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

Ystradfawr

Standing Stone / Menhir

Fieldnotes

Time was short, so I opted for the scenic/anonymous route avoiding two large houses. I abandoned the car in an out of the way place walked ten yards up the lane towards the houses, then quite comically darted off into the undergrowth following the river(Cwm Calch). The high river bank concealed my movements untill it was time to pop up on the farm radar, at which point I walked briskly and nonchalontly around the feild edge untill I reached a zig zag path through the thinning wood to the hilltop.
It all looked so different down by the car, straight forward up to the top then back down, on the hill itself was another matter, I thought I had further to go when suddenly the standing stone was right before me.
In most parts of the country the stone would be termed small or even tiny, they say that in Wales too, it is very small. Just a couple of feet away is a cairn, it too is small, if I didnt know it was there under all that thick green stuff, youd pass them both by with no more than a second glance at the stone maybe.
But...........
Even if all the monuments were twice as big or twice again they would still have taken the back seat to the extreme weather I had endured all morning, the stingy face rain had died down somewhat but the wind was like physical hands pushing me down like a straw man.
From the stone I tip toed through the squelch to a nearby pointy peak of this hill top from there I should have been able to see Cerrig Caerau and Lled Croen yr ych stone circles to the north west,
but the wind is so strong I cant keep my eyes open long enough to focus they tear up in two seconds, I ignore the views and enjoy the feeling of flying and stand at forty five degrees into the wind.
But not for long, then its back down to the other nearby peak but the wind has other ideas it lets me know that I cant go up another hilltop but I can get taken straight to the other Ystradfawr cairn. It's no more than a grassy circular bump with a dimple in the top, but its relation to the other cairn and its stone can be seen, unlike the other cairn which I dont have time to fool around with, time and the weather have beaten us in the end, only my coat is less waterproofed than I hoped.
postman Posted by postman
6th February 2011ce
Edited 6th February 2011ce

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to add a comment