Warrens (Pillow Mounds)

Warrens consists of a series of low pillow mounds scattered across Dartmoor's open ground, the physical remains of a medieval rabbit warren. These gentle humps in the heather were deliberately constructed to provide warrens, enclosed breeding grounds for rabbits, a prized source of meat and fur. What looks like natural undulation is in fact medieval land management, a reminder that Dartmoor's seemingly wild landscape has long been shaped by human hands and appetite.

Walking among these mounds, you're standing in a working landscape abandoned centuries ago. The warren speaks to a time when rabbits were luxury, when every corner of Dartmoor was put to use, and when these quiet slopes bustled with the business of feeding the manors and monasteries of Devon. The mounds remain humble but distinct, worth pausing to notice on a moorland walk.