The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Broomridge

Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art

Fieldnotes

I was up here recently with the rockartuk fellas on their RAM04. I've been here before but could never find the 'deer carvings'. Nay problems this time, Jan and Gus took us straight to them. Well, what actually happened was, Jan went to the farmhouse took ask permission to scramble on the crag and Gus went off in search of an owl's nest. But we got there in the end.
It's well worth the climb to see these lovely carvings, they are quite worn and there is some debate about their antiquity but bearing in mind that when this rock overhang was excavated it yeilded flints and burials, plus the fact that the top of the overhand is decorated with carvings and that the whole site looks down over the Routing Linn complex of carved rock, enclosure, cave and waterfall, I would say that the circumstantial evidence for these carvings being ancient is pretty strong.
After checking out the carvings we moved up onto the moor. There are some nice carvings up here including the 'horseshoe carvings on the top of the overhang. We also came across a couple of carvings made by the fellas trying to extract millstones.
If you are visiting Routing Linn I would recommend that you take an extra hour or so to check out this area. There is lots to find and the views are crackin'. It will also give you an idea of the intervisibility theories between the various sites along the Millfield Plain and Till Valley.
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
27th May 2004ce

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to add a comment