Latest Fieldnotes

The parish church for the parish of Loggerheads (The church of St. John the Baptist) is not located in Loggerheads itself but in the village of Ashley to the East.

The Auctioneers Mound is an earthen mound scheduled as a round barrow situated in the field adjoining the church. The site is easy to find as it is located immediaetly to the rear of the house to the North of the church (directly opposite the village pub). On the far side of that house a track leads a very short distance down to a field gate, on the right-hand side of which is a stile labelled “Path to Podmore and Maer”. Climb over the stile and the barrow is on your right in the next field on the other side of the barbed-wire fence.

The earthen mound is 1.8m high and 20m in diameter and has a flattened top 9m in diameter. An infilled ditch approx. 3m wide surrounds the barrow. In 1958 it was noted that an annual church service was held on the mound on Plough Sunday – but this tradition had apparently ceased by 1974. Presumably the name of the site comes from the idea of the Auctioneer standing atop the mound while conducting a sale of livestock giving them a panoramic view of both the stock and the bidders below.

The Auctioneers Mound is not shown on OS Landranger map 127. On OS Explorer map 243 the site is marked by an earthwork symbol and the label ‘Mound’ in plain text. The mound is not known to have been excavated and it has been suggested that it could be a Bronze Age Bowl Barrow, the motte of a timber castle or a burial mound covering medieval plague victims. It’s location next to the church would not be unusual for any of these explanations.

Site Visited = 02/06/13

Scheduled Ancient Monument No.=1011065. Scheduled as Auctioneers Mound; a bowl barrow 70m NE of St. John the Baptist’s Church. N.M.R.=SJ 73 NE11, R.S.M. No.=21530

Every now and again the dedicated Citizen Cairn’d may – if he/she is lucky, that is – come across a monument that utterly confounds any preconceptions that may have been entertained beforehand. This is such a case and, suffice to say, mine are blown asunder. How could this Orkney-Cromarty chambered cairn have not graced this web-site years ago?

Whatever. I’m here in the North-West Highlands as a sort of tribute to the exquisitely sardonic Greywether, making an attempt to visit as many of the myriad chambered cairns shown on my old 1:50k OS Sheet 15 as I can during the two days I’ve allocated myself here... to build upon the legacy in my own way. Following a sojourn at the badly damaged, yet still vibey chambered cairn sited magnificently upon the shore of Loch Borralan – under the ever watchful gaze of the peerless profile of Suilven – I guess I’m pretty chuffed, to be fair. Ready for bed, even if my nightly abode is the back of the new(ish) Focus estate replacing the much lamented Rover. However the aforementioned map depicts another chambered cairn located upon the steep hillside rising above and to the right of the house looming behind. Guess I’ll take a quick look whilst I’m here.

The ground is churned to oblivion, I assume by the local bovines.... probably not much left, then? Er, there is.... Girdled by an electric fence stands a rather high, rather scruffy grassy/stony mound. I clamber up and stand, gobsmacked, looking down into a polygonal chamber seeming lacking only roof. Sure, the passageway is blocked with a chaotic jumble of large stones, but.... hey, I do declare what we have here is more or less the equivalent of Skye’s wondrous Rubh an Dunain. Only without the 8 mile walk. I descend within the chamber, collapse in an overwhelmed heap and savour the moment, the atmosphere so thick with the metaphysical suggestions of millennia past that it would require the allegorical chainsaw rather than the proverbial knife to make any impact. Impressive orthostats form the chamber flanks, drystone walling filling in the gaps, and the springings of a corbelled roof stand where they ought to be, if I’m not very much mistaken. I assume the chamber has been consolidated at some point since traces of that matting material are evident between the stonework. If so, nice work.

I could stay for hours but unfortunately this can only be a relatively short visit... it is nearing 9.00. I poke my head above the chamber wall and note the fisherman I spied standing within the calm waters of the loch earlier returning to shore. Guess I need to do likewise and duly return back down to earth.

Visited 4th June 2013

On my epic trek around Shapinsay I notice a site enigmatically labelled a ‘mound’ on the OS map. With the sun beating down, and hardly a breeze in the air, I really can’t pass up the chance to visit such a nearby site.

The mound is visible from the road, in a field just behind the house of Bonnyhill. An open gate into a pasture field of long grass allows me tramp up the low rise toward the mound. An Oystercatcher is perched atop the low boulder which is visible on the crown of the mound, but soon takes flight and angrily wheels overhead pipping at me for disturbing his perch.

Canmore describes the site as a circular mound, mostly composed of earth, and likely a burial mound, as the situation is a good one for a barrow, although there is no record of anything having been found there. The cairn material is believed to be more modern. It does feel like it should be a cairn, sited on a prominent raised area, and with stunning views out over the bay, but something here just feels a little mysterious.

Worth a visit if you are passing, especially when the fine weather lets you appreciate the views from the mound, and to ponder what this place once was.

Visited: April 5, 1990

This broch, Dùn Ard an t-Sabhail, which has a superb outlook towards the Skye Cuillin, was visited almost by accident at the conclusion of a circular walk from Fiscavaig to Talisker Bay and back. We followed the coast to Talisker Bay then elected to return by the overland short-cut.
On the way, we noted from the map that this broch lay close to our path, so we made a short diversion to investigate. Though ruinous, considerable remnants endure to be interesting—and the views, particularly in the direction of the Cuillin, were simply superb.

More details are available from Canmore.

That was over 20 years ago and, sad to say, I haven’t been back since. I’ll try to get some more definitive photos of the broch on my next visit to Skye in September.

On my must visit list, too late to make it this time, may take up to 90 minutes to climb the mountain, when weather is good its possible to see Loop head in Co. Clare from the fort

Ha! I made it back almost exactly one year on from my previous unsuccessful attempt to find this wondrous solar alignment, sited upon the shore of the equally exquisite, prosaically named Loch Fyne. It is not what I expected, but nonetheless I am enthralled. And that’s a fact.

For a start the two stones forming the alignment are small little things, the inner set within a ‘notch’ or cleft in the rock outcrop chosen by the ancients (whether this is naturally occurring or specially worked for the task I can not say), the outer standing proud above lochside and apparently acting as the ‘sighting stone’, at least according to the fading information panels. Behind the stones stand a series of ‘viewing points’ set at progressively further distances from the uprights. These are comprised of stony platforms, a split boulder (or maybe two close set boulders in parallel) and, lastly, an upper platform now buried within fallen trees. I clamber upon one such tree in an attempt to approximate the view from the latter.... but then realise I’ll probably break my neck if I don’t get down pretty sharpish. The boulder position is better – not to mention safer – offerings of quartzite pebbles indicative that other Heads are well aware of the vibe of this special place.

Yeah, the vibe is incredible, the bluebells dazzling, birds noisy.... the sun throwing shadows around the woodland clearing. I need more time than I have... but I’m so glad I came back. OK, Stonehenge may be the show site when it comes to solar alignments – and much else besides, of course – but this diminutive little alignment is, in my opinion, just as much as real a deal. Much more to Gladman tastes, to be honest.

To get here take the Minard Castle driveway from the A83 and park at the entrance to the first forestry track on the left (ignore that to the right). Follow the track and, forking right, descend to a deer fence, noting the Trafalgar Wood standing stone/alignment within. Follow the fence to the right and entering a gate, trend diagonally left down through the woods to emerge lochside via another gate. Turn left, move around the corner.... and there you are.

Some things are worth coming back for, don’t you know? What a wonderfully moving place.

Visited the site today, right next to the road so easy to visit. Banks quite worn but still visible. Lovely views all round. So well worth a visit if your in the area.

Visited: May 26, 2013

This site is not the easiest to reach, entailing a walk of several miles, either over moorland from Kilchrist Church (Cill Chriosd), or by coastal path from Camas Malag via Suishnish. But on a fine day, both walks are enthralling, through scenery to die for.

Dùn Boreraig was an ancient promontory fort located near the deserted village of Boreraig on the north shore of Loch Eishort. The situation of the dùn is tremendous, accessed by a narrow neck of land, and otherwise guarded by sheer cliffs on all sides.

There is very little to see of the original fort, from which it is assumed all the stonework had been robbed in ancient times, possibly to construct the dykes and longhouses of the village of Boreraig, sadly, in its turn, largely destroyed during the Clearances. From the south, all that remains to be seen is a shallow saucer of land, completely overgrown by grass. From the landward side, a grass-covered rampart guards the area. But the outlook from here, particularly towards the sea cliffs in the west and the island of Rum make the visit so worthwhile.

There is more information about this site at Canmore.

Note: This site is not to be confused with the other Dun Boreraig, a broch on the northwest coast of Loch Dunvegan in Duirinish to the north of Skye.

It was a very beautiful day at the end of May, about four in the afternoon, Eric and his best mate Luke stoically riding their bikes in front of me and my two Jack Russells taking me for a walk. It had been a long drive, getting away from home late, but we were here now, and it was good.
About a hundred yards up the path to the hill fort is Ffynnon Gybi, Saint Cybi’s well, it is a place of extreme beauty. The spring first empties into a square pool behind the main building, channeled in under the wall into the main chamber. This chamber is the oldest part, (no date)it is angled inwards all around suggesting a sort of beehive hut shape. The later building attached to it is Victorian. The path carries on behind the Well and up through thickly bluebelled woods, the air thick with birdsong and myriad flying insects. The path sadly ejects one from this earthly paradise and up into the next one. In front the fort stands out well on its hill top, in the first field is a long rectangular cairn, is it a cairn ? field clearance or something to do with the nearby fort.

At the top the fort is very impressive, high banks and deep ditches,obvious entrances and all that stone from the later walls. But the view from the top is a belter. The view north and east are the best , because it contains lots of big lovely mountains. Eric’s mate Luke said it was the first time he’d seen the sea, and that this was only his second time out of England and the furthest from home he’d ever been. Poor child, we’ll go the beach in a month or two.
With in the fort is a strange little hut circle affair, for people no bigger than a few inches, what exactly it is I haven’t a clue, something modern ? a Fullact fiadh, don’t know.
We sat up here for ages, talking about the kind of things that one does in these high places, Alien invasions, Volcanic eruptions, immortality, over population, and of course where and when are we having Tea.
Usually, having to leave such a well proportioned vantage point as this would make me a bit annoyed for not having longer to linger, but those bluebelled woods in early evening light back down the hill and the slow trickle of water at the well are a welcome addition to the walk/pulled run back to the car.

Visited 31.5.13

Directions:
From Chippenham take the busy A4 west and then the first right. At the crossroads go right again and stop where the overhead power cables are. The Well is in the field to your left (east) near the trees where the pylon is.

Parking was difficult so Karen pulled in near Stowell Farm whilst I walked back down the road. Access to the overgrown meadow where the well is was via an old rusty field gate.

The sun was shining and felt warm on my back. The field appeared to have been left fallow and was a sea of buttercups, nettles and waist high grass. There were lots of butterflies to be seen. As well as the usual white ones there were many brown/red butterflies and one I had never seen before. It was white with bright orange tips on its wings – very pretty. I also saw two rabbits and disturbed two birds of prey, one of which hovered overhead – beautiful sight.

Despite the recent fine weather the ground near the stream running through the field was very boggy. Wellies would be required during wet weather.
I followed the stream up to where I expected the Well to be but I couldn’t find it.
The area where I think the Well is (near the pylon) was totally overgrown with nettles waist high. There was no way through that lot – particularly in shorts!

Although I was disappointed not to find the Well it was such a pretty walk in very tranquil surroundings (despite the pylon / cables) that I couldn’t be too disappointed.

Visited 31.5.13

After spending an enjoyable couple of hours in Chippenham, it was time to head home, but not of course without first visiting a couple of sites!

After negotiating the maze of lanes we parked in a small layby opposite a house called Pinewood. The sign stated ‘Road ahead closed’ although I suspect this was just a ploy to keep the ‘riff raff’ from driving up the road which gives access to several very posh houses. Perhaps it would be more accurate if the sign said ‘No through road’?

Anyway, the sun was shining and I fancied a walk and a time on my own to clear my head (the children had been playing up but were now asleep).

There are several paths leading from the road, up through the trees; towards the edge of the golf course.

I followed the edge of trees keeping a sharp eye out for low flying golf balls. I passed a couple of people playing who seemed friendly enough.

Before long I spotted (barely) the southern of the two Barrows marked on my O/S map. It is only about 6 inches high by about 3 foot wide. A well manicured grass ‘bump’ along the edge of the fairway right next to the trees.
If you wasn’t looking for it specifically you wouldn’t have know it was there.
It is close to three upright ‘standing stones’ which look like fingers, placed in the middle of the fairway as some sort of obstacle I guess?

I continued my walk north keeping close to the edge of the trees. I eventually ended up at the end of the hill top (and the golf course) at hole 13. This proved to be unlucky for me as I couldn’t find the second Barrow!
It has either now been ‘lost’ to the golf course or is hidden amongst the nettles/undergrowth of the surrounding scrub. If the Barrow is the same size as the first one I had seen this could easily have been the case. I did spot one sizable stone sticking out of the ground but this seemed to be natural?

Amid the nettles was a bench which gave wonderful views across the valley below. I sat a while, in the summer sunshine and though that this was a good place to be and was worth the walk for the view alone. I eventually made my way back to the car but this time chose the ‘safer’ route back through the trees and along the ‘closed road’.
Again, there were great views to be had and some of the posh houses I passed were gorgeous.

In summery, a lovely stroll in the afternoon sunshine and saw some great views.
In terms of ‘old stones’ nothing to make a visit worthwhile.
Unless, you fancy a game of golf of course!

Visited: May 26, 2013

From NG 551 177 on the Torrin-Elgol road, shortly before reaching Kirkibost, a path leads off through a gate to the left (south) into the woodland that embraces the ruins of Kilmarie Stone Circle. There is sufficient space to park a car without blocking the gate.

Follow the path, which heads southeast, through a gate then across a high embankment (below which a stream flows through a culvert) till it divides after about 400 metres. Take the right-hand path, and the site of the stone circle is about 20 metres farther, on the right-hand side.

The site is clear of trees but rank shrubs and vegetation make it difficult to view. There are several large stones as well as a nice pair of small upright stones to the north of the site. No actual circle can be discerned now as everything has been much disturbed.

Canmore suggests that the site may in fact have been a hut circle.

A bonus is to be had if you follow the path almost to the coast then branch left when you exit the woodland above the foreshore. A walk of a kilometre or so brings you to the rather splendid Dun Ringill.

Visited: May 25, 2013

The remains of Clachan of Kirkton Stone Circle, sometimes referred to as Lochalsh Stone Circle, lie on the slopes of Angel’s Hill at Kirkton, a community close to Auchtertyre on the A 87.

The hillside was covered in flattened bracken and short grass when I visited, raising the hope that any large stones from this circle would be easy to spot.

But stones of any description were hard to find and it took me some time, carefully quartering the ground, to find what I was looking for.
All that seems now to remain of this circle are two bulky, prostrate stones, buried to a considerable depth in the ground. Both are approximately 2 metres in length, with about half a metre standing proud of the earth. It seems likely that much more lies below ground. The two stones lie almost on a north/south line, the southern one being slightly the larger. The northern stone is largely obscured by the surrounding gorse bushes and bracken.

More information is available at Canmore.

An insight into the history of both Angel’s Hill and the Stone Circle is posted on the Lochalsh Parish Church Blogspot.

Visited May 26, 2013

With the exception of the magnificent Na Clachan Bhreige, stone circles on the Isle of Skye don’t reveal themselves at all easily. This one, at Boreraig, requires an initial three mile walk-in over an admittedly good path, starting from Kilchrist Churchyard on the Broadford-Torrin road. Boreraig was once a thriving community, but was destroyed during the Clearances: only the roofless ruins of homesteads remain.

Looking uphill from the shore at Boreraig, a number of stone dykes can be seen dropping down towards the coast, a standing stone prominent in the foreground. Boreraig Stone Circle lies less than 100 metres uphill from this stone, between the two farthest east (i.e. right hand) dykes, and slightly nearer the left hand one.

But you may well have a lengthy search to locate it because the circle is well hidden. None of the stones remains standing and several are completely concealed under thick coatings of moss and lichen. Indeed, it was only by persistent prodding with a walking pole that I realised that some of what appeared to be mossy mounds were, in fact, large prostrate stones.

Boreraig is an eerie place with ruined buildings scattered across the hillside. It is highly atmospheric, and well worth the effort of a visit for the coastal scenery and the nearby Promontory Fort of Dun Boreraig.

Visited September 5, 2012

Hunebed D9 Annen is actually only half a hunebed. Even when first recorded as long ago as the early 1700s, this passage grave had already lost its western half to stone robbers. Only the eastern section consisting of two pairs of sidestones with their capstones remains.

Unusually, this hunebed stands in a built-up area, on Zuidlaarderweg in the northeast of Annen. Bus line 51 from Assen to Groningen passes through Annen and stops just across the road from this hunebed: the name of the bus stop is, helpfully, Hunebed. If you are traveling with this bus, just keep checking the video display until the bus reaches this stop.

The hunebed was excavated in 1952 when over a hundred pieces of pottery dating from the Funnel Beaker Culture of five thousand years ago were unearthed. When this investigation was completed, concrete markers were placed flush with the ground to indicate the positions of the missing stones.

Reference: Dolmens in the Netherlands by Hans Meijer.

Harristown has changed a bit since I was last here, 5 and a half years ago. New restrictive barbed wire was in place blocking access, and the sign with the phone number urging you to call and ask for permission to visit the site was gone. We were in Waterford city for a short while and had some spare time so I thought I’d show an enthusiastic friend one of Ireland’s little gems. Arriving and finding the new disposition didn’t put us off and soon we were kicking back, basking in the sunshine and pondering our ancestral past.
Last time I was here much of the views were blocked by late morning mist. Not today – the tomb builders certainly picked their spot, slightly back from the end of a north-south ridge, views to the distance for almost 300 degrees. And I’d say equal that onto the tomb from all around. We thought from up here of the families that were involved in the construction of this bronze age passage grave – the landscape much changed now, bungalows and farms dotted around, working the same land that sustained the tomb-builders.
Harristwon is one of three undifferentiated passage graves in Waterford that are said to owe more to Cornish entrance graves than to Irish passage graves. Trade between there and here is not difficult to imagine and the passing on of construction ideas maybe from Brittany to Cornwall to Waterford is not a leap to far.
simond’s aerial shot of the tomb describes it better than any words ever could – however, note the 2 passage roofstones between the passage and the kerb at the top (actually the west ‘side’ of the tomb). Coming across the remains of graves like this I often wonder at the haphazard form the denudation/destruction takes. Why those particular stones and not the 2 left in situ?
As we took all of this in, somebody arrived in a 4-by-4 and went about his business at the enclosed masts and aerials at the other end of the ridge. This turned out to be the land-owner, who was not a little pissed off that we were on his land. It seems that Harristown is a popular spot and that some visitors are wont to bring wire-cutters to gain access. This explains all the new, unwelcoming security features. He told us that plans and work are in train to allow access to the site, with fenced-in walkways and an enclosed, ‘sterile’ space around the tomb. I guess this is progress, but I couldn’t help being glad that we’d got here before all that kicks in.

This was a ‘wonderful surprise’. Again, I have Margaret Curtis to thank for pointing it out. It was a very windy, chilly, bright day and I took a few minutes for myself to run and look at this stone. Some ancient sites induce a sensation of euphoria, this was definitely one of them – the wind, the rolling clouds and the blue sea in front of me gave me a momentary feeling of flying. What more can I say.

Photographed the information board and have reproduced the text below:

“In this field today stands a solitary standing stone almost 2 metres high, overlooking the Sound of Taransay. It has remained in this position for up to 5,000 years since the Neolithic period or Early Bronze Age. Across the Sound, another standing stone is set above the shore on the island of Taransay, and a third, Clach MhicLeoid, is on Aird Nisabost to the north-east. Over the years local legends have gathered around the stone. In one, a giantess was gathering limpets on the shore and, striking a stone with her hammer, it flew off in three pieces, which landed at each of the three sites.
The Scarista bardess Seonag NicSuain wrote a ‘Song of Steineagaidh Stone’
‘Some say in the village
(though unproven so far)
‘Tis a headstone of a chieftain
From Fingalian’s war.

Should arms and battle
Stir up, as of yore,
Won’t he have to struggle
From ‘neath Steineagaidh Stone

Each man will retire
In peace to sleep in pastures
But over Finlay’s land
The big stone will be watching’

When the stone was first raised, however, it was part of a complex prehistoric ritual site. In front of the stone stood a large circle of 12 or 13 atones more than 40 metres in diameter, indicated now by several fallen stones or the stony sockets in which they had stood. Behind the stone is also a large circular mound which, if contemporary with the circle, may be the remains of a burial cairn. Geophysical survey has shown that around all of this was a ditch, either man-made or natural, that defined the edges of the monument.

The scale and complexity of the original site, and its proximity to other standing stones, suggest that this was the this was the focus for prehistoric religious activity in Harris, as Calanais was for Lewis.

The field wall is said to have been built from the demolished houses of the Scarista tenants who were cleared from the area in the 19th century.”

I have Margaret Curtis to thank for pointing this one out. She joined me and Friend for our trip down to west Harris one windy but bright day a couple of days after we spent an afternoon with her at Callanish.

A burial chamber in someone’s garden near to Horgabost beach on Harris. Thrilling to see as no way would we have spotted it without Margaret’s knowledge and generosity in sharing it.

Our first full day on Lewis, we walked from where we were staying on Great Bernera to the Bostadh Iron Age House. The sun decided to shine and walking down into the white sandy cove was a joy. The Iron Age House was closed as it was Sunday but normally open between noon and 4.00pm.
On the walk back saw a golden eagle, it sat and watched our progress from a high ridge ... my first, one and only, sighting of an eagle in the wild.

Visited 17/5/13
I can’t add very much more to the excellent fieldnotes written by tsc. So this is really just to say I completely agree this is a wonderful site, unlike anywhere I’ve visited before. Had just arrived in Inverness. Friend collected hire car and we headed out in the direction of the historic site of the Battle of Culloden to make our only visit to a prehistoric site on mainland Scotland before starting the journey to Ullapool and Lewis. I was conscious that Callanish/Lewis might diminish my impressions of this visit – no chance.

There are at least four detailed information boards at the site which tell you all you need know plus identify the positions of the various cup marks which appear on some of the stones. The information boards suggest that some are linked to solar alignments.

The site mainly consists of two passage tombs (cairns) with one circular, flatter construction with no entrance which is central to both of the passage tombs – possibly used for cremation. Each of the cairns stand inside quite splendid stone circles. There are other notable features to the site – a solitary outlier in a field as you approach the site (private property) and a collection of large boulder stones just by the entrance.

I did take photographs but had to purchase a new laptop just before I went away and am still trying to fathom out the photo editing function on Windows 8 – so photos may not appear for a while.

A fold in my map had hidden this large barrow from me for years, but, the Portal awakened me to it’s presence. Last nights Springwatch inspired an early morning wander round Delamere forest, in which we saw no remarkable wildlife. To compensate for no Badgers, Foxes or Deer we also went to Eddisbury Hill fort and this barrow.
It is situated on Private land on a hill top in a fenced off copse, needless to say there was no keep out signs so I helped my self (I would’ve anyway).
Though the barrow is presumably somewhat flattened and spread out, it is still about two meters high and at least twenty to thirty meters across. Some very mature trees are growing on and around the barrow, a smattering of Bluebells and copious birdsong made this a fine barrow to get to.

Visited 27.5.13

Spotted this Cairn just south of the stone tower whilst walking to the Nine Ladies.

Not a lot to see other than a large heather shrouded mound.

I would say it was approximately 1.5m high x 20m across.

Cairn is shown on the O/S map

Visited 27.5.13

We parked on the small lane to the south of Stanton Moor and myself and Dafydd headed onto the moor whilst Karen stayed in the car with Sophie.

There are several ‘paths’ criss-crossing the moor and they all see to end up at the stone circle eventually. We took the path which led past the Gorse stone and tower.

Upon arriving at the circle we were met with several families who were obviously taking advantage of the (for a change) nice Bank Holiday weather. The sun was shining through the trees and all was well with the world.

There is ‘something’ about a stone circle in a woodland setting who always makes a visit a pleasure – this was no exception.
The stones were a little larger than I was expecting and it was nice to report that despite the obvious number of people who visit the circle there was no sign of litter / fires / damage etc. (Are you reading people of South Wales!)

I was surprised to find there are actually 10 stones here – a large stone lying flat on the ground. Perhaps one of the dancing maidens was drunk!

Have you noticed that when visiting a stone circle most people (myself included) tend to walk around the entire outside first before entering the inside? I wonder what that tells us about the human psyche. This is too deep for me to ponder!

The Kings Stone was easy to spot but has suffered more than the circle stones.
Still, at least it is still with us and hasn’t been destroyed or knocked down.

This is a great place to visit, particularly if you were able to get time here alone.
A place I would like to visit again if I am ever back in the area and given how picturesque the Peak District is, I am sure I will be.

Another English Heritage site ticked off the list – nearly half done now!

Visited 27.5.13

This is a fab stone hiding amongst the trees and was my favourite of the natural stones I visited on Stanton Moor.

I don’t know why but I have always been attracted to these types of rock outcrops and I love clambering over them.

Dafydd contented himself picking ferns while I climbed to the top.
Dafydd was most impressed – so was I.

I just love these types of site.
Probably why I like Cornwall so much!

Visited 27.5.13

On the way to the Nine Ladies stone circle the path Dafydd and myself took went right past the Gorse Stone.

Two large rocks sat on top of each other on a large rock outcrop.
The rocks stand approximately 2m high.

Unlike the Cork Stone this was easy enough to stand on top of and we both enjoyed the great views.