Latest Fieldnotes

I parked in the small layby off the A485 about fifty yards east from the hill fort, sadly it was persisting it down so we waterproofed ourselves and mozied on back up the road. Also after my directional cock up earlier I wasn’t in the mood for niceties so I didn’t ask for permission to get in, instead we gracefully leaped the barbed wire fence, well as graceful as wellied feet can any way, it’s only a short stroll from the fence, in fact the forts most extreme northern defences seem to be cut into by the road side embankment....shocking.

I wondered, then doubted whether any Dutch speaking Belgians had ever lived here, surely they would have been native Welsh iron age folk like anywhere in the country.
We kicked a few lambs out of the way, they’re only food after all, no, not really, I’m as soft as any vacant minded veggie. In fact it was the lambs that nearly made us turn back rather than any irate farmer, but we remained unchecked for the entire visit, it was early, raining and misty.

We started our circuit of the forts defences, noting at least two entrances east and southwest. As we passed by the southwestern gate I wondered if on a clear day we could see Sunnyhill camp the other side of Tregaron about three miles distant.
Eric leads the way round the perimeter, he knows we don’t leave till we’ve seen the entire round, and he knows this is just the first of many sites to be got to in the two days we’ve given ourselves out in the comparative wilds of south Wales, in fact this one of three hill forts is just on the way to where we’re going.
Just on the way, sadly, a longer visit with a football, kite or other child friendly activity would be better I know.

[visited 18/03/12] Well this is a delight I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time. Previously I’d made it to within sight (just) from the footpath and before the estate was expanded, I’d stood and stared in its general direction from a carpark. Nothing like getting up close and personal though, especially with this site which is clearly visible closeup despite its denuded state. I hadn’t noticed the amazing view when I’d been near here before. We are up quite high here, so you look across Buxton in the dip, along Brown Edge and over to the gritstone hills 7 miles or so to the North.

Its a big circularish monument crossing a small shallow dry valley, together with a perculiar bank with a 90degree bend heading off to the north east. Opinion is divided but seems to be coming down in favour of an Iron age date for this. Several things about it to tend me towards that also; henges don’t tend to lie across a dip, the bank & ditch seem unusually thin and defined for their height for a henge, it’s circle is deformed unlike Arbor Low and the Bullring and the weird attached bank would be fairly unique. This could easily be contempory to similar sized Late Bronze Age/Iron Age enclosures nearby such as that on Eldon Hill.

Access is easyish from Dukes Drive via the caravan park, up the footpath and through the farm. As this is off the footpath, permission should be sort at the farm.

Directions:
Opposite the lay by for Pen Hill Long Barrow is a house. To the north, in the garden, you will find this fine looking Round Barrow.

Carefully walking along the verge of the busy A39 you can easily spot the Barrow covered in trees (Beech trees I assume?)
Next to the Barrow was a garden furniture set and someone had planted daffodils in the side of the Barrow.

Given the Barrow is clearly on private land I settled for the view from the roadside.

E.H. has this to say:
‘A Bronze Age Bowl Barrow situated in the south east corner of the garden at Beechbarrow. The mound of the barrow is slightly irregular in plan with an approx diameter of 20 metres and a max height of 2 metres. In common with other barrows in the area the mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. This has become infilled but is likely to survive as a buried feature up to 2.5m wide’.

Visited 7.4.12

Parking is easy – in a lay by next to a public footpath sign. (room for about 3 cars)
The it’s a case of climbing over the stone stile and walking up the tarmac road leading to the transmitter and the Long Barrow.

Karen sat in the car with Sophie while myself and Dafydd walked up the hill through the drizzle. I admired the views whilst Dafydd admired the large dried cow pats!

The Barrow itself is as expected – a long, low grass covered mound. Not a lot to see but worth the walk to admire the views (and the cow pats perhaps?!)

Visited 7.4.12

First time I had been to Wells – and what a very nice place it is.

After having a look at the outside of the very impressive cathedral (I refused to pay the £12 for myself and Karen to get in) and a look around the Bishop’s Palace next door we headed for the museum to have a look at the oath stone.

Easy enough to find; on the lawn right outside the museum which is next to the Bishop’s Palace.

Dafydd and myself walked over to the stone and shook hands through the hole.
The stone is about 5 foot high and has lots of yellow and white lichen on it.
The hole is about 6 inches square so no worries of getting your arm stuck!

Next to the ‘old stone’ is a new one – a memorial to the late First World War veteran Harry Patch (I didn’t know he came from Wells). If you don’t know of Harry Patch I suggest you look him up. I couldn’t see the memorial as it was covered up with a tarpaulin. I think the grand unveiling is next month – 6th May?

All in all well worth a visit.

A not very strenuous walk from the parking area south of the peak (lots of scorch marks from the burning of cars, glass on the ground from broken car windows – park at your own risk) leaves you in the tangle of masts and fences that contains this ancient tomb.

If all the modernity wasn’t here, this would be a beautiful place, with views over the midlands plain to the whole of the west as far as the Slieve Blooms and further, north as far as the mountains of south Armagh, and over to the last of the Dublin/Wicklow hills around Newcastle. As it is this is a well-used place: mountain bikers, dog walkers (and their left behind dogshit) and the clatter of masts and buildings in varying states of decay.

It was a nice walk and the tomb in as unremarkable as I remembered, 3 structural stones visible, robbed out (or excavated) at the top, with no sign of a passage or chamber. It rises to a height of about 3 metres and there are some outlying stones on the west side that may be part of a kerb. I wanted to take in something neolithic on our walk today and was happy I came here.

Visited 7.4.12

Ha, ha……success!
3rd time lucky!

No wonder I couldn’t see the stone before with the field in crop.
It is only about a metre tall and quite difficult to spot in an empty field!

Luckily the weather has been dry of late so it didn’t get too messy walking over the ploughed earth. The stone is largely covered in white lichen.

Not much to merit a visit but just glad I actually managed to see it.
Whatever you do, come before the crop grows!!

Visited 5th March 2012

About as close to a ‘proper’ stone circle as you get on the Isle of Man, this was high on the list of sites to visit during our trip.

Heading back up to Port Erin after a visit to the lovely Cronk Karran hut circle, we took an unlisted single track road towards Ballnahowe. Despite keeping a sharp eye out we nearly flew past the pull in for the site, no signposts (not even a parking sign) indicate the muddy layby, which looks little more then a passing place in the road, only by noticing a fence and sign on the steep ridge of the hill did we know we were in the right place.

But what a place it is! A steep walk up the path to the top showed us another of Man’s unusual monuments. Six main cists form the circle, and I’m not sure whether this was once a circle that has been re-cycled into a burial place by having cairns built into the perimeter. it also looks as if there may once have been an original embankment or henge style monument here at one time, although the estimable Mr Burl makes no mention of this in his guide to stone circles.

I hunker down in one of the cists to escape the gale force winds, and now sheltered and cosy am able to write some field notes.

It’s definitely a dificult site to get a handle on, but its uniqueness lends it an air of mystery, and somewhere you must see if you are on Man. I’d love to stay longer, but the cold wind, and thoughts of lunch in Port Erin pull us on.

This cairn has taken a battering and not much remains of the once massive structure which stood at 25 meters in width. All that remains is a basic circular bump of cairn material. A few clearence cairns and field systems are also in the area.

I parked at the Altnaglander car park on the B9136 south of Glenlivet (what a lovely name and place). Go thru the gate, follow the stream then head up thru the trees. At the moment this is very boggy area made worse that holes have been ‘houked’ for the planting of trees but once among the heather the underfoot conditions improve. Eventually a deer fence is reached, find the gate and the cairn is a few yards to the west. Glorious scenery on a sunny day but for me the rain was turning to snow so best not to hang around for to long.

Visited 8/4/2012.

This must have been a massive cairn when built but now it is reduced to it’s foundations. Still it is placed in a wonderful location, tho not today as it poured with rain, and overlooks the Braeval Distillery, Chapeltown and it’s famous chapel. Field clearence has been dumped into the cairns interior as are some larger rocks which might be kerbs,

The farmer at East Auchavaich, as is common up here, used the cairns real name and tries to look after it as best he can despite the confusing information he receives from Historic Scotland. (he put up a fence, it fell down, he was told not to put it back up type of thing) Within the collapsed fence the cairn is still some 20 meters wide and almost a meter high.

Going north east from Tomintoul, on the B9008, take the first minor road heading east. Keep going until Chapeltown and take the farm track east at the chapel to East Auchavaich. I parked at the farm walked up the till jumping the gate into the field to the west. The cairn is easily spotted. Beware the electric fence or you might jump higher than intended.

Visited 8/4/2012.

Not possible to visit this site as I was told it is on “very private property.”

Today (yesterday now) I made the long bus journey to Amesbury – really worth the effort. The small exhibition in what appears to be an old scout hut grandly called Mellor Hall really captured my imagination. Lots of exhibits of flint arrow heads and auroch bones which have been found at Vespasian’s Camp, also at the nearby site of a spring known as Blick Mead. Vespasian’s Camp is located 1.5km between Stonehenge and Durrington Walls. It overlooks the Avenue and Bluestonehenge on its western side and the river Avon to the south and east.

Excavations on what was thought to be an Iron Age hillfort reveal the site is much older than previously thought. The finds date back to the Mesolithic period making it 8000 years old; 10,000 pieces of flint and bone have been found. It had previously been dismissed by archaeologists as is in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey which were subject to extensive landscaping in the 18th century. However, David Jacques, Open University students and volunteers undertook small scale field work between 2005-2011.

Blick Mead is a small open basin next to Amesbury Park and immediately south of the southern carriage way of the A303. There is a shallow water course running from it which is currently dry and an artificial drain which would take the water down to the river Avon in wetter conditions. Geologist, Peter Hoare, gave a short, very interesting talk about spring sapping and the effect of water tables rising and falling. He also reported that some dumping of materials had taken place during the building of the A303 which accounted for a layer of clay and flint below the chalk bed rock.

Travel south on the B9136 and take the first minor road heading south east after St Michael’s church and cross. Keep going until the the minor road going north east indicated Glenconglass. I stopped at the info sign at the road’s end.

From here I walked west towards, then turned north crossing the Chabet Water, wild with snow from earlier in the week, towards Ellick farm. After crossing the bridge head east past the first hillock until the next hillock can be seen. The cairn is situated between the two telegraph poles. Canmore says it is probably Bronze Age and was used as a ‘hidey hole’ for the infamous James Grant. It stands at 8 meters wide and is almost 1 meter tall. cairn material pokes thru the grass. Once again a tremendous setting. Hard to think that only 6 days ago 8” of snow covered this area.

Visited 8/4/2012.

Three standing stones mark the spot of a cist which overlooked the River Avon and it’s glen. The farmer has done well here and the site is protected by a fence. (non barbed on one side so no damage to body or clothes).

Follow the directions for Bhodiach except stop at the first corner south of Craigroy farm. Head east across a field, then head south on a track, jump a gate and head north east. The barrow should be easily located.

Smashing setting, smashing place with an atmosphere all of it’s own.

Visited 8/4/2012.

Last October I tried to visit this cairn after visiting several others in the area. Unfortunately a speeding van driver decided to use my car as a brake on the single track road resulting with van being practically halved, my car badly damaged and myself covered in bruises and a very sore head but no real damage except to my confidence. After that lucky escape I decided to try my luck again and this time no heart stopping moments.

From the A95, take the road south indicated Shenval and Chapelton. Inbetween the two Lagmore chamber cairns would also be a very accurate location. Follow the road until it’s end at Chapelton and look east, the massive cairn is in the middle of a field overlooking the Avon glen.

Sadly two more cairns stood here but they have been removed. Still Bhodiach is a massive reminder set in spectacular scenery, tho very wet and cloudy today. Complete with trees it stands at 21 meters wide and over 3 meters tall. Some ‘houking’ (great word) has happened in attempt to make shelters. Ploughing has also made the outer edges more steep. The bottom half being covered in turf, the top half with bare rocks.

Still, it looks splendid in its beautiful location with superb views of the River Avon, The Bodiach and Deskie hills and Drumin Castle (and to the east Drumin Chamber cairn on the other side of the Avon). Plenty to visit in this area, take care on the single track roads.

Visited 8/4/2012.

Now, I’m well aware that this area is well known as being used for military training during WW2. The area is littered with bullet holes and mortar scars, left behind by training assaults.

However, these marks have a very different look and feel to the obvious bullet holes. Much softer and more weathered out.

I know that anything resembling rock art in this area will be dismissed as the remains of either military activity or quarrying – but maybe, just maybe!

A new find find from a few days ago and and a couple in the same area from last year .

As previously promised a return trip in the spring for some better views, and man they were better, in fact I could have poked one eye out and still it would have been better than the icy fog last time almost two months ago. Seeing as it’s considerably less than a million miles away it was always going to be sooner rather than later.

We parked in the same place, where the map indicates 316 meters, we jumped the fence at the same place, but trod a more direct route to the barrow, which was pleasantly in the same place.
Nothing more to add to the barrows discription, only that the views have changed since last time, back in February the fog curtailed the view to about fifty yards, today it was at least fifty miles.
To the north past the Bow stones (two early Christian sculptured stones) to Lyme Park, north east down to the Murder stone, west is the long barrow topped Spond’s hill, east and south is the best view with the evocatively named Windgather rocks on Taxal edge, Cats tor (519m), Shining tor (559m Cheshire’s highest point), and way off in the distance Shutlingsloe.
I’ll be back soon ish to check out the barrows on Sponds hill, and survey the area from that different perspective.

Just a five minute drive from beside Reed hill with it’s still impressive round barrow is this pretty little stone, murder stone or not it’s a nice one.
The stone was just off the map so I was going on a vague memory from too many years ago, luckily Iv’e got the stone finding knack, I parked by the newly renovated farm house, just off the small lane and five minutes later we were at the pretty little stone.

The shape of the stone whilst not unique (superficially Maen Llia like) is undoubtedly intentional, they didn’t just pick the nearest likely large stone, this one was special, how so I can not say. But what they couldn’t have known (or perhaps they did) was how the colours would come out after being exposed to the elements for four thousand years or so, oranges, yellows, reddish browns, it was really quite beautiful.

The positioning was paramount too, very visible from a long way to the south and east and west but not north as there is a big hill behind it. It also has a tentative connection with the barrow on Reed hill, presumably of the same (ish) date, as the stone seems to sit in the lea of the great hill, maybe even saluting the hill and barrow.

On the way back to the car we saw two older gents out for a walk, one of them was of African descent, it’s always nice to see a diverse mix of people out in the countryside, I hope they had a look at the stone.

Visited 1.4.12

It had been quite a frustrating day with me unable to find a couple of stones I was looking for. However, it was certainly a case of keeping the best till last.

I had previously looked for this site but been given wrong directions by a farmer. This time I came armed with an O/S map so there would be no such mistake!

For directions follow the advice given by Elderford but please note you need to take a right TURN not a fork in the road to the right. Also, ignore the first footpath sign you will see on the right – you need to stop at the next public footpath a bit further along the lane which is not signposted but it is easy to spot as there is a place to pull in at the field gate. The Long Barrow is visible from the gate near some trees.

Sophie was asleep so Karen stayed in the car whilst myself and Dafydd did some exploring. Having practiced his stile climbing skills earlier in the day Dafydd was keen to go solo. Despite some early nerves he managed to get over safely. I also showed Dafydd the correct way to climb over a gate if needed (hinges end of course!)

We strolled over to the Long Barrow (marked long cairn on the O/S map)
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, with only bird song and the bleating of nearby lambs to break the silence. I sat on one of the four remaining stones and looked down the valley. Simply wonderful. I felt at peace with the world. I looked up into the blue sky and pointed out the moon and the white trails from aeroplanes criss-crossing like a giant version of noughts and crosses. I pondered on who may have been buried here and what a shame it was that they hadn’t been left in peace. They deserved better. I could have stayed for hours.

Peace shattered :– ‘Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!! – the stingies have got me!’

I looked up to see Dafydd hopping on one leg whilst frantically rubbing the ankle of his other leg! I told him he should have been more careful near the nettles when wearing shorts and that his mother had some cream in the car. He put his new stile climbing skills into action for the first time as he quickly headed back to the car and the comfort of his mother. I ambled behind, reluctant to leave such a peaceful place.

Needless to say this site is well worth a visit when in the area although it can be a bit tricky to find.

A retrospective check of the ‘log book’ divulges the slightly unwelcome fact that I last visited here back in June 2001. Yeah, doesn’t time (seem to) fly? More to the point, I guess, is the realisation that the Iron Age earthworks didn’t make that much of an impression upon the would-be prehistoric antiquarian back then, the – it has to be said – frankly bonkers Norman motte apparently having blown the somewhat younger mind. To be fair the incredible 80ft castle mound is peerless in its class ... if I understand correctly, second only to the one and only Silbury in the UK artificial mound stakes. Yeah, I know. There’s no comparison. But nonetheless.... simultaneous plaudits and pity are due to those poor Saxon peasants who no doubt struggled to raise this monster for their Norman ‘overlords’.

It therefore fair knocks me back to approach this time around from Castle Hill – that is to the north – and come face to face with towering bivallate banks... and I mean towering. Hell yeah! According to Norfolk HER records excavation has proved these to be of Iron Age origin, although no doubt ‘touched up a bit’ a millennium or so later. The surviving defences form a roughly east/west barrier, the original plan, although not clear to me, possibly using the loop in the River Thet (and presumably, resulting marsh?) as natural defence to other points of the compass? A sort of promontory fort, without the promontory. Or something like that. Whatever, impressive in the extreme.

Which is a lot more than can be said about the tediously puerile, pathetic reaction of a group of Thetford’s yoof to a lone man daring to take pictures of this wonderful site. Vile chants – I’ll spare you the details – ring out from the top of the motte.... safety in numbers. Sure, I’m intimidated by such odds. But I won’t back down. Oh no, not with such wondrous evening light playing upon these ancient, and slightly-not-so-ancient earthworks. Later on I climb to the top of the motte for a rare, aerial view of a hillfort and meet another group of ‘yoofs’, one of whom again states a distaste toward me taking images. Why? Well, clearly (?!?) it proves I’m a pervert. Sorry... don’t get your logic. Hmm. Call me what you will. But I will not stand for that. I really, really hope I’m wrong. Truly, I do... But the young man doth protest too much, methinks.

Hence there are conflicting emotions generated from a return to Thetford. Wonder at the overpowering, overwhelming nature of not only the Norman, but Iron Age defences. And sadness at what visitors to ‘in-town’ sites sometimes have to go through. I would therefore recommend you take a friend, just to be on the safe side. But please go. Don’t let the bastards grind you down. Having said that, I found Castle Hill difficult to locate. So no change there, he says. In retrospect, make your way to the roundabout co-joining the A1088 and A1066 (Hurth Way) and look out for Castle Street – bit of a give-away, that. The earthworks will rise up to your left... parking is within a small free car park (signposted).

On the B5470 three miles south of Whaley Bridge turn east off the main road. Park by the footpath sign. Walk up the track towards Charles Head farm then strike off to the right up hill following the wall. The Bowl barrow will come into view soon enough.

Mascots short and sweet field notes just aren’t good enough, and because he hasn’t included any Os ref there’s no link to streetmap. That said at least he added it. (OS ref. added – TMA Ed.)
The barrow has been delved into, a pity as the barrow is only a couple of feet high, the wall running over it adds to the insult. But it’s in a good place, views to the west are long and clear, Kerridge hill a hogs back of a hill dominates the fore ground. To the North the bulk of Reed hill with its large and impressive barrow, and beyond that the Murder stone sits on it’s hillock below a higher hill. To the east is Taxal edge with Windgather rocks, which a previous visit to has taught me that they are more impressive close up.
Thirty meters south of the barrow is a two foot tall stone, with a sheep ground moat round it, is it a coincidental erratic or an outlying stone connected to the barrow.
PS, even in the afternoon sunshine the wind is strong and cold and not for the first time I wish I’d brought my coat.

I come here quite regularly and see more of the hill fort each time I come!

It’s marked by Victorian beech trees – while they are good for marking the layout of the banks and ditches, they do obscure photos! The banks and ditch sweep round in an arc and act as the field boundary, which is planted with rape at the moment. I mistook it for just a field boundary on previous visits which is part of the reason I’d never managed to see much before!

It’s a lovely walk up there though, easily accessible if you park just off the road from Colesbourne to Hilcot (off the A435 Chelt to Ciren road) and walk up the gently sloping track. Skylarks and woodpeckers provided our soundtrack today.

Also worth seeing (although not strictly within the remit of this website!), is the beautiful, little, unusual cottage further along the track. It’s like someting from a fairytale and you come up to it unexpectedly. I think it used to be a toll house.

Such a peaceful place: great views and no traffic noise (despite being fairly close to the A435).

This barrow’s easy to see from the road that links Colesbourne to the A417. Elkstone village is visible behind it. I didn’t go right up to the barrow this time, but I have before. It’s a good one to visit if you fancy a drive in the countryside rather than a walk!

We came down from the north past Lamaload reservoir and down the lovely Clough brook valley, passing the intriguingly named village of Bottom o’ the oven.
Parking for the stone is at a one car place next to Allmeadows guest house, there is a footpath running through it. The footpath takes one down to where the River Dane joins up with the Clough Brook, a really pleasant place indeed, a Blue Tit let us get remarkably close before flying away.
As the path goes down the stone will appear large and obvious on the right, but unnervingly on the wrong side of the fence, we approached as far as the fence, Eric lay down for a while, whilst I went for a bit of a trespass on the other side of the fence.

The stone was apparently partially buried then dug up and re-erected by landowners at Burnt house farm. In shape it reminds me of Gardoms edge standing stone. The stone is on a gentle slope coming up from the river and has a different aspect as you walk round the stone, it’s best side is seen whilst looking past it up to Shutlingsloe hill, the stone has a dimple with creases leading into it. It’s a very nice looking stone.

Coming from Congleton to Buxton on the A54, turn left after Cluloe cross, well worth a visit in it’s own right, as it stands on a natural knoll that has often been taken as a large barrow. A small area on the right side of the lane is good for one or two cars, from the fence/gate the Bullstones can be seen.

I’m walking about a hundred yards down to the stone amid the newest born lambs I’ve yet seen, keeping my distance the lambs and ewes don’t seem to my mind my intrusion into their field.
It’s sooo good to finally be here in good weather, it’s been fog and icey fog the last two times, so the warm sun, expansive views and glut of ancient sites seen today have satiated my need to “get out”, didnt much care for the cold wind though.

The profile of the central stone is almost exactly the same as that great big hill Shutlingsloe, not the highest point in Cheshire but certainly the most recognisable and with the most “I want to climb that” . Even though it is the most prominent landmark on all the horizon, we mustn’t forget all the other sites seen from here, Luds church, The Bawd stone over by the Roaches and Hen cloud, The Allgreave stone and the Bosley Minn stones to name but a few.

When you do come to see the Bullstones please don’t think they are all that’s here, if you are able and willing, climb over the fence and have a look at the possible outlier then a bit further on there is the weird Longgutter circle and the strange semi circle of stones, I once thought the Bullstones was a lonely monument far from anything else but now it’s getting possitively crowded up there.