SX2568 : Trethevy Quoit
taken 2 years ago, near to Darite, Cornwall, England
Trethevy Quoit is a megalithic dolmen or portal tomb dating from the neolithic (new stone) age of between 4000 and 3000 BC making it between five and six thousand years old.
It comprises six standing vertical stones, a seventh fallen one and a cap stone. The 12' long cap stone estimated to weigh over ten tons rests diagonally mainly upon three of the six remaining upright stones, but is thought originally to have lain almost horizontally from the front stone to the now-recumbent back stone which has fallen inwards into the quoit. The whole dolmen has a maximum height of about 15' (4.6m). Originally the mound on which it sits would have been built up to at least partially cover the stones, but it is thought that the cap stone, and beneath it an entry gap were always above ground.
The quoit which is well worth a visit is situated in a field just a few yards from a minor road junction between Darite and Tremar.