Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 19.5.11
WOW! I have been blown away with the quality of the prehistoric sites I have visited since coming to Ireland and this is yet another cracker – one of the best stone circles I have ever visited. Very easy to access being right next to the road and parking is no problem.
There was a donation box attached to the gate which is for the upkeep of the site and I was more than happy to contribute.
The circle was full of young cows that completely ignored me and carried on chewing the cud. I wasn’t quite as lucky as I managed to step in 3 separate cow pats!
This is an almost a perfect circle of stones of various height – too many to count accurately.
One stone is a huge square block that would not have looked out of place in Avebury – about 2 metres x 2 metres x 1 metre.
The strange ‘alter’ made up of small stones is still standing.

Visited 20.5.11
Eventually managed to find this Wedge Tomb – but only just
Following the directions I had read I found the drive leading to the farm and parked on the verge at the junction. I walked down the drive and saw the barn/shed on the left – no sign of the tomb which was described as being in front of said barn/shed. I walked up and down – nothing. I jumped over the fence and walked all around the barn/shed – again nothing.
As I was about to give up and walk back to the car I saw it; barely visible hidden underneath a large bramble bush and ivy – right next to the drive, immediately in front of the barn/shed. It is against the wall between the two metal field gates.
I kicked the nettles and brambles to one side and was just about able to peer into the chamber.
The chamber was about 3 metres long x 1.5 metres wide x 1 metre high.
At this point the farmer came along in his car, opened the window and said something to me.
What he said I have no idea but as he had a smile on his face I assume he was ok with me on his land? The funny thing is, he was the only person I met on my week in Ireland that I couldn’t understand!
This site is easy enough to access as long as you know where to look. In saying that there isn’t much to see unless someone comes along first with a sharp pair of shears.

Failed to find this one!
It should have been easy enough; next to the main road and even advertised on a tourist leaflet. But despite driving up and down the road and up and down the road again I couldn’t spot it. The landscape around this area is very rocky and in all probability I saw it without realising that I had! As this should have been an easy site to visit I was left rather frustrated.

Visited 20.5.11
I wasn’t expecting be able to visit Caherconnell as I didn’t think we would have time but (for a change) we were ahead of schedule so we arrived an hour before the visitor centre was due to close.
The site is well signposted and has a large free car park with a restaurant, toilets, shop etc – everything you could wish for!
After paying to get in, I took the path from the visitor’s centre up to the stone fort – only a short walk taking about 5 minutes. You first come to a building which shows a short presentation film (on a loop) to get you in the ‘mood’.
The fort itself isn’t that big (compared with a Hillfort anyway) although the walls are well preserved, being up to 3 metres high and 2 metres thick) – more like the ruins of a medieval castle – only round!
Of particular interest were the prehistoric structures discovered just outside the fort. The leaflet describes them as:
‘A rectilinear timber framed structure with hearth dating to the late Neolithic/Bronze Age. The well preserved dry stone sub-circular structure is later, partly built on the site of the earlier house. This site is unique in the archaeology of Britain and Ireland’.
It is this later stone structure that you can see – dug into the ground – approximately 1 metre deep and 2 metres round. It has an entrance way about 2 metres long and again 1 metre deep.
The earlier wooden structure is marked out with modern wooden posts.
There is a green metal ‘garden shed’ with a computer terminal in it that gives details of the site.

Visited 19.5.11
Yet another cracking Irish Wedge Tomb – another ‘must visit’ site.
Very easy to access being right beside the road although you do have to climb over a metal raining to get into the tomb. This must be an impressive site as even Karen squeezed through the gap in the uprights to get inside the tomb! From the inside the burial chamber looks much bigger than it does on the outside. The largest of the 3 capstones is huge.
We had a family picture taken sat on the stones in front of the tomb.

Visited 19.5.11
The directions given by Julian in the big orange book are spot on – otherwise it would have been a swine to find.
Once we arrived at the relevant farm I opened the gate and was met by the farmer. He was friendly and pointed me in the right direction for the tomb which is located in the field behind the large green barn. A 5 minute walk and I was there.
The tomb is smaller than it looks in pictures (a bit like Men an Tol in Cornwall) but is well worth a visit nonetheless. The tomb is about 10 metres in diameter and the gallery is about 6 metres long. The 3 capstones are supported on 12 uprights.
It was a very pleasant visit with swallows circling overhead, the sun breaking through the clouds and Lupins growing in and around the tomb.

Visited 17.5.11.
On the way to Fishguard to catch the ferry over to Ireland it seemed daft to not call in and check out this standing stone I spotted on the O/S map.
Directions:
Driving through Wolf’s Castle on the A40 you shortly come to a cross roads. Turn left and then take a sharp left. You pass a farm house on your left and you can pull in here. (Hen Dy Ffarm)
To the right of the house is a ‘track’ which starts stony and then turns to mud as you go along it. It looks like a cattle track and leads into a sort of small ‘enclosure’. (There is public right of way along this track) When you come to the ‘enclosure’ with its 3 metal gates, go through the gate on your left – the stone can be seen from here in the middle of the field.
This is a cracker of a stone and I am surprised it has not already been recorded on TMA. It is about 2 metres high and covered in yellow and white lichen on its sides. The top of the stone had dried out green lichen – very colourful!
The site was easy to access and is well worth a look when in the area.

COFLEIN describes this site:
A standing stone is located in a field largely cleared of stones on ground falling away gently to the E.
Of local stone, it measures 2.15m high on the E, downhill, side, 2.10m high on the W, 1.75m wide (NE-SW) and 0.5m thick. Likely packing stones are visible and the stone is surrounded by a shallow hollow 0.1m-0.2m deep, especially visible on the E.
visited DKL 14 October 1998

I also noticed on the O/S map a ‘Fort’ a little way to the east (SM95922749) but didn’t have time to have a look – not visible from the road. COFLEIN describes the site as an Iron Age enclosure.

As an aside, on the way to Wolf’s Castle I noticed from the road an unusual rock formation on the left hand side of the road. I know nothing about this but it did look interesting. Perhaps something requiring further investigation?

My 600th Field Note!!

Visited 18.5.11
Final stop on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive’ and what a cracker to finish with!
Parking up on the grass verge on a minor road south of the village of Dunhill I was initially apprehensive when I saw a sign on the field gate which read ‘warning – bull on land’!!
After a careful scan around the field I hopped over the gate and ducked under the electric fence. I walked over to the tomb and had a good walk around the wooden fence which is there to presumably stop damage caused by cattle?
The capstone is a whopper of a boulder and certainly must have taken some lifting. There is one large stone to the front and many more smaller stones scattered around.
On my way back to the car all the cows in the adjoining field started making their own way back to the farm for milking. How do cows know how to do this?
All in all a cracking day ‘old stoning’ following the Dolmen Drive – highly recommended.

Visited 18.5.11
Stop number 5 on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive’.
This tomb took a bit of finding but we got there in the end. Situated in the middle of a field to the right of a minor road to the north of Ballynageeragh village (which has the dolman painted on its pub sign!)
Although the tomb has been ‘restored’ with concrete around the base of the uprights and a wall built at one end, don’t be put off as this is a nice place to visit. The wall states that the tomb was restored by P Murray and Sons 1940)
There is a small info board.

‘Visited’ 29.5.11
Well, when I say visited more like looking at the Barrows through the window of a speeding car!
Heading north, four Barrows are clearly visible on the left hand side of the road and a bit further north, another single Barrow is visible on the right – this Barrow looks to have been cut in half by a field hedge.
The Barrows looked to be in good nick (except the one cut in half!) although it was difficult to judge their size due to Karens reluctance to go a bit slower (we were running late). All the Barrows appeared to be running in a line along the valley floor?
Well worth a peak when driving past. It would obviously help if someone else was driving at the time!!

‘Visited’ 29.5.11
Whilst passing through the area on the way home from a family do it seemed only appropriate that I should have a quick look at such an important prehistoric site. Nothing to see now excepft open grassy fields but time to stop and ponder a little...........

Visited 18.5.11
Stop number 2 on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive‘
WOW, what a Portal Tomb and what a setting!
We parked outside the very posh electric gates and I walked through the entrance on the left and up the newly tarmac drive leading to the posh house. A short walk up the drive and a sign points the way on the left. There is an info board to read and a kissing gate to walk through.
As you walk through the trees the tomb suddenly jumps out at you and it really was a ‘wow’ moment for me. The tomb sits in a cleared wooded area – lovely in the summer sunshine.
The tomb is at least two metres high and about 5 metres in length. There are 5 uprights – 3 of whom support the large capstone. The capstone is way above head height. Gaulstown reminded me a little of Pentre Ifan in west Wales. Although there has been some concrete work done to support the stones this does not detract from its wonder.
Someone had recently visited this site before me as there were several tea lights still aflame inside the tomb.
This is another ‘must visit’ site. Access is easy and the tomb is a cracker.

Visited 18.5.11
Stop number 3 on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive’ – although not a Dolmen!!
This standing stone is apparently the tallest in the Waterford area, standing at nearly 4 metres high. The stone is visible from the road and stands in the middle of the field; set against a dramatic background of rocky hills in the distance. I was so taken by its location I even took a photo of it – something I rarely do.
There was a warning sign on the field gate ‘private / no public access’ etc and I didn’t see the point in entering the field as I was happy to admire the view from the gate.
Well worth a look when in the area.

Visited 18.5.11
Stop number 4 on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive’.
We parked at the weigh bridge office and went to ask for permission to visit the site. Everyone had gone home for the day so a quick up and over the wooden fence and I was close up and personal with this wedge tomb. (Avoiding the electric fence of course!)
The tomb consists of 3 capstones supported by 12 upright stones – the tallest being about 1.5 metres high. There are numerous large boulders to the front and ferns grow inside the tomb.
It is in an elevated position with good views all around.
Well worth a visit when in the area.

We went one dark winter evening and tried to tiptoe around the graveyard by the light of nearby street lamps, only finding it after some 30 minutes searching around the wrong end of the church. Its in the west of the church yard, near the edge where the trees are. Diminutive but an interesting carving.

The second most neglected megalith that I have seen in this country, what a disgrace

In the graveyard in Craughaun, there was a wedge tomb called the Ballinphunta dolmen. Due to the extension of the graveyard, the tomb was excavated in 1990 by a group led by Brian Hodkinson. However, they only found pieces of modern pottery. FÁS workers erected a replica of this tomb in the new section of the graveyard.

limerickdioceseheritage.org/Cratloe/gyCratloe.htm

Progress.............not!

Archaelolink at Oyne, B9002, is the best place to start when heading for the sites and sights on Berryhill. Basically walk up the hill in front. There are two routes, a nature walk (quite easy) or straight up the fairly steep stepped path.

Situated on top of the hill the enclosure has in almost complete, in varying conditions, wall is 200 meters east to west and 150 meters north to south. In the centre of the site a building of a much later time barely remains. To the south is Aberdeenshire’s most famous landmark and everywhere else are loads of prehistoric sites. So this would be as good a starting point for a days hiking around as you could get. Max Hill the next hill to the east has the Gouk Stone.

As for Archaeolink itself I hope the place is taken over soon as the car parks and paths are beginning to look shabby. It appears the ancient is faring better than the modern.

Visited 29/05/2011.

This single stone is about 200m N/W from the nearby group of 3

On the western slopes of Berryhill facing towards Dunnydeer etc etc. The roundhouse is some ten meters in diameter. Clay has been found amongst the rocks during excavation. So the rest of the house was probably build on these rocks. The path leads to the site. Stop at signpost 17.

Visited 29/5/2011.

A new find with 5 cup marks 1 west side, 1 east side, and 3 down the middle. Possibly there are 2 well weathered efforts as well. Plenty of rocks and plates on the surrounding hills Mr T.

Visited 29/5/2011.

Visited on 24th May 2011 on the way back from Long Meg and Her Daughters.

Information board says that this huge henge has a circumference of 150 metres and was built from 5 million cobblestones brought from the nearby River Eamont many of which have now been removed for building materials. It varies in height from 4 metres to 7 metres and has no internal or external ditch. There were 4 large stones at its centre though only one remains. There were also 4 stones standing at a single 7 metre entrance to the east – these too are gone.

The nearby King Arthur’s Round Table can be clearly seen from Mayburgh Henge.

Visited 26th May 2011.
We headed towards Broughton in Furness then took the A595 towards the village of Hallthwaites taking turn-off for Broadgate, as far as Crag Hall farm. Here the track turned into a bridle way so we obtained permission to park car on a grass verge near the farm.

The stone circle is about a mile up the track towards Thwaites Fell – seemed longer as uphill and on this particular day a cold wind swept across fells making it feel more like March than late May. The stone circle is truly remote – it sits at the bottom of Swinside Fell with views towards Dunnerdale Fells in the distance to the east and Duddon estuary to the south.

There is a four stone ‘entrance’ into the circle which seems to be aligned to the eastern skyline (I wondered whether this was a solstice alignment). As observed by other TMA-ers, Swinside bears some similarities to Castlerigg though not as dramatic. It is probably the loneliest stone circle I have visited – we met no one at all along the way, just free range cattle and the odd curlew.

Note taken from David Watson’s “A Guide to Stone Circles of the Lake District”
There are 55 stones with 32 still standing. Originally there would have been about 60 stones. The stones are made of local metamorphic slate. Circle is about 28 metres in diameter. Tallest stone is about 2.3 metres

Visited 18.5.11
My very first site visit outside of the UK and the first site of my week in Ireland – and what a way to start! A cracker of a site!
This was the first stop on the Tramore ‘Dolmen Drive’. (well worth checking out if visiting southern Ireland).
It was a lovely summers day and we parked outside the house which faced the field in which the tomb stands. The tomb is visible from the field gate, on the opposite side of the field.
Karen and Sophie stayed in the car whilst myself and Dafydd climbed over the metal field gate and headed across the field towards the tomb. The grass was waist high to Dafydd who had difficulty walking through it although he later had the last laugh as he was small enough to get into the burial chamber while I had to look from outside!
The tomb is just the other side of a stone field wall but we first had to carefully crawl under an electric fence. Once over the wall (stone steps)the tomb was a sight to behold.
About 3 metres high and comprising of two capstones – well over head height. There are 6 large uprights – 5 of which support the capstones. Unfortunately the tomb was badly overgrown with nettles and brambles.
Myself and Dafydd climbed up onto the capstone and admired the view. You could easily see into the chamber and there is room to squeeze in through the gaps. The larger gap being blocked with brambles. Dafydd was able to crawl through the smaller gap.
Someone had visited the site fairly recently and had left an ‘offering’ of bluebells on the chamber floor.
This is a great site to visit and the tomb is as perfect as you could wish to find. The only down side is the lack of signs and the maze of lanes you have to navigate through. (It took us a while to find the place) In saying that it is well worth the effort and you will not be disappointed.

Tuesday 24th June 2011 – we drive over to Penrith temporarily leaving the Lakes and mountains behind. There is a Radio4 programme on the car radio about Bob Dylan who is 70 today so it is to the strains of “Like a Rolling Stone” we set off from the village of Little Salkend in the Eden Valley to visit Long Meg & Her Daughters. The Pennines are to our right as we walk up the track, it’s a gusty cloud-skudding day, my companion identifies the sound of a curlew.

Much has been written about Log Meg and the stone circle known has Her Daughters – its diameter is between 100 and 93 metres putting it amongst the biggest stone circles in Britain. Long Meg is an irregular four sided pillar of local red sandstone whilst the circle stones are the granite rock rhyolite. Long Meg is 3.6 metres high and is partially covered in silver crystalisations and lichen. Famously it has three examples of rock art on one side of its surfaces – a cup and ring with gutter, a spiral, and some incomplete concentric circles.

After spending some time walking around the circle and looking at Long Meg from various angles, we make our way through a couple of fields to Little Meg – a very small granite stone circle in a nearby field. Then on to the small red sandstone church of St Michael’s and All Angels, Addington which oddly stands away from any sizeable village inside a walled churchyard. A hefty shower blew across so we took shelter inside the church for a bit – I found the following passage in a booklet about the church (author not stated, though revised in 2010).

“Standing on the route towards the Tyne Gap, Long Meg is one of the eight circle henges along the 350 miles between Fife and Wiltshire which share similar characteristics. Each has a large open ring within a smallish henge and each is on a trackway of Neolithic occupation.
Some 200 Neolithic people are thought to have occupied the areas immediately around the Lake district mountains. Long Meg herself stands in the right place to relate to a midwinter sunset but only if seen from the middle of the ring with a flattened arc, making its centre difficult to determine. Yet such was the skill of the ring builders that Long Meg is aligned so that the winter sun would have set exactly over it. For this to happen its top would have to rise clear of the skyline, hence Long Meg’s height”.

I had lost my heart to Castlerigg a few days earlier so Long Meg & Her Daughters in the pastural Eden Valley didn’t make the impact I had expected – its odd how some stone circles immediately touch something within whilst others leave you pondering and puzzled.
(Photos to follow when I return home at the weekend).