Latest Fieldnotes

I have to agree with everyone below, parking here really is a pain. That along with the fact that it is down as a standing stone on my old version of the OS map makes this a tricky site to get to. I drove up and down this road a number of times before eventually parking a little up from the T-junction at about the only gateway that doesnt cause you to block what is a narrow road.
Its a fantastic site, unfortunately the electric fence does take away from it. The day I visited there were a number of curious cows / bullocks in the field right up to it and as such you didnt feel like staying around for too long.

Once again another cairn that survives despite the ravages of time and agriculture. Thankfully the site is now protected but in reality there is very little to see. However it’s location is special, it is almost exactly in the middle between two of Aberdeenshire’s most famous RSCs, Louden Wood and Aikey Brae. Throw in Dens, Cairndale and Auchmachar as well.

On what was to prove a very good day I parked at the entrance to Mains Of Bruxie, just west of Deer Abbey. The cairn is sited on top of the hill near the sadly uninhabited farm of Stockbridge looking down onto the South Ugie Water, being some 16 meters wide, at it’s highest it might be close to a meter. A scattering of cairn material remains as well of evidence of robbing. Still on the good news front it is protected by a fence from the friendly bulls who made sure I left safely.

Visited 21/09/2011.

Visited 17.9.11

I had been meaning to visit this site all year as it is relatively close to where I live but as you know, it is often the sites close to home you end up visiting last!

To get to this site you really need an O/S map to navigate the maze of minor roads east of Risca (near Newport)
Basically you need the narrow lane which runs North West from the school (I didn’t catch the school’s name)
As you head up the lane there is a small passing area you can pull into on the left – near the brow of the hill – park here.
Then it’s a case of jumping over the fence, wading through waist high brambles and nettles until you reach the open grassy area behind the modern houses.

The Barrow itself (marked cairn on O/S map) is not much to write home about. Now just a raised mound covered in brambles and bracken. In fact you would easily walk right past it if you weren’t looking for it specifically. Disappointing but still there.
I could not make out any of the stone details mentioned by COFLEIN due to the overgrown nature of the site – other than the oak sapling which is now a large bush!

There are reasonable views to the south. Twmbarlwm stands proud to the north.

I can’t really recommend a visit but if you are desperate I suggest tie it in with a visit to the nearby Twmbarlwm Hillfort (which is well worth a visit).
In fact if you keep heading north along the lane it takes you to the base of Twmbarwm.

COFLEIN describes the site:
‘The mound is more overgrown than it was 10 years previously and appears to have spread. It is now a stony mound measuring 14m x 13 m with a height of 0.75 m on the NE and 0.4 m on the SW. A small boulder lies atop the mound, off-centre to the NE. In addition to bracken and grasses the mound now supports an oak sapling’.
D Leighton 7 Dec 1999.

Today’s visit to this truly hidden (partial) stone circle was a complete surprise. A friend had asked me along on day trip to the Dorset coast via Corfe Castle then along to Studland for a walk to ‘Old Harry’. How could I refuse? While plotting the route to Studland my friend had noticed a stone circle marked on the OS map about 2/3 miles from Corfe Castle on the road to Studland, so we thought we’d have a go at finding it – as a bonus to all the other delights of the trip.

After initially missing the pull-in we turned round, stopping at a small parking area opposite Rempstone Hall; a gate into a wood and a bridlepath sign pointing to Nine Barrow Down is what to look out for. Going through the gate we turned right into a small wood which was a mixture of deciduous trees and plantation pines. The pine needles under our feet made our footfall silent – all rather lovely.

The stone circle was hard to find – we passed one solitary dark red sandstone before we eventually found what is really the remains of a stone circle, now just a semi-circle. Approximately eight stones plus the solitary stone as you enter the wood; the circle stones were covered in moss and being dark reddish brown in colour were well camouflaged amid the pine trees.

Later in the day, we went into the Heritage Centre in Swanage where I learnt that the Rempstone Stone Circle had been erected in the Bronze Age 4,000 years ago by the Beaker people and built with Studland sandstone.

Litterty Hill is situated in the valley to the west of the Cummerton Cairn. From where I parked I walked a further 1/4 mile north then took the first tractor track to the west. To call this a track is ambitious but it does lead down to the bottom of the quiet and almost forgotten Glenquithie valley.

Further south is Strath Howe, the hillfort, to the north is the Moray Firth and Pennan, now famous for it’s crumbling cliffs as well as Local Hero. However here at Litterty time seems to have stood still empty crofts and farmsteads providing an eerie backdrop even during a nice warm (a shock) September’s day.

The cairn itself must have been huge at some stage. Records have it at 24 meters wide and 3.5 meters tall. Nowadays it might still reach 24 meters in width but it has been much robbed leaving it around about a meter tall. It is now also covered in ferns and turf but underfoot cairn material can still be felt. One thing nobody can take away is location and nature. The views north and south are still wonderful. As for nature young red deer played in the sun, red squirrels played in the trees and birds chirped away quite merrily.

Visited 19/09/2011.

Brighstone Down encompasses quite a large area and also includes Gallibury Hump which sits just outside the forested area. The Tennyson Trail passes through the middle of it and it’s quite accessible by foot from Brighstone village to the South or from the road connecting Brighstone and Calbourne. This area of Downland forms the spine of the Island running east to west and is quite rich in tumuli of varying sizes and states of decay. Of the barrows in the woodland we really only encountered about three and it was quite a surprise to find quite large barrows hidden in the depths of the forest. These were situated just off a track which runs up from the reservoir (bounded by the Tennyson and Worsley Trails) on the southern edge of the forest. The map indicates three barrows near the bend and I was anticipating Bell barrows. As far as I could tell there were only two quite handsome barrows at this position about 2m high and 5-6m wide, but strangely there was a large but quite faint circle comprising a shallow ditch surrounded by a small bank about 7-9m in diameter. This either had to be a small enclosure (there are others not far away) or a reasonably large disc barrow! This was quite difficult to make out properly due to the density of the undergrowth and poor light on an overcast day, but if it does turn out to be a disc barrow then it’s possibly the only one on the island as far as I can tell. Having researched I can find no mention of this anywhere else. If anyone has any more information I’d be glad to hear it.

Visited 4th August 2011

Another gloriously sunny Swedish day and we thought we would try to tick off the last few sites in the Sweden section of the Megalthic European, so with Ellen driving I sat with the big papery Megalthic European open on my knee as we set the satnav for Gladsax.

Following Mr Cope’s directions we drove down an increasingly rough track at the side of Rosdala farm while I scanned the edges of the road for the ‘large boulder’ mentioned in the directions. Looking up I just noticed a glinting in the road, and just had time to shout ‘Stop!’ as Ellen slammed on the brakes and we came to a halt in a cloud of dust mere centimenters from a thin double length of wire strung across the road fencing off the track.

With frayed nerves we backed up and parked the car whilst I set off across a field to a ridge to scout out if we were anywhere near the elusive site. On reaching the ridgeline I could see the large white boulder which tops the ganggrift glinting tantalisingly in the sun on the other side of a nearby wheatfield.

Not having travelled 1000 miles to be this close to the site I refused to be deterred and taking advantage of the Swedish custom of ‘allemansratt’ (oh how I love Sweden!) I set off carefully around the edge of the wheatfield careful not to damage any crops.
What looked a short distance in a straight line was a considerably longer walk as I skirted the edge of the field, but finally the field was circumvented and I reached the huge boulder topping the mound.

As I approached the entranceway the first thing I noticed was a clearly defined path leading from the farm up to the ganggrift! So having established there was easy access I followed the path to see where it came out. Ending in a small place for parking, along with an information board I thought I’d go back and fetch Ellen who had stayed in the car so we could spend some time at the site, so after a long circular walk back down the dusty lane past head high corn, which along with the midday heat put me in mindof the American midwest, I finally made it back to the car.

So trying again we now drove to the farm and parked up. Giving us a bit of time to examine the site and take in the atmosphere, and what an atmosphere there is here!

Gladsax (alsoknown as Stenstuan) is currently the oldest confirmed Neolithic site in Sweden, cremated remains and pottery from inside the structure having been carbon dated to around 3,700BCE. A circular kerbed wall of small stones has a mound constructed on top, with a small row of low stones defining an entranceway, and leading to a tiny burial chamber. Topping this off is a huge quartzite boulder. Technically this could be classed as a ‘langgraff’ or long grave, but the entranceway is so short, and the construction of the monumnent so different to others of that type that it doesn’t seem to fit.

There are some excellent carvings on the boulder capstone, some clearly defined as boats, while others more abstract, I went around furiously photographing them, although the high sun made it difficult to pick out the the detail with little shadow to define the carvings, but the pictures seemed to come out OK.

Then a chance to sit down at the site and write my fieldnotes. It is perfectly quiet here, the atmosphere distinctly ‘Lammasy’ with cornfields dotted around, and a wealth of wildflowers covering the field in which the ganggrift stands, as well as countless butterflies everywhere, we even saw some Large Blue’s!

The perfect bucolic setting and preponderance of butterflies adds to the magical fairy mound kind of quality that this place has, the tiny burial mound is too small to squeeze into but if I did I wouldn’t have been suprised if hundreds of years had passed by the time I emerged! We felt happy here and reluctant to leave, Gladsax exerting it own pull on us, this really is a place you need to visit as pictures don’t do it justice.

Directions: Follow Julian’s directions in the Megalithic European as far as Rosdala farm, but instead of taking the suggested track at the side of the farm instead drive down the farm access road past the line of trees and you will see as you approach the farmyard a small information sign ahead of you, along with a small area to park. Just to the right of the sign (it looks as if it gives access to the farmyard) you will see the start of the path leading to the ganggrift, and the site itself will be visible as it’s only a short walk. You can also folow the track across the adjacent field which leads staright ahead where you park the car which will lead you to the more ruinous site of Gladsax Norre Vang, which is just across the field on a low ridge, directly to the north of Gladsax Ganggrift.

Barharrow Seven and Eight – Saturday 17 September 2011

Barharrow 1-8 is a collection of rock art panels first discovered in 1995. The outcrops form a rough trapezoid shape, whose points extend into fields on either side of a minor road near Twynholm. Canmap helps a lot.

You’ll want to get yourself here. All the panels are within this frame.

maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=54.852699,-4.144163&spn=0.005571,0.013711&t=h&vpsrc=6&z=16

A phone call late last Thursday brought myself and junior down to stay Friday night with holidaying friends a couple of miles from Barharrow.
I rose early today (Sat 17th September 2011) and was joined by General S as we squelched through foot deep mud in search of Barharrow 8. It was easy to find, visible from the road and at the end of a hundred yard long submarine shaped hillock at the road-side of the field.
(Here it is on Google Streetview the little outcrop just to the right of the yellow gorse is the one)

g.co/maps/4c6bv

The hillock has many rocky outcrops and exposed faces. The little crag at the end is where you want to head once you navigate the fence and quite a meaty bit of rock art it is too. The lichen (yellow and white) encrusted rock has very deep motifs. A central cup has seven maybe eight deep curving channels radiating out (a bit like a spider shape). There were another couple of likely looking cups on the rock which connected with the radiating lines. A real chunky motif!
The field was also home to twenty five black Galloway bullocks and once they’d spotted us they came trotting over – we nipped smartly to the fence and got over while the bullocks were still plopping through the mud!
Barharrow 7 was next, back across the road, up the little access to the field and through the gate. You pass a couple of little old quarries which have been used for dumping rubble and old bits of corrugated iron in. Keep going. We were looking for the gate in the drystane dyke on our right. When we peered over there was a massive Charolais bull standing right where I wanted to go. After about a quarter of an hour’s waving and distracting we got the monster with the horns and nose-ring to wander off along the edge of the fielddyke till it was far enough down for me to venture in, while General S stood on the dyke keeping watch. I’d had a brief visit to the panel a few months back but had no time to tarry then.
The panel is a beauty. Exquisite. A real treasure. A spiral – at least a foot across – sitting at the base of a gorse bush, staring at your face. If you check out Canmore the directions are quite clear. Just do the paces and look for the prominent outcrop (on the left of an old causeway...). It was a beautiful still Autumn morning and just a perfect day to see this panel. There is something about a spiral... and this one really is a lovely piece of work.
The delay with the bull meant Barharrow 1-6 will have to wait for a week’s holiday in Gatehouse of Fleet mid October. My camera also had a malfunction and my pictures came out a bit blurry, however I also used the camera of General S, but as he’s still down by Twynholm it’ll be a few days before I can post them here.

From yorkgate road chevin car park walk east along the surprise view footpath for about 400m.

Parallel with the end of the plantation on your right there are some bushes with a patch of heathery grass beneath them. Knottie’s stone is visible from the path in those bushes, although the carving is very faint and much easier viewed from the other side.

Worth a look for the view from the stone, with the carved line seemingly pointing at the wart of Almscliffe on the horizon.

Visited 11.9.11

I couldn’t resist taking a look at this Hillfort after visiting the nearby Bones Caves.

Parking is difficult along the busy A368 although we did manage to pull over in front of a wooden gate which was padlocked. A sign on a tree stated ‘Private – No Access’.
(The O/S map shows there is no public right of access to the Hillfort)

If you are the sort to ignore such signs (hypothetically speaking of course!) this is what you will find:
Up and over the gate and head straight up the steep side of the hill. The whole side of the hill is covered in trees / bushes / brambles etc. It is certainly tough going. When you get near the top of the hill there is evidence of tumbled stone walls – I do not know if these are the remains of stone ramparts or some later building? There is then a levelled area of about 20 metres before more tumbled stones can be seen.
You then come to the largely eroded ditch with its inner rampart – standing about 2 metres high from the bottom of the ditch. Through more trees and you come to another wooden field gate leading to the centre of the Hillfort. This consists of a large grassed area which is conical not flat – no crops or animals in evidence. (I have no idea why this gate is here as it doesn’t lead anywhere!)

Due to the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place and more importantly, I had left Karen and the children in the car which was rather dodgy parked on the verge near a bend, I didn’t want to hang around and explore any further. I therefore can’t comment on how well preserved (or not) the rest of the Hillfort is.
I slip/slided down the hill and was soon back at the car.

There wasn’t a lot to see in all honesty although those tumbled stone walls were certainly interesting. I didn’t see any sign of a cross cut into the bedrock.

One for the dedicated only I would say.

Wild, windy weather today, the tail-end of an Atlantic hurricane. I just wanted to be somewhere high and open – so Barbury Castle it was. I’ve been here many times before but today, after an exhilerating walk into the wind along the ramparts, for the first time I headed up along the Ridgeway towards Hackpen Hill. Made it to a large clump of trees before turning back towards Barbury; seeing Barbury from the Ridgeway gave it a whole new perspective. From that view point it is clear that Barbury is a promontary hillfort as it sits on the end of a hill ridge with the land dropping gradually away towards the plain below.

The information board on the Ridgeway side of Barbury tells us that the area is rich in burial mounds, among which an ancient disc barrow is the most important. Dated 1700BC it is thought to be the burial site of an aristocratic woman.

The information board goes on to say that during the laying of a trench by Esso, the skeleton of an elderly woman dated at around 300AD was found deep in the chalk bed. Probably a member of the local Romano British community who farmed the area. (The workers who found the remains originally called them ERIC ‘Early remains in chalk’ but later changed this to Erica).

This small gathering of barrows can be reached from the fantastic viewpoint of Limerstone Down, just off the Worsley Trail, about 30 minutes walk North East from the village of Brighstone. There are 4 barrows visible at the top of the Down, a further 2 about 100m west (though they may have been ploughed out as they weren’t exactly obvious) and 2 large barrows at the end of the spine of the hill at Cheverton Farm. There are great views across the island in most directions but the barrows aren’t exactly what you’d call ‘awe inspiring’ and the weather was also a bit flat the day we trudged through. Perhaps more intriguing are the strange earthworks around the viewpoint at Limerstone Down a few hundred metres South West though I can’t find any information about them so I’ve no idea just how old they are.

‘Visited’ 11.9.11

I parked near the entrance to Yarberry Farm and decided to walk down the public footpath to see if I could see the stone rather than asking for permission at the farm house. Karen stayed with the children in the car.

There were warning notices stating that this was private property and that walkers must stay on the footpath. I walked along the track, through a field gate and into a flat but muddy field. Half way through the field I looked to my left and could see the stone two fields over.

The stone appeared to be about 6ft high and 2 ft across. The top half of the stone was visible above the hedgerow. The stone looked weathered and gnarled – similar to the large blocks of stone which were around the grass verge near the farm entrance.

If you wanted to get up close to the stone you would need to ask permission at the farm house as the stone is in the field directly behind the barns.

I managed to pick a decent amount of blackberries on my way back to the car – which Sophie and Dafydd enjoyed very much!

Visited 11.9.11

We really enjoyed our time here. The site is only open to the public a couple of weekends per year and I would certainly recommend a visit if you are able.

The surrounding roads were well sign posted (off Well Lane) and the parking area was in a field near the caves. Admission was free.

There are two caves (the stalagmite cave is not open) a ‘druids temple’, folly tower and a couple of other quirky buildings in the process of being re-built. There are also nice woodland walks and refreshments were available from the main house – lovely views to be had from the patio area.

The Bone Caves themselves is obviously the highlight of the day. The cave being much bigger than I expected. Access is via a set of steep slipper steps. Lit by candles in jam jars – no electricity here!

Once in the cave there were many nooks and crannies also lit by candle which gave the place a nice atmosphere despite lots of people being present. There are several information boards and guides at hand to ask questions. It is odd to see so many bones still stacked up in piles around the cave. Of particular interest were the whale ribs you walk through when descending the steps – it’s not every day you do that!

A guide book is available to buy at £5.00 which looked a bit steep although all proceeds go towards the upkeep and development of the site.
All in all a great way to spend a few hours and a place I would heartily recommend visiting.

The site will be open in 2012 on the following dates:
Sunday 27th May – 10.30am to 4.30pm
Saturday and Sunday 8th and 9th September – 10.30am to 4.30pm

***
I forgot to mention the ‘mock’ ancient stones also found at the caves. The path through the woods towards the tower has pairs of standing stones about 30 metres apart – now largely covered in ivy. Also, the mound on which the tower stands has a row of standing stones all around its base. Looks like a recreated ring cairn?
Interesting to see, the stone blocks are very large and must have taken a bit of shifting!

Enjoy!

As Dick Dastardly would say ‘drat, drat and double drat!’.
Crops not harvested so still no sign of stone.
I will return................

Two things really astonished me about this cairn, 1) how I didn’t know about it until recently and 2) how it managed to survive despite the growth of Inverurie.

Go to the town centre in Inverurie and look for Barclay Road making for the streets end. In front is Kellands Park (a place were I terrorised Inverurie’s batsmen many a time) turn right and enquire at the first house. Unfortunately the people who live here were out but the kindly next door neighbour allowed to ‘loup’ her dyke to see the ancient site.

Somehow, miraculously really, the cairn is almost 25 by 20 meters and a further 5 meters tall. It is now covered in turf and trees. Some damage has been done to the eastern end but overall it is in fine condition. In 1902 an urn was discovered during excavations and displayed in Inverurie museum.

Bizarrely the building of houses has protected this cairn from major damage and it seems to be looked after in the appropriate way. Good news for a change and a nice way to end the day.

Visited 8/9/2011.

From the ruined piano on top of Clachcarr I headed further north downhill until I came to a wee track heading in a south westerly direction. Keep going until the junction of two tracks, one coming from the Don which heads eventually back up Culquoich, and another track which leads to the ruins at Barns farmstead. Don’t take the track to Barns, jump the fence and head to the summit of Cairnbeg Hill passing another ruined steading.

Not much remains of this once huge cairn but the rise of the land and a scattering of stone gives an idea of size. Once again the views are superb with Morven to the south west and Clachcarr/Culquoich to the north east/east. Also the A97 is clearly visible, heading south, giving an idea of the distance covered as the road goes past the Deskry, Cairnbeg, Clachcarr and Colquoich hills.

A great place to walk and there must be easier ways than my route. But Donside is beautiful and I love this area, always have and always will which is good news as on my return to the first cairn I marched straight back down the hill only to realise I’d missed a kerb cairn of considerable size plus no injuries. Oh dear I’ll have to go back.

8/9/2011.

Some examples of non rock art mostly from the Dundee area . The first four apart from the “standing stone ” are closest to the type of natural markings found at Slaggyford . As these are clearly not prehsitoric I’ll take them off in a couple of days if that is ok by the eds . However they might be a handy comparator .

Opposite Glenkindie House (home to a magnificent souterrain) on the A97 take the road south over the River Don signposted Culquoich. This road is very short and I parked at it’s end.

With all sorts of padding and strapping protecting the dodgy left leg I plodded up the slopes of Clachcurr, basically follow the track up and south until it ends at the deer gates. A short distance on and the cairn can be spotted next to track on the western side.

This cairn was well placed as Morven and Tap O Noth can be seen as well as spectacular views of the River Don and Deskry Water. One thing that astonished me was the distance the A97 heads west before it turns south towards Dinnet. I’d walked over the hill whilst on the road from Glenkindie to Bluemill must be at least 10 miles.

At 24 meters wide this cairn was obviously massive and a few kerbs remain sprinkled around the outer edges. Canmore say 0.6 meters high, I’d have said, with the casual eye, at least 1 meter.Some larger boulders and smaller cairn material can be seen in the cairns interior.

With that it was time to conquer Clachcarr. At the peak there is a walker’s cairn, more surprisingly is the remnants of a piano, strange but true. My next stop was Cairnbeg, a tortuous climb down proved the leg was back working properly and an indicator that the padding is indeed a good idea for the ankles.

8/9/2011.

Yesterday I walked the section of the Ridgeway between Hackpen Hill and Avebury (to the Polisher stone). Overcast and very windy, it felt very autumnal; was wonderful to be up there overlooking the Wiltshire downs. The hedgerows were laden with berries of many varieties which reinforced the autumnal feel.

Last time I was up here was in the winter and the surrounding fields were covered in mist so I missed the intriguing large sarsen stone that stands alone in the middle of a field to your left, walking towards Avebury. Not possible to get closer without climbing wire fencing so just had to look from a distance.

Was concerned to see part of the track heavily rutted and, coming back, three vechicles passed – one was towing some sort of people carrier that had people in it (they didn’t look like farm workers).

Love this ancient trackway so much; it is always different according to the time of year and weather conditions – and always an intense experience.

It’s huge! Almost on the scale as Sa Coveccada
across the water in Sardinia. The sign specifies the capstone as 3.4m x 2.9m, and it’s tall enough to stand up inside.

A stunning spot! Dozens of menhirs in a copse, explored in dappled sunlight. A confusion of rows, some dating to around 5000 BCE. In a gated area, but with full access allowing witnessed stone hugging.

Two rows of stones running N-S with some great examples of carved swords and faces.
Picture taken in May – the wild grass and flowers are lovely but do hide some of the carving.
Fenced in, but only a few metres away.

Possible standing stone in the S.W. corner of Vatersay .
canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/21403/details/vatersay+cuithe+heillanish/

A site group consisting of the alignments of Stantari and Renaju, and the fabulous dolmen Cauria Fontanaccia. The location given is the beginning of the track to the group, and there is space to park here. Free and open access, no facilities.
Well worth spending a few hours here! It’s about 500m from the track / car park to Stantari.