Dartmoor & Exmoor
Mardon Down
357M
1172FT
About Mardon Down
Sitting on the eastern fringes of Dartmoor, this broad, heather-covered plateau offers an accessible and airy sense of space. Unlike the rugged tors elsewhere, the terrain here is gentle and expansive. Its summit is crowned by significant Bronze Age archaeology, providing clear views across the Teign Valley towards the high moors.
Key Statistics
Rank
69th Highest in Region
Parent Range
England
Prominence
?
141.4m
Nearest Town
Moretonhampstead
Geology
Mardon Down sits on a solid foundation of granite. This durable rock formed from a massive pool of molten liquid that cooled slowly deep underground.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SX767870
Latitude
50.6696°N
Longitude
3.7462°W
Did You Know?
- •The hill's name likely derives from the Old English 'mære', meaning a boundary, and 'dun', meaning hill, marking its historic position on the edge of the moorland.
- •Mardon Down features the largest stone circle on Dartmoor by diameter, measuring approximately 53 metres, though many of its stones are now recumbent or hidden by heather.
- •The summit is marked by a massive Bronze Age cairn known as the Giant's Grave, which measures roughly 27 metres across and is one of the largest burial mounds in the National Park.
- •From the summit trig point, look west for the sweeping profile of Cosdon Hill and south to see the iconic twin granite peaks of Haytor and Lowman.
- •Despite its double status as a Hump and a Tump, the gradients are so forgiving that the most strenuous part of the visit is often navigating the narrow lanes that lead to its base.