Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 6.3.14

This is one of those sites that I have wanted to re-visit for a number of years. The last time I came here it was one of the first sites that myself and Karen visited together. She was new to driving down the narrow country lanes that we all know and love and it was terrible day weather wise. The rain was pouring and the road resembled a river as the water poured down the hill. In fact, part of the road was completely flooded. To be fair to Karen she stuck at it (and has done ever since!) and here we are, years later, for another visit.

This time the weather was much more kind. Warm, no wind although hill mist had descended on the peaks opposite. Unsurprisingly there was no-one else at the burial chamber and it was pretty much as I remembered it. One thing I had forgotten was how large the capstone is – it’s massive – despite being broken in two. I peered underneath it and noticed that someone had put a blue ribbon around one of the supporting stones.

The last time I visited, due to the weather, I wasn’t able to appreciate the tomb’s location. This time I was able to stand and admire the view out across the valley. It really is splendid. It is no surprise they built their burial chamber here – wonderful.

This is a site that I am sure I will return to again one day. Hopefully next time I will have more time to sit and contemplate. Unfortunately on this occasion the children were due to finish school so it was time to head home…………

If you every get the chance to visit this E.H. site please do.
You won’t be disappointed.

Visited 6.3.14

Directions:
The tiny Llanveynoe isn’t even on my AA map so it is a lot easier to find if you have an O/S map! The best advice I can give is to follow the signs for Longtown (home of a pretty ruined castle – E.H. site) then take the minor road north. Llanveynoe is about 2 miles along this road; the church is easily seen on the left of the road.

For Christmas I was given the book ‘The Early Medieval Church in Wales’ by David Petts. Not the sort of book I would have bought myself but as it was a present I eventually got around to looking through it. One picture that jumped out at me was of the ‘Crucifix Stone’, embedded into the inside wall of the church.

David Petts states that the inscribed figure of Christ is on the flat surface of a stone which also has prehistoric cup and ring marks on it. Other sources state that the cup and ring marks are in fact natural and not man made. I wanted to see for myself.

The church is very pretty and sits on the side of a valley. The views along the valley are wonderful and that alone made the trek here worthwhile. I was very pleased to find that the church was unlocked and I let myself in. The inscribed stone has been built into the wall on the right and is easy to spot, as were the possible cup and ring marks – there are about a dozen of them.

I am no rock art expert and certainly no cup and ring expert but I have seen my fair share over the years. To my untrained eye they appeared natural although they do certainly look like small cup and ring marks. However, if they are natural I wonder why this stone was used to carve the figure on? Why not use and ‘unblemished’ stone? Was this stone specifically used because of the ‘cup and ring’ marks?

I picked up a leaflet in the church which gives a brief history of the church. I found this bit particularly interesting:
‘The church is believed to have been founded by St Beuno (c600AD). The remains of the ‘llan’ below the west wall of the churchyard may have been where the original church stood. Two ancient stones, including the ‘Crucifix Stone,’ were found on the slope west of the church in 1860 and 1888’.

Although not religious, I love old churches in picturesque settings. If they have any prehistoric connections all the better. It was therefore no hardship for me to visit Llanveynoe (although Karen may disagree as she was driving!) I would certainly recommend a visit if you happen to be this way. Have a look at the stone, draw your own conclusions – man made or natural?

Visited 6.3.14

The ‘road’ leading to Glibes Farm is very rough and the car’s suspension had a good workout. The tall standing stone was easy enough to spot in a field on the left.

The sign asking you to keep the gate closed due to livestock (fair enough) is still there and there is now a second sign requesting that trekkers stay to the track (also fair enough). I slid the gate bolt open, squelched through the mud and was soon at the stone.

This is a fine stone with pretty coloured lichen on its surface. There are decent views to be had. Well worth a visit when in the area.

Visited 6.3.14

Directions:
If driving north-west along the B4348 out of Dorstone, the stone is next to a metal field gate on the left. It is just about possible to squeeze in next to the field gate but be careful as this road is very busy and the locals don’t hang about!

At this time of year the stone was easy to access although it was covered by a thick coating of moss. (a lot of growth since Baza’s photo)

Although I couldn’t see any obvious cup mark I felt through the moss and am pretty sure I felt it near to the ground on the side of the stone facing the road.

Due to the proximity of the fast passing cars I didn’t hang around long.

Visited 5th March 2014

Since we’ve been in Cornwall on this trip we’ve been stuck under a grey murk of low cloud, but this morning looked as if it might hold something different, with scattered cloud, and yes unbelievably some blue skies to be seen. Since we’re based in St. Just it seemed a good time to search out the nearby circle at Tregeseal.

We left the car in the town square at St. Just and decided to walk, taking the footpath at the side of the church which led to the village of Tregaseal, and then with the help of an O.S. map and the unmissable natural landmark of Carn Kenidjack guiding the way, we followed the lanes up toward Hailglower Farm, having to negotiate some very muddy lanes as we neared the gorsey moorland where the circle was situated.

It’s a walk of two miles, but pleasant in the warm sunshine. Although you could drive up the lanes to get much closer to the circle, I much prefer having a bit of a walk in to a site. It makes it feel a bit more of an adventure, or like a pilgrimage, and allows you to get much more of a sense of the landscape around you, and the monument’s situation within it. In this case the dominant feature of the granite tor of Carn Kenidjack, providing the focal point.

The circle must be West Penwith’s best kept secret, a fine ring of 19 stones, and I’m pleased to see they look in a pretty robust state with none of the erosion visible which was present on some of the earlier pictures posted, and also no barbed wire or nary a cow to be seen, something which greatly puts at ease Ellen’s bovinophobia.

It’s lovely and peaceful here high above the town, the sea just visible in the distance. The circle exudes an aura of peace and tranquillity and I sit within its precincts to write my fieldnotes. It’s not long though before grey clouds start to mass behind us, and within minutes they sweep over the moorland, the temperature dropping dramatically, and making it too cold to just sit around, so we press on to look for some of the other sites on the moorland, on our way up to Carn Kenidjack.

From the higher aspect of the rocky outcrop of the tor the circle can be seen on the edge of the moor, and the stones seem to have a sense of movement to them, the varying lean on the stones around the circle bring to mind the myth of a circle of swaying maidens dancing in a ring.
The wealth of sites which once were, or still are spread across this moorland only emphasize how sacred the area once was to the people who lived here, and the Dancing Stones are the jewel in the crown. It’s a shame the western circle no longer remains, but the monument doesn’t seem diminished by its loss, the stones merely dancing on proudly in their fine landscape above the mundane world, enticing you to join them for a turn.

Visited 23rd November 2013

It’s been too long since I was last here, probably a good twelve years, and a visit on a crisp, clear winter’s afternoon is a perfect antidote to the stresses of a morning spent Christmas shopping.

Pulling in to the tiny, muddy parking spot just off the road on the edge of the field, I catch a glimpse of the mound, and something seems different, but it takes me a few minutes to work out what. The barrow is no longer fenced in, and stands proud in its field, looking all the better for it. As we approach I’d forgotten how big it was, and also the way the mound seems to slowly sag, like a deflating soufflé, and I wonder if perhaps Rhiannon is onto something with her speculative musings on the site having been named after a type of suet pudding. Whatever the case it’s a great shape, and the very definition of a ‘tump’ in my book.

I’m pleased to see the pathetic scrawling’s on the lintel are starting to fade, and duck low to ease myself into the passageway, again forgetting just how low the entranceway is. It’s good to be back inside Hetty’s welcoming embrace, as my eyes adjust to the gloom I notice how clean and tidy it is inside, not a cobweb or any detritus to be found, almost as if the place has had a spruce up. Only a small bunch of vegetation, taken from the nearby field, unceremoniously (or possibly ceremoniously, but if so it’s a strange offering!) dumped just inside the entranceway, impinges on the tidiness of the chambers, it won’t be there long though as I’ll be removing it on my way out.

From inside only the occasional drip of water breaks the quiet, along with the muffled cawing of crows from the field outside, again my memory of the place seems at odds with the reality, the passageway inside being much shorter than I remember, but I’m probably just getting the place mixed up with Stoney Littleton. I lean back in one of the side chambers and just relax, breathing in the calm atmosphere of the subterranean room, and even manage to just about see enough in the dim light to write my fieldnotes, whilst Ellen walks around the outside of the tump, the crouched entrance lintel proving a little too low for her.

Eventually it’s time to emerge, although I could have stayed there all day, so peaceful and welcoming does the place feel. Outside Ellen is confused by the enigmatic circle of low concrete posts which surround the tump, which must have been too small to be fence posts. At first I’m also baffled, but then remember other sites where such posts have been used to show the original circumference of the mound so guess that this may be the same principal here.

As we walk back to the car I keep casting glances back toward the mound, and promising myself it won’t be so long next time before I visit Hetty again.

The cairn is easy to spot, but no stones protrude at all, it is entirely grassed over. Carl has unfortunately mistaken a small jumble of stones immediately over the fence for the cairn, the cairn is further off in to the field, seeing as his coflein description states the cairn to be about a meter high with a tail of spoil to the NE, I cant see why he was mistaken. He should probably take a Sweetcheat with him, he’s very handy to have around, and then some.
Views are seriously curtailed by trees except to the east off down into the Usk valley, and the north up hill eventually to Y Pygwn.
A nice little cairn, if a little battered. What with all the other juicy sites around here I’d probably only come here if you’ve got time, or you’ve a certain level of obsession.

Just got time for one more site before we leave the area for pastures new, it’s relatively straight forward to find, Carl’s directions are spot on.
Coflein gives it’s dimensions as 1.4m by 0.6m by 0.9m, but does not say which one of these numbers goes with it’s height. As the stone is longer than it is high my guess would be 1.4m long, 0.6m wide and 0.9m high. They wont even commit to a date or even if it is a standing stone, but rather an earthfast boulder. But with all the other antiquities around here it almost certainly is a standing stone. All be it a rather tidgy one. On the other side of the fence is a small collection of large stones, which I think Carl mistook for the nearby cairn, but that is further off into the field. So what are these stones ? Coflein says nothing about them, they seem to be the same kind of stone as the mini menhir, perhaps it was all one stone but got broken up and dragged away but that was as far they got. Probably not though.
The stone enjoys good views across the Usk reservoir to the mountains of the Brecon Beacons.

There is a barrow marked in this field both on the site monuments record and on the OS map. It is, however, on the other side of the field to this mound and I’ve never been able to locate it. That doesn’t mean to say that what I’ve posted here is THE barrow – a lot of the barrows in this vicinity have been ploughed away and are still marked on the records. This little mound though has intrigued me and I made the decision to post it on the grounds that: 1. it exists, 2. it’s right beside the gate and restricts access to the field but has never been removed by the landowners and 3. it looks like a small cairn and has some signs of containing structural stones of some sort. All that doesn’t preclude the possibility that it’s field-clearance but, for the record, it’s oval, 4 metres on its longer axis, aligned roughly north-east/south-west and about 1 metre high.

A large univallate ringfort in this townland, 300 yards from Hazelhatch bridge. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these put to modern use: the owner has, in the past, used it for the rearing of pheasants. It’s now completely overgrown and difficult to access – the large interior (roughly 35 metres diameter) is only slightly raised above ground level. The main defences were the deep ditch, now water-filled after the torrents we’ve been experiencing, said to be 3 metres deep in places and very steep-sided. The causewayed entrance is on the south side – the north side has been cut through by a modern field boundary. Impressive all the same.

Carl’s directions are spot on, almost, I would just add park by the trees and hop over the fence. This cairn is bigger and less despoiled than its near neighbor to the west, Pant Madog, and there’s no trig point to get in the way. According to Coflein it is a meter higher than Carl’s approximation, which accords well with what we saw. But neither of them mention the wondrous views north and east over Trecastle and Sennybridge. Trees once more obscure views to the distant Brecon Beacon mountains.
A good cairn apparently undisturbed, if there were no stone circles round here this would be my sitting and pondering place
The Cairn is not visible from the road.

Parking is still easy, if a trifle muddy, and apparently it still has the same dimensions, and a trig point too.
But settling for a view from the road is never going to be enough for me, so I deftly skip over the barbed wire fence, Alken wasn’t so deft, but here we are circling this neat little cairn. From here another cairn should be visible down the lane but trees obscure the view of it and the mountains.
Farming techniques have gone right up to the edge of the cairn which is grass covered leaving a square shape to it.
Good cairn, good place, crap OS.

Carl ! you’ve spelled Pygwn wrong twice, two different ways.

Cairn 2 is very similar in size to cairn 1, only without the stones for a cist, though it still has the obligatory scoop taken out of it’s top. Tremendous mountain views from here, and you can see the forest that has engulfed the Pant Meddygon stones.
If the cairn were a few feet higher you might just be able to see the near by stone circles from it’s top.
Not much else can be said about this grassy mound other than it is part of a bigger complex including another cairn, two stone circles, a fallen menhir,and assorted mystery stones. If you come here make sure you see it all.

Coflein says this about cairn 1..............A cairn 9.0m in diameter and o.9m high. A hollow in the center reveals what may be part of a cist. Two cairns were opened in this vicinity c.1824, one produced two cinerary urns, the other a boconical pygmy cup.........
However they don’t mention how much of a bugger it is to find nor does it mention the long but glorious views of the Brecon Beacons, today they are snow capped and low clouds swirl endlessly about.
It should have been easy enough to find, but we’re both getting old and I at least am easily confused, it didn’t help with all the recent tile stone quarries here either.
But having found it, it is quite a good cairn, mostly grassed over,a small bush grows out of it’s side and the cist remnants are still clear and obvious.
Cairn 2 is very visible from here and above at the Roman camps, so we go there.

It’s been quite some time since my first time here, and I think it would have been another quite some time if not for Evergreen dazed insisting he had to go right away. Unfortunately his misses was ill (or he didn’t like the weather reports) so it was just thesweetcheat and I.
It rained nearly all the way here, and with my sciatic leg urging me to crash the car and die, it wasn’t perfect, otherwise another nice drive down the A49. It had stopped raining by the time we got there, and started to snow instead. Weather proofing donned we set off down the track, which is wholly unpassable to all except for tractors and tanks. With snow coming down sideways we struck off the track and headed for the stones, they are below the hill with the Roman forts and as such unmissable. Eventually, it’s always further than you think, we arrive at the stooones, miffed with the crappy weather, but pleased to find such a wonderful site.
We wander fairly haphazardly, photographing this and that, The bigger of the two circles is pretty much intact, it’s two most striking stones are a flat topped loaf like stone and the other a chair shaped stone, could these two prominent stones frame an entrance ?
The smaller ring only has four stones to it, all leaning, where Carl saw his fallen stone I don’t know, perhaps Alken saw it.
Where stones are missing there are holes filled with water.
This is a great site, but it’s not till now that I realised just how complex it is.
We decide to go off looking for the two nearby cairns, the one nearer to the Roman forts proved harder to find, namely due to looking in the wrong place. But from that cairn we could easily see the other cairn, the one which Carl stumbled across.
Both cairns have good distant views of the Brecon Beacons, which today have snow upon their higher reaches. From this cairn there is a big boulder nearby,we mosey on over (it’s stopped snowing now).It is a big stone next to some excavated pool like area, it would serve as a good point to leave the track and head over to the stone circles via the more obvious of the two Y Pygwn cairns.
From the cairn that is No 2 we head for the fallen monolith, half way there we come across two stones,one could be the outlier that Carl found, but five yards from it is a lower stone, prehistoric goal posts or an obvious boundary between the living and the dead,(sniggers).
The big fallen stone would have marked the winter solstice sunrise from the center of the bigger circle, and it would have been the biggest stone here. But now it lies broken amid that thick horrible grass that likes to hide stones. From the fallen stone to the ring half way is another prostrate stone with a weird worn groove upon it, a line drawn through both fallen stones would also touch the western arc of the big circle.
From the smaller circle we spotted a possible stone row, possible or not it leads to cairn 2.
So.... to completely “get” this place more than one trip is advised and have a really good walk around, I cant say that all we saw was part of the plan, but I think we saw all there was to see, making it a very complex complex.

It’s all yours Simon.

Visited: February 26, 2014

It is perhaps stretching a point to describe this site as a promontory fort. Castle Rock Of Muchalls is a promontory lying about 1½ kilometres south of the village of Muchalls, on the coastline between Aberdeen and Stonehaven. It’s a pleasant clifftop walk of under an hour from Muchalls, notable for its spectacular coastal scenery of stacks, arches and skerries.

Carnmore lists this site as a possible encampment, which suggests that it was a temporary fortification. However, details are very sparce, and there are now no visible remains that can be related to an encampment.

The promontory is reputed to have been “protected on its landward side by a deep ditch, now partially filled in” (Name Book 1865).

Directions:
From Pendaryn take the minor road east sign posted Cwm Cadlam You will shortly come to a house on the left with a fence surrounding the field at its front. The Cairn is easily spotted the other side of the fence.

I didn’t see any advantage of going to the house to ask permission to visit the Cairn as it is easily seen from the road. The Cairn is a large mound of grey stones (very similar to the other Barrows/Cairns along this road further east).

The one difference on this site is that there is a large stone is standing on top of the Cairn. I wonder if this is the capstone referred to in the COFLEIN report?

Well worth a view when visiting the other sites along the quiet road.

COFLEIN states:
‘In a uniformly south-sloping field lies a large turfed-over cairn extensively damaged by excavation. It measures about 15m in diameter and 1.5m high and is composed mainly of sandstone medium-sized rubble and small boulders. The cairn is surrounded by a roughly 17.5m diameter kerb of mostly quartz conglomerate boulders measuring up to 1.2m long and 0.7m high.
The cairn was excavated in 1959-60 and found to have affinities with a nearby cairn (nprn 84641) which was also excavated.
A D-shaped enclosure, set within a massive kerb, contained a rectangular pit covered by a capstone but without significant deposit. Beaker sherds, secondary cremations with sherds of Overhanging Rim urns, food vessel sherds and flint implements were also recovered’

If I recall correctly it was Rabelais who reckoned that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’. Not so myself, not with hot coffee a’waiting in the flask. My beef has instead often been with the metre (except when in the gifted hands of a Richey Edwards or his ilk). Yeah, too unwieldy a unit of length in the singular, sadly lacking when bundled together in the kilometre. And you would never catch Charlie and Craig walking 804.67 of the latter to fall down at anyone’s door, I can tell you. Hence – should you ever find yourself in Leith – it’s probably for the best that you refrain from mentioning that there are (arguably) some benefits of using the metric. Consider Y Gamriw, for example: an obscure, sub-2,000ft Mid Walian hill, probably not worth the effort.... or mountain rising to an impressive 604m? It’s all about perception, is it not? Well, isn’t everything? And I’d suggest the latter epithet is much more likely to secure a reference in a local guide book, perhaps planting the precious seed of curiosity.

A guide book such as Terry Marsh’s ‘The Mountains of Wales’, the first 600m plus ‘metric’ guide book I’d encountered, the first to assign the magical noun ‘mountain’. Naturally it would’ve been rude not to go and have a look after that, the massive, shattered summit cairn looming above the mist wreathed summit that day (back in 1999) sufficient cause for the silent voice of introspection to state the self-evident truth... that I had to return some day, if only to see what lay beyond that too intimidating wall of vapour. Needless to say self-evident truths have a habit of hibernating within the deepest recesses of the subconscious, pending a ‘wake up call’. The fruits of Toby Driver’s all-seeing aerial camera displayed upon the Coflein database were the agents in this case.

Located some four miles to the approx south-west of the bustling town of Rhayader, Y Gamriw is – luckily for the average stonehead – significantly more ‘visitor friendly’ than its 600m peers Gorllwyn and Drygarn Fawr rising to the west. Indeed I would go as far as to say you would need to be absolutely bonkers to attempt an ascent of either of those desolate, enigmatic summits if low cloud is at all a possibility. Consequently I’d recommend Y Gamriw as a fine introduction to the perhaps surprisingly uncompromising terrain of the Elan uplands. Try before you buy, so to speak. And visit half a dozen large upland cairns as you do so. What’s not to like for a Citizen Cairn’d?

The key to a relatively straightforward ascent is the minor road heading approx south from the River Wye-side village of Llanwrthwl [although longer variations could include traversing the north-eastern ridge, Graig Ddu.... or even climbing via Crugian Bach’s stone circle]. It is currently possible to park a car – with care, mind – at the terminus, the tarmac morphing into a grassy track and continuing westwards. Head along said track (with Y Gamriw visible rising beyond to the right and Drum Ddu, crowned by Carn-y-Geifr... ‘cairn of the goat’ ... to the left), resisting the urge to strike off for the ridge until an obvious, diagonally slanting path can be seen ascending the mountain’s flank. Having tried both I’d suggest this is an easier alternative to a full frontal assault upon the summit. Anyway, once the ridge crest is attained, heading to the left will ensure the OS trig pillar (incidentally not the highest point of Y Gamriw) will soon be yours, duly noting the excellent cairn grouping of Carnau Cefn-y-Fford lying below, a little further up the track. Needless to say well worth a visit. Now.... assuming you can tear yourself away, the massive summit cairn can be seen rising above and beyond a nasty section of the ubiquitous local bog some distance to the approx west.

Despite the depredation of having had a substantial ‘sheep shelter’ erected within – albeit one constructed from the ancient fabric... and possessing an ethereal vibe I’m at a loss to explain – the summit cairn remains an impressive monument. The views are far reaching, particularly looking west toward what I would cite as some of the most challenging landscape in all Wales. A proper wilderness where a sheep track may well become something to savour, an all too brief respite for tired, aching – not to mention wet – ankles. Looking to the north-east the traveller sees Graig Ddu (as you might expect) slowly descending toward Llanwrthwl, the village obscured by the mountain’s bulk. According to the map three additional large cairns mark its linear progress, two of which I manage to visit this time around. But wait, there’s more. As I turn my gaze to the north the presence of yet two more substantial stone piles located a short distance away lend further credence to my earlier deliberations concerning ‘relative perception’. Then there’s the site of a stone circle – nay, apparent ‘prehistoric complex’ – upon the moorland bordering Crugian Bach to the north-west. Simply put, there was clearly an awful lot going on millennia ago where few now see fit to tread. Yeah, the scope of such a collection of substantial monuments upon / overlooked by such an apparently obscure Mid Walian hill is intriguing. Is it possible that Y Gamriw was actually the focal point of Bronze Age Elenydd? It seems a good bet to me.

The weather becomes progressively more volatile, more violent as I (inevitably) feel the need to take a close look at the two northern cairns.... and – naturally – the Graig Ddu trio in due course. As it happens the eastern-most (and lowest) of the latter three eventually eludes me, the reserves of energy exhausted, the ‘tank’ dry. Unlike the landscape, which is duly subjected to a series of violent lashings interspersed with wondrous golden illuminations, these exquiste light shows culminating in the appearance of some of the finest arching rainbows I’ve seen for a long, long time. How can something so nebulous appear so paradoxically substantial? Yeah, we could debate that one for years. So, I call a halt at the second cairn (SN95666204) and instead of returning to the summit decide, perhaps unwisely, to head straight for the roadhead and car waiting immediately below to the south. The descent is steep, rough, but causes no lasting trauma. No harm done. And to think that I may well have never ventured up here.... if it wasn’t for the metre.

[Fieldnotes from Sept 2012.... but for some reason – too much work for too little pay, probably – not submitted at the time]

Visited 16.2.14

The remains of this Barrow (it looks like a Cairn) is a short distance south of Cefn Sychbant Ring Cairn.

It is only a short walk from the road – easily spotted.

The Barrow is quite large, approximately 20m across x 1.5m high. In essence a mound of grey stones.

Worth the short walk from the road if you ever find yourself in this pretty part of the Brecon Beacons.

Visited 16.2.14

Directions:
From Pendaryn take the minor road east sign posted Cwm Cadlam. Keep going until you come to the end of the open moorland and you see trees on both sides of the road (a stone wall surrounds the trees). You will see a road warning sign – cattle grid – park on the verge near the sign. Follow the trees on your left up hill. When the trees turn to the right, head for the high ground on your left. Once at the highest point have a rummage around and you should fairly easily spot the cairn.

Karen stayed in the car with the children who were both (thankfully) asleep. It took about 10 minutes to get to / find the cairn. There is a lot of stone sticking out of the grass here and there would have been no shortage of material for the Cairn builders.

I sat on top of the Cairn for a while and admired the views north towards the higher peaks of the Brecon Beacons – the tops of which were powdered with snow. The sun was shining (for a change) and there was only the slightest of wind. You don’t very often get this type of weather up here but when you do the Beacons are a fantastic place to visit.

The site has a remote and bleak feel about it (in a nice sort of way!) but the feeling of solitude you get when visiting such places is something to savour. The madness of the ‘normal’ world seems a very long way away. Speaking of which, it was time to head back down the hill and the car and the world beyond.

This is a site I would recommend for the enthusiast only as you pass two very similar Cairns (which can be seen closer to the road) on the way here. The one advantage this Cairn does have however is that here you cannot see the road and therefore it has a more ‘remote’ feel.

COFLEIN states:
‘Located in a sadle surrounded by low hills is a round cairn measuring 9.8m in diameter and 0.8m high.
The cairn was excavated in the 1950s when the the mound was found to contain a boat-shaped enclosure within which was a disturbed primary burial associated with Overhanging Rim urn fragments’.

Visited 16.2.14

This is the more northern of the two nearby cairns and is much more ruined.

A few large stones are in and around the centre of the Cairn.

Again, it is easily spotted from the road and worth the short walk.

COFLEIN states:
‘A badly robbed cairn survives in the form of a grass-grown stony ring bank 0.3m high, 1.2m wide and with an external diameter of about 10.5 to 11.5m. There is slight evidence for an inner kerb of larger stones.

In the 1950s ‘a wrecked central cist’ revealed a sandstone disk 4cm in diameter and 1cm thick, now in the National Museum (1).‘

Visited 16.2.14

Good news – the ‘smiley face’ and sprayed graffiti on the other side of the stone has now been removed.

The only graffiti I could now see were the chiselled names/dates of over 150 years ago – which doesn’t seem so bad.

This great old stone is now back looking at its best.

Hats off to CADW for their efforts.

Visited 14.2.14

After spending an enjoyable (if wet) afternoon in Great Malvern (Valentine treat!) it was time to head home but not before (of course) taking the opportunity of visiting a prehistoric site.

On this occasion it was time to visit the famous British Camp – last stand (possibly) of the even more famous Caradoc / Caractacus.

There is a handy car park (Pay and Display with information boards) on the A4104 and concrete paths running right up to the top of the Hillfort. The steeper sections are stepped.
The site is sign posted.

I made my way up alone as Karen has decided it was much more sensible to stay in the car. Luckily the rain had stopped although it was still quite windy. Despite the less than ideal weather you could still see for miles. On a good day the views must be fantastic. Flooded fields were easily seen in the distance. On a day like today it was not surprising to find that we were the only car parked in the car park and I was the only one visiting the Hillfort.

I knew I wouldn’t have time to walk around the full circumference of the site so decided I would make my way to the highest point and view the surroundings from there.

The Hillfort’s defences are certainly impressive – some of the best I have seen. The information stone on the way up states that this is one of the best preserved Hillforts in the country – I wouldn’t disagree. The outer ramparts are several metres high and the inner ramparts even higher and pronounced, although this may have been due to the later medieval ‘modifications’?

So far so good. It then all started to go horribly wrong!

As I got about three quarters of the way up I was engulfed in mist/cloud and the visibility dropped to about 20 metres. Not only that but the wind increased to near gale force and to add insult to injury, it started to hail. It was difficult to stand and it felt like I was being sand-blasted by the hail. I nearly turned around but decided to push on to the summit. The higher I went the worse it got. The temperature dropped and I could feel my lungs getting colder, Due to the coldness and strength of the wind I was finding it quite difficult to breath. I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

I finally reached the top but could see little. I am sure that on a nice day the British Camp is somewhere you could easily spend several hours (paths also run around the top of the ramparts) but certainly not today. I quickly turned around and made my way back down the hill to the safety of the car. As on the way up, when I reached the lower outer defences, the wind eased and I was once again out of the cloud/mist. The hail stopped and I could again see for many miles.

When I arrived back at the car Karen looked at my wind-battered expression with a mixture of alarm and amusement.
‘Weather not so good up there then?’ she enquired
‘You wouldn’t believe what it was like!’ I gasped.

All in all the British Camp is an easy and great place to visit.
Just try to make sure you visit on a nice day!

Visited 14.2.14

Directions:
Drive through the village along the B4218.
The stone is easily spotted outside Colwall Pharmacy.
It appears the stone doubles up as a bus stop!

The stone is square(ish) in shape approximately 1m across by 0.5m high.

There isn’t really mush else I can say.

Worth a quick look if you happen to be passing.

Margaret Stewart associated this cairn with other upland cairns in Perthshire e.g. Strathgroy and even suggested it had a peristalth . Can’t see the resemblance myself , the others are much bigger and in the case of Strathgroy the peristalth is obvious . Nothing like it here .