Latest Fieldnotes

There is no where good and nearby to park, I all but dumped it in the driveway to the hideous quarry to the northeast on the A5012.
I havent been here since before my digital changeover, but because I cant be bothered scanning old pictures I havent posted to a lot of places I have been to.
An equinox was all I needed to get me back here, there is no special alignments to any significant sunrise, closest is the winter solstice but even thats way off, perhaps its aligned on a pointy hilltop, but I wouldnt swear to it.
My lower extremities were soaked by the time I got to the chamber, flippin slug infested dewy grass, but a good postie shrugs off such things.
I even wandered to the top of the hill to check out the small barrow, it wasnt impressive, but it did have a direct line to Minning low, as do so many places in the southern Peak.
The sunrise only just peaked through a smidgen, a tiny gap at the bottom of a huge bank of cloud was all there was to let me know it was occuring right now, though predictably the rest of the sky was ok.
The D shaped mound faces just east of south, the passage is almost the same as the chamber, so much so that it looks to have no passage just a fore and aft chamber. The chamber has a big flat stone as one of its side stones, but I wondered whether it was actually a capstone or part of one, to get a better look I poked the camera through a hole and photographed the underneath to see if there was other stones that it rested on or if it is
just the big one, I came to no conclusions, if anyone else can say let us know.

This is fine block of a standing stone about 2m high by 0.5m wide in lands grazed by sheep. There is a stone circle 200m to the north west of it. The stone circle is on the other side of some very marshy land so best to take the track marked on the map rather than cutting across country.

This damaged stone circle was very tricky to find. I even had the 8 digit grid reference number from the inventory and even with that it was difficult to find. There is a fine standing stone about 200m from it and that is easy to find. I tried making my way from the standing stone to the circle but ended up getting soaked in marshy land.
I went back out to the road where I had parked and tried from that side. I had almost given up when it my gps showed it was in the middle of some undergrowth but kept going and found the two portal stones of the circle. There were also about 3 other stones remaining.

This stone circle is not far off the road south of Toon Bridge. When I visited it was fairly overgrown however you could make out that it was impressive circle and fairly intact. Jack Roberts mentions that it is aligned to 228° and to the winter solstice.

I parked on the small lane near a gate, and a bridleway and a path into the woods. There are some interesting looking architectural features near the road but they dont look too old. I headed through the woods past these features untill I came to the earthworks of old, jumped the wall and scared the bejesus out of two young pheasants, which in turn made me jump too.
Ball cross is quite possibly the least impressive hill fort ive ever been to, only part of the ramparts survive to any impressive level. The interior of the fort is full of bumps and dips, as if some serious digging has been undertaken.
If the trees werent there some terrific views would be had across Bakewell to the neighbouring hills.
Probably not worth a look unless your passing very close by, or if you combine it with a visit to Bakewell castle, though its just a motte and bailey.

From the three men cairn cross over the wall in the only place you can and follow the faint path through the heather and birch trees, this will eventually take you to the rock art.
Though we can call it rock art, its not strictly true, fibreglass art is more accurate but less attractive.
I meant to bring some bottled water to better show off the art, but as ever forgetfulness waded into me once again and it got left behind. So what to do, I sat round for a bit, appreciated the natural beauty for a bit, but then what ?
Not wanting to depart just yet, I tried to put all the nearby heather to some good use, I stripped all the tiny flowers off and started to fill in the cupmarks, once that was done I thought it looked quite pretty, but it wasnt enough.
I then filled in the spiral and rings, now that is pretty, 42 year old men arent usually concerned with pretty, but I couldnt help myself, once I’d started I couldnt stop. From out of one cupmark came a perfectly camouflaged catepiller, I macro’d the camera and caught the bliter making for the outer ring.
I got quite a lot of sites out of just one day, stone circles and burial chambers but this is the one i’ll remember most,(despite its plasicity) a most satisfying visit.

This stone row is less than a km from the Carriganine stone circle. It is just to the side of a house in a field and is difficult to see from the road.
Its a lovely 3 stone alignment, the stones are about 1.2m high. The middle stone has an unusual depression in it, looks a bit like on the standing stone at the circle of Knocknakilla. To top it all off the row seems to be lining up with a hill off in the distance, Im not sure exactly which one but i think it could be Douce Mountain.

Standing over six feet tall, it is nevertheless still not easy to spot amongst the birch trees. But whether you approach from the sheer drops on the edge or from the rock art replica, a small amount of perseverence rewards with a most interesting stone.
When I first saw this stone some years ago I found it hard to accept it as an honest to goodness standing stone. It has the look of an oddly pointy outcrop, the top of the stone is very eroded into a gnarled shape, perhaps aiding in some directional way, or as Stubob news titbit suggests as a seasonal marker.
In any case its in good surroundings, it is very photogenic, and with all the other stuff hereabouts, I’d say essentiual viewing in the Peak district.

This is right beside the road a little south from Macroom. There are two stones remaining however the remains of three more may be in the ditch behind them. The two remaining stones look out to the hills in the distance.

This stone circle is a couple of miles from Macroom to the north side of the River Lee reservior out on a bit of a penisula. I recall parking at an old churchyard and walking west for about 400m. Then heading through a few fields linking up with a farmtrack which it is right beside.
Unfortunately it was fairly overgrown with high grass and the resulting pictures werent great. According to Jack Roberts the orientation of the circle is 200°.

Starting from the Robin Hood carpark and pub, the well trodden footpath goes up the hill, first passing a small but identifiable ring cairn, winter being the best time to see it as it’s still got its summer coat of bracken on, making it hard to find and harder to distinguish.
Then passing what I presume to be about half a dozen small cairns possibly of the clearence variety, we come to a long outcrop of rock, huge boulders stacked atop each other, nothing like Sacsayhuaman in Peru, but it still makes me think of that faraway wonder.
Passing between two standing stones guiding us to the edge, next up is the three men cairn, an odd thing without a doubt, but the mound beneath the three peaks is undoubtedly a barrow of some sort.
Then the path strolls meanderingly about the giant rocks that litter the Edge that is Gardom’s, sometimes a vertigo inducing drop is just a few feet from the path, it is truly spectacular, well maybe not, that kind of statement should be reserved for places like Patagonia or the Himalayas. But it is beautiful, the colours, the clear air, darting little brown lizards, it all conjours up words close to spectacular.
Then we leave the edge and go through the hole in the wall.
This is the abode of Megs walls,pit alignments, the standing stone and two pieces of rock art one of which is covered by a replica, the other stubbornly refuses to let me find it.
From the replica, cairns can be got to between the two edges, Gardom’s and Birchen edge with its little monument to Nelson on top, then its back down to the pub carpark.

Ive been to Barbrook 1 three times so I was only coming really to see number 2, but you cant just walk past a stone circle, ignore it completely ?, it just cant be done, not by me anyway.
The sun was shining when I arrived, for the first time ever i’m sure, it was early afternoon on the autumn equinox, I wasnt alone on the moor by any stretch, the other people helped to turn it from a sometimes dull and sad place into a sunny and happy and vibrant place, the stones looking as good as ever. There are still pennies in the tops of stones, going towards the cairn through the circle, the stone to the right of the tallest stone has maybe three cupmarks on its upper surface.
The cairn fifty yards up the hill is almost but not quite too perfectly restored, from here a path passes two or three other restored cairns, on route to Barbrook 2.

Last but by no means least of the day, the wonderful Barbrook two, not some misidentified terrorists, but a lovingly restored stone circle/ring cairn kind of monument.
From the almost too perfect cairn near Barbrook 1, I counted three small kerb cairns, one which may still have its cist cover, even though the cist is long gone.
The entrance to the ring cairn points approxiamately to the summer solstice, ie north east.
Ten little stones make up the stone circle, some of them are barely high enough to poke free of the cairn, they all face the inside of the circle.
The autumn colours are beginning to show off a bit, and I never had the nervous, black feeling I got the first time I came to Barbrook .
It is beautifully reconsructed, as are the nearby cairns, all is well on the moor today, theres even a kite flyer and his overly enthusiastic dad.

Sometimes when you ask to park somewhere people say okay and go on about their business. Today at Glentone I asked the same question and then was given a few bits of local myth as well as useful directions.

One thing I didn’t know was that whilst arguing Mr and Mrs Devil had somehow woken Jock O Bennachie from his slumber. Unlike previous aims at Tap O Noth, this throw was more accurate and warring couple were silenced. Later Mr Devil, clearly not amused by proceedings, lobbed the rock at his wife leaving a mark on the rock. Fortunately for me there were no fighting devils and I know Jock wouldn’t throw a rock at his ‘lankie’ pal.

Head east on the B993 from the A944 and park at Glentone. I asked permission to park here but access to the rock can be gained from the Tomscairn Wood. After splashing across the Ton Burn, then another boggy burn head about 300 meters in a south westerly direction thru the trees until a clearing is reached. The stone, and it is massive, resides were the warring couple left it.

With Autumn fast approaching the colours of the wood make a lovely sight. Plus it didn’t rain, for a change.

Visited 22/09/2011.

Nice stone this – remembered it from Brac – sitting earthfast all on its own on the edge of a field. Loads of prehistory in this glen – but no other known rock art.

Theres some intriguing lines and marks in the pics that I didnt see by eye.

This is one of many prehistory sites on the road to the Boath Cairns and is an easy 20 minute walk from the road.

Visited 22nd Sept 11.

For some strange reason this wedge tomb is listed on the old Michelin maps, up there with the likes of Newgrange and the Rock of Cashel.
The tomb is in the vicinity of the beautiful Gougane Barra lake (my brother in law got married at the church here so I nipped out to take some pics the night before the wedding).
It is a place that is well worth a visit for non megalithic reasons. The lake was an early christain hermitage spot (a bit like Glendalough) and I understand there are legends of the lake having a monster in it.
Regarding the wedge tomb, there are two shown on the map but I only could find one. I think the second one might be destroyed as I found the remains of what might have been.
Its a fine big tomb and is in good condition. Didnt have much time to study it but i think it is about 4m long by about 2m wide.

gouganebarra.com/

I had wondered about maybe trying to get over to this one from the other stone circle however from the terrain it looked very difficult and so I drove up the forestry road to within about 300m of it. I had the coordinates in my handheld gps and even with the 8 digits coordinates I still nearly didnt find this. I just couldnt fathom that the stone circle would be in the evergreen trees.
See Gordons pictures for great directions on how to find this site, I shall have to start following them soon!

This circle is at the end of a long lane. There is a sign-post to the circle so that is always a good sign regarding access as you have to walk practically through the yard of a farm to get onto the lane. Its a long walk down, maybe 1.5km but the lane is in good condition and the site itself is well worth the walk.

The circle itself is in great condition and I assume all the stones are there and in there original positions. It is noted on Jack Roberts map as having an orientation to the Feb / Nov Cross Quarter days.

These standing stones are marked as a stone row and a single standing stone on the OS map on the lane down to the Carrigagulla stone circle. It seems likely that they made up the one monument at some stage. From Tom Fourwinds site he spoke to the farmer while visiting and the farmer said “that he can remember three standing in the field when he was young, but they fell. One of the gate post stones was dug up by him a few years ago some distance from the others. Was it once a very long row of five or six stones?”

As you can probably guess from the pictures the forestry around the stone row has been cut down and you can now see what remains of the row after the damage the planting has done. Im not sure what material the stones are but there do appear to be naturally white and would have been very impressive I would say when originally upright.

The main pointer to this stone circle is the huge standing stone at Maulmore. The stone circle is only about 400m from it. There is what looks perhaps like the remains of a tomb or a cairn in the same field as it.

Not sure what they were playing at digging up this field with a hymac but the field and the stone were both in good condition when I visited this summer.

This is a massive stone (as they say probably 4m high) and what is even stranger is that it isnt marked on the OS map that I own. The texture of the stone has a lovely colour and shade to it.

This standing stone is about 300 m from the stone circle. My memory fails me on the height but I think it was about 1.5m high.

Rylane is just off the road about 1.5km from Rylane village. You don’t see it as you pass by but you should be able to see the nearby standing stone. Find the standing stone and the stone circle is just over the ditch to the west.
The circle is given as having a orientation of 220° and is also noted as having a possible winter solstice orientation.

I tried visit this circle and the other to the NE, both to no avail Im afraid. This one in particular looks amazing from the ground plan however it has been swallowed up in the undergrowth. This would definitely be a circle that you would love to purchase and restore to its former glory. However by the looks of the warning signs it does not appear as if the local farmer has much interest in it other than keeping people away from it.