West Rudham South TF810253
A second long barrow can be found nearby, just behind the woods alongside the road.
It is well overgrown with bracken and has a young oak tree growing on it's southern end. Traces of ditches alongside the length of the barrow can still be found.
|
|
Not much at all to see on the ground, and access is poor as it's used as a horse riding field now... but ariel photography has shown a henge and D shaped enclosure once stood in theses fields, just a spit away from Arminghall Henge at the southern tip of Norwich.
|
The high path running along the ridge from Round Hill to Ellacar Pike is an ancient trade route above Middleton and Denton Moors. This is supported by a number of boundary stones bearing 18th C 'D' and 'M' inscriptions when it was still regarded as a significant landmark. One fallen boundary stone is a reused cup marked rock and there are still a number of old milestones around these paths. Both Middleton and Denton Moors contain a number of cup and ring marked stones.
A number of paths meet at High Badger Gate, which is possibly the site of an old market.
|
|
Take the footpath down to Malham Cove and look up on the hillsides around you, they still bear the prominent cultivation terraces and settlements of Bronze Age farmers, later reused by the Saxons.
|
Previously a Victorian Showcave in which evidence of early human habitation was found. A wonderful place to spend an afternoon exploring with a torch. The highlight being the underground waterfall chamber at the back of the cave.
You'll find it just over the river from the Apronfull of Stones cairn.
|
An easy route is to approach from the east over Ilkley Crags and past the Pepperpot Rock, this brings you to the back of Willy Hall's Wood.
This is one of my favourite spots to while away time on these moors. The atmosphere is buzzing and it's not hard to see why this would have been a sacred spot in prehistoric times... in fact, it still is now. Willy Hall's Wood is a mound surrounded by two streams which drain off of Green Gates and join again at the bottom of the mound at Willy Hall's Spout. The stream then flows down into Ilkley under Brooke Street and joins the Wharfe at the bridge near the Roman Fort of Olicana.
Near the crossing of the eastern stream is an upright boulder with a number of large bowls or cups on it's eastern face. I'm uncertain whether they were fashioned or are natural (I have seen many similar features on a number of rocks around Ilkley Moor), but I am certain that it's not there by accident and feels very much like an 'entrance' to the site. A few yards north of the main rock is a cluster of small boulders, one of which has a small cup on it's top.
Unfortunately, Willy Hall's Wood Stone still bears the marks of someone's utter stupidity. As previously shown here, someone has followed the design in red paint and added runic nonsense to the north facing side of the stone. The paint seems to be an acrylic and has dried to a rock hard, matt finish which will take decades to weather away naturally. A curse on the backward thinking motherf*cker.
Still, even this vandalism can't detract from the beauty and sacred intent of this spot.
|
|
Much of what is here is poorly accessible due to the thick forestry plantation, but as the woodland is up for sale, the trees may be harvested soon. A few rocks exist in the heather nearby and a large boulder (now a boundary stone) set into the wall bears dozens of cup marks on its upper surface.
|
|
The area a few hundred yards to the east of the Badger Stone has a scattering of cup and ring marked rocks, including the curious 'Pitchfork Rock'. Search amongst the waterlogged ground and spring heads for a few beauties!
|
Either approach from the usually boggy path from the Wetstone Gate transmission masts to the east, or along the forestry wall up from Rivock Edge.
A large scatter of boulders, one of which is used as a boundary stone still. A number of rocks bear large cups similar to those on the 'entrance stone' at Willy Hall's Wood and one large, upended triangular boulder is beautifully weathered.
|
|
The walls here look so good 'cos they were excavated and rebuilt in the late 1980's. Excavations revealed signs of settlement on this spot stretching back 9000 years. Possible started as a mesolithic hunting camp.
|
|
Took the path up through the wonderful Troller's Ghyll to Skyreholme and found three carved rocks (there's many more but didn't have time to look) and possible rubble walling nearby.
|
On a visit to this site that was well known to me during my childhood, I found the site changed slightly. The old stone gutter is gone and the water now flows into a round concrete basin and disappears underground. A low wall has also been built at the back of the spring.
A search of the nearby rocks revealed no further clues such as carvings.
|
|
An amazing array of weathered outcrops and rock idols absolutely crawling with people. Go on a pissy, cold day in winter to avoid the hoards.
|
|
Situated above Shipley Glen and overlooked by rock art on Baildon Moor to the north and east, this sad little circle lies near the road which destroyed a section of its northern end. It's hard to distinguish amongst the rock scatter and fallen stones, but a couple of (largely reconstructed) double arc settings give it away.
|
Camping at Dobrudden was a great experience. Within half an hour of rolling out of bed each morning, I was out walking the dogs and searching for rock art. Most of the photos I've uploaded are from the ridge on which the campsite/caravan park sits, but from what I see here, I've missed quite a few. More carved rocks and a possible stone circle are on the next ridge down near the curve in the Brackenhall Road.
I also found a faint, vaguely circular enclosure to the east of the caravan park.
Also worth noting is the livestock on the campsite. Turkeys, geese, chickens and peacocks! Watch out when you're reversing!
|
|
A fantastic high outcrop of millstone grit at the northern side of Wharfedale. Connected by folklore to the Cow and Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor, this place is worth a visit if only for the great views and weirdly weathered bowls. Standing stones reputedly once stood nearby, so it seems very likely that the sacred nature of the crag was recognised by our ancestors.
|
Visited here last Wednesday (April 14th) to investigate reports that the circle had been destroyed and yup, it's gone! A sad clearance pile of rocks heaved out and dumped near the style still bear JCB marks and the field in which the remains of the circle stood has been stripped down to the soil and is now grassed over. A very slight depression in the soil remains overlooking Bradup Beck.
This was a protected monument on the Scheduled Monuments Register and I'm sure the landowner can be prosecuted if the destruction was carried out without permission.
Local folklore also tells that a number of stones were taken from the circle many years ago to build the nearby Bradup Bridge.
|
A bit of a bugger to find, as it's not visible from the road. Take the road south out of Warham, over a narrow bridge and a few hundred yards later you come to a passing place with two gates. The right hand gate is the track down to the camp.
The camp is a circular Iceni earthwork with double banks. Unfortunately, the western end which contained the original entrance was destroyed when the river course was re-routed. The other entrances are all supposedly modern. The central area of the camp has never been excavated.
Still, it's a fine, impressive place with high banks and a deep ditches.
|
A finely preserved Iceni ditch and banked enclosure on the salt marshes near Holkham. Access is poor as the area is a nature reserve, but a good view can be had from the high observation hide overlooking the marshes on the edge of the woods. The camp was also reputedly used by the Danes.
While visiting, also take the time to visit the wonderful expansive beach on the other side of the woods.
|
|
Dun Toiseach is on a small hill near a bend in the road at Torran, overlooking the bottom end of Lock Awe. Below, on the bands of the loch seems to be an area that was once settled. Possibly the land connected to the hillfort. However, before we could investigate properly, we were chased off by some quite angry looking, territorial cows! I made pretty short work of the drystone wall near the road!
|
|
Name: Andy Hemingway
D.O.B: 17.04.66
Occupation: Graphic Artist
Website: http://www.ahgphotography.co.uk
I was born and raised in Huddersfield. I moved to Norwich in 1988 to go to Art School and haven't got it together to leave yet!! My interests are visiting and reading about ancient places, tribal art and society and trying my damnedest to keep as far from the Rat Race as possible! Ambient Rambling is where it's at!
Love music - psychedelic 70's rock, punk, roots n' dub and world/trancy sort of stuff in general!
Also do voluntary work for festivals and have been involved in the Norwich Free Festival in it's various guises for a number of years.
My special area of interest is Ilkley Moor. I don't get the opportunity to go back often these days, but I spent much time on the moors in the 1980's... often for days on end. The Twelve Apostles is an old friend of mine! Although I know the moors fairly well, each journey I make back there is still full of discovery. I always seem to find something I haven't seen before.
NB - Since I wrote this I have in fact gotten away from Norwich and now live in Barnsley.
|
Log in |
Register
Previous 20 | Showing 21-40 of 61 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20 
Top of page