[visited 2/10/10] I can only agree with what the others say about the effort to reward ratio. Fantastic views for not that great a climb. I was surprised to only see a cross bank, the other 2 sides presumably steep enough to not need extra protection.
The cross bank defining the fort area looked denuded to my eye, presumably to obtain the stone for all the well maintained walls along the edge. Though the outer ditch was impressively deep nevertheless.
Also, I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or the climber who poked his head up at the top of his climb to find me there admiring the view.
Access is up a steep ill defined path and so not easily accessible unless in reasonable health.
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[visited 25/04/10] This is a peach of a fort. Very well preserved banks, with lovely views, in the middle of a walk in a wood and no massive hill to climb. The latter of which meant my belly didn't thank me but I cared not.
Massive bivallate defenses stand out through the trees as you approach from the south-west. We traced the elongated horseshoe but mostly strolled near the cliff edge after going up and over the inner rampart which must be 3 metres high and maybe 6 from the lowest point of the ditch between the banks. Inside it's grassy with several trees to stroll between.
The thing that stands out for me is just how close Clifton Down Camp is on the other side of the ravine. I had wondered whilst stood at Clifton Down Camp, not knowing where Stokeleigh was, whether they could have easily communicated. Standing at Stokeleigh you can see they could have shouted and just about be understood. They could have definately fired lines across attached to arrows and passed stuff back and forwards. It seems hard to believe the two camps were not occupied by the same tribe, unless it was some kind of iron age Joint Security Area. Of course Burgh Walls is just across the ravine to the South East as well. Whilst on the subject of inter-visibility of hill forts in the Avon Valley, from here you can also see North Stoke, Freezing Hill and Stantonbury, whilst Maes Knoll is possibly visible through the trees (definately visible along with possibly Tunley from Clifton Camp). As an aside, is Clifton Suspension bridge the only suspension bridge in the world you can see at least 6 hill forts?
Access is along well defined paths through a light forest. Its mostly flat and less than 1/2 a mile from where we parked (ST 555 730)
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[visited 20/2/10] What an amazing hill fort! Its a massive bivallate fort with views stretching all the way to Wales, Exmoor and if someone took the trees out of the way probably Lansdown. With palisades and a clear tree line, this fort would have dominated the upper reaches of Chew valley and the northern Somerset levels.
I did my normal trek about the ramparts, clockwise for those keeping count, struggling up to the western entrance. The fort was built sloping down from the highest point on the hill to where the land dropped away on the eastern end. The interior earthwork noise is believed to be mostly from a pre medieval rabbit warren, with possibly some additions during ww2. Presumably the small circles formed from the loose stones near the northern ramparts are probably ww2 picket posts.
Access is for those who like hills. The Eastern entrance has still got a reasonable track coming up from the A38. If you are approaching from the west, be prepared for a long muddy walk which out of summertime might be difficult with a pushchair. I trekked up from the A38, parking at a pub down a small lane on the other side of the A road.
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[visted spring 2009] Oddness abounds here. As I approached on the a420 I expected a massive hill to be appear, contours on maps clearly not my strong point. What I got instead was a tight V shaped valley wrapping its way around the two open sides of the promontary. This means that even without the tree cover there are no long views out across the land. There are very few hill forts in Britain where the next hill in all directions is but a tight valley away.
The fort itself is off the public footpath, but I got slightly lost and stumbled upon it by accident, officer. The interior seems to be grass now, used as a circuit for horses. Generally its survived quite well.
Access is for those who like walking up and down and up and down footpaths through woods. Twice the normal effort for half the joy.
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[visited 22/03/09] This is a pretty little promontory fort with well defined ramparts, certainly to the East, South and West. Not sure about the North however. I finally made it back here after making it within half a mile along the ridge a few years back and discovering nowhere to park at the top of the hill.
There are beautiful views in 3 directions, but you'll need to trespass to see them. This is my least favourate type of hillfort, that where the only public access is straight across the middle. Of course the rest of the hill is covered in pasture so locking gates and thus stopping curious and lawabiding visitors from actually seeing much of this fort, is slightly annoying. Though the nature of the owner becomes clearer when you realise its nigh on impossible to get to the Open Access land which the North rampart is supposedly on. I gave up after fighting felled bushes, hedges being grown in the way and a scrambler track making it v. hard to proceed.
Access for me was straight up the hill using the footpath that starts at the West end of Bishop Sutton. I wouldn't recommend it if you are very unfit though. I presume you could get a wheelchair from somewhere on top of the ridge. The bridleway is not passable by a car...
All in all, worth visiting if only to annoy the farmer, otherwise go to Maes Knoll.
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[visited 18/10/08] Spang! I found these littleuns whilst looking for a spot to perch and watch the hills. On the edge of a hill covered in heather, peat bog and old mine workings, two massive boulders look out towards Fallinge Edge and Raven Tor Triple Cairn. The one further up the hill has 3 cups on the top of it.
Not sure whether these are recorded or genuine but I have seen 'a few' certified grade Aaa ones before and they stand proud beside them.
Access is for the intrepid via Hob Hurst's house. The paths are barely sheep tracks between ankle to thigh high heather and come and go as they please. "Watch every step" is the best advice I can give. Oh and watch out for the random small boulders, the bog pools and mine pits.
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[visited May 08] Wow oh wow. Once in a while a visit to a site created by our ancestors lifts me well out of the mundane and into a state unlike any other. The glorious paintings here did just that. I've seen a lot of Neolithic and bronze age rock art in the UK and I've seen the 11,000 BP engravings at Cresswell crags but this is a whole different ball game.
Photo taking is banned so you'll need to have a look at the link to the attached visitor's centers website. [edit] Or look at the Public Domain images....
I walked about in a state of disbelief looking at paintings of human representations pierced by a spear, mammoths, bison, 'female symbols' aka triangles, a bears head and amazing dotted horses which were carbon dated to 25,000 BP. There is also very old animal bones and unbelievably 10000 year old footprints. The paintings range from 25,000 BP to 10,000 BP.
Oh and then there is the geology, this cave would be renowned for that even if the paintings weren't here.
Superb to see something that puts the mere 3-4000 years back to stonehenge into stark perspective.
Access is down stairs and occasionally slippery under foot as you walk on the floor of the cave system.
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[visted 08/07/07] Another failed site, this time through not wanting to turn up unanounced at a Nuclear Power Station and asking to see their barrow. I did get to the gates and could see the barrow just inside the gates in a fenced off tree covered enclosure, but it was the other side of some (open) security gates and a large barbed wire fence. Call me overly cautious but in the current climate I figured discretion really was the better part of valour. There is a number for them on the British Energy website so I might give them a ring next time I'm heading that way.
Access is after sundown wearing ninja suits and night goggles.
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[visted 08/07/07] I have been a sucker for any rock art in wessexish ever since I saw a lot up north a few years back. It is however very rare about these parts and so I headed over to see this without high hopes. Sadly I completely failed to find a cup on this otherwise purty little stone. There are a couple of small depressions, but nothing I could positively say had been created by man.
Moving on, this somewhat misnamed stone comes up to about waist height nowadays and reminded me of the West Anstey Longstone. It is an absolute peach of a location overlooking the Bristol Chanel, Wales clearly visible in the distance. Also clearly visible is Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station, or as we like to think, the Pixies Mound. Can't really say about the orientation though as it was re-erected in the 60s.
Access is for the fitish but is all footpaths and would be doable in a wheelchair that could handle reasonably rough ground and steep slopes. Feeling energetic I made it up there in 25 mins, about a third at a slow run, and back down in 15mins, running mostly. Walking would prolly take 30 mins mostly all up hill. The effort to reward ratio is quite high on this one!
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[visited 21/10/06] Back here again, sans pain, but still with the mud. We walked towards the farm from the West pondering where the cist is and found a helpful sign just before the farm which directed us straight to it. Reading the miscellaneous notes here, it seems a round barrow mound covered the pile of rocks now lying in a muddy field. There isn't much to see now beyond that, but I think its still worth the effort. Does make me wonder what is at the bottom of the other few thousand barrows around the south...
Access is fineish. We parked in the pub between the third priddy henge and the incomplete henge and then walked along the road to get to the path to the east of Pool Farm. There are "No Parking" signs up there, so I suspect its the closest point. Just before you get to the farm this way, turn left across 2 fields and you'll see the cist. Best bit about walking this way is you can walk through the farm and back along the road to the West of the farm past the field with the incomplete henge!
Oh and chalk up another victory for the evil cows, we were chased out of the field to the West of the farm. Yet more proof of the Bovine threat, how long before our govt moves to combat this evil????
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[visited 1/7/6] Having never visited an exmoor site before, I had some trepidation as to how much we'd be able to see in high summer. The answer is, pretty much all of it. This is a weird little thing, about the same diameter as (say) Kingston Russell but with stones that struggled to reach my knees. I liked it but couldn't help thinking, is this all it is? Now, having visited different sites on exmoor in short open grass I can apreciate how powerful this could have looked 4 thousand years ago, stones very much defining a ritual space.
Access is very good, we parked just down the road but there is parking by the gate to the field. Someone had actually parked in the field within 10 metres of the circle and seemingly then gone for a walk. Which was unsightly and spoilt the "we are in a desolate moor" effect, I think the circle was aiming for but never mind. You can find the circle about 20m to the right of the sheep fold as you look from the road.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited 1/7/6] This was a strange little beasty and I guess the majority of stone rows about these parts look very similar. We found 6? stones in a double row pointing roughly towards the porlock circle|circle and then another stone on the same alignment about 5 metres closer to the circle. We think it was the row, but its hard to tell, the stones were barely 10cm above the ground and hidden in heather. The two rows were about a metre or so apart, with the stones in each row being about a metre or so apart as well. The row itself was located just off the brow of the hil and off the path to the right.
Access is good, its maybe a 5 minute walk up an open path to where the row is, though you may have to negotiate heather to get to it.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited 1/7/6] Getting used to the underwhelming size of the stones took a bit, but having warmed to the task we quite liked this 'setting' (apart from the random blood on one of the stones). Apparently people used to think this was the remains of 2 concentric circles and now they think its the remains of two rows. Personally I have no idea. I stood at pretty much every stone we could find and surveyed the weird arrangement of stones, seemingly raised upright at random, but once in a while offering glimpses. A possible curve here, 3 in a row there. So unless a lot of stones were removed which would have made this clear, I suspect the builders were on strong drugs when they put this up.
Access is ok but probably only by foot unless you have one of those fanangally off road wheel chair things. The circle is easily accessible to a moderately fit person, its about 15 minutes walk along tracks through the heather, ferns and peat, from the nearest car parking spot.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited 1/7/6] Its a weird thing relative perspective, in a different place & time I'd have called these smallish, but here they are massive. Two gert big chunks of rock leaning to the side, I don't know whether they were ever standing but tbh they look as if they were. Apparently they were used as medieval forrest boundary stones so I'm unsure about a prehistoric provenance, all complicated by a weird metal thing attached to one of them (see pictures) [edit] its an OS thing apparently (see misc notes) so I didn't bother putting the extreme closeup up. The views though, oh the views. The moors off to the right and the beautiful devon/somerset cliffy coast to the left.
Access is ok, but difficult for wheels as you need to go up a bank and along a narrow path in the heather. Parking is by the side of the road, or by the clifftop and a little walk.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited 2/7/6] Drive towards Two Gates from the A-road, trying to find a setting next to the road, stop randomly to take bearings, realise you've gone far too far but are close to some other settings, go to those instead. And it was a real treat to see by accident. My first triangular setting, again no stone higher than my knee, but with two in short grass we really saw the power that these small settings can provide. I kept thinking if I stand in the middle and say the right incantation I'll be imbued with a mystical power, but sadly no.
Access is good, its about a 5 miunte walk from the car in a straight line or a 15 minute one walking in zigzags. Keep on the path and head down the hill, if you can still see your car, you're not far enough down.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited 2/7/6] If ever a stone was a way marker at the top of a valley, this was it. Its in lovely location and its flat faces point north down the lush green landscape into the valley. The stone is one of the largest we saw over the weekend and possibly the nicest. Head away from the road and bear left down the hill, you should see it about 30 yards away at the head of the valley.
Access is good. About 5 minutes from the road, over open moor with low grass.This post appears as part of the blog post " Exmoor virgins" |
[visited circa may 2006] Back again again. I've revisited this site several times since my first notes, it used to be on my way home and was ideal for a 1/2 hour chill from the hectic life(tm).
Anyhow, I've also revisited my thoughts on the potential bank barrow. Having seen all of the visible ones in Dorset from the ground, I think this definately qualifies to be classed alongside them. Its certainly as long and if this land has been ploughed a lot, the lesser height and width can be explained easily.
More importantly in my mind:
- its older than the obviously old stone wall that cuts across it.
- it seems to be thicker at the higher end
- it has no defensive use
- it points at the long barrow
Anyone in the area who's also seen a 'proper' bank barrow should go have a look!
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[visited 02/06] This is a large ruined round cairn/barrow on the edge of the same escarpment as Nympsfield and Hetty Pegler's Tump. Its a bit of a sad sight to be honest, given the massive hole in the middle, but is worth a look if you are in the neighbourhood. The views would have been awesome before the forest arrived...
It's in the woods to the NW of Nympsfield long barrow. Starting at the long barrow, head away from the car park to about 10 metres from the corner of the grassy area. Now go into the woods and head along the edge of the escarpment straight to the barrow. Access is ok, but probably a bit rough terrain for a wheelchair.
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[visited 28/12/05] I almost crashed first time I drove past this on the way to Dorset, not only are the ramparts immense but there was a gert huge nipple on top of a giant breast, just to the right of my vision. Cut to 1 1/2 years later, I finally had the Warminister map and went "Oh thats Cley Hill". This is a popular place and I was fortunate to get a parking space as I headed up here for sunset.
The defenses are steep, in fact the whole hill is steep, I imagine they had all sorts of fun trying to get the carts with provisions in up to the top here. Now perhaps my brain just sees breasts, but the barrow is large and very carefully placed... As a whole the hill is still in great condition and sees a lot of use, not surprising given how prominent it must be from Warminster.
Access is up a steep hill and through a gate from the car park.This post appears as part of the blog post " Xmas wanderings" |
[visited 27/12/05] After 20 mins eating my lunch and warming up in the car after a visit to Hod Hill, I set off for Hambledon Hill. A neolithic enclosure, long barrow AND a hill fort? Its enough to make a megarak go weak at the knees. I parked at the carpark between hambledon and hod, which meant the view to the North was saved till last, delaying gratification is always for the best I find.
So I came to the long barrow marked on the OS map and the neolithic enclosure first, the barrow is denuded but still obvious to an observant seeker. As is the enclosure, split with a fence but still followable as a line of bumps in the grass. I'm surprised the enclosure isn't further forward tbh, there is a lot of hill to the North untouched. Eager for the view I hurried on, down and then back up to the fort entrance and onto a melange of weird banks. I think I picked out the fort from the medieval lynchets, but with a Maes Knollesque cross bank, I'm not convinced the fort itself went right to the end of the hill.
And what is with the large long barrow shaped top of the hill, just to the north of the cross bank? What possible defensive function did this fulfill? Is this related to the strip lynchets? Reading the notes here on TMA, this is actually a barrow? Did the farmers fill in the defenses at the North end of the hill?
Confusedly I struggled against the biting wind to the View. And what a View. I couldn't stand and stare for long as I wanted to leave the hill without losing bits of my face due to frostbite, but on a clear day you must be able to 20miles from up here. I'm coming back in the summer, because this is one of the best views for miles about and I love my Views.
Access is a mile or so from the carpark, up a fairly steep slope and through a few gates.This post appears as part of the blog post " Xmas wanderings" |
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Rumours I found one folklore piece to complete my rainbow are true
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