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Simon Howe

Cairn(s)

<b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldoImage © fitzcoraldo
Nearest Town:Whitby (14km NNE)
OS Ref (GB):   SE830981 / Sheets: 94, 100
Latitude:54° 22' 16.99" N
Longitude:   0° 43' 20.01" W

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<b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by hotaire <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by Moth <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo <b>Simon Howe</b>Posted by fitzcoraldo

Fieldnotes

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Are you sure the offending structure is a grouse butt? Or is it a wind-break constructed by Lyke Wake walkers? I noticed that they'd desecrated Lilla Howe in the same way and for the same reasons about ten years ago.

Update 16th. August, 2006 : English Heritage field investigator points out there are no grouse butts in this vicinity, and agrees that the offending structure is a windbreak built by walkers. Decision on what - if anything - can be done is pending.
hotaire Posted by hotaire
11th August 2006ce
Edited 17th August 2006ce

Access a fairly long and 'reasonably' strenuous walk on a generally decentish path, but with stiles, streams and gullies to cross, as well as the North Yorks Steam Railway track…. Moor could be boggy pretty easily too.

Saturday 23 August 2003
This is my kind of place. A picturesque and longish walk from the nearest road, the cairn(s) of Simon Howe were always likely to be popular with me! And when you get there, a beautifully ruined cairn, another (rather underwhelming) cairn, and to add definite icing to the cake, a 4 stone row….

Heading North on the A169, past the Hole of Horcum look out for a sharpish lefthand bend in a valley, crossing Eller Beck Bridge.

Luckily I spotted it early and was able to pull into a wide grassy lane on the left at SE857982. It's not very driveable(!) but there's plenty of room for parking before it narrows to a track and then to paths.

I walked up the lane for a very short distance and went straight on along a narrower but clear path as the lane bent left. This path soon bears right into a little valley, crossing a tiny muddy bit of low land with a stile. There may even be a stream at time.

Just past this point is the North Yorks Moors Steam Railway track. Keep an eye and ear open – you just might be lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to see a train pass. I did – and rather nice it was too.

I simply kept faith and followed this obvious path for a couple of miles across the moor until it reached the cairn. If you use the Landranger map, note that you do NOT have to leave this path to reach Simon Howe.

I really am developing a bit of a fetish for cairn kerbs, kerb-cairns and cairn circles! This ruined cairn certainly has what remains of a beautiful kerb!

Decent sized stones eased back from the perpendicular, leaning outwards at the top. A bit crown or crown of thorns-like – in this respect reminding me very slightly of my beloved Bryn Cader Faner.

Just to the NNW are the remains of a low flattened cairn with one stone stood at its edge. Looks like a remaining kerbstone to me. And between the cairns lies the 4 stone row!!! Two stones are fallen and one of the stones that remains standing is at a crazy angle.

And what a commanding position! To the north it is reasonably easy to make out the silhouettes of the Two Howes and to the west is Howl Moor.

For me Simon Howe has it all – the 'journey' the 'monument' and the setting. I loved it. (Didn't even mind the grouse butt!)
Moth Posted by Moth
14th September 2003ce
Edited 15th September 2003ce

The partner in crime on this trip, the second howe with the "headstone" I think that the head stone is one of the kerb stones that the embankment has worn away from as close investigations reveals the tops of several other upright stones still embedded in the embankment approximately in line (circularly) with the head stone.

The standing stones make for an intriguing site. Shame about the grouse butt.
Posted by moggymiaow
1st December 2002ce

This is a lovely little site, it consists of a cairn that has been robbed of much of it's stone fill leaving part of the cairn and a kerb consisting of large stones. There is also a stone row consisting of four large stones and a nearby Round barrow with a possible headstone.
I visited this site with Moggymiaow after checking out her ? ruined circle on Hunt House Crag.
There is a well defined track running from Hunt House road up to the Howe.
The situation of the Howe is unusual as it is on the top of the hill rather than the prefered brow ( the usual site here-abouts).
The site itself consists of a well defined kerb of large stones enclosing a cairn. The cairn appears to have been robbed of some of it's stone filling, some of which has been used to build a windbreak* within the kerb.
The diameter of the circle is approx 12 metres. To the north of the circle is a row of four large stones aligned SE-NW.
Approximately 50 metres north of the circle is an un-named barrow & trig point, this barrow has what appears to be a marker or head stone on its southern flank.

*Fieldnotes amended to reflect the information from Hotaire regarding the recent structure within the kerb
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
29th November 2002ce
Edited 26th August 2006ce

Miscellaneous

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A couple of minutes of daft footage of the mound and stone row.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCsE7Z7e_tw
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
28th October 2006ce

Raymond Hayes surveyed this site in 1947 following a large fire on the moor.
He recorded the stone row, located the socket of a fifth stone in the stone row and observed that the row lead to a low eroded cairn 65m to the north east.
Also at this time 1000's of flints were collected from the area by Hayes and his colleagues and amateur flint collectors.
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
22nd October 2004ce