Sheepstor Dartmoor: an artist’s impression. Church and Tor a century ago – watercolour by W. H. Dyer

Sheepstor is one impressive tor – and its top was the destination for my Sunday afternoon walk on Dartmoor – 2nd. October 2016.

It was one of those afternoons when everything became crystal clear before my very eyes – the views from the top were breathtaking – far more so than the climb up.  

Reflection from above a sheep’s-eye view. Burrator Reservoir from the slopes of Sheepstor.

As a collector of natural history items – it wasn’t long before my attention turned from the present to the departed – I’d honed in on a small quantity of sheep bones laying in the moorland grass…

Scattering of sheep bones on Sheepstor.

An idea began to hatch…  

Recalling a picture that I’d gleaned from a discarded diary at work just days before – I set about picking-up the bones to make ‘A Magic Pile’ at the edge of the tor – as a final resting place.

Native American Art.  Assiniboin’s ‘Magic Pile’ by Karl Bodner

I gathered the parts and placed them neatly on top of my chosen granite ‘pile’ near the edge of the tor – and suddenly as if by magic – the picture from the discarded diary came to life…

Sun breathing new life into old bones…

As I came away – I found a ‘husk of something’ in the shape of a wing –

To me it perfectly symbolised the nature of this great place – 

Elemental Sheepstor; a place where earth, water, air and fire and spirit are one. 

I came back down with a brew on Walkhampton Common.  

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Sheepstor – Dartmoor’s sleeping giant.