Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 30th October 2013

Within five minutes of leaving Quiberon these fine stones put in an appearance on high ground looking out toward the start of the Cote Sauvage. A quick right turn off the main road brought us to a spot where we could park, but not without narrowly avoiding a gaggle of cyclists that suddenly sped out across the road in front of us where a cycle track cuts across the lane.

Pulling up on the verge I get to examine the stones more closely, a shapely pair which frame a coastal vista. This place should be twinned with Penrhos Feilw in Anglesey, it has much of the same vibe about it, albeit with a bit more room between the ‘goalposts’, but the commanding views are the same, as is the sense of the stones marking out some form of gateway, a symbolic entrance to the start of the Wild Coast perhaps?

If you carry on up the lane, as we had to in order to turn the car around, you soon come to the village of Le Manémuer, a little hamlet of whitewashed houses, all sporting pale blue shutters, which reminded me of the sort of village you’d see on a Greek island, but which sports another 6’ tall standing stone sat amongst a walled shrubbery like some gargantuan garden ornament, yet another of the many fine Quiberon menhirs.

To my mind the best way of appreciating the layout of an upland landscape – in the absence of the personal aircraft piloted by an Honor Blackman lookalike clad in black lycra – is simply to climb a section of it and use the Mark I eyeball. Admittedly this particular observer may need to conclude his observations a bit sharpish on occasions, courtesy of hill-fog, but such frustrations literally come with the terrain..... and are a small price to pay for such insights as a distant glimpse of Carn Fflur’s massive summit cairn from Carn Gron the other day. Some – myself included – may well argue that such experiences were possibly an orchestrated facet of The Bronze Age upland experience... intervisibility... an ancient, albeit no doubt much more profound predecessor of those tours of celebrities’ houses we have nowadays. Maybe, maybe not. There are also completely unexpected bonuses. Yeah, while Carn Fflur is therefore today’s primary destination, a group of (apparently) small cairns depicted upon the north-western flank of Bryngwyn Bach (on the 1:25K OS map, not the 1:50K) appear worth a short diversion en-route.

Heading toward Pontrhydfendigaid on the B4348 from Tregaron look for Old Abbey Farm on the right after about four(ish) miles. Duly noted, ignore the next left, instead taking the right hand turn soon after. There is currently plenty of room to park near an old chapel (I think) undergoing renovation at the approx limit of the tarmacadum. A public footpath leads from here to a footbridge across the idyllic Afon Fflur, the c1,295ft hill top of Bryngwyn Bach but a short walk to the south. Ok, the intervening landscape is a trifle boggy, but in retrospect about as dry as it gets around here! Ascending the hill to the north-east (duh!) I note what look more like rather poor clearance cairns. Never mind, the view north is worth the effort, that it is. True... but so are the half-dozen excellent Bronze Age cairns I suddenly encounter, funnily enough, just where shown on the map.

The southern trio are of most – hey, considerable – interest, two featuring cists, that within the higher (eastern) monument proving to be very well preserved, merely lacking capstone. In addition, examples of kerb orthostats, a few pretty hefty, remain in situ to further enhance structural form. These are fine upland funerary cairns indeed. In comparison the northern three monuments are less well defined, retaining less internal detail. Nevertheless the opinion is relative to the excellence of the southern grouping; taken as a whole I reckon this is a fabulous Bronze Age cemetery with reasonably straightforward access and great views to boot. Not to mention great vibe. Silence may be golden, but here it is made of stone.

Bryngwyn Bach is impressive for such a seriously obscure site and I would’ve liked to have stayed longer than a couple of hours... but thoughts of that massive cairn crowning Carn Fflur resurface. As Mick Jones once (sort of) sang, the question is ‘Should I stay, or should I go?’ I decide upon the latter, inquisitive Citizen Cairn’d that I am.

Visited 30th October 2013

The Cote Sauvage or ‘Wild Coast’ is just that, a meandering jagged coastline of rocky coves and cliffs pounded by Atlantic breakers, which stretches down the west side of the Quiberon penisular, just to the south of Carnac. It is also dotted with more menhirs than you can shake a stick at.

Heading along the coast of the peninsular within two minutes of leaving the town of Quiberon we had already encountered a fine pair of megaliths, and every few minutes the breathtaking views were punctuated with shouts of ‘Oh look there’s a standing stone!’, but there are simply too many to stop at each one (or at the very least to give each visit the time it deserves), that is until you reach the Menhirs Beg-er-Goalennec.

Here two wonderful stones stand on either side of the D186A, one right next to the Les Mouttes restaurant, the other right on the shoreline. Plenty of space to be had for parking here next to the restaurant, so we just couldn’t pass them by. There’s no little ‘property of the state’ marker to give the name of the site, so I’ve no idea what the stones are called until later when I manage to look them up, but I do at least think to get the co-ordinates from the sat-nav!

The more northerly stone stands uncomfortably close to the restaurant, and is a slim rectangular block, somewhat sadly diminished by having had the top five feet or so break off the menhir at some time in the past. Standing behind it and focusing on its shorter companion across the road you get a lovely view along the aligned stones and out to sea. It is busy today though, unseasonably warm weather (well it would be unseasonable in England, maybe late October is always this warm in France?) has bought people out in droves to this popular coastline, and a steady procession of motor homes drives past to obscure the view.

It’s on the shore though that I really fall in love with the place, when I stand next to the heart shaped stone and stare out to sea. The placement of the stone is sublime, along with the great shaping along the top of the menhir (probably due more to the luck of the way the stone has weathered than the artifice of the stonecutter, although you never know?) this second menhir is a bit shorter (but still taller than me, although that counts as tiny in these parts!) and is now set in concrete to keep it stable.

With the sun still warm, and the stone at my back I look out along the coast, and for a minute all the tourists, cars and caravans enjoying their day out at the seaside seem far distant and I imagine the wild coast as it would have been to our ancestors, and it’s clear why they went to such efforts to raise these stones here, the beauty of the land calls out as much to us now as it did 5,000 years ago.

Visited: May 3, 2011

Acknowledged as the smallest of the passage graves in The Netherlands, Hunebed D22 Bronneger lies barely 20 metres east of its twin, D21, overshadowed by an ancient oak tree that has seen better days. D22 originally consisted of just two large capstones supported on five supporting stones, but only the former can be seen.

When the hunebed was excavated in 1918 by Albert van Giffen, he discovered the three sidestones and two endstones still in place but almost entirely hidden below their covering of sand. The excavation also revealed 41 items of pottery.

This archetypically diminutive – not to mention obscure – Mid Walian ‘ritual’ complex has been on my radar for a few years now... however since my radar is often a bit wonky I guess that’s not so bad. Can’t even send a text message on my mobile phone, so no real surprise there. Anyway, following the procurement of a new tyre in Tregaron to replace that shredded in last evening’s blow-out (incidentally D J Tyres did the job with minimal fuss, should you ever find yourself in similar need) I drive south on the B4343 to the small village of Llanddewi-Brefi. Here a minor road, signposted ‘Youth Hostel’, or something like that, heads approx east along the beautifully rugged Cwm Brefi. I experience the sensation of deja-vu until the subconscious recalls this is also the way to the enigmatic Bryn y Gorlan complex. Fork left after approx 5 miles if that’s more your bag.... however I veer right to eventually park, overlooking the Afon Pysgotwr-Fawr, at the road’s terminus.

I set off toward the farm of Bryn-glas perched upon the hillside to approx south-west, the forestry-clad Pen-y-raglan-wynt (hopefully) rising above. The farmer happens to be emerging in his land rover, so I decide it’d be rude not to stop and have a chat with said gentleman and the lady occupying the pre-fab home opposite. Seems he remembers when the forestry people first came to the area years ago.... and confirms there is indeed a stone circle within yonder trees. Both lament the damage being wrought upon the landscape by groups of tragi-comic 4x4 ‘armchair mountaineers’ who, by all accounts, frequently get mired in the mud like prize muppets. But I digress. Enough talk of motor-related muppetry for one day. Following the green track to the south past Bryn-glas, shepherded by the resident (friendly) dog as forewarned – think of him as an ‘organic alarm’ – I undertake the brief ascent to emerge upon the open moor beyond. The track is easily followed to the near bank of the Afon Pysgotwr-Fach.... where my navigational difficulties begin in earnest.

It looks easy enough on the map. However transposing OS data to the real world can be tricky, particularly when trees are part of the equation. Yeah, if only people wouldn’t keep chopping them down and planting new ones in different places! In retrospect I would (very tentatively) suggest that, after fording the river at the obvious spot (as I did) one should trend a little to the left and ascend one of the breaks in the forest line from there. Or simply ignore the breaks and take a compass bearing, although that would probably prove very hard going due to close-set branches. As it was... I took the direct line and, perhaps inevitably, struggled to locate the evocative ruins of Pen-y-raglan-wynt. From the shattered remnants of this smallholding, complete with natural water supply, I stomp south along the track and, arcing ‘round to the east, take the first right heading south-west. This track ends in a T-junction; a little beforehand, strike off to the left.... and see if you can spot any ancient monuments!

The round barrow is by far the most obvious component of this truly magical (I can’t think of any other suitable adjective off the top of my head) complex... simply because the others are very much conspicuous by their absence. Oh, they are here all right. Just takes a bit of effort, you know? Although by no means large, the barrow is still pretty substantial and, long grass notwithstanding, apparently well defined. So where’s the stone circle, then? The map reckons immediately to the east... however I initially only manage to locate three, possibly four orthostats overwhelmed by probably the most verdant of pastures I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I reckon cows let loose here would be able to leave Usain Bolt standing in no time. It’d be a bizarre race. But I’d pay to see it.

Perseverance sees me uncovering many more stones – I hesitate to call them ‘orthostats’ or ‘standing stones’ – more or less tracing the entire circumference of the ring. Some are so tiny they barely break the surface, a number only located with the hand. Any attempt to arrive at a definitive number would surely be splitting hairs. Clearly there was no attempt made here whatsoever to overawe the visitor, to impress with the force of brute construction.... this was simply a space demarcated for some important purpose. What that represented we will never know. However I’m with Tuesday .... “what could you do here but meet and dance?” What, indeed?

It begins to rain.... then absolutely bucket down. But no matter. The vibe here is simply exquisite, as if the very earth has soaked up so much energy from untold generations of profound human interaction it can’t keep it all within. A deep and utter sense of peace permeates the forestry clearing as completely as the precipitation falling from the sky. As mentioned earlier the outlook has changed within living memory, although I’m ignorant as to whether this hilltop would have accorded distant views back in the day when people (presumably) came to dance. Or whether it would have been similarly wooded?

There are apparently several other monuments completing the complex. I say ‘apparently’ since only a marker post gives any conclusive indication of the presence of a further cairn to the north-east. However I stumble across a small standing stone outside the ‘circle and – last but certainly not least – a very fine little three stone row. Well large stones would have been very much out of character, wouldn’t they? Very much contrary to the minimalist ambience. Yeah, less is very, very much more at Cefn Gwernffrwd.

Visited May 3, 2011

Hunebed D21 Bronneger, which lies below the canopy of an impressive, mature beech tree, is the most beautiful of this group of five passage graves, all situated about a kilometre west of the village of Bronneger. It is also the most important on account of the archaeological finds made there by Albert van Giffen during his thorough 1918 excavations.

At that time, the hunebed was missing one of its sidestones but, as the work progressed, the missing orthostat was discovered lying flat on the floor of the grave, a metre below ground level, and re-erected in its rightful position. In total, D21 possesses three very large capstones resting on eight sidestones and two endstones, only the tips of which peek above the surrounding sand.

Discoveries made at the site included some complete Funnelbeaker pots as well as shards of around 600 other items of pottery. The floor of the grave consisted of several layers, between 1.5 and 1.7 metres below the capstones, a height clearly designed to allow those entering the chamber to stand upright inside it, and it was between these layers that the artefacts were discovered.

Nicely located below and to the west of Castell Rhyfel, I was unfortunately only able to spend a short time at this denuded round cairn. Nevertheless it was well worth the diversion whilst returning to the car from Y Garn, despite the traveller being much wetter than he would have liked, courtesy of a previously undetected flaw in the over trouser department. Indeed, I reckon a fine low level walk could be enjoyed if a sojourn was scheduled here in conjunction with visits to other cairns (depicted upon the 1:25K map) along the course of the Groes Fawr. It certainly is a beautiful cwm.

As mentioned, the cairn appears quite badly robbed and hard to define, although a grassy mantle might well have made it appear worse than it really is to the by now very sodden amateur antiquarian. However as I approach it becomes apparent that the monument possesses a ‘golden centre’ in the form of a well preserved cist, albeit one disguised by a superimposed dry stone shelter... presumably for sheep. According to Coflein what we have here is:

“A round cairn, 6.0m in diameter, showing a cist, 1.5m by 1.0m, roofed to form a shelter, apparently attached to a further cairn, c.10m by 6.0m; there are remains of sheepfold to SW (second cairn?).... [J.Wiles 22.07.04]”

As I stand and take in the landscape context I notice the cloud base sweeping across and engulfing Castell Rhyfel. Hmm. Time to go. Reckon Mother Wales wants to put her landscape to bed.

Castell Rhyfel is an Iron Age hillfort uncompromisingly located, at an altitude of c1,650ft, upon the ridge separating the valleys of the Groes Fawr and Groes Fechan... tributaries, or so I believe, of the Afon Groes. From a military perspective it would no doubt have proved virtually impregnable, an assumption given practical credence by the simple act of attempting to climb up to the thing! However the position is so exposed that, noting the relatively insubstantial defences – not to mention the nascent watercourses and the myriad surrounding Bronze Age cairns – I can’t help surmising whether there might have been an overriding ritualistic aspect to the site that may need to be taken into account?

Approaching from Tregaron [see Carn Gron fieldnote] I choose the natural line of ascent along Banc Mawr. Naturally enough, I guess. As I gain height I soon encounter a relatively significant crossbank and ditch. The immediate conclusion is that this forms an outer defence for the ‘fort. However something does not seem right; firstly all the collapsed stonework lies on the inner flank of the bank; secondly, and arguably more to the point... the ditch lies behind the bank! Furthermore the feature extends all the way down the slope to the Groes Fawr, suggesting some landscape boundary. But of what period? Hmmm.

A further uphill slog brings me, not before time, to the hillfort. As mentioned the enclosure occupies a fabulous setting, the views wondrously expansive, particularly toward Tregaron, looking down to the Groes Fawr.... and north to Y Garn and Carn Gron (my ultimate destinations today). Pretty much everywhere save straight up the ridge, then. In fact the only disappointing aspect is the lack of definition of the apparently univallate defences. According to the now familiar Toby Driver [2005]:

“The enclosure is roughly pear-shaped, with overall measurements of 133.0m west-southwest to east-southeast by 110m transversely (dimensions from NAR). The defences, such as they are, comprise a low earth and stone bank up to 4.0m in width, and varying between 0.5m and 1m in height externally... the `rampart’ was probably only ever intended as a low footing for a palisade”

So, perhaps light defences were all that were considered necessary owing to the inherent natural strength of the site? Or does a ritualistic interpretation hold water? Then again..... back in 1988 the then CADW warden (Burnham) noticed what might be termed a natural ‘chevaux-de-frise’ arrangement to the south-east, possibly a sufficiently powerful portent to found the enclosure per se? Perhaps a citadel fortified by Nature itself might have been just what the local Druid ordered? Whatever the truth of the matter, Castell Rhyfell is certainly just what the Drude ordered. So many questions to ponder as I reluctantly leave and continue my quest for Carn Gron....

P.S. – Prospective visitors might be interested in taking a look at a prostrate stone laying a little below and to the east of the enclosure at very approx SN735599. Probably a naturally occurring erratic... but perhaps someone might know otherwise?

It might initially seem rather odd to find what I consider the finest of Carn Gron’s quartet of Bronze Age cairns located upon the hill’s lower south-western spur. However the more of these upland sites I visit, the more such apparent inconsistencies recur. To be honest, Carn Gron is probably not the best example I could cite in support of this assertion, the actual summit also being crowned by a very large cairn, likewise the secondary, western height. Nevertheless it seems a pretty good assumption that, if size of cairn represents anything at all, whomever was interred within Y Garn was not considered that subordinate in the Bronze Age social hierarchy....

I approach the great stone pile from the aforementioned western summit monument, the cairn, looming large through primeval swirling mist and driving rain, proving a welcome sight confirming the validity of my compass bearing, albeit one aided by fenceline and (apparently) nameless nearby lake. The inclement nature of the weather, although more or less guaranteeing an ethereal vibe, is a pity since, assuming the views obtained from Castell Rhyfel earlier in the day are anything to go by, the outlook from the cairn, located at 1,633ft, is surely exceptional? Needless to say, however, this traveller must take what he is offered.... like it or lump it. Fortunately what is presented here happens to be a very fine upland cairn, indeed. Well worth a considerable effort, whether associated with expansive vistas.... or a monochroic backdrop of clammy vapour. Yeah, according to Coflein it is:

“A subcircular cairn, 18m north-south by 16m & 1.4m high, in which a central disturbance shows a ruined cist, 1.3m in length, partly formed of living rock [J.Wiles 23.07.04].”

Note, once again, the existence of a ruined cist still remaining in situ, the presence of which is always welcome, if only to render any doubts of ancient origin superfluous at source. Unfortunately, in my experience, such surviving detail represents the exception rather than the rule, at least outside of this locality! Unfortunately time advances at a rapid pace.... or at least appears to.... and the trusty compass is all too soon once again required to safely descend southwards to the Groes Fechan. Emerging from the cloud base into relative clarity, a short, lateral traverse of Banc Mawr brings me to one final cairn standing above the more substantial Groes Fawr at SN72735986.

No doubt reversing this route would make a good ascent of Y Garn? But hey, the possibilities are endless. Go your own way and improvise, why don’t you?

A low cloudbase precludes further exploration of the uplands of Y Elenydd prompting an onward drive through Cwm Ystwyth, a beguiling valley of extremes... part sublime natural beauty, part industrial wasteland; a landscape microcosm arguably analogous to Wales itself. But what to do next? Heading south at Pont rhyd-y-groes I eventually settle upon one of a myriad possible options, an ascent of Carn Gron, near Tregaron, in order to investigate Gwys-yr-Ychen-Bannog, an intriguing linear feature (stone row?.... er, actually, no) depicted upon the map, not to mention several cairns. Oh, and just for the hell of it, too.

Orientating myself at Tregaron – after managing to avoid some psychopathic old bint trying to force me off the road, face contorted with unfathomable rage – I drive north on the B4343 and, taking the first turning on the right, incidentally pass below the Sunnyhill Camp.... some other day, perhaps? The road forks to the right and, passing Penffordd, arrives at the terminus where I manage to park in an appropriate manner. It’d be rude not to. A  grassy track leads off to the south-east above the northern bank of the Groes Fawr. There are a number of cairns marked on the map in the river’s locale; however my initial focus is Castell Rhyfel, an Iron Age hillfort dominating the valley from upon the ridge to my left. Although the enclosure’s ramparts aren’t that well defined – were they ever? – the siting, from an aesthetic perspective at least, is exquisite, according magnificent views only enhanced by an utterly unexpected interlude of fine weather.

Carn Gron rises across the Groes Fechan to right of Y Garn, the latter, as the name suggests, also bearing an ancient cairn. I decide to go for it, the benign conditions promising a fine summit hang, duly circling the headwall of the cwm to the north. As I do so I encounter a suspiciously ‘fallen standing stone-like’ prostrate erratic at (very) approx SN735599. It certainly does look out of place, but then again I guess most erratics, by definition, do. My chosen route necessitates losing height before the final ascent... not ideal, but allowing the replenishing of the water bottle (from the Groes Fechan) as compensation. I arrive at the 1,774ft summit in surprisingly short order (for me) to discover that Carn Gron’s cairns are the real deal.

The OS trig pillar stands between two monuments.... a large, sprawling cairn at the actual summit of the peak... and a smaller, modern construct to the north-east, the latter almost certainly sourced from a significant ‘bite’ missing from the former. Despite the significant damage (including obligatory ‘muppet shelter’), the summit cairn remains a substantial stone pile, morever with what appear to be remnants of central cist elements in situ. As for the smaller.... it appears Coflein reckon the modern erection stands upon an ancient base (steady now). Which is nice. And more than can be said about the weather, the warm sunshine of half an hour previously progressively – and irrecoverably – superseded by a vicious front sweeping in from the north-west.

I head west to, appropriately enough, the western cairn and determine that this is by far the finest of the trio. Slightly smaller than the summit monument it is, to my eyes at least, much better defined. It also features the probable remains of a central cist, highlighting the apparent unfrequented nature of these seemingly obscure hills. In addition, the views are more expansive here although (sadly) I have little time to appreciate them before the full force of the weather front arrives... and I’m engulfed in thick, opaque vapour and assaulted by driving rain in the horizontal plane. In a curious way this claustrophobic ‘world within the clouds’ only serves to emphasise the ethereal vibe I often experience at upland cairns, the senses disorientated, the mind reeling at the relative unfamiliarity of it all, eyes attempting to focus upon something with no background. Oo-eer.

Speaking of focus, I recall the Gwys-yr-Ychen-Bannog and go have a look. Whatever the feature represents, it certainly does not resemble a stone row [it appears, retrospectively, to form a boundary feature of indeterminable age (medieval?), the devil being in the translation]. Never mind, it brought me to Carn Gron. Enough said. I am forever in the ‘furrow of the horned oxen’s’ debt. Anyway, I subsequently descend to Y Garn, courtesy of a compass bearing, this proving to be another fine cairn with the obligatory remnants of cist, finally dropping in on (yet) another beside the Groes Fawr, this ‘un with a more-or-less intact cist. Jeez, what more has the day to offer?

Back at the car I meet the old farmer and his mate, the former stating that he couldn’t care less about the cairns himself.... ‘but at least it isn’t snowing’. Er, yeah. Whatever. With darkness approaching I set off to find somewhere to ‘crash’ for the night.... and thankfully avoid taking things way too literally, courtesy of a front near-side blow-out. Suffice to say it has been some day.

Parking at Robin Hood it’s a walk of about a mile up and along Under Pasture Edge to Dobb Edge; a sometimes hairy walk along the edge in places.

The stone’s position is excellent with fine reaching views for the most part. To the north the horizon is filled with Birchen Edge, and moving westward, Gardom’s Edge, Big Moor, Eaglestone Flats (although the Eagle Stone isn’t visible on the horizon), Sir William Hill on Eyam Moor and Bretton Moor. To the west is Longstone Edge and Moor with Fin Cop prominent. The east rises up to Gibbet Moor via Peak o’ Bill’s Rocks and the White Peak occupies the southern horizon.

There’s rocks galore in the area surely there’s more rock art waiting to be uncovered/discovered here.

It would appear – according to our friends at Coflein, anyway – that the grassy, round cairn which surmounts the modest 1,581ft summit of Y Foel is (somewhat confusingly) known as Carreg Bica... that is ‘Bica’s stone’, perhaps a reference to the erstwhile giant of Welsh folklore said to have done the rounds locally. Probably a bit grumpy, too. Not to mention jealous, seeing as Idris, similarly endowed with gianthood, had the dramatically eponymous Cadair Idris to call his own. Legend can be so unfair.

However relative merit is, funnily enough, relative, Y Foel proving a rather fine rocky ‘perch’ towering above an abrupt volte-face by the Afon Elan to the south, a movement albeit somewhat protracted by the creation of the reservoirs. I’d recommend an ascent from the west, via the Beddau Folau chambered cairn, although it may well prove difficult to vacate the lower monument, once encountered. If successful.... carry on along the path and, ignoring the obvious left hand fork (likewise a number of lesser sheep tracks), keep heading east before veering right to ascend the shallow northern ‘ridge’ – for want of a better word – of Y Foel to the cairn.

Carreg Bica is a deceptively substantial monument. Upon arrival, no doubt seduced by the excellent Beddau Folau earlier, I initially think ‘not bad’. But it is better than that, as time and a succession of differing viewing angles make clear. Perhaps there are even remnants of a now trashed cist in situ? Perhaps. Anyway, according to Coflein the round cairn is a:

“Cairn of stones and slabs. Mostly grass covered. Approx. 9.8m x 10.7m x 1.5m high. Summit occupied by modern cairn and boundary post. Cairn appears to act as viewing site giving clear vistas toward other cairn sites across valley N/S/E/W (RSJ 2000)”

The reference to the monument appearing to function as a ‘viewing site’ is perhaps assumptive; however I can confirm that the spot chosen is indeed an excellent viewpoint, particularly when scanning the southern arc... and identifying numerous other prehistoric sites, including the Crugian Bach complex and the highest summits of Y Elenydd. Such a focus upon the surrounding uplands, as opposed to the lowlands, does seem to be a recurring feature of these high Bronze Age cairns in my experience.

Following a wander south-west along the mightily vegetated Craig Y Foel... excellent views.... I return to the summit to endure a bit of a kicking from the weather, to be honest. Nevertheless the compass reassures as cloud engulfs all and subsequently leads me back down to Beddau Folau. Yeah, despite the dodgy weather it is a great place to end a fine day.

17/11/2013 – Mulloch, I said I’d never go back yet here I was standing next to the cairn again. It’s a great cairn but the view from it is even better. Morven just looks fantastic and glazing over Loch Kinord to the far hills is wonderful. Well worth the effort and it is an effort! One word – broom. It’s everywhere. We came from the SW last time but today was from the NE. There is a vague path if you can find it. We left the top to head SW down the hill. I was really pleased to see a lot of the broom had been burnt back on this side of the hill. Only problem now is that it had given a chance for the gorse to grow. A painful descent but some things are worth a little pain and this cairn is one of them.

17/11/2013 – Not the most exciting cairn and very tricky to find in the undergrowth. But saying that, there’s a few good walks to be had around here. We started at the picnic spot on the A93 next to the airfield. A lovely loop over Criag Ferrar to Blue Cairn then up over Craig Dhu to Scar Hill, dropping down directly west to the Scar Hill cairn and then south west to this kerb cairn. We continued on past Mulloch cairn to the track west that leads to St James. A path on the old Deeside railway line took us back to the start. About 7 miles in total, 5 miles of which is just ambling through open woodland with no real track to follow. We visited 5 cairns, a couple of hill tops and a trigpoint – my sort of day out (a coffee shop at the end would have made it perfect!). The kerb cairn is quite hidden in the trees and broom. The grid ref (NJ 4723 0082) takes you to within about 20 meters but it still took a while to find. Some nice kerb stones can be seen. The centre is dug out where the cist used to be. Worth going just for the walk.

Despite the weather having taken a pronounced turn for the worse – or, arguably, reverting to Y Elenydd’s uncompromising default position – dawn ushers in no compulsion to leave. Far from it. So, what to do upon a grey day heralding... not a lot, to be honest? Munching a (blue plastic) bowl of Coco Pops for inspiration – although apparently an 18 year old Shelley stayed nearby in 1811 (clearly not Pete from The Buzzcocks, then... but the other poet) – the answer arrives, courtesy of the old OS map. Yeah, a brace of cairns in the vicinity of Y Foel, the craggy hillside overlooking the southern extent of the Afon Elan, the river’s course somewhat, er, interrupted here to form the famous reservoirs. That’ll do.

Upon driving south past the uncomfortably substantial tourist facilities below Pen-y-Garreg Reservoir, the Creigiau Dolfolau immediately present a reassuringly wild ‘n’ rocky facade above to the left. The Nant Dolfolau breaches the cliff line midway(ish) along, so allowing a public right of way to head steeply to the approx north-east... but not prohibitively so. Parking is possible beside a roadside cascade. Which is handy.

To be fair, the path is still a tad on the ‘uphill’ side; but nevertheless enjoyable, traversing a quality landscape. Easily fording the aforementioned Nant Dolfolau, the route swings more or less directly east and, with the crags of Y Glog Fawr rearing to the north, in short order I literally stumble across the chambered cairn of Beddau Folau. The monument, although large, is not exactly ‘in yer face’, then. Although having said that it might well have been with a touch more slippery mud under foot. The big surprise is a number of large orthostats standing upon the heavily overgrown, grassy cairn. Hence Coflein citing Beddau Folau as being a ‘chambered cairn’, the structure clearly far too substantial to represent a cist, and to my mind, the orthostats too central to represent the remains of a kerbed cairn or cairn-circle:

“Situated below rocky outcrop. Approx. 8m diameter. Central sub-rectangular hollow approx. 3m wide.. 4 upright stones each c. 0.8m high x 0.8m width x 0.1m-0.2m depth. Stones in round flat central chamber area with 1 fallen? stone on base(RSJ 2000).”

Just goes to show that the impulsive antiquarian traveller can never really be sure what the ubiquitous ‘cairn’ depicted upon the OS map actually represents on the ground. What a wonderful location this is! A short distance above a major tourist location.... yet it might as well be in the middle of nowhere, such is the vibe. Furthermore, one of the orthostats is mightily impressive for an upland cairn.

Speaking of which... there’s another apparently ancient cairn, Carreg Bica, located upon the summit of Y Foel to the approx south-east. Worth a look. Indeed, with the weather appearing more ‘doubtful’ by the minute, I decide to make the visit to the higher monument sooner rather than later to (hopefully) catch some views before they are subsumed within a mass of vapour. However I determine to return to hang out awhile at Beddau Folau in the afternoon. For once, that’s how things actually pan out. Whatever next?

Visited 29th October 2013

Also known as Mane Groh, this is another well signposted dolmen just outside of Crucano, and right next to a lane just off the main road.

Although we are on our way back home after a hard day megalithing I just can’t pass up the little brown signs signifying an ancient monument without feeling an irresistible urge to stop. I still can’t get used to literally falling over megaliths that at home I’d be blown away by if I’d driven several hours to see a site half as impressive.

And impressive Mane Croch is. The name means ‘the sorceress’s hill’, and it consists of a T-shaped passage grave of satisfyingly chunky stones, which leads into a well preserved chamber. A couple of the capstones have been removed, almost as if someone’s taken the lid off so you can look inside, where an axe head carving is visible on one of the orthostats, thanks to being handily outlined in chalk.

It’s yet another site surrounded by woodland, and a path leads off through the woods which takes in other megalithic sites, but sadly it is too late in the day to wander far this evening. We have a meander about nearby and find a jumble of stones that once may have been the remains of a now destroyed dolmen, as well as a small cist near the main site, and the path tantalisingly beckons on towards further unseen megalithic riches. Still it’s no hardship to just spend some time here instead.

Burl says it would have once been covered by a rectangular mound and is aligned toward the SSE. There are several of these types of passage dolmen in the vicinity, and they are certainly unlike any I’m used to from Britain, but having seen so many they all start to blur together and I struggle to remember which one is which but Mane Groh is memorable by virtue of a carved stone trough which sits beside the dolmen.

We have a wander in the woods nearby and come upon a lovely lake, dotted with reed beds and small islets, it sits amongst the trees, and I almost imagine a shimmering arm to emerge clutching a sword, such is the look of the place. Alas no Lady of the Lake today, but we do spot a pair of little egrets wading in the water.

What I forget until later is just how close several other monuments are through the woods nearby, particularly Caeser’s chair, which on my last visit I didn’t get any photographs of as my camera batteries had died, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t get chance to take some today. Still the dolmen is itself a worthy place to visit on its own, so I shouldn’t sound ungrateful. We have the place to ourselves and I happily poke about in the transepted chamber. The shadows lengthen as we sit at the dolmen, tired after the day’s exertions, and thoroughly old stoned out. What can you say, another superb Breton dolmen.

17/11/2013 – I’ve been saving this one for the right day. Sunday felt good when I woke up. Cold and clear skies. Parked at the picnic spot by the Deeside Gliding Club by the A93. We headed north over Craig Ferrar to Blue Cairn. Bit hard work to the trig but the walk after that to the cairn is very nice in open woodland. A couple of fences to cross but nothing too much to worry about. Once at Balnagowan Wood cairn, my eye caught sight of Blue Cairn through the trees for the first time. A giant sleeping stone dragon. We approached quietly so not to wake it. The size is quite something with a lovely colour to the stones. Amazing atmosphere to the place. Quiet and peaceful. Special site in one of my favourite areas of Aberdeenshire.

Visited 17.11.13

Directions:
From St Clears, take the A477 west towards Tenby. After about 3 miles you will come to the small village of Llanddowror with a church on your right – park here. Take the track between the church and the pretty thatched roofed Church Cottage. Follow this track a short distance and you will come to a subway running under the new road being built. Once you are through the subway you will see the stone in a field directly ahead of you.

Despite being a lovely late autumnal day the track was very muddy and sections of it were under water. I just about managed to skirt my way along the edges without getting too muddy / wet. The grass in the field was long and wet but luckily I had my boots on so I managed to avoid wet feet for a change.

The stone itself is quite pointy and covered in white, yellow and green lichen.
As it was Sunday there was no construction work being done on the nearby road and all was peaceful. One the road is open I doubt that will remain the case! In fact, the stone will be visible from the new road if you know where to look.

An easy stone to visit and worth the short walk if you happen to be passing.

The church also looks worthy of investigation but unfortunately I didn’t have time as I had two children patiently sat in the car desperate to get to the wildlife park!

COFLEIN states:
‘An erect monolith 1.2m high, 0.4m wide at the base, tapering to 0.2m at the top, having no name and no apparent traditions’.

Visited 17.11.13

Directions:
A short distance east of Manor Home Wildlife Park along the B4318.
A real ‘blink and you will miss it’ place – in fact we did and had to turn around and drive back up the road! There is a small sign pointing the way to the church and holy wells along a narrow track. There is a small car park next to the church.

Wow, what a great church / graveyard – this place ‘feels’ really old.

The church is well worth checking out and has a wonderful tiled floor.
There are stone steps leading down the slope, past the graves, from the church to the holy wells. Judging by the crosses / candles in evidence this is clearly a place still in use today.

The wells are right next to each other and you could see the water bubbling up from the base of them. The water looked really clear and I even had a taste of the water (something I don’t normally do) – it tasted ok.

I looked around for the standing stone Rhiannon mentions but couldn’t see it. Hopefully it is still here somewhere and I simply missed it. It would be a shame if it is no longer with us.

If you like old churches / graveyards (and holy wells!) then this is a ‘must see’ when in the area – well worth a visit.

I picked up an information leaflet in the church which gives no mention of any standing stone but does say this about the church / holy wells: (summery)

‘The healing qualities of the wells would have been sought out by the communities that settled throughout the fertile Ritec Valley from earliest times. By the 6th century Celtic saints were at Gumfreston possibly living in bee-hive huts and using the wells for baptism. There is evidence of a ‘Llan’ wall around the church meaning it was an early Christian burial ground with a small simple church. The church porch of today could be the remains of that earlier church, with its original door facing the wells.

Gumfreston would have been an important part of the Pilgrimage routes in Wales., both for itself and St Davids but also stopping off on their way to take a ship for Caldy Island, Llantwit Major, Ireland and Spain.

The wells and church today are still in constant local use and attract many visitors throughout the year who come as pilgrims for healing the mind and spirit.’

Visited 29th October 2013

Another site we just happened to drive by. This place is forever known to us as the ‘picnic dolmen’ as last time we were in Brittany we also stumbled on it, and stopped off here with our packed lunch. We didn’t even know the name of the site last time, so couldn’t find out much information about it. This time we again pull in on the grass by the stones, and have a snack in the beautiful sunshine, and I manage to just make out the name ‘Dolmen de Cohouer’ from the worn lettering on the little ‘Property of the State’ stone that marks most Brittany megaliths.

Placed on the edge of a small village next to quiet rural road, the surroundings are archetypally French, a shuttered farmhouse just visible behind the dolmen, and even the sound of crickets chirping, despite the lateness of the year. It’s a pleasant place for a stop off.

The tomb itself is of a type referred to as a ‘simple dolmen’, of that same classical ‘megalithic mushroom’ type design, but longer than most of the dolmens common across Briatain. Seven orthostats support two huge capstones and provide a large light and airy chamber, which I soon install myself in.

Inside it’s very comfortable, a nice grassy floor, and the chamber interior is warm, having caught the sun for most of the day, and I just relax and enjoy being here. I could stay in the chamber all day, it’s such a great place to be. Being so close to the village there are a couple of bits of rubbish around, mostly a few empty beer cans, so I take them over to the nearby recycling bin before we leave, and bid goodbye to a fine dolmen, vowing to return again sometime bearing more baguettes and cheese!

Visited 29th October 2013

Slap bang next to the giant is another of Brittany’s enigmatic stone settings, the Quadrilateral de Manio. Basically a large stone rectangle, with a porch type setting at one end, which would once have provided a forecourt facing to the south-east. It’s amazing to think that apparently this would have once been covered by a huge mound.

Trees surround the site preventing an observation of the wider area, and I wonder whether the menhir was erected first, or if it was intended as some sort of indicator stone for the Quadrilateral? Burl says the stones were set on a long low mound, but it’s difficult to make this out now.

It’s just about possible to get a photo of the whole of the site in shot , as long as you take your picture from the forecourted end, otherwise some manoeuvring about the trees is required if you want to take a photo from the west end.

I resort to clambering onto the low stone wall which surrounds the site in order to get a slightly elevated view, and manage to get a few photo’s between the regular procession of visitors.

The woodland setting with its dappled light, nearby onlooking menhir, and just proximity to the megalithic wonderland that is Carnac make it a special place, and although a popular site in its own right, it retains a peaceful air, somewhere to ponder on the amazing ancient remains surrounding you, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourists at the main visitors center.

Visited 29th October 2013

The Giant of Manio, seems a friendly fella, although somewhat taciturn as he sits in his wooded glade staring out at the trees, natural markings on the stone suggestive of eyes, nose and mouth, the face looking out in the opposite direction from the Manio rectangle).

The sun filters through the trees into this lovely wooded glade, and the menhir is warm to the touch as I give the huge stone a hug, although he seems much smaller than I remember, porbably as a result of seeing the Menhir du Champ Dolent the other day. The Geant though has a lot of character. Sadly the remains of some graffitti mark his face, but for the giant this is ‘pas de problème’, he has been here for millennia whilst the cretinous scrawlings are already quite faded and soon will be gone leaving the Geant blemish free once more.

A small pile of pebbles perplexingly rests high on top of the stone, leaving me to wonder how and why they got there, the puzzle solved a few minutes later when a visiting Frenchman started throwing pebbles at the top of the menhir, attempting to land a stone on top, which apparently brings good luck if you are able to do it.

It’s a fine spot here, a great menhir which probably gets overlooked amidst the profusion of the Carnac stones, but definitely worth a visit. It’s signposted from the D196, with parking next to the riding school and a short walk up the forested track, with both the menhir and stone setting right next to each other. So if you’re ever in the vicinity of Carnac make sure you pop by the Geant and say hello, he’ll be pleased to see you, and you’ll be very glad you did.

Very difficult to make out what we have here. Recorded under the cover-all category of ‘mound’ (there is a reference to it on excavations.ie as Corduff mound), it’s been hacked into on its north-west arc. Very overgrown and in a swampy corner of a field in a housing estate, we could barely make it out in the low evening sun and the decaying vegetation. I guess about 2 metres high and maybe 25 in diameter.

Now a traffic island in a car park in an industrial estate, this mound has been rounded off and prettified. I couldn’t find any excavation notes, surprising as I would have thought an excavation was called for when working so close to a national monument. It’s over 3 metres tall and about 50 metres diameter.

Visited: September 5, 2012

One of the smaller hunebedden, D15 Loon, with its ten sidestones and five capstones (four intact but the middle one reduced to a broken fragment lying in the crypt), ranks as one of the most complete passage graves in the Netherlands. It also retains 18 of an original total of 23 kerbstones, and is in fact the shortest hunebed known to have been surrounded by a kerb. These days, only 14 of the hunebedden retain one or more kerbstones. This hunebed also possesses a well defined entrance passage with two pairs of sidestones and a capstone.

Up until March 1870, D15 Loon was still covered by its barrow, which reached right up to the base of the capstones. Unfortunately, it was at that time that the barrow was removed in a mistaken attempt at ‘restoration’: this was carried out in the belief that the mound consisted of sand that had built up around the hunebed over the centuries, and was not part of the original monument. This event also led to the destruction of much of the earthenware that had been buried in the crypt.

In 1974, a beautiful earthenware jar, a beaker and a piece of bronze—all dating from the Funnelbeaker period (2450-2000 BCE)—were illegally unearthed from the entranceway by two youths from Assen, but were fortunately recovered and placed in the Drenthe Museum.

The bus from Assen to Groningen (Bus No 58) takes you to Loon in just 10 minutes. From the bus stop in the centre of the village, follow the main road (Gasterenseweg) for about 400 metres, then take the first turn off on the left (Heirweg) and continue for another 400 metres. You will see Hunebed D15 Loon ahead on the right long before you reach it.

You can view a short video about hunebed D15 Loon on YouTube, including some amazing aerial movie footage of the monument..