Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 19.4.12

Directions:
Follow the minor roads north out of the village of Cubert onto the common.
An O/S map would be a big help as some of these roads are very minor.
One stretch of road was so narrow that both car wing mirrors were catching the hedge – and I only drive a little Fiesta!!

There is room to park right next to Barrow – through a wooden field gate.

The Barrow is large – approx 3m high x 20m across – grass covered.

There are nice views to be had out towards the coast.
It was a sunny but windy day and you could see the large waves breaking in the distance.

All in all, one to recommend.

Visited 19.4.12

Directions:
Built into the church wall in the middle of Cubert village – south of Newquay.

There is a large car park outside the church and the church itself is worth a look around.

The lettering on the stone was barely visible and if I wasn’t specifically looking for it I would never have known it was there.

But I did know about it; I was specifically looking for it; so I found it!

Visited 18.4.12

My last visit of the day – and what a good one to finish on.

The Hillfort can be found on a minor road just to the east of the village of Tywaerdreath. There is room to park a little way up the road from the site in a lay by.
To access the site you need to jump over the field gate at the top of the drive leading to Lawhibbet Farm.
If you want to do this legally you probably need to ask for permission from the farm?

Once you are across the flat field and inside the outer rampart you can relax a bit as the ramparts height (about 3m) keeps you out of sight!

The outer ditch is now only about 0.5m deep although no doubt it would have been far deeper when the site was constructed.
The second inner rampart is again about 3m high with its ditch a bit deeper – about 1m.

There were cows around but I thought the site was in good condition – better than most Hillforts I have visited.

This is a really easy site to access as long as you are prepared to either:
A – ask permission or B – sneak over the gate access is easy enough.

Visited 18.4.12

This was an interesting place to visit and despite the rain well worth it.

Directions: Take the B3274 south into St Austell. As mentioned in goffik’s notes the turning you need to make to the right is extremely sharp. So sharp in fact that a 3-point turn would be required and this is a busy road. It is much safer to continue past the turning (not sign posted and narrow) into St Austell and approach from the south. That way the turning becomes easy.

Follow the narrow lane to the small car park near the chair, overlooking the stream.
There was a chap standing near the chair and I thought for the first time this week there would actually be someone else at a site I was visiting. As I got closer I noticed the several cans of Stella he had with him so I don’t think he was there to look at the chair!!

The chair itself is cute and I would have loved to have sat in it but the puddle put me off!

At this point Dafydd spotted the Well across the other side of the stream, nestled amongst the trees.
‘Look, a little house!’ he shouted excitedly.
I must admit, it did look like the type of ‘house’ you see in fairy tales.

We crossed over the small bridge and entered the well house for a look around.

It was really atmospheric with virtually the entire stonework covered in moss with small ferns growing in the damp and shade. Water was dripping outside and there was plenty of water in the well.

On the way back over the bridge we stopped for a quick game of ‘Pooh sticks’
Dafydd insisted he won but I am sure I did!

This is a very, very pretty little place and comes highly recommended.

We headed back up the lane leaving the man alone with his thoughts – and his Stella!

Visited 18.4.12

After spending a couple of hours looking around the shops in St Austell with Karen and the children it was time for a bit of ‘old stoning’.

We found the school easy enough and the footpath was also easy to spot.
Karen and the children stayed in the car and I headed up the path in the pouring rain.

In this instance the rain was a good thing as there was no one about and these days you have to be careful being seen hovering in trees near a school – even if it is on a public footpath!

I was surprised by how big this stone is – it’s massive!

It goes without saying that getting a close up of the stone would be impossible without prior permission from the school.

Visited 18.4.12

Whilst on my way to Fowey to visit St Catherine’s Castle (another E.H. site off the list!) I took the opportunity to have a look at the Tristan Stone.

Very easy to see spot as it is right on the B3415.

**As an aside, in order to visit the castle you have to cross a lovely little beach / cove below the castle. This would make a great place for a day at the beach in nice weather. I found a set of car keys on my return trip and had to wait for nearly an hour for the worried owner to return to the beach to reclaim them. He was happy – so was Dafydd – he had extra ‘play time’ on the beach!

Visited 18.4.12

From the main road you can’t see the stone as it is hidden behind conifer trees. The trees are now a lot taller than shown in the photos.

However, once you are around the other side the stone is easy enough to spot but I would say in another few years it will be completely swamped.

The stone is about 3ft wide at the base, tapering to about 6 inches at the top.

Needless to say curtains were twitching whilst I was looking at the stone!

Visited 18.4.12

This is a superb place to visit and very easy to access.
You can’t miss it – just south of the village of Roche.

I have a ‘thing’ about rock outcrops and have always been drawn to them.
This may sound strange to most people but I guess those reading this will know what I mean?
Obviously in this part of the world there is no shortage to choose from.

There is a lay by to park in, small information sign and then a short walk through the gate onto the rock.

The rock is even more dramatic and impressive than the photos suggest.
(I had a big grin on my face whilst walking to the rock despite the wind and rain)

I must say it is an impressive achievement building the church here.
You can but only admire the skills and effort in achieving this feat.

I made my way up to the base of the rock to have a good look at the masonry and admire the views – which weren’t that great due to the weather!

I really liked this place and would love to come back on a nicer day.
I can thoroughly recommend a visit but you would need to be mobile to get up close to the rock. Disabled visitors can have a great view of the rock from the lay by.

Visit, visit, visit!!!

Failed visit 18.4.12

Before setting out on my little trip to Cornwall this was one site that I really wanted to visit.
Looking at the photo and the name it was a ‘must see’. Childish I know but there you are!

As we drove around the maze of country lanes trying to find said stone Dafydd became very excited when i showed him the photo and said we were looking for a stone which looked like a large bum! (see, it’s a male thing!)

We both eagerly looked out the windows whilst Karen did the sensible thing and did the driving along the windy, narrow lanes. Every now and then we would stop and I would clamber up a bank to peer into likely looking fields.

Unfortunately we couldn’t find the stone. I am sure we were close as we passed several fields which had masses of large boulders scattered around and a few of them could easily have been taken for fallen Dolmens. There certainly wouldn’t have been a shortage of material for tomb building in ancient times in this area.

Despite our best efforts we failed to find the Arse Stones. What a bummer.............................!

(This must have made an impression on Dafydd as he continued his ‘search’ for the stone for the rest of the holiday!!)

Visited 21 April 2012. Tucked away in the outskirts of Inverness, this seems something of a well-kept secret. Situated immediately north of the city’s Raigmore Hospital, in a small area of greenery next to a little babbling beck (or should that be babbling burn?), the cairn is not in its original position. Surrounded on all sides by buildings and tarmac, the ambience is lacking.

Despite all this, it’s difficult not to be taken with this fine circle of stone. The stones appear to be graded, with the largest in the SW of the ring, very like the ruined near-neighbour at Culduthel. The largest stones have a lovely egg-shape, something they share with another nearby site, Torbreck. There are a few “loose” stones in the centre of the ring, which I can only assume were faithfully re-positioned in this way when the circle was moved wholesale from its original location. It definitely has what Burl might describe as “Clava affinities”, although it lacks any outer free-standing stone circle.

I spend about 15 miuntes here, getting puzzled looks from the frequent passers-by on their way home from work. I imagine many people pass this way without giving any thought to what this circle is. As is often the case with an urban site, it’s difficult to get much of a sense of place, especially knowing it’s been moved, but nevertheless it retains a certain something, perhaps arising from its stubborn survival against pretty steep odds.

Definitely worth the (minimal) effort of a visit. Superb finds from the site, including a couple of welll-preserved urns, can be seen on display in Inverness’ excellent Musuem.

Visited 16.4.12

The only place to park is at the drive to the farm building immediately south of the Barrow.

The Barrow is clearly visible from the road as a grass covered mound.

E.H. state:
‘Two prehistoric round barrows situated on top of a ridge north of St Columb Major. They are associated with other barrows beyond this scheduling. The western barrow measures 22m across and 1.3m high. It is considered to have been smoothed by ploughing. The barrow to the east is approx 20m across and 0.3m high and is again reduced by ploughing’.

Visited 16.4.12

E.H. state there is nine Round Barrows in this group although I was only able to make out the Barrow closest to the road on the eastern side of the B3274. The O/S map shows the other barrows to be on the western side of the road.

Parking is difficult on this road although there is a lay by 200 metres further along from the Barrow you can use. After carefully walking back along the road I discovered the field in question was in crop although the Barrow could be made out due to the ‘bulge’ in the crop. E.H. record this Barrow as being 15m across and 0.5m high.

There are good views to be had from here.

Visited 16.4.12

Directions:
Pretty much opposite Bogee Barrow A.

My O/S map shows two Barrows here but I could only just about make out a slight ‘bump’ in the field which is the Barrow nearest the road.

Visited 16.4.12

The B3274 is certainly a busy road and has several Barrows running either side of it.

There is just about room to pull over at the field gate where this particular Barrow is.
The gate is right next to the Barrow.

Unfortunately like Bogee Barrow A I forgot to record how big the Barrow was – double doh!

Visited 16.4.12

I was unable to get access into the field from the surprising busy B3274 so had to settle for a view from the roadside. The Barrow can be seen under some telegraph lines.

Looking at my notes I forgot to make a note of how big the Barrow is – doh!

Visited 16.4.12

Taking the minor road west off the B3274 I parked at a field gate opposite Mowhay Barn. The gate was heavily barbed wired and the field full of sheep and lambs. Some of the sheep were using the stone to rub up against.

Given this (and the fact the field is overlooked by the house opposite) I settled for a view from the gate. The stone is a whopper, approx 3m high x 1.5m across, and is easily seen from the gate. The stone looks to be square at the bottom and goes to a point.

The sun was shining, the nearby stream bubbling away and the stone was a lovely sight to see.
All in all well worth a visit when in the area.

As it had been such a nice morning I decided to take advantage of the weather and seek out Stannon stone circle on Stannon Moor to the east of Harpur’s Downs which is itself north east of St Breward.
From the east, after passing the Jamaica Inn on the left and driving on for a further 4 miles or so, I turned right off the A30 at the St Breward turning opposite the left turn for Temple at the end of the dual carriageway. Over the cattle grid and I wound my way across a typical moorland road. Went past the left-hand turning for Treswigga (opposite this turn is the track to the Trippet stones just seen on the right) and carried straight on following the signs to St Breward. Over the Delford Bridge and passed the branch to East Rose on the right. I came into St Breward at the northern end called Churchtown and passed a pub then the church on the right at the very end of the village. Straight north from here until the road sweeps around to the right then comes to a hairpin bend sharp left. Don’t take it, instead take the road to the right at this point and over a cattle grid which takes you directly to Harpur’s Downs after keeping to the left at a couple of forks in the lane. You will come to a sign indicating a dead-end but with Stannon written across it. You’re nearly there. You will come directly to the entrance to Stannon China Clay works on the left and after that the road becomes a bit iffy for about 300 yards leading up to Stannon circle which you will see on the right on reaching the crown of the rising road. I grounded my car once but mainly because I have lowered suspension which didn’t deal with the potholes too well. Parking on the edge of the track is not a problem, but turning there is if you haven’t got a 4x4 as the grass verge drops away making it difficult to turn. There may be easier turning further up the track but I took a chance and got away with it even though the ground was very soft, but don’t push your luck!
So, I’d arrived, and as always a real buzz at finally arriving at another must see Cornish circle. Out with the camera and then, as if someone had pre-planned it, out went the lights as black clouds gathered overhead. Grrrrrr!!
As the wind also built up I dashed into the centre of the circle and started snapping away methodically around the circumference of the circle before the rain joined in. It quickly became apparent that this circle is not truly circular…well it is in parts, but not others. To the more northerly side the stones are evenly spaced and typical in look to other such circles being either basically rectangular, angled topped or slightly pointed, but after that become unevenly spaced, very mixed in type, some standing, some fallen, some pointy and slim, some partly buried and some out of line altogether. I got the impression (in parts) that some of the stones were not part of the original build and had just been deposited there to fill in some spaces and had became overgrown and sunken into the quite peaty soil. It may be the reason why it is not truly circular possibly having at some stage been partly ruined/destroyed before well-meaning folk ‘replaced’ stones found lying around. That’s pure speculation of course but after seeing a great many circles in my time I just had this feeling that all was not right here.
To the west side of the circle setting is a completely triangular or ‘A’ stone as I call them and typical it would seem of quite a few Cornish circles. This must signify something, but what, as they are not just placed in the same position on the compass, or is it just a random thing? I found the whole site odd to be truthful but may have a change of view when I visit the other local large irregular circles of Louden and Fernacre if I find their make-up similar.
Then, I had a surprise. As the photos will show, ‘offerings’ had been left on and near a centre stone, if indeed it was one, as it is offset and prostrate. A broken painted flat stone, a silver (coloured) chain necklace with charms on it, a small amount of coins and a selection of small stones on and to the side of this prostrate stone had been deposited. I can’t say I’ve ever seen an offering in an open moorland circle before but plenty in tombs, barrows, cairns and the like.
I don’t know if it was the presence of the huge china clay mounds immediately to the north, but I couldn’t get a ‘feel’ for the place once I was actually in the circle. I found the stones too small for such a large circle, almost like it was a token circle rather than one of major importance/significance if that makes sense! Normally if I see offerings it strengthens my own belief in our great ancestors and what they have left for us, but not this time, unless it was for a more recent occurance of course in which case my comments are not appropriate and I apologise for. Rightly or wrongly I felt what the circle must once have had had gone and I left the Stannon stones still feeling that this was a circle built for a different reason to most other circles. I could be completely wrong of course but don’t feel the need to return there which is another first for me! Sorry to be so negative but that’s just how I felt.
picasaweb.google.com/100525707086862773355/StannonStoneCircle202?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyt8NrtvsngOg#

Roy

Visited 16.4.12

Directions:
From Men Gurta take the minor road south. Drive past the two farm buildings on the left and pull in at the next track on the left. From here it is a muddy walk up the track to the field gate leading to the Barrows. The top of the nearest Barrow is just visible on the far side of the field.

Unfortunately when I visited the field was full of cows with their calves, which came running over to the gate when they saw me. Any thoughts I had of jumping over the gate for a closer look at the Barrows were soon dispelled by the constant mooing and the ‘don’t even think of coming any closer to by baby’ stare from the suspicious mums!

All E.H. has to say on the matter is:
‘Two round barrows 500 yards S/E of Higher Tregolls’.

Visited 16.4.12

Very easy to spot when making your way to Men Gurta – between the road and the wind turbines. The other side of a barbed wire fence.

The field was full of sheep/lambs so I saw little point in climbing over the fence to get closer to the stone.

Visited 16.4.12

Very easy to spot when making your way to Men Gurta – between the road and the wind turbines. The other side of a barbed wire fence.

I would say it is approximately 1.5m high x 10m across.

Visited 16.4.12

This Dolmen is very close to Men Gurta but you can’t actually see it from the stone.
The reason for that is that it is hidden behind large gorse/bramble bushes.

To find the Dolmen all you have to do is face away from Men Gurta and make your way through the gorse to the right of the lane leading to a farm. As soon as you get in among the gorse you will easily see these large slabs of stone.

I nearly stepped on a dead rabbit hidden in the gorse – nice (not!)

Well worth looking for when visiting the more famous standing stone.

Visited 16.4.12

Aha, another E.H. site to knock off the list!
Although unusually for E.H. this site is not sign posted from any of the minor roads so finding it would be tricky without an O/S map.

Once you do find the stone access is very easy. You can park virtually next to the stone and it was nice to see that the area around the stone had been kept clear of the dreaded gorse. An information panel stands in front of the stone.

Despite the near by wind turbines there are good views to be had.

Visited in April 2012, this site I found easily after getting chatting to a local...I parked on Henry St. in the town and walked up towards the town park, but staying to the left. At a red brick building ahead take a left and follow the lane up...you should be able to see a familiar brown sign pointing in the direction of the circle, which is to the right. When I got there, I discovered a sort of secluded oasis, fenced off from the surrounding outskirts of Kenmare by a ring of leilandai (is that how you spell it?) trees. To get to said oasis I had to walk past an unmanned garden shed, with a hatch which contained an honesty box asking for 2euros per visitor, and a sign saying ‘You are being filmed on CCTV’....a glance upwards proved this to be correct...there was the camera...so I gave it a grin and a wave as I popped a couple of quid in...and gained entrance to the circle. I just happened to have caught a lovely sunny break in typically Irish ‘4 seasons in 1 day’ weather as I arrived...and finding that there were no other visitors, spent a quiet hour watching a couple of blackbirds hop around the recently cut grass and trying to take satisfactory photos..(despite the ring of guardian leilandai being planted a metre or two too close to the stones in my opinion....I found it difficult to get a shot of the whole circle because I couldn’t get far away enough from it!!) Grumbles aside, I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere at this circle, in a place I had previously associated with rampant tourism and ‘Oirishness’...I’d reluctantly gone to Kenmare from Uragh, to find a bank at 4pm on a Friday afternoon...but found that this circle rewarded my unavoidable encounter with ‘civilisation’ in the end! Hurrah!

Visited 16.4.12

In the booklet ‘A guide to the ancient parish church of St Eval’ (£2.00) I picked up in the church I came across the following extracts:

In 1917 St Eval was described as ‘one of the roughest and most ungetable places in the county!’

‘There must have been an earlier pagan site here as the churchyard and boundary is built in a ‘round’ – indicating an earlier settlement’.

‘There is a Bronze and Iron Age settlement at Trevisher, one mile to the east, and there were at least 6 sets of Barrows around the church which were destroyed with the building of the airfield’

‘Lady Chapel screen (built around 1540) shows a winged dragon eating a bone – Basilisk?’ (The carvings on this screen are excellent)

The church is well worth a look around and has lots of RAF related items. A lot older are the 7 Green Man ceiling bosses, high in the rafters.
I thought I counted 8 but the booklet states there are 7. No doubt the booklet is correct!

Visited April 2012, this site is easy to find, being on the N81 south of Tullow. Access is through/over a gate that had a ‘No Shooting’ sign on it, on the left hand side of the road...the stone is visible from the road, depending on the growth of the hedgerows that is! No cattle were present (phew!) when I visited...I got the impression that a crop had just been planted...which means that visitors later in the year may have to keep a better eye out for the stone, as the height of the crop increases!! A lovely stone, with a strong presence....much taller than I first thought as I approached it....the grooves give it a more geometric grace somehow!!?! Nice.