Accessibility: Open moorland with naturally uneven ground, slip and trip hazards, and low partly buried stones.
Parking: Limited parking at the Four Winds car park off the B3357; charge not stated. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight.
Photo: Vieve Forward. CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merrivale_stone_rows_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6131085.jpg. Resized for display.
Dogs at the location: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs: Ponies and sheep graze freely on the moor so please keep your dogs on a lead.
Dog walks in the grounds: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs on a lead may accompany a free visit to the monuments on the open moor.
Leads: On a lead; ponies and sheep graze freely.
PricingFreeFree for all visitors
Free entry for everyone
Entry
Free for everyone
Pricing details
Free to everyone; open access site.
ParkingParking not known
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
Parking details
Limited parking at the Four Winds car park off the B3357; charge not stated. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight.
Driving arrival: Four Winds Car Park off the B3357 (Google listing), about 500m east of the stone rows.
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