Very little remains of this long barrow, which was nearly completely destroyed in the 19th century AD.
All that's visibly left to see are two parallel slabs, set into the ground 6ins apart, and rising maybe 2ft above the ground, presumably part of a burial chamber.
They're not easy to find, despite standing barely ten feet from Hayhedge Lane, a minor road running from the village of Bisley, one mile away.
I entered into a field on the northern side of the road through a metal gate and walked westward to the corner of the field where they stand in the undergrowth.
GPS: SO 91783 06122
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I visited Avening in Sept 2003 in an attempt to find these burial chambers. After trespassing all over the site someone appeared and asked me what I was up to. On being told of my quest, they informed me that there's been a lot of changes in the area and the burial chambers have gone.
Update:
I revisited this site on 30/5/04 and, I'm pleased to report, the burial chambers are still there, although they are very neglected and appear to be disappearing back into the earth, with only the tops of the chambers still visible.
This time, instead of approaching the site from the village, I parked my car in Avening and walked north along the B4014 until I came to a private, unmetalled road going south-east up a hillside. Within 100 yards I could see the chambers, behind barbed wire and set within a steep bank on the right-hand side of the track.
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This double stone row seems so fragile and elusive.
With over 30 stones (a friend says he's counted 44) averaging only 10" in height, I wonder how it has survived. Then I look around, at the wild Welsh scenery.
Very few people come here, now and for probably hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. It's common land, the only resource being a few hardy sheep and the Afon Disgynfa, a mountain stream the waters of which flow over the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, a mile further downstream. After climbing the path from the bottom of the waterfall up to the top and negotiating the boggy vegetation, the only way to find the row is to find the stone circle, first.
The avenue (as this is a double row leading to a stone circle, so it is classed as an avenue) starts nearly 30ft to the east of the circle, as a double row just over 6ft apart. You have to be standing over most of the stones to see them in the grass. After about 60ft, the rows widen out to about 12ft apart before veering slightly towards the south and continuing for another 100ft.
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The remains of the Horslip long barrow can be seen from the track leading up from Avebury Trusloe to Windmill Hill, although there's not much left to see. It has been ploughed out and is now just a barely discernible mound in an arable field within 100yards of the bridleway.
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Buzzards, butterflies and bovine bother
I visited Lacra on a glorious August Saturday, battling through the holiday
traffic to find myself completely alone on a sun-drenched hillside.
Although there is a footpath leading straight up from Kirksanton, I took Burl`s advice and parked at Po House, taking the longer but more gentle path around Lacra Bank. On my journey, I heard the characteristic `mewing` of a buzzard and, looking up, saw this magnificent bird perched high above me. On reaching a ruined farmhouse, I could see an area of stones beyond the drystone walls of the fields and knew that I`d arrived.
Lacra A was the first of the features up here that I encountered. It was difficult to see which stones belonged and which didn`t. Only two remain standing out of six of those that count.
Walking east, Lacra D was the next that I investigated and, here again, I had to study the stones scattered about to try and work out where the circle actually was. I was helped in this by a large slab which lies within the circle, possibly a capstone. From Lacra D, two stone rows are said to run, one to the north-east and the other leading south-west down the hillside.
A ring cairn, Lacra E, lies just 8metres to the north-west, but I could only make out three small stones. The many butterflies feeding on the thistles were a welcome distraction to my quest to try and sort out this bronze age landscape.
Walking south-west from Lacra D and passing through a gap in a field wall, Lacra B was my next destination. This one is unmistakeable as a stone circle, although only six stones remain of a suggested eleven. Whilst here, I was pleased to hear again the call of the buzzard and, looking up, saw a large bird of prey circling in the sky with a smaller bird, who answered the buzzard`s call with its own. I admired their encounter as they circled away and down towards the lower ground where the Giant`s Grave standing stones stand majestically, far off in the distance, before continuing on my quest.
Walking downhill to the east, the remaining stones of Lacra C stone circle came quickly into my view. Just three stones now stand in an arc which would probably have been the largest of the the four stone circles up here. Then the cattle arrived. I usually have no problem with farm animals, but these bovine beasts were very numerous and inquisitive and being mindful of the fact that I was alone upon the hillside, decided that I should play safe and leave. On my return journey, I was entertained again by the buzzard, now back on its previous perch, as it called out to me as I returned to the car.
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This barrow lies just 20metres to the south-west of the bank of the Bull Ring henge. It is described in the SMR as an oval barrow overlain on its western end by a later bowl barrow, although no known excavation has taken place.
It now stands 2metres high and the northern end seems to have been foreshortened by the erection of a churchyard wall.
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If you drive down Dyffryn lane you`ll see this stone standing by the road-side. It`s nearly five feet tall and leans to the north-east.
Maen Beuno could well be an outlier to the Dyffryn Lane henge which is about 100 metres further on down the lane, in a field on the other side of the road.
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On a recent visit to Mitchell`s Fold, I carried on walking along the path leading from the stone circle which crosses Stapeley Common. At the Cow Stone, I veered to the right to climb Stapeley Hill.
Stapeley Hill is a saddleback hill and the ring cairn is situated on the lowest point of the summit, within the saddle.
The cairn appears to consist of an embankment encircling a circle of stones with a mound within the centre.
GPS: SO 31277 99037
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Chumbawala may have encountered horses here, but I had to watch out for the feisty cattle protecting their calves.
At Three Cocks, on the A438, take the minor road heading east signposted to Llanigon. After just less than a mile, the barrow is in a field to the south of the road.
The site is dominated by two old trees which hampered the excavation carried out here in 1929ad. The remains of five males were found.
On approaching, I first saw a large blocking stone(?), followed by a small mound, then the remains of the burial chamber.
GPS: SO 18226 38060
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On a recent visit to The Rollrights, I thought I`d go and have a mooch around for the Goose Stones on Chastleton Common, just a couple of miles away.
Approaching from the north-east on a singletrack road, as I crossed over the cattle grid leading on to the common I was dismayed to see a sign saying PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO PARKING.
I thought uh-oh, this is going to cramp my style, and it did. Slowly driving down the road, I spotted some stones to my right, so I abandoned the car in the middle of the road and set off to get some pics. These stones were the ones that hamish had seen, at SP2626228769.
Then I heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, so I had to dash to the car to allow the postman to pass. Further along the road, I saw some more, more embedded stones on the right. I had to carry on driving a short distance to the entranceway to a farm and parked there while I investigated my find. These two stones are at SP2570128746 and look more promising than the previous pile.
Carrying on in my quest, near to the south-westerly edge of the common, I saw another likely candidate, to my left. I parked next to the cattle grid leading out of the common and walked a short distance to a stone standing out of the ground at SP2537828682. This is the same stone that Celia Haddon has on her website Goose Stones
The published location for the Goose Stones (SP265288) seems to come from Paul Bennett and Tom Wilson`s booklet The Old Stones of Rollright and District, however, they were unable to find them.
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Within 1/2 mile of Lower Swell, on the far side of an arable field which is next to a minor road running west from the village, lies this long barrow. The crop in the field had been recently harvested, so I was able to walk downhill across the stubble to see it.
It appears to be in an unusual location, very near to the bottom of a dry valley, with a conjunction with another dry valley on the opposite side. The barrow retains some height, too, although it was difficult to estimate due to its complete covering in bush and other vegetation.
The north side is twice as high as the south, due to the barrow being oriented along the side of the valley. There are many animal holes dug around its base. Although I saw rabbits, from the size of the holes I think that badgers have made a home here. No megaliths visible.
GPS: SP 17015 25774
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Cow Common Long Barrow GPS: SP 13511 26272
Not much of interest to say about this long barrow. It lies like an island in the middle of a large arable field next to a minor road just over 2 miles west of Lower Swell. I walked up the tractor tracks in a field of wheat to reach it. No megaliths are exposed.
On my way back to the road, I startled a deer hiding in the wheat, which didn`t bound very far away. Shortly afterwards, I was startled by a fawn jumping out of the crop in front of me.
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This bump in the grass by the side of Kingstanding Lane, in the district of Kingstanding, is all that remains of the last surviving barrow in Birmingham (that I am aware of).
If it hadn`t been for an incident in comparatively modern history, there`d probably be houses on this one, too.
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Great location. It`s exhilarating just to be here, high up over the Wye valley with Hay Bluff breathing down your neck.
BUT......
The only lay-by for miles around on the single-track road has been placed right next to the circle. There are always cars parked here. Most people who park here seem to be totally unaware that there is a stone circle right infront of their eyes. I was angered by the totally unnecessary degradation of the location. To top it all, one of the bollard-stones from the lay-by has become incorporated into the circle.
GPS: SO 23942 37358
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Taking the forest road out of Hay-on-Wye signposted to Capel-y-Ffin, the single-track road rises steeply on a southerly course. At the top, where the scenery opens out over mountainous moorland, lies the large Twyn-y-Beddau round barrow, as if standing sentry before the even higher land.
GPS: SO 24148 38612
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The Giant`s Foot stone lies just to the west of Shap, in a field behind the houses lining the A6.
It is said to be one of the stones in the Shap Stone Avenue.
GPS:NY 56297 14781
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This stone stands by the side of the B4348, 1/2 mile west of the village of Dorstone, by the side of a field entrance. It has been used as a gatepost in the past.
There is a cup mark under the vegetation.
GPS: SO 30558 42261
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Four miles south of Arthur`s Stone stands Herefordshire`s tallest standing stone, Wern Derys (or the King Stone).
You need the OS map to find this one. It`s about 1/2 mile down a no through road leading to a farm. On the left-hand side there`s a gate with a large notice saying something like `STOCK - PLEASE CLOSE THE GATE`. It`s in the field beyond that gate. There`s no footpath, but the sign on the gate didn`t say `BUGGER OFF`, so I went in.
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This large round barrow is sited on the western flank of Sidbury Hill.
It used to stand at the crossroads of two trackways used by tanks, you can imagine how it came to be called the Hot Cross Bun.
The army is more sympathetic to the ancient remains lying on its land nowadays, hence it is now out-of-bounds to all army vehicles.
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I visited this site in the summer of 2002, accompanied by a Wilts archaeologist who called it `the Everleigh henge`, however, jimit has pointed out that on the SMR it is named Weather Hill henge.
Although being on MOD land, the henge can be visited when no army exercises are taking place nearby.
There`s not much to see here. I couldn't make out any evidence of the bank and ditch; still, the site is clearly marked by the wooden posts and noticeboards surrounding it which warn off the army vehicles from straying over the henge.
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baza lives on the West Pennine Moors in Lancashire.
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