Hidden History at Helman Tor
Helman Tor is a surprisingly undiscovered gem of mid-Cornwall. Not that the tor itself is hidden, as it stands out boldly on a diagonal spur that runs across the south of Bodmin Moor - and it acts as a commanding viewing platform for the earth energies in the countryside all around it. It is no wonder people have lived here and visited it over the millennia - and have left their marks, both physical and etheric. In the 21st Century, only a paint-scraping drive through the cosy approach lanes protects it from being overwhelmed.
Alan Neal led a mixed group of TDs, West Cornwall Dowsers, and our mutual friends through the history, geology and dowsable features of the site.
One of the most surpising archaeological aspects of the Tor is the presence of two embossed carvings on the granite rocks at the summit, which seem to represent the male and female elements of the location. They dowse as being very old indeed and - like so many subtle features - they appear and disappear with the shadows of the passing day. An incised cross nearby suggests that it was not only our prehistoric forebears that recognised the spiritual importance of the place. On another rock of the apex outcrop there appears to be the raised outline of a flower, which dowsed as being of a more recent date - but it, too, vanished enigmatically, in the embrace of the afternoon sunshine.
