Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 8.9.12

My last CADW site of the day – and what a productive day it has been!
There are so many prehistoric sites to visit in this corner of Anglesey it is like ‘old stone’ heaven!

We parked on the verge and Karen stayed in the car while myself and Sophie wandered over to have a look at the Dolmen.

Judging by the way the ground has been churned up around the fencing it is a good job it is there. Clearly the cows would have used the Dolmen for rubbing up against otherwise!

I hopped over the fence for a close up view.
Sophie giggled and ran inside the Dolmen.
There are 5 standing stones although only 3 of them are actually holding the capstone up.
There was lots of ‘hairy’ lichen covering the stones.

This is a cracking Dolmen – possibly the best on Anglesey.
There are great views over to Snowdonia.
All in all a ‘must see’ site.

Visited 8.9.12

I decided to walk across the fields from Bryn-Gwyn stone circle to the Henge as it is only a short walk and it was a nice sunny day. While crossing the farm drive I met the farmer who was busy cutting his grass. I smiled and waved and carried on my way.

All was well until I reached the stile which gives access to the field in which the Henge stands. Between me and the stile was a herd of cows who (for some reason) insisted on standing in front of the stile! Undeterred (after all this is a CADW site) I pushed my way between the cows that stubbornly refused to budge. I was soon over the stile and away from my bovine friends.

The Henge itself is pretty well preserved with the bank still about 1.5m high in places.
Pity about the house virtually in the middle of the Henge!

It’s not too often you get to visit a Henge and this is a good one.

Nice views over to Snowdonia.

Visited 8.9.12

We parked at the former entrance to the now derelict farmhouse and it was an easy enough matter to walk across the field to these two huge standing stones.
Although the stones are not visible from the road you can’t help but see them if you follow the hedge – either side will do.

One stone is approx 4m high x 2m across (thin) while the other is 3m high x 2m across x 1m deep. Both stones are covered in ‘hairy’ lichen

I also spotted a large stone in the hedge which has been used as a gate post.
I don’t know if this stone is part of the stone circle or not?

I found it impossible to imagine these stones as part of a stone circle.

There are great views to be had over to Snowdonia in the distance.

Well worth a visit when in the area.

It would be a slight travesty if you were at the stone circle and didn’t come here, its only two hundred meters distant. Care should be taken whilst climbing over the wall, but climb it you must. Another oddly placed cairn, right below a long hill side, if your not the wall climbing type, peering over the wall and down the hill may suffice, not for us though.

It is a nice little grass covered mound, resembling an upturned human bottom, it’s shapely, so it’s hopefully female. A large wooden post sticks out of it’s side and the ministry of ancient monuments sign has fallen off, I reunited them a bit.
The mound is five to six feet high, and a cleft has been dug into it, I half expected it to have a chamber within like an Orkadian fairy mound, but its only a featureless cairn. Yet still worth a visit, a whole day could be spent on Oddendale moor, upon our return I discover that not only did we not see the long cairn not far from here but also another stone circle. Oh well, another time.

Visited 8.9.12

Another CADW site – I am certainly knocking them off the list today!

Just up the road from Castell Bryn-Gwyn and well sign posted with a parking area.

Nearly all of the sites I visited on Anglesey I had to myself.
Bizarrely enough this one had a coach load of German tourists!
I assume the coach driver stopped here because of the large parking area and ease of access? There is a kissing gate and information board.

Despite the recent dry weather the ditches surrounding the site were still very boggy and you were guaranteed wet feet when crossing over.

This is a strange site – something out of the norm – which makes it a good one to visit
The banks still stand to a height of approx 1 metre in places.
The single stone block is easy to spot.

Visited 8.9.12

Directions:
Next to the A4080, north of Brynsiencyn, in dense woodland.

We parked at the top of the drive leading to the house opposite the woods.
I jumped over the small stone wall running alongside the road and tried to battle my way through the undergrowth to get a look at what was left of this site.
Unfortunately it was too difficult to progress very far and the woods are so overgrown that I couldn’t make anything out.
Perhaps I should have worn an Indiana Jones hat and carried a machete?

COFLEIN states:
‘A hillfort defined by 3 or more banks representing tumbled stone walls. It occupies the summit of a north-east ridge. The ruined walls enclose an area some 80m x 36m. There is a single entrance in the long south-eastern façade. The A4080 running along the summit of the cliff line has obscured part of the fort’.

White Hag would be our last port of call for the day, but like Gladman says it’s off the edge of the map, and neither me nor Alken has the appropriate one. We start the walk south from Seal Howe cairn, going on nothing but the memory of the lie of the land gleaned from staring at the map and Google earth. We could see Wicker street cairn from a distance, I knew it wasn’t far from there so we went over, from here I knew only that the stone circle was in the grass not far from a wall and a thunder stone. Luckily today was my lucky day and we spotted the stones up the hill in the grass not far from a wall and a thunder stone. I have no sense of smell, but I can feel the pull of a stone circle a mile away.

Eleven stones make up this misshapen but attractive ring, plus an outlier five to ten meters south east. All the stones are lying flat amongst the tussocky grass, just like Oddendale, they would have been I presume more upright in the past, wouldn’t they ? Would it, like Oddendale have been a concentric stone circle, it might explain those outlying stones mentioned by Fitzcoraldo.
The views are terrific, especially over towards the sun drenched hills to the south, no view north as the stones are on a hill side.
Just over the wall to the east is the nice little round cairn of the same name, the two are so close that they must be seen together.

Visited 8.9.12

This is obviously one of those ‘must see’ Anglesey sites.

I went to the Wayside Stores to ask for the key but was told it was now ‘escorted visits’ only.
The lady in the shop (who initially didn’t seem very interested) ‘phoned someone who said there was a group form Glasgow University being shown around the site at 2.00pm and could I join that group?
No problem said I and headed straight to the famous Chambered Cairn – where I was told to meet the party.

I arrived at the Cairn at 1.45pm – it is about a 10 minute walk from the large beach car park. Sophie was asleep so Karen stayed with her in the car whilst I took a wander along the headland. It was a sunny but windy day and I was surprised to see so many brave souls enjoying a ‘refreshing’ dip!

Whilst waiting for my ‘guide’ to arrive I first visited the nearby Round Cairn and then read the information boards. The outer door was open which gave access into the passageway but the inner door was padlocked. I was able to peer into the chamber but could not make out any of the carvings on the stones. No bother thought I, I will have a good look when my ‘guide’ arrives with the University group. It was now 2.00pm.

I looked back along the headland, expecting to see a gaggle of people but saw no one.
I sat down on the Cairn and admired the coastal views and seabirds.

2.15pm – two people turned up and despite my initial excitement soon became obvious they were ‘normal’ visitors who were also disappointed to find the door locked. ‘Don’t worry’ said I, someone with a key will be along soon! (How wrong I was)

2.30pm – still no sign – the couple who were waiting with me decided to give up and head back towards the beach.

2.45pm – I walked back along the headland forlornly hoping to see my ‘guide’ and his ‘posse’.

3.00pm – I gave up and headed back to the car. After all there is only so long you can expect people sat in a car to wait for you. Although this is not a direct fault of CADW it certainly doesn’t show them in a good light. I hope that when/if he ever did eventually show up they all had a nice time. No doubt it would have been a better experience than the one I did.

Hopefully those TMAers visiting will have more luck?

Not happy.

Visited 8.9.12

This Cairn is so close to Barclodiad-y-Gawres it just has to be visited.
It can be found a little to the north of its more famous neighbour.

On top of the grass covered mound I could see the tops of 5 of the cist stones peeping out of the grass. Some of the stones were covered in that ‘hairy’ lichen I had seen so much of when visiting the Scottish Islands.

Obviously good coastal views to be had.
Well worth a look when visiting the Chambered Cairn.

Visited 8.9.12

A CADW prehistoric site – one of many on Anglesey.

Although this site is signposted it is not easy to park but this is a quiet road and we squeezed in on the grass verge.

The Dolmen itself is visible from the road but a short walk (via a stone stile) will bring you up close and personal.
(There is a large stone next to the stile – I wonder if this has anything to do with the Dolmen?)

I noticed around the tomb a series of small concrete stumps.
Are the stumps there to protect the site from farming or to show the original outline of the Dolmen?

The capstone is very large with lichen growing on one side.
As reported it is held up by 3 original standing stones and 2 brick pillars.
The capstone seemed to me to be pointing towards Snowdonia.

There are good views to be had.
This is a good place to visit.

Visited 8.9.12

No more than a rough, grass covered mound – don’t bother

COFLEIN states:
‘A prehistoric round barrow north of Graiglass occupying a hill crest location. The mound is about 9m in diameter and 1m high. Its eastern side is mutilated’.

Visited 8.9.12

No more than a low grass ‘bump’ in a field – don’t bother.

COFLEIN states:
‘A mutilated BA funerary mound excavated in 1909. The barrow is 38m x 31m and rises to about 1m in height. In 1909 it was generally circular and rose up to 2.8m in height’.

Thanks to the wooden post still sticking out of the cairns side, we could see the cairn on the horizon as we walked south down the main footpath. We were actually looking for White Hag stone circle, I thought maybe we could try and see Wicker street on the way back, but as we blundered about mapless going on memory of maps alone, we were somehow brought back to this cairn.
A slight dimple in the middle, long wavy grass, and an arrow in it’s side, it could have been a young John Wayne. But its not, its a cairn, and with darn good views, and a smattering of often crumbly limestone pavement. I forgot totally about the hut circle just meters down the hill. I’ve looked on Google earth and its got a distinctly rectangular shape to it, is it definitely a hut circle ?

Seal Howe may be in Cumbria, but it’s eyes are firmly fixed upon west Yorkshire, the view over to the Pennines is transfixing, the cairn and all about us is in cloud shadow but the distant hills and dales are bathed in sunlight, warm, loving, living sunlight.
The cairn is only a few feet high, but its spread is considerable, mostly under the grass, but a section of still bare cairn material is on it’s northern side. Funny, but the idea of knocking down the modern pile of stones on its top never occurred to me, perhaps because it had acted as a beacon on the hill, drawing us on, giving us no illusions as to exactly where it is, it’s right there.

My first visit here ended in a big fat frustrated failure, it was about ten years ago, some years before I got online, so long ago that my youngest was still in nappies, more of which were urgently needed, and so my failure lasted for a decade, until now. Had I known what a beauty this place is I’d have been back ages ago, instead I only saw a photo of it a few years back and it’s been on the list since. Why it took me so long to get back up here I don’t know, it’s not much more than a ten minute walk from the car, close to a major road or two. Damn i’m good.

Park next to the big corner around the farm, head left of the limestone paving, go up to the big egg shaped stone and the low stone wall that is a bield (some kind of shelter) and the stone circles are on the hill top, dead easy, unless you stumble around mapless and in the wrong place like I did ten years ago.

Brilliant. Apart from the big quarry all is good up here, the M6 is small and far away, the nearby Coalpit hill tries to entice one away from the circles, don’t let it, and the views east and west to the Pennines and the inner lake district respectively are fantastic though distant.
The small northern ring is only half apparent, but for three big stones all would be lost to the turf.
The outer ring looks to be graded with the taller stones on the east, the inner ring seemed to echo this as the western stones were retreating under the grass. The inbetween stone is very interesting, half way between the two rings on the eastern side, it lines up with an outer ring stone and far off Kemp Howe now snuffed out by our need to travel. But, still all is well up here, the rings are in very good shape. Very good indeed. Get from off your arse now !!

Visited 8.9.12

For some strange reason I was unable to spot this stone.
The O/S map shows it right next to a minor road just south of the busy A5.
We drove up and down and parked up while I looked over the hedgerows.

I had a startle when leaning over one hedgerow when a large bird of prey flew up in front of me only about 4ft away – nice to see this beautiful bird up so close but a bit of a shock!

It was a lovely warm, sunny day and there was good views over to Snowdonia in the distance.

Pity I couldn’t find the stone but now it is time to move on to my next target........

Visited 8.9.12

It is impossible to park near the stone although there is room on the grass verge a little way up from Maen Hir House (opposite the stone)

The stone is fairly easily spotted sticking its head up above the dry stone wall.

You can sit on the wall and look over for a close up look.
Maybe it was the light but I couldn’t make out much of the inscription on the stone.

Visited 8.9.12

As previously stated this stone is very easy to visit – right next to the B5109.

You can pull in next to the field gate.

The stone is approximately 7ft tall x 2ft wide – covered in yellow and white lichen.

Good one to visit.

Visited 7.9.12

The stone is easy to visit as long as you are prepared to walk a little way up a private drive. (On the right)
You can easily park for two minutes as the entrance of said drive.

The stone is behind a barbed wire fence but is very easily seen.
I would estimate the stone is 7ft tall x 2ft across

Visited 8.9.12

The first of my Anglesey CADW sites.
This was a bit trickier to find than I was expecting.
Karen stayed in the car and I carried Sophie as I thought this would be easy to walk to.

Directions:
There is room to park near the farm entrance. (The sign for the tomb was covered by an overgrown hedge – I cleared it before we left)
Walk down the farm track (farm derelict?) and over the field gate.
Across a small paddock and over another field gate.
Across a field and over a padlocked, old, rusty gate.
Across another field and through a kissing gate.
Then across a field of thistles before squeezing through an overgrown kissing gate.
You then come to the Chambered Tomb! (In total it is a 15 minute walk)

The signage is poor and you can’t see the tomb until you are through the final kissing gate as the site is obscured by bushes / brambles etc.
The info board is no longer there.

In saying all this don’t be put off as persistence will prevail and the site is worth the effort. If you get lost – head for the ‘rocky hill’ – the site is in front of it.

There are two large remaining stones.
One is approx 6ft square and the other is about 4ft high x 7ft across.

As Iron man says Oddendale concentric stone circle can be tricky to find without an OS map, as my first attempt to find it failed so completely I can heartily agree. This standing stone is a good point to aim for when looking for the circle. To be honest whilst we were there I had no idea that this stone would be a site on here, but I took some photos anyway, as you do.

The stone can in no way be said to be standing, it sits politely, waiting for some far off inevitable end, but it is not alone, it has a friend, ten yards away is another smaller stone, not particularly aligned upon anything , but if one is a standing stone, why not the other. Thunder, thunder, thunder stones, there’s lots of thunder stones round here, but what is it about them, were they moved about in prehistory by people, or are they where the glaciers left them ? and what did the ancients think of them ?
I like ‘em.

I neglected to read any of the field or misc notes before I came here, I’d seen the pictures and thought “ah, that’s a nice little circle”, and it was too. The three little stones in the circle center are like part of a mini limestone pavement, it’s all very attractive, too attractive it turns out. Upon my return I find out it might not be ancient, how disappointing, I would have liked it to have been old, it doesn’t impact upon my actual time there, obviously, but, like, you know, what ever, it’s still a nice little ring in a nice place.

There was a whole lot of activity round here in the distant past, the massive works at Shap are two kilometers to the west and southwest, North takes us past Gunnerkeld and on through a string of sites that doesn’t really end till you get to Broomrigg twenty miles away and starting here at Castlehowe Scar going south across Oddendale there must be a dozen sites left out of who knows how many, there is much to see and several days would be needed to see all that a twenty mile square has to offer.

Ten large stones, three larger than the others from this now misshapen ring, one large stone has a long quartzy rib coiling round and over it, it’s quite lovely. Another stone has a totally flat surface, pink and grey all of them.
There is a rumour about another smaller ring in the same field, and a stone row in the next field south, I think we saw them and I at least found them unconvincing, the smaller ring seems in line with the row so it could just be an old field boundary. That said I bet time team turn up soon and find all that and much more. you see.

The gate is still locked and getting more and more rickety with every winter and every climbing booted walker, that’s us then. The trailer with a water container is still there and stood upon it we can look over the stones quite well.

Visited 7.9.12

Saw the dotted red symbol for the Cliff Fort on my AA road atlas so just had to visit!
This is a very easy Cliff Fort to access and is well worth the minimal effort required.

We parked in the large car park near the sea wall with adjacent shop /café and toilets.
Karen and Sophie stayed in the car while I went through the gate and up the footpath provided. This is a N.T. site so there are no problems with access.
A short but fairly steep walk will soon take you to the northern defences.

On the way up you pass a Second World War defence emplacement which is also worth a look.

The information board states that 1/3 of the site has been lost to coastal erosion.
What is left is a single ditch / rampart with extra defences on the eastern side.
The ditch/rampart is still in pretty good condition –particularly given its location.
From the inside the rampart is a much as 3 metres high in places.
From the bottom of the ditch on the outside is as high as 8 metres!

As well as the great coastal views you would expect to see there are also good views over to the mountains in the distance.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk right around the Fort.

This is a very good site to visit which I would heartily recommend.

(You can also get a cuppa when you get back to the car park!)

We came at it from the south, starting at Gunnerkeld, travelling north through Great and Little Strickland. The road brings you out at a T junction, go straight across and through the gate if it’s open, through the trees until a parking space opens out on the left. Walk on up the track and the circle is on your right in the field up against the densely vegetated hill side.

This place has been on my wish list for a while now, Hobs last photo of it under the stars was the real clincher, moved it up to this years list and here we are, somewhat fortuitously, but here nevertheless.

As we left the car I spied a glimpse of white stone across the field amongst loads of ferns, I went back to the car to get my shears but, aghast, they are not here .(stern words at home) Meanwhile Alken saw some deer majestically legging it away, Siiigh.
It was as we feared, the circle or semi circle as it turns out is almost totally obscured by ferns. Without any words being exchanged we both set about to trampling down the tall green blighters. I love revealing stones from ferns, it’s like Christmas, only better. After a while the ferns were lying flat, it’s not as good as gone which is what they would be if I’d have had me shears.
But it was good enough to reveal the five stones left in the arc we see here, we jumped the crumbling stone wall but could find nothing else, sad.
But the stones that are left are good ones, three of which a quite large, one in particular kind of reminded me of an Avebury sarson, but smaller.
Spring would be best to appreciate the place.