Cairn south-east of Shell Top

This scheduled monument is a cairn, a prehistoric burial mound built from stone. Positioned on the open moorland south-east of Shell Top, it dates to the Bronze Age, when Dartmoor's uplands were more densely settled and used than they are today. Such cairns often mark the graves of individuals or small family groups and reflect the ancient peoples' connection to these high places.

Today the site sits within the characteristic moorland terrain of central Dartmoor. Like many Bronze Age monuments scattered across the moor, it is a physical reminder of how the landscape has been shaped and marked by human presence for thousands of years. Visitors walking this part of the moor will find it in context with the wider archaeological record of Dartmoor's prehistory.