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Showing 1-5 of 581 posts. Most recent first | Next 5 
Monuments of north Brittany: a short film |
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Brittany is richly-endowed with Neolithic and bronze age monuments. However, many are overlooked in favour of the famous sites at Carnac, in much that same way that most people in the UK don't know about any monument other than Stonehenge. The monuments of the Brittany's north coast are particularly spectacular and varied. In this film you will see Kernic, Quillimadec and Crech Quille allee couvertes, Men Marz giant menhir and the great cairn at Barnenez, surely the most wonderful of Brittanys ancient treasures? |
Posted by Jane24th January 2010ce |
Ty ar Chorriket: a short film |
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Ty ar Chorriket is a prehistoric burial chamber in Brittany, constructed in the arc boutee style, like a house of cards. There are only five of these still known to exist in France. This one's the best (I think!) |
Posted by Jane 23rd January 2010ce |
Giant menhirs and a couple of lovely dolmens: a short film |
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To the north and west of Brest in Brittany, at the most westerly tip of France, can be found some of the tallest menhirs still standing in Europe. We visited some of the these giant tapering stones in October 2009 and here's a three minute film wot I made. The monuments featured in the film are: Lannoulouarn menhir Kerhouezel menhir St Denec menhirs Mesdoun menhirs Poulyot dolmen (wins prize for the most perfect dolmen ever in the whole world) Kergadiou menhirs Men-Milliget dolmen Kerloas tallest menhir in France (I think!) |
Posted by Jane 17th January 2010ce |
Aberdeenshire Antics |
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Vicky and I visited Aberdeenshire in summer 2008 and had one of the best adventures ever. I drove up from Lancashire, picking Vicky up in Glasgow and then we headed off, picnic in tow, for 3 full days of stone hunting. Our first site was the wonderful Tomnaverie. I know that some find the reconstruction of this site frsutrating but I liked it! I liked the wee path leading you up to the site, twee as it may be; at least it felt like the site was appreciated and better than it being left to fall into a more delapitated state. Tomnaverie — Images29.10.08ce
It was around 6pm as we arrived, after a long day's driving and the sky was blue and gold. The atmosphere of this site really got to; maybe it was the fact it was the first of the journey or maybe I was just reacting to being upright and walking, after being sat in the car for 6 hours, but I loved it. It was all jumbled and confusing, but still magnificent! From Tomnaverie, we carried on towards our first B&B of the trip, in Insch. Our plan was to stay overnight here and then head out to Archaeolink in the morning - the thought of an archaeology-based "theme park" had amused us both and we had no idea what to expect. Dunnideer — Fieldnotes29.10.08ceWe were staying in Insch for the night, so after a long drive up from Lancashire, stopping en-route to pick Vicky up in Glasgow, we finally saw Dunnideer around 7pm. As we drove by this most beautiful of sites, a herd of red deer came running down the hill, following a huge stag. We pulled the car over and just watched, amazed by it all. There was just the railway track between us and them. The stag looked across at us, sniffed majestically into the wind and set off again, followed by the hinds. The most Scottish of moments I have ever witnessed!! The B&B was pretty ropey but the setting was amazing - our room had a wee bench and table outside and we sat and watched the sunset and dusk fall over the hill. It was still light enough to read our maps at 11pm, with a bottle of wine and some bread and cheese to finish it off - just perfect..... Dunnideer — Images29.10.08ce
The following morning we headed off to Archaeolink but decided it was worth stopping off at Stonehead en route. It was a weirdly misty morning but as we aproached Stonehead, the mist cleared and gave way to a beautiful blue sky. As we parked on the road, we stopped and asked the man in the house adjoining the field whether it was OK to leave the car and go into the field and he said it was. So, over the fence we hopped and over to the stones we ran. This is such a HUGE site; it is almost overwhelming, We spent a good few minutes checking out the different possible alignments and Vicky was taking a picture of me against the stones when I noticed a rather frisky herd of cows heading our way; they had been hiding at the bottom of the field and we hadn't seen them as we entered. Now, I love cows. I really, really like them. A lot. But.....Vicky doesn't. She is a bit nervous around them and, as I saw them heading towards us, I quietly said "don't panic...." She turned round, saw that they were heading directly for her and shrieked! She set off running towards the the trees and I was stood there going "oh, don't run, it''ll be fine, they are only curious". I then turned round and saw them all thundering towards me! I ran too. We had to leg it over the barbed wire fence, only my legs are a lot shorter than Vicky's and I got stuck on the fence. I ripped my trousers and most of my right thigh, trying to get over. When we recovered our dignity, we decided that Stonehead was a site better viewed from the roadside! We had wanted to try and get up to Dunnideer circle but, with my leg bleeding and thoughts of lockjaw setting in, we headed back into the town to buy a bottle of TCP! Stonehead — Images29.10.08ce
Once I had regained my composure and we decided that I wan't going to die from rusty barbed wire poisoning, we headed off for Archaeolink. It was brilliant! If you are ever up in this neck of the woods, I would really recommend that you go. They have reconstructions of stone and timber circles, an iron age round house and bog goddess, mesolithic hunting camps and a fabulous wicker woman. Great fun. Having played around for a couple of hours, we really wanteds to get back to the "real" archaeology, so we headed off to the next site of the day - the wondefully named Loanhead of Daviot. Loanhead of Daviot — Fieldnotes17.01.10ceThis site was relatively easy to find, being well-signed from the road. Lots of parking and a pleasant enough wall through a wee wooded area before emerging into bright sunshine and the realisation that it was school-trip day! The whole site was swarming with Aberdeenshire school-children who appeared to be undertaking some kind of mathematical experiment! As this was the one site I had been least excited by the prospect of visiting, it wasn't too much of a downer and I quite liked the fact that they were engaging with their heritage. It did make getting decent pictures a bit of a 'mare though! The situation is fabulous, with amazing views over the verdant countryside but, like others here, the reconstruction of this site made this a hard one to get too giddy about. Leaving Loanhead, our next stop was to be Broomend of Crichie. Broomend of Crichie — Fieldnotes17.01.10ceWhat, on first appearance, seems to be a grim and desolate spot, behind the petrol station and surrounded by industrial units, becomes a revelation upon closer inspection. There was still enough of this site left to make it utterly charming, if in need of a little TLC. We wandered around for much longer than we had anticipated and (as usual) talked a lot of drivel, wondering and the whys and wherefores of it all. Definitely worth the diversion and a site that sticks in my memory. From here, we headed out to what was one of my "must-do" sites - Easter Aquhorties. Coincidentally, I once shared a room in Barcelona (on a hen weekend) with a lovely woman, also called Vicky, whose husband farms the land that this site sits upon. She was slightly bemused by my hysterical reaction to this news...... East Aquhorthies — Fieldnotes17.01.10ceWe arived at the carpark and it was still blazing sunshine and blue skies. The walk up the circle is just lovely, and we mused on the joys of living in such a lush and wonderful place, and did some very amatuer birdspotting! Upon arrival, we were both stopped in our tracks by the colours before us. The stones were just shimmering and the different shades of red were breathtaking. We spent a long time here, we just could not bring ourselves to leave. We lay on the grass in silence, wandered round gabbling away and gazed at Bennachie in the distance, just blown away by it. I had wanted to come here for such a long time but had also been wary of the fact it is such a showsite, with all that implies;I was worried it would be too clinical but - oh my - this place was just magnificent. East Aquhorthies — Images17.01.10ce
To be continued....... Image Wood — Fieldnotes29.10.08ceWhat an absolute beaut! After a lovely walk through the woods, we came across this cracking little circle and were more than pleased we decided to come (we had been flagging at the end of a long day of stone-hunting....) We had struggled to see how we could get here at first, missing the turning twice - we hadn't realised that we needed to park by the cemetary and then walk. We obviously need to go on a map-reading course! We sat in the dappled sunlight and just drank it all in. This is the most perfect spot and is the most perfect, small circle. Image Wood — Images29.10.08ce
Broomend of Crichie — Images25.01.10ce
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Posted by Vicster16th January 2010ce |
Another world.... Walking in the air |
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After last weeks aborted attempt to climb Moel y Gamelin and visit the big barrow up there and the nearby hillfort Moel y Gaer, I decided today would be a good day to try again, but it wasnt, I didnt even try to get onto the horseshoe pass the road may have been passable but the hilltops were lost in fog, so I switched to plan B which was try to get to a trio of big barrows north west of llyn Brenig. Rhiwiau barrow is three metres tall and looked to be the easiest to get to, but no sooner had I turned off the main snowcleared road the small road became undrivable after a few hundred metres. I dumped/parked the car where it would least cause offence donned my all weather clothing and set off up the road. I didnt get far, the sky was clear and visibility was good but a road sign hinted at a walk of at least three miles there and back, nope, back to the car. The trouble with my plan C was there was no plan C, the best I could come up with was go to Anglesey buy a map and try to get to a few of the easier to visit sites. As I was drving past Conwy I noticed the sky had a bit of colour to it over the mountains a road sign said Penmaenmawr and suddenly a plan was born, the druids circle was my new destination. Mostly the roads were ok lower down but as I drove higher the roads got worse and I left the car at a convenient parking place near a footpath It probably took about forty minutes from car to circle 275, with every yard gained the snow got deeper and the path got slippier. Above me to my right was Graig llwyd axe factory/quarry and even without a map I knew that circle 275 was near the power lines that cross the hills nearby, unfortunatly I strayed from the path and knee deep snow sapped my stregnth, at this time the fog came, I could tell which way the path went and which way was north so I stuggled on. Out of the whiteness came some dark shapes and I made my way over, mostly beacause it was the only feature I could see, I sank with both feet in a really deep snowdrift just as the wind whipped a snow cloud into my face and I shouted into the wind, Its usually about now that a feather light monk rescues you and takes you to a hidden monastary where you develop some super powers, but I got cold waiting and pulled my self out staggered over to the dark shapes which then pleasingly turned into a stone circle, huffing and puffing more than a bit I smiled at the prospect of knowing once more where I was, Aubrey Burl says of this lovely little five stone cirlce that it is considered an outlier of the southwest Irish five stoners with one of the stones (the recumbent) much flatter than the others, they were probably up here getting copper and stone axes? From here it wasnt far to the druids circle, and it never dissapoints, my grandfather whom I never met brought my teenage mother up here in 1953, so the stones hold a special quality for me. Standing out of the wind behind the tallest stone, the deity stone or the alter stone, dont know which, it appeared to me that me and the stones were the only things that existed, we were in the middle of a complete whiteout the only thing I could see was the stones, there was no mountains no path no anything, here I would stay forever, lost. Then it cleared enough for me to come back into the world and I could see from the hillock that overlooks the druids circle the weird muddle of stones known only as monument 280. (worse name ever) I waded over to them and took a couple of pics of the confusing mess. The ring cairn that is called circle 278 wasnt obvious to see so I went in the other direction towards Cors y Carneddau stone circle, I found the kink in the wall where this ruined stone ring lurks only three stones seem to be left. Over the wall is a ring cairn and a kerb cairn both in good condition from the ring cairn I spotted the barrow and had to get back over the wall and through two three foot high snowdrifts, twice. The barrow is about two metres tall and has a scoop out of its top, on a clear day good views across the valley to Drosgl and llwytmor can be seen. Not bad for stone hunting in the fog and snow without a map, by now my fingers and toes were going a tad numb so I started back down, as I skidded and slid down the hillside it occured to me that as the snow was so deep my feet hadnt touched the ground for quite a while so I was actually walking in the air and looking a bit snowmanish too...... Shut up Aled !!! |
Posted by postman11th January 2010ce |
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