Latest Fieldnotes

15/06/2013 – Not the most exciting visit to a broch I’ve had but it was near to where we were staying and it was the first evening of our holiday so I was still a little over excited. We were in the Land of the wideford and after reading so many of his fieldnotes it was good to be there. Broch wise it’s OK, very overgrown and a little dangerous underfoot. If you are going to visit I’d said go on a Friday between 4.30pm – 8.30pm at least then you can go to The Peedie Chippie. Quality fish supper at the seafront carpark with good views across the bay to the broch.

15/06/2013 – Day 1 of a trip to Orkney. First we had to drive up to Thruso to catch the ferry. I always get worried about missing ferries etc so we left very early in the morning. 40 miles to go and I realised we were going to be 3 hours early! A quick look on the OS map showed a standing stone and a broch nearby so we parked at Borgue and walked the short distance down the track to this stone. And what a stone! 12ft 8in in its stockinged feet. It stands peacefully alone in the landscape. If you are ever in the area this stone deserves a few more visitors. Wonderful.

This one was easily spotted from the road as it nestles beside the field boundary. It lives up to the expectation as you cross the field.The slipped capstone is huge, held in a near vertical position by the remaining portal and what appears to be a doorstone. The other portal is missing. Both sidetones and the backstone are still there and this would have been a pretty classic Irish dolmen had the capstone not pushed the backstone outward and fallen onto the back of the chamber. Maybe this happened when some fecker robbed the missing portal.
We spent a while at this one, amused and bemused at its incongruity there, stuck in a time-warp in the middle of some fairly prosaic pastureland.

Maybe there was once a cairn here, but it ain’t here now. Did they really destroy the cairn to build the wall that encloses the site like bawn wonders? Bizarre.

Scant remains on the top of Garret Hill. A long, low line of rubble makes a rampart of about 150 metres, aligned north/south onto the passage tomb over the field wall. There’s another very faint line at right angles on the northern end. There are probably (hopefully) more remains about the hill, but I couldn’t find them. I was happy to be up here anyway – it’s just above the contour line where things start to get wild and untamed and sheep thrive.

A hut circle and two of the previously recorded marked rocks around the loch .

I was expecting a bit more from this given Healy’s notes below. However, most of the souterrains are now backfilled again since his excavations 122 years ago. You can just see the corbelling of one, the second as he describes it.
We had traipsed up the right-of-way lane just off the Johnstown to Freshford road. The rath is enormous, thoroughly overgrown (especially now in mid-June) and utterly compelling. The inner ditch is over 5 metres deep in places, the south-western arc being the most accessible. There is the remnants of an entrance here too. I can’t guess the diameter, 50 metres could be close, but it may be much more. This would, in my estimation, have been a ‘high-status’ (dreadful term) habitation site. It’s yet another of those places that could be marketed (yikes) to joe public as it really is impressive and even held a fascination for my not very interested companion.

We approached this monument from the north via the ‘cairn’ in Clomantagh (Mount Garret). In fact, this is in the same townland. There are no notes that I can find on this passage grave anywhere. No archaeological inventory has been published for Kilkenny, nor has the survey of megalithic tombs emerged for this region. Someone even mentions it as a wedge tomb, but given its situation at the top of Mount Garret, it’s more likely a passage tomb.
There is what looks like a passage semi-exposed down the middle of the mound, aligned roughly east-west. There are also what look to be passage roof-stones, some in situ, some cast aside. Two peculiar stones protrude above the remaining cairn by about .75 of a metre about midway down this ‘passage’. There is much cairn material still here, but you do get the sense that much has been robbed away also. There is, again what seems to be, a subsidiary ‘chamber’ on the south-side of the passage with no roofstone and the chamber filled in and some orthostats visible.
It’s in a great spot with views all around, the best being to the west and south. I doubt if anybody has visited this tomb for prehistorical reasons since bawn was last here.

Visited 16.6.13

Directions:
From Crickhowell take the B4558 and then drive west through the village of Ffawyddog. You will shortly come to the farm entrance of Penffawyddog – park here.
Next to the farm drive is a public footpath sign and stile. The enclosure is easily seen from the farm drive. Access to the enclosure is from the footpath and then over a barbed wire fence.

Although the enclosure is quite small it is in surprisingly good condition. The rampart on the southern side is the best preserved, still standing to a height of approximately 2m. The northern side is much more worn down but still identifiable.
The enclosure is now home to many sheep that let it be known that they were none to happy with my presence.

As with most sites anywhere in the Brecon Beacons there are cracking views to be had. The Beacons are truly a great place to visit. I doubt many people come to this part though! Well worth a look if you ever visit the lovely town of Crickhowell and you have a bit of spare time on your hands.

COFLEIN state:
‘A sub-oval enclosure 57m by 74m, defined by a bank and ditch with a counterscarp to the S and a N facing entrance, set on gently sloping ground’.

Visited 16.6.13

As TSC states, the stone is easily visible from the minor road and a short but squelchy walk will bring you close up and personal.

The stone stood in a large pool of water and I noticed that several ‘offerings’ had been inserted in some of the holes that pock-mark the edges of the stone.
These included several small brown shiny pebbles and a woven multi coloured ribbon.

This is an obvious place to come after/before visiting the nearby impressive Cwalca Cairn field.

Well worth a visit.

Visited 16.6.13

Directions:
From the village of Llangynidr take the B4560 south until you come to a large parking area on your right; shortly after a sharp right bend.
Head north east across the open moorland and you will soon spot the two large cairns showing on the O/S map.

Wow, what a great place this is – far exceeding my expectations.
As TSC says, just about everywhere you look there are cairns of various sizes to be seen. Beside the two main ones I spotted over another 20.

Luckily the ferns had only just started to spout from the ground so spotting the cairns was easy. If I had come later in the year most of them would have been obscured by the ferns.

The views are simply wonderful. The grey wispy low clouds were hugging the sides of the mountains and gave the place a tangible atmosphere. The brooding dark grey rain clouds racing across the sky added to the occasion.

Given the views this large flat area of moorland is an obvious place to house a cairn cemetery. There are a lot worse places to spend eternity.

On the way back to the car I noticed a small wooden cross wedged into one of the cairns. It said ‘Cliff and Sylvia – God bless’. This must have been a special place for Cliff and Sylvia as well as the ancestors. I can easily understand why.

As I said, this is a wonderful location and a great place to visit – particularly when the ferns are low.
I rate this site very highly and would heartily recommend a visit if possible.

Visited 16.6.13

This is a site which had been on my ‘hit list’ for a few years so it was nice to finally get to visit.

I approached from the south via a public footpath which was squeezed between two houses on an estate called Bryn Glas? – alongside house number 6.

Although overgrown the gravelled footpath started off in good condition with handy steps taking you up the steep slope towards the Hillfort.
Unfortunately this didn’t last as the gravel / steps soon gave way to a muddy track.
It was a pretty walk through the trees but very slippery.
The higher up the hill you went the steeper the path became. Waking was quite difficult in the slippery mud.

I eventually emerged out of the trees, via a stile, and into an open field. I continued up hill and was soon at the ramparts of the Hillfort. These were quite well defined and stood in places up to 2m high. I walked right around the defences and started a bird of prey who in turn startled me!

There are great views to be had overlooking Brecon, its cathedral and in the distance the dominant Pen Y Crug Hillfort. Lucky for me the rain was just about holding off although there were dark menacing clouds approaching from the north. Time to slip and slide back down the path back to the safety of the car before I get soaked!

This is a cracking site to visit and I am glad to have finally got here – I wasn’t disappointed.
If you are in the Brecon area this well worth the effort and is a lot easier/quicker to visit than Pen Y Craig if you are struggling for time.

Visited 15.6.13

Directions:
From Bristol take the A4175 south east to the pretty (posh) village of Bitton.
Best place to park is near the church and walk along the ‘private road’, over a bridge and towards some stables which has a public right of way (signposted)
Once you reach the stables the Barrow can be easily seen in a field to the right.
The footpath leads across the fields to the Barrow on the appropriately named barrow Hill.

The Barrow is approximately 2m high x 30m across and covered in overgrown long scruffy grass. It is fenced off – presumably to protect it from any horse damage?

This was my only site of the day on a daytrip to Keynsham and a good one it was too.
Well worth a visit if you are ever near the urban sprawl which is Bristol.

p.s.
If you seen horse manure for your garden this is the place for you.
Unfortunately I left my shovel and bags at home – much to the relief of Karen and the children!

These pair of stones are returning to nature. The little fenced rock garden, that houses the stones, is now overgrown in June and the designs are becoming moss covered. The stone with the lightly pecked motif is now completely lost to the moss; and many of the cup marks in the design of the neighbouring slab are also moss filled.

It may be the intention to let the stones get a more natural feel to them. Although I much preferred them when they were free of moss and the like and more of a feature in the garden. Each to their own.

Visited 16.6.13

Directions:
From Brecon take the B4520 north. When you reach Llanderfaelog turn off and follow the signs to Llaneglwys. The enclosure is easily seen on the left of the road roughly midway between Garthbrengy and Llaneglwys.

I called this site Tywn-Y-Gaer (near Llaneglwys) to avoid confusion with the other Tywn-Y-Gaers in Breconshire.

Although Tywn-Y-Gaer could be easily seen from the road there was nowhere obvious to park. So I jumped out while Karen continued down the road to turn around. A quick hop over a barbed wire fence and I was soon at the enclosure – and an impressive site it is too.

This was much more than I was expecting. The earthen banks still stood up to approximately 4m in height and the south western entrance? was also in very good condition.
The site is not large, I could walk all the way around in 5 minutes, but it does occupy a prominent position and affords some wonderful views.
A Trig point sits in the centre of the enclosure.

The weather forecast promised heavy rain but fortunately it was only ‘normal’ rain.
By Brecon Beacon standards this would be classified as light drizzle!

On the way back to the car the barbed wire fence got the better of me resulting in a large hole in my new jeans and a bloodied knee!

COFLEIN states:
‘Bivallate sub-oval enclosure, 70m by 75m, occupying a low knoll. A 50m length of bank and ditch extends to the NE from the causewayed entrance’.

Visited 16.6.13

‘As it’s Father’s Day, where would you like to go today?’ asked Karen.
So here we are, at probably my favourite standing stone, the mighty Maen Llia.

On the way up to the Beacons I have waxed lyrical to Karen about how lovely this part of the Beacons is and much quieter than the busy A470. The drive up through Ystradfellte is gorgeous and even on a wet, murky day like today is well worth a visit.
We had the granddaughter with us and she was happy enough watching the sheep perched on the side of the road as we drove north. Dafydd and Sophie of course are well used to such sights.

‘There it is’ I pointed out to Karen as the stone came into view and we quickly parked up next to the stile.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………………!!!!!!!!!

Someone had sprayed a large ‘smiley face’ in silver on the road facing side of the stone
Who could have done this?
Why would someone have done this?
Let’s be honest, this isn’t the easiest place in the world to drive to.
In fact, you have to go out of your way to get here. There’s not even a farm nearby!

At first Karen thought someone had scarped the ‘face’ using a stone.
I hoped not as that would have left permanent damage.
Luckily (sort of) it was ‘only’ spray paint which I know will eventually wear off.
On the other side of the stone is further sprayed graffiti of someone’s name but this is a lot older and is already starting to wear off.

I reported this crime to CADW and to be fair they E-Mailed me straight back. They said they would pass my report onto their Regional Inspector.
Whether they choose to remove the paint or let nature do the job for them I don’t know? I will keep you informed of any progress.

Despite all this, the stone is magnificent, in a great location and its top covered in dark green moss which adds to its character. The sweeping valley views are wonderful.

This is a ‘must see’ site and well worth the effort required to visit.
Hopefully when you visit the graffiti will have gone and the stone back to looking its best.
Visit if you can – you won’t be disappointed.

If you ever find yourself cruising around the western end of Lake Geneva, why not heave to, and check out the stones at Lutry. Chances are that you’ll be doing your cruising in a motorcar, which for this particular prehistoric site is a real paradox. Before any roads or tracks were used, the way the original builders wanted you to see the site was from the lake, but if it wasn’t for the motorcar, nobody in the present time would have seen the site at all.

The stones, which date from the Middle Neolithic (ca. 4500-4000 BC), were partially destroyed by a flood and buried under a landslide from the river Lutrive which runs into the lake a couple of hundred meters to the west. The site had been undisturbed for millennia until discovered when the area was being developed for a car park. The stones were carefully excavated and re-erected on the present site in 1986. I had a look around but I could not see any indication to mark were their original position within the modern car park, unlike the post holes in the car park at Stonehenge.

There are now twenty three stones, which seem to form two parts. The first part is made up of twelve standing stones forming a straight line running east to west and this section contains the largest stones. The second section comprises smaller stones ranging from eighty to twenty centimetres in height which form a slight curve. As the stones were partially destroyed, there may have been a mirror of this smaller section on the eastern side.

All the stones are very thin making the stelae very slender. They all show signs of being shaped too, their rounded tops may have been formed to symbolize a head. The fourth stone from the east, on the second row has various engravings. The top has chevrons cut into it which have been interpreted as hair, lower down are five rings, interpreted as female breasts elements and finally at the bottom is a male element shaped like a bottle opener. This stone has been reproduced and takes pride of place in a glass case a little further away in the Simplon passage of the main shopping area. These markings could easily be nothing more than graffiti, carved by a bored adolescent long after the site had been abandoned and passed into ruin.

In some ways the Lutry menhirs are typical of a lot of the Swiss megalithic sites, but their discovery and restoration is unique. Where as most ancient sites have been persevered in some form or another by successive generations of farmers or towns people, the megalithic sites of Switzerland were completely abandoned in the mass exodus and scorched earth policy adopted by the Helvetians and their neighbouring tribes in 58 B.C.

Visited 4th June 2013

I spotted this place from the Mor Stein last time we were there, Castle Bloody’s cairn just being visible on the horizon, but was unsure as to what it actually was, and besides the weather on that day was not conducive to a trek across peaty moorland for a visit.

Today I’m approaching from the other direction, having come from Burroughston, back down the B9058, and taking the lane for Frustigarth. Nearing the coast a small green sign handily signposts the path to Castle Bloody. It’s also interesting from this direction just how the Mor Stein stands out across the flat landscape, being continually visible on the horizon as I follow the path, and I’ve no doubt how much of a major landmark it would have been back in the times these sites were constructed.

The path seems to take forever to reach it, making me wonder if the name of the place derived from people wondering when they were going to reach the bloody castle, but on a day like today the walk is pleasant, with the sun beating down, and just the calls of the seabirds wheeling overhead for company, and on the way you pass an interesting sea stack, a bit like a mini man of Shapinsay.

Soon the path leads you through the heart of the moorland, and you sometimes have to pick your way through the clumps of peat, but always the cairn of stones atop the souterrain is beckoning you on. It’s finally a relief when I reach this fascinating place, a gentle breeze from the sea cooling me down. As I walk around the turf covered mound I’m more and more intrigued. Although the OS map calls it a chambered mound, I’ve read it’s a souterrain, but due to the unexcavated nature of the mound no entrances are visible. From the top of the mound though a fine capstone is visible and uncovered, and although the cairn of stones atop the mound is a relatively recent addition given the overall age of the monument, I really liked the way it now seemed to organically fit with the rest, having been mellowed and worn by age, and with a lovely beard of sea moss.

I sit with my back against the marker cairn in the sun as I have a sandwich and write my fieldnotes, and can think of no finer place to be. Then it’s off to the Mor Stein, this time though directly across the heathland, and coming across one of the small cluster of little cairns, mid way between the two sites, on the way.

I had recently found an old guide book on Grime’s Graves, from the 60’s, by the exotically titled R. Rainbird Clarke, which had prompted me to revisit the site.
I haven’t been here for around nearly a decade, and had forgotten the size of the surrounding area of the flint mines. It truly is quite a striking landscape, hidden deep within the forest.
Firstly I wanted to explore the mound, known as Grimshoe at the eastern edge. This mound found apparently much use later during Saxon times, as a meeting place. In fact understanding how the site had been used through the different periods, reinforced how uniquely important the site is.
I hadn’t realised that the ‘Goddess’ figure found in Pit 15, is now widely thought to be a ‘plant’ to support the debated belief that the mines dated back to the Palaeolithic, which is kind of a shame. It’s an intriguing tale, but would be more so if it were authentic.
With the visit being made on a weekday, late in the lovely sunny afternoon, with virtually no one else there, made it well worth the trip.

Visited 4th June 2013

A gloriously sunny day has been forecast, so I thought it might be opportune to have a day on Shapinsey visiting as many sites as I could, so packing sandwiches and a flask I’m ready for the off.

A short walk from the house in Kirkwall and I’m at the pier in time for the 08.15 ferry over to the island. As I sit on deck, the sun is already warm with scarcely a breeze, and as the boat approaches the dock at Balfour village I’m afforded a fine view of the chambered cairn on the unihabited islet of Helliar Holm.

Deciding to head firstly to the broch, as it is the furthest site away from the ferry, and having been stranded before overnight on an island due to forgetting the time in my enthusiasm to see as many megalithic remains as possible, I’m not keen to repeat the mistake!

I love a long walk in to visit a site, not only does it somehow feel more adventurous, but it gives you time to appreciate the landscape, and the monument’s place in it. It helps me to feel more connected with the place, and visualise how things might have looked back in time when the monument was built. It is however a good five miles from Balfour village to the broch, so for anyone more sensible who doesn’t fancy quite such an exertion I’d recommend hiring a bicycle in Kirkwall. Shapinsay is a great place for cycling being mostly flat and virtually traffic free (it’s also a lot cheaper than the extortionate cost for bringing a car over from Mainland).

As I head to the northern part of the island a low sea mist still clings over the ground, not yet having been burnt off by the sun, and the closer I get to the broch the worse visibility becomes. Soon all around me is grey, and the muffled calls of the sea birds lend an eerie atmosphere to the walk as I see not another soul around.

Approaching the broch, which is well signposted from the road, initially all that is visible is a green mound, surrounded by an outer bank and information board. Heading around to the entrance I am confronted by a very fine doorway, with a fantastic lintel. Inside the broch things only get better. What can I say about the place? Compact and bijou with recent renovation, bags of character, with loads of original features, and a great seaside location, perfect for the discerning modern antiquarian.

Seriously though it has a fantastic interior, some highlights including a Skara Brae style dresser, ingenious ground water collecting well (which still works!) and a spy hole in the guardroom to check on visitors outside the front door. I was blown away.

As Wideford mentions in his fieldnotes you can get a good overhead view of the inside from the top. I wasn’t too crazy about the slightly intrusive wooden railings circling the summit, but I suppose nowadays health and safety demands it. Also well done to the idiot(s) who decided to throw the remains of their picnic down into the well (why people with such little respect for these places bother visiting somewhere that takes considerable effort to reach I’ll never know).

After spending a while here the sun finally starts to burn off the low cloud, allowing me to look out to sea and hoping to catch a glimpse of some seals, who often like to beach themselves on the shore by the broch, but alas there are no selkies to be seen today.

If you get the chance do visit, I’ve enjoyed this place more than some of its more impressive/famous nearby neighbours, and for me it’s now Orkney’s top of the brochs.

Correct GPS co-ordinates for Drumanone are
53.97019 N
08.35432 W

Otherwise you will find yourself at the other side of the railway line

The coordinates given are incorrect, it is almost impossible to find as in the middle of a very wooded area, you need to turn right inside the gate and walk about 100m before heading perpendicular to the road

Correct GPS co-ordinates are
53.93443 N
08.51391 W

A highly visible hill located between the Staffordshire Moorlands villages of Calton and Blore to the South-East of Musden Low. Hazelton Hill is a distinctive dome-shaped hill with a clump of woodland upon it’s summit. The hill is rather similar to Waterfall Low in appearance and good views of it can be had from the summit of Musden Low. Hazelton Clump can also clearly be seen from the A523 Leek to Ashbourne road which lies to the South.

A flat-topped barrow in the midst of a plantation on the top of Hazelton Hill was opened by Carrington in 1849. No primary burial was found but three secondaries, all cremations, were found.

One was accompanied by two arrow points of flint which were described as being of inferior quality as they were made from flint and broken pebble.
The second consisted of a few burnt bones placed under a small, inverted, plain cinerary urn.
The third was accompanied by a circular flint implement, some flint flakes and a peice of lead weighing more than 3 1/2 ozs.
Other finds included small pieces of a course urn, numerous pebbles, many large stones and a piece of iron ore. (Source: Bateman, T. “Ten Years Diggings...” 1861 p.140-1)

Although public footpaths run around the base of the hill to the North and South I am not aware of any public access to the site. There is a car park at the picnic site beside the Blore to Ilam road off to the East of Hazelton Hill near to Lady Low.

The site is marked on OS Maps by an earthwork symbol. The hill is marked by the label Hazelton Clump in plain text.

Scheduled Ancient Monument No.=1009441. Scheduled as bowl barrow on Hazelton Hill. N.M.R.=SK 14 NW15, R.S.M. No.=13554.

09/06/2013 – Not much to add to Drew’s notes apart from mentioning that the car park on the B9002 has been locked for a few years now. There is still just space for a couple of cars at the gate. Another option could be to park at Wantonwells RSC on the road south of B9002. After visiting the stone circle a short walk north leads to the track heading west to Hill of Christ’s Kirk. Not much to see of the hillfort on top but the view is nice. Better forts in the area like Dunnideer.

The smallest surviving hillfort in Staffordshire, Bishop’s Wood is an Iron Age Univallate Promontory Hillfort located within that portion of the smaller, more northerly of the two coniferous plantations called Bishop’s Wood that lies within the parish of Eccleshall, Stafford District. In fact the District and Parish boundary with Loggerheads Parish, Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme runs along the western limits of the site.

The hillfort measures approximately 80m North to South, 50m East to West enclosing an area of roughly 0.2 hectares and sits at the South-Western end of a promontory. Close-set double ditches cut off the neck of the promontory and the inner ditch continues around the crest of the hill. A double bank and ditch facing North-East may mark the original entrance – though the modern roadway passes through the gap in the earthworks now. The defences continue for a short distance to the North as a scarped natural slope. A discontinuous outer line of defences has been added to strengthen where the natural topography is weakest. At the South-West a short stretch of ditch and bank defends the approach up the southern slopes of the promontory.

The site is not known to have been excavated but was surveyed by R.C.H.M.E. in 1988 as part of the Staffordshire Hillforts Project. A.H.A. Hogg lists this site as “Eccleshall Hillfort” in his Index of British Hillforts.

I have to say that despite there being public footpaths running through the wood this was not the easiest place to visit. The road leading to Bishop’s Wood meets the B5026 Loggerheads to Eccleshall road near to Hookgate. (Look for a small sign on the opposite side of the B5026 pointing to the lane that reads “Fairoak Holiday Cottages – 1 mile”). There is a small cluster of houses and a farm at the head of the lane and this may be a public highway, however a short distance further on a sign states that the lane is a private road and no vehicular access is permitted without prior permission. The B5026 is a narrow but busy main road and not an ideal place to try and park and the lanes in the vicinity are very narrow. I can only suggest that you do what we did and park in Loggerheads and walk down to the site.

Follow the lane right the way down until you pass “Burntwood” Severn Trent Water station on the right. On the bend in the road just beyond that facilty there is a small metal gate with a spring-loaded catch that marks the start of the public footpath – ignore the direction the footpath fingerpost is pointing (it appears to have been knocked out of position and is now pointing straight at a tree trunk!) and instead follow the access track that winds through the woods. The track curves it’s way around the base of the promontory that the hillfort sits upon. The whole site is aforested but ditches and banks are visible in parts.

Bishop’s Wood Hillfort does not appear to be Scheduled.