This year we decided to spend the summer solstice a little more quiely than usual. So we decided to spend it at Barnscar in the middle of nowhere camped in an iron age village no tom toms, no Fire-eaters and no born again christians trying to convert us!
So we pitched our tent high upon Barnscar (hoping we wouldnt be noticed) and spent the night here it was very peaceful and not a soul for miles bliss! This place is so calming the ground is nice and spongy to sleep on and it was beautiful to watch the sun rise over the Cumbrian Mountains on Midsummers morning.
Sadly this was Midsummer and the Ferns and bracken had grown to about 4 foot high so it was hard to see most of it.I did however find some stone tools just lying on the ground and a possible forgotten stone circle with an outlier too.
Barnscar is a little hard to get to but more than worth the effort it has a real ambience to it and is just dripping in archaeology a must for all TMAer's if you get to Cumbria dont miss this one!
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A bit of a strange one this in the middle of a public park and no-one seems to know much about it, as I havn't really found many references to Hawksclough. Me and Rivington Pike (a fellow member of TMA) who also had vaguely heard of it decided to find it.
What we found does seem to be the site that's on the map, its earthworks quite prominent, just no-one seems to know its there! This monuments purpose and meaning has been sadly forgotten but after all this time it still remains there on the hill for all to rediscover.
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Not to hard to find this one, this settlement is located high on a hill in the middle of a field of sheep with the highest dry stone walls i have ever seen! on this occasion there was one too many farmers and tractors about to get a good close up. I will return soon, i also found what could be the remains of a stone circle just outside the field with castle hill in. You can also see high park from here and i soon realised why its called this, its cos its so high up! to access it from here you need to go down a huge slope cross a river and then climb another huge slope to get up to it another way round is needed i think.
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An ancient rock shelter with evidence of early human habitation stone tools and bones were excavated here.
The Fairy Holes consist of 3 caves one large enough to walk into, the other 2 entrances being about 2 and a half foot high but open into much larger chambers a small crawl is required.
These caves took me about 3 hours to find but were more than worth the effort. Beautiful and serene and set in a magical setting its easy to see how faerie folklore has attatched itself to these caves. There is definately an ambience here ive never seen my dog so nervous when i came accross the large entrance to the walk in cave i was also greeted by a small bird which didnt seem to want to let me enter he sqawked at me as i walked by him but didnt move from his prominent position , once inside i switched my torch on and marvelled at the cave it went back at least 40 foot and ends in a small cavern too.
All the while i was inside the guardian bird is sqawking in the background making it very eerie indeed! i think ive been brave for long enough now so im coming out!
I only peered inside the other two caves as what i was wearing wasnt really appropriate for crawling and besides when i attempted to look in the other 2 caves the dam bird blocked my way! freaky :)
So you can make sense of the photos i will give the caves a label from left to right A,B,C. (A+C being the smaller of the caves)
DIRECTIONS: there are 2 ways to access the caves one hard way and an easy way! guess which way i chose? anyway the best way is park up at the inn at whitewell plenty of room to park there and by the church, take the footpath on the left hand side of the church down to the river bank, look to your left and youll see the stepping stones that cross the river cross these and go up the hill towards the farm just before you reach the gate at the top of the hill which leads into the farmyard there's a metal gate to your left just before the farm, which leads into the woods take this! a word of warning though im not sure wether your allowed access here so be cautious, the path beyond leads to a small tip at the end turn right into the trees and youll see two paths the slightly higher path leads to the fairy holes but is quite treachourous when this path bends right look up to your right and youll see the rocks the caves are located in if you take the lower path count the water manholes you see along the way when you get to 5 look upto your right and youll see the rocky outcrop the caves are in just remember the caves are in the woods and not outside them like i thought they were! alternatively you can walk round the right hand side of the trees once again im not sure about access but look for the wooden gate outside the forest where it bends to the right enter the wood and the caves are below you. As always have fun!
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The daylight has now all but gone and I reached my final site of the day there's the remains of two Bronze Age barrows here both uniquely different to each other ones on a circular raised embankment with a curb of stones the other dips down like a bowl barrow also with kerbstones and both have central depressions with stones in the centre there's a structure in the field below which resembles a beacon but then again why is it below the hill I sit on? It could easily be seen from the Ringstones or Twist Castle and the hills around so maybe it is a beacon others may interpret it differently. My dog informs me that were hungry and we fed our lunch to the horses on Twist Hill its time to go and my perfect day ends.This post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
I arrived at the Ringstones just a short walk from Worsthorne Stone Circle with its clearly discernable banks, ditches and avenues, im not quite sure what this was but am told its an old farmstead possibly late Bronze Age, early Iron Age which has more than likely been raided to make the stone walls round here it has two enclosures with avenues connecting both one leads away from the larger enclosure a good 40/50 metres into the field leading to hameldon pasture the other avenue leading into the next field to a smaller enclosure. Ive sketched a rough map to give some perspective. A nice little place to sit and gather your thoughts. I'm sat here looking towards twist hill knowing there's another similliar farmstead up there and a bronze age barrow curiosity gets the better of me and I head off to Twist castleThis post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
Visited this site a couple of weeks ago and had a long chat with the Farmer on the adjacent land who wasn't happy about me not getting permission for access to the site at first but was happy to see I hadn't climbed through the hole in the wall which some idiots had made for easier access. The farmer also gave me some info about this site the henge type structure on top of the hill is actually known as Burwains Camp locally. Although it is on Shuttleworth pasture and the circle of stones at the bottom of the hill is known as Burwains stone circle although not a true stone circle.
So that is why the site name has been changed to reflect this.
I also visited this site yesterday got a couple more pictures of the low henge looking a little more obvious now the undergrowth has died back some more and at the circle the rubble bank has revealed itself to be mainly large fallen kerbstones covered with turf but now more discernable.This post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
A very sorry site this at the edge of a landfill, with a quietly sad ambience about it, 2 large fallen kerbstones are visible at first glance. On closer inspection and with a little kicking of the turf 3 more smaller stones are revealed. I cant believe a landfill was authorised here, this area is so rich in history I say a few words and apologise and move on to my next site. The ringstonesThis post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
A nice little hike to the top of Twist Hill for me and my dog When we reached the summit were greeted by 5 very beautiful Shire horses who follow me around and share my sandwiches which was a lovely touch on this gorgeously sunny day.
This is my first visit here and I certainly wasn't disappointed it's the Remains of another Farmstead mid to late Iron Age commanding excellent strategic views of the surrounding area it also overlooks an old sandstone quarry (which has got a little too close to the structure for my liking) and Swinden Reservoir I cant help but wonder what antiquities the reservoir has swallowed in its greed to quench our thirst. Twist castle is very peaceful consisting of two enclosures with more stone left than the ringstones and a couple of hundred yards away is a robbed and ruined Bronze Age barrow.
I sit here for a while being gently prodded by horse heads, my dogs a little unsure of the Horses so I decide to set off in search of Delf Hill Stone CircleThis post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
After jumping a gate and sneaking over the back of a working quarry avoiding all manner of diggers workmen and industrial plants I hummed the Mission Impossible theme as I laughed to myself i'm on a mission and nothings going to stop me! I was just about to give up hope of finding the circle, when I stumbled right across it perched on top of Delf Hill at the back of the quarry by a wall and tractor tracks with fantastic views across the valley.
Its 5pm and the machinery has stopped. Finding this is my highlight of the day. A beautiful little circle with a central cist/depression an internal ditch and embankment with a ring of seven stones. I sat here for an hour and sketched the circle what a lovely place the grass all around is a very lush green it so peaceful here. On my way back from the circle as the light began to fade I came across a curiously carved boulder which was about 3 feet high at the bottom of the hill. I took a few snapshots and decided to take in Hambledon Pasture barrows before the light completely faded.This post appears as part of the blog post " One man and his Sausage Dog" |
I'd been wanting to go to Barnscar for quite a while, apparently it was an entire city abandoned. Theres not many references to it and no photos i know of, so i set off to find it.
Its a bit of a trek to find it (to say the least!)and wasnt entirely convinced it was still there. Im so glad i was wrong wow! what a place!
Barnscar is situated on top of a small hill with two peaks on a plateau surrounded 360 degrees by much higher peaks, surreal mountains with the sea to the west an absolutely beautiful idylic location with no roads noise or buildings to disturb the serenity.
The approach to the plateau itself is a fantastic array of stone avenues follow these upto the hill and on top are just inumerable cairns buildings and roundhouses. theres more stone avenues up there too walls that seem to surround the city and on the most northerly peak of the hill there is two much larger circular structures one being roughly 20 metres in diameter the other slightly smaller. i also found a circle of 6 cairns on slightly more levelled ground. Ive no idea how far this place stretches as the shadows grew longer the light began to fade i had no more time to spend here today but i must come back here soon this place has blown me away. I left rather reluctantly feeling slightly nauseas by the hugeness of the site and the vibes here, on the way home i was greeted by 2 wild deer what a perfect day,fantastic!
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This site is roughly 300 metres from the pikestones on a bearing of roughly north! (sorry guys i didnt have my compass!) but the grid location given is exact.
Its a low mound circular in shape 3-4 metres in diameter on the side of the hill with a complete set of kerbstones i beleive this is the 'stone circle' mentioned in the fieldnotes on the pikestones which ive been looking for, for quite a while now winter visits are definately worth the effort!
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Located on top of Twist Hill, although I've not visited this site yet I have viewed it through binoculars from Hambledon Pasture.
I also have an aerial photo of this site rectangular in shape it seems to be the same size and shape of the Ring Stones which are very close to this site (about 0.5km away) there's also supposed to be an Iron Age barrow next to it. Hopefully I'll visit soon.
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After a visit to the Pikestones I read the noticeboard which informs you another chambered tomb was found in Lancashire (it doesn't say where). I was pointed by others to two possible locations for the tomb the first being Black Coppice Chambered Cairn and the other possible site being this.
The mound is situated high on the plateau beneath the peak of Great Hameldon, close to the edge of a quarry, but far enough away to be independant of the quarrying activity. The mound is a 'whale shaped mound' about 5 metres high and about 60 foot long by 30 foot wide. At the western end is a small T shaped depression. The cross section is about 4 metres wide and goes quite deep in places. It's been suggested that this could be the remains of a collapsed burial chamber. At the base of the T someone has cut a large rectangular test pit and there are three other test pits on this mound too, one on top, and two on the sides. I'd suggest these were dug by amateur treasure hunters as they've not been filled in afterwards.
On the western side of the plateau are two more mound like structures, different to this one, with rectangular chambers on the side. These are aligned with each other and I couldn't say for certain wether they are modern or not.
Once again this is a bit of a climb but with great views to substitute this its worth the effort.
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I climbed up here with relative ease against my better judgement in the ice and snow! My reasoning behind this was the structures would be a little clearer now the undergrowth had died back somewhat due to the colder weather (at least thats how I convinced myself that climbing up here was a sane thing to do).
As I said in my previous fieldnotes there's lots to see here. I found the possible remains of a stone row, although you could probably imagine all sorts of alignments with the rocks and structures on top here. There're many possible standing stones and four clearly banked circular structures with depressions in the middle surrounding the tomb, two of them having possibly fallen capstones. In the centre I also checked out the alignment of the tomb, which is alligned almost perfectly NW/SW.
Whatever you make of it up here the views are stunning and its a great place just to sit and contemplate.
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My first port of call on what turned out to be one heck of a walk, s I decided to take in too many sites on a cold winters day with four hours of daylight left and only my sausage dog pup for company.
I knew this site was here but never really bothered about it until I read daveyrays description. I'd always assumed this place was a single barrow.
There's two cairn circles. One is slightly more raised than the other, with 2 large boulders in the centre. The other is lower with smaller stones in the centre. Both have kerbstones, and both have depressions in the centre, presumably due to excavation. These circles are very pleasing to the eye although my photos don't seem to do them justice. there are a few standing stones scattered about and various other structures too. There was also a strange structure in the field below this hill to the north, which took me ages to get to. It looks rather like an old beacon but the positioning of it cast doubt on that assumption.
It seems to me that this landscape hasn't changed dramatically since these monuments were built (bar the reservoir). It certaintly feels very ancient and there truly is a sense of tranquility here. Give this site a visit. It's a beautiful peaceful place with 360 degree panoramic views and no major roads/buildings within sight (or hearing) distance. Bliss!
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First visited this site in summer 2003. I wasn't quite sure what it was; A few curved banks and ditches with seemingly erraticly placed stones on top at irregular intervals.
Coming back here in winter though does make a difference because the banks and ditches are much more prominent. We have some unusual sites here in Lancashire. I'm not quite sure what this is but it seems to have carried on into the next field (but has all been ploughed away on that side). I've also posted an old aerial photo of this site, which makes the site look rectangular. This is the same shape for the structure marked on the old O.S. maps as the Ringstones, subheaded as supposedly Roman. Then again the map marks Hambledon pasture barrows as supposed Roman beacons, when they're clearly not. Confused? So am I.
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Visited this site again on 2nd January a little more prepared and with a touch better local knowledge. There are two structures in the immediate area, one being Worsthorne Stone Circle (although it feels like a ring cairn to me). The second structure is the Ringstones in the next field on the same footpath. I also mentioned an enclosed circular area in my last field notes, which turned out to be modern. The landowner had made it to fly model aeroplanes in! Back to the circle itself though there are definately two clearly recognisable kerb shaped stones that have been toppled, but a little kicking back of the scrub revealed another three stones making five in all. Not much left to see really but this area is rich in history its well worth combining this site with a trip to Hameldon Pasture, the Ringstones or Delf Hill.
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Finding and locating this tomb has become a personal quest for me bordering on obsession! I first read about a 2nd chambered barrow on the notice board at the pikestones which mentioned the pikestones was one of only two chambered tombs ever found in the Lancashire area. So where was the other one I asked myself? I started a forum posting here called the missing tomb and got help from some of the members here (special thanks to rivington pike and hob) and also got help from a chap at LCC who kindly pointed out two possible sites of interest (I'm still investigating the third and will post results of my finds there too).
Back to the main event though there's lots of archaeology surrounding the chamber some old, some a little more modern. Too much to photograph but I never expected an intact chamber as id seen other structures close by which could have been it , so I resigned myself to the fact it was on of those structures, which made me feel mildly disappointed at not being able to pinpoint it.
I was running around in the background taking photos as usual whilst my lady was enjoying the view, I decided to go over to her and contemplate the view too, as I did I stumbled across the chamber. I was blown away and just froze for several seconds what a find! A completely intact chamber fantastic! we both were delighted a truly wonderful find, more than we expected after seeing the sad state the pikestones were left in.
The chamber is roughly orientated east with back of the mound roughly west (I had no compass at the time) so don't quote me on that! A great sense of peace surrounds you inside it has a very womby effect indeed after the wind blowing you on the plateau.
Although I'm happy to share this find please ensure care and respect around these monuments id hate anything to happen to this place, id feel partly responsible for bringing the monument to other peoples attention, but I guess its lasted this long and I know your all good people on here so enjoy!
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A very elusive circle this one. I did chat to one farmer who kindly pointed out Ringstone Hill and told me it was no longer there. He had met someone 4 years previous who was also looking for it, and told me where the chap had said he'd found it (but there was nothing there to see). His directions pointed me to another farm where in the yard was indeed the remains of the circle now reduced to a circular ditch and nothing more. This farmer also confirmed it had been cleared some time ago. Imagine having a stone circle in your front yard and then clearing it? Tragic.
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