39th: Chun Moor – Cornwall

If there was ever a reserve steeped in ancient history, this is it. It is essentially open moorland, that was covered in gorgeous flowering gorse and heather when we were there. However, the star of the show was Chun Quoit.

Now, I need to make a confession here; I’d never heard the word Quoit and had no idea what it meant. I had seen pictures of it on the internet ahead of our visit, but had deliberately not done any research, wanting to go to the place knowing nothing. Although, I had assumed, from the look of it, that it was prehistoric, it has 4 standing stones leaning into each other with a huge cap stone sitting on top of them, which reminded me strongly of Stone Henge and Avebury that grew out of the earth very close to where I lived as a child.

As we approached, early in the morning, there were many birds flitting on and off the top and flying in and out of the 4 standing stones. It was a really touching thought to think that this monument, created so long ago, was now being used as a vantage point by the local wildlife. As we moved closer to the stones, they were framed by the moor, the sea and dramatic sky, really making for a striking scene. A scene that I’m feeling pretty confident will become a piece of artwork, once I’ve identified the birds that call the Quoit home.

As for the Quoit, it was built over 4,500 years ago and was a burial chamber that was probably covered by a round earth barrow originally. It really is incredible to think that it has survived through so much to still be standing for us to see. That’s not all as there is also the remains of Chun Castle, that was originally built around 2,500 years ago, but there isn’t a huge amount remaining in place. There’s still enough there to enable you to picture the people living here so long ago, looking out at the same coast and across the moor to Chun Quoit.