Minions is located to the South-East of the moor. As well as providing some beautiful scenery and walks, there is a wealth of things to find and discover and you can really get an idea of how the moor has supported man over the millenia. The village of Minions sits between the slopes of Stowe Hill and Caradon Hill and provides an excellent base for a morning or afternoons stroll on the moor.

The Hurlers

The Hurlers consist of three Bronze Age stone circles that lie on the Southern slope of Stowe Hill and are easily accessible. Legend has it that the stones represent men that were turned to stone for playing the sport of hurling on the Sabbath. There are also two outlying stones called "The Pipers". The circles lie on a line that streches from "The Longstone" cross to the South through to "Rillaton Barrow" to the North.

Daniel Gumb’s Cave

Lying underneath "The Cheeswring" as you approach from the South, you can find the entrance of cave dwelling that was inhabited in the nineteenth century by Daniel Gumb and his family. A proof of Pythagorus’s theorum can be seen engraved in the headstone of the portal.

The Cheesewring

Situated on top of Stowe’s Hill is the famous natural landmark "The Cheesewring" consisting of plates of granite that have been eroded over the centuries. The name comes from it’s resemblance to stack of "cheeses" - pulped apples in cloth bags from which Cider is pressed.

Stowe Pound

The top of Stowe’s Hill is crowned by two Iron age forts consisting of banked stone ramparts. A climb to the top of the hill is well worthwhile as you can get some beautiful views stretching to Dartmoor on a clear day. Situated underneath the "Cheesewring" is Stowe quarry that once produced high quality granite which was used on the Embankment and Tower Bridge in London. The quarry is now disused, but is an excellent resource for climbers.

Rillaton Barrow

Lying on a line through "The Hurlers" and "The Longstone" cross lies a Bronze Age burial mound, Rillaton Barrow. It was excavated in 1818 and a skeleton was found together with a dagger and a gold cup. The Rillaton Cup is now displayed in the Brish Museum and a copy can be seen in the Royal Cornwall museum in Truro.

Minions Heritage Centre

One of the pump houses of the former South Pheonix mine has been converted into a small exhibition centre where you can find out all about the moor, its history and use over the ages.

King Doniert’s Stone - Men Myghtern Doniert

South-East of Minions by the roadside you will find a small enclsure containg two fine worked stones. The taller is a cross-shaft and you can see the slot in top where a wooden cross would have been mounted. The shorter stone is a cross-base with an inscription for Doniert who is believed to have been the Cornish King Durngarth who drowned c. AD 875.

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