Latest Fieldnotes

[visited 28/4/11] This is one sorry mutilated cairn, but still recognisable as such. I presume this was robbed either for treasure or for stone years ago. As you can see from the photos, they took the very centre out and left just surrounding mounds.

In its day it would have been large and would have been a dominating presence across Furness Vale. The views stretch from the North West right round to the South East, 15-20 miles is probable on a good day. Manchester is certainly in sight now.

Access is 300 metres or so down a footpath from the Whaley to Chinley higher road.

I have returned, and this time I shall dispense with any formalities and jump the gate (the stone is indeed more or less on a marked footpath). Rewards: A stone that’s nearly as tall as me and quartz all down one side, a tractor whirred in the background and an unfamiliar bird call. Nothing about but me and the stone,(and a bug named tony) just the way it should be.

According to the land owner this little known souterrain is intact and accessible, located just off a track and easy to find, or miss if you are not careful :-)

There are two wedge tombs side by side here, one is collapsed and very ruinous

Located over a wall just behind Fanyglavin wedge tomb

Wedge tomb is located within a ring/stone fort

Local Farmer Willie Keher took me to this site when he came across me on a pathway on his property, we had a good chat, said very few knew of this site and I could add it here, showed me an intact Souterrain closeby

To the north side of Backley there are some massive boulders. On one of them Tiompan discovered 17 cup marks, mostly along the rock’s edge.

For Jan.

Visited 29/4/2011.

Instead of 5 cup marks there are 8 cup marks. Handy having Tiompan to count for me.

We leave White Moor stone circle and head north over Little Hound Tor (23.4.2011). The original, typically over-ambitious, plan had been to visit the Nine Stones cairn circle on Belstone common, but we had enjoyed a long leisurely visit to the White Moor circle and the heat was more than enough to put paid to any ideas of climbing the steep slopes of Belstone Tor now. So instead we decide to walk up the Taw valley, to finish the walk at Sticklepath.

This gives us the opportunity of an unplanned detour to the cluster of settlements shown on the OS map at White Hill, so we head northwest from Little Hound Tor, slowly descending as we go.

We come upon the first evidence of settlement somewhat unexpectedly. At the southeastern end of the group, uphill from the rest, are a scatter of unenclosed hut circles. We find a couple, neither more than a circular scatter of stones. There are good views here, across the Taw valley to Belstone Tor and the Dartmoor mountains beyond, as well as back southwards to Hound Tor and Steeperton Tor. Cosdon Hill blocks the view eastwards.

The hillside drops steeply down from these first circles, and before long we come across an enclosed group. The enclosure wall is the most obvious feature here. Running further northwest, we see various enclosed groups, with some better preserved hut circles and eventually a reave. It’s difficult to get a full sense of what we are looking at, or even which settlement on the OS is the one we are in at any given time. A proper exploration would need a larger scale plan (see Jeremy Butler’s “Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities” for one) and could easily take several leisurely hours.

Which alas we don’t have. So we head along the valley, northwards. Down by the water itself there is a carnival atmosphere, with the first people we have seen for quite some time enjoying the long weekend, the sunny weather and the pleasant walk along on a path on the western bank of the river. Our route, along the eastern bank, proves to be a rather more arduous sheep-track amongst ankle-twisting rocks. We’re glad to reach the shelter of the trees along the river as it turns eastwards below Belstone, and even more glad to reach the garden of the Taw River pub at Sticklepath!

The site is only a couple of hundred yards from the road – you can spot it from the coast road if you look up the hillside. There’s room to park to the side of private lane leading up past the cairn, then a short walk uphill through the gate (there’s a sign asking people to use the lane rather than climbing across the field).

Great place to take a picnic if the weather is good.

April 27, 2011

I set off to visit Candle Hill on a brilliant day of cloudless sunshine. If the site were as bad as some of the reports below suggest, then at least the views towards Bennachie and Dunnideer Hill should be worth seeing. I can only say that I was most pleasantly surprised. There seems to have been recent activity removing the worst of the gorse from the hill and the site of the stone circle was reached with ease.

My second surprise was that the circle is almost complete – though all but one of the stones are prostrate. My first sighting was from the north, of the single standing stone, and the prostrate recumbent and flankers beyond. But from the west flanker, four large stones marked out the western arc of the circle. Only the 3rd stone was prominent; the other three were covered with moss and other vegetation and almost completely buried: they stood only a couple of centimetres proud of the ground. Then came the upright stone, and beyond it another large earthfast stone, again, only just breaking the surface. Finally, there was an obvious ‘absentee’ between this and the east flanker.

So there are nine stones still visible, and in place (eight prostrate), with only one member of an assumed 10-stone circle actually missing.

Because of the large central mound, it is not possible to see all the stones in context. An aerial close-up from a helicopter would be illuminating and show the true nature of the circle.

A good day out, with much more to see than I ever imagined. My photograph is a panorama, showing clearly the recumbent and flankers, the central mound, and the upright northern stone.

Access: There is now a gate in the wall surrounding the hilltop. From the road, make uphill towards the prominent lone Scots Pine tree, follow the wall for a few yards to the right, and you are there. Through the gate, keep following the wall and you will see the large upright stone after 50 yards or so.

After leaving Cosdon stone row (23.4.2011) under a brilliant blue sky and blazing heat, we head off the bridleway and slightly up on to the slopes of Cosdon Hill itself. This provides a welcome breeze, but also allows us a better view of the route ahead. The bridleway curves westwards then back to the south, plotting a course between the bog of Raybarrow Pool and the slope of Little Hound Tor. We cut directly south, heading for the Tor, but still have to negotiate some squelching as we round the Pool. As others have mentioned, if you’re coming in anything but very dry weather make sure you’ve got waterproof boots!

All such concerns are swept away as we round the shoulder of Little Hound Tor. The outlying White Moor Stone comes into view first, silhouetted against the sky, then the circle itself appears. Wow! What an absolute belter. I practically run down the hill with a big grin on my face.

It’s a fairly big circle if you’re used to the cairn circles of this area, but nowhere near the size of the biggest Dartmoor rings. All but one of the stones are erect (or at least leaning), only one in the southern arc lies fallen. It has a wonderful setting, lying below various tors but still boasting awesome views, particularly to the west where Dartmoor’s two mountains – High Willhays and Yes Tor – fill the skyline.

The outlier is larger than anything in the circle, standing at about 6 feet high (I didn’t measure it) but leaning over slightly. It is a chunky slab, the long side doesn’t line up on the circle. The boundaries of three parishes meet here and the stone has incised initials relating to the Duchy of Cornwall (DC), Throwleigh Parish (TP) and Tawton (T).

Back to the circle. I’d agree entirely with Gladman’s assessment. This is a megalithic wonder, a brilliant site (and I may give it the nod over Down Tor). Its remoteness, setting and general condition place this is in the front rank of stone circles I have visited.

We linger for a good while, only seeing one other walker and a pair of cyclists (who seem taken aback as they come upon the circle, then cycle right through the centre) while we are here. Given that this is a scorching hot Saturday in the middle of Easter weekend, even we few visitors are probably more than you might find here on most days.

Eventually we head off, climbing over Little Hound Tor itself, before heading northwest to the White Hill Bronze Age settlement. I really hope to come back here again.

This is an incredibly hard place to find if you follow my path. Leaving Turriff head west on the B9025 and pull in at the old Forglen manse, just up the road from the Auld Forglen Kirk and graveyard. (made famous by George Findlater VC, the bagpiper who became known as the Cock Of the North). Looking at the OS map this seemed to be a short walk thru trees. Wrong oh so very wrong. Basically it was a scrap between the trees and me, often resorting to being on my knees but eventually I came across a track but no tumulus. However I did find a mausoleum to the west. So I re-tracked a little and found a track heading south. The tumulus/round barrow appeared as if by magic. Older trees had been chopped down with younger trees growing in their place.

How I’d missed this on several previous visits beats me but I’d obviously didn’t think about deforestation. The barrow is 25 meters and 1.7 meters high. Sadly this will vanish in time as it is taking a severe battering. It also has been dug into which revealed that no stones had been used in it’s construction just sand and clay. Three burials had also taken place here with various beakers and urns being donated to the Antiquities of Scotland. Now the barrow has little trees, whins, jabby things and turf growing all over making it very hard to spot. I left with a depressing feeling that this place had been forgotten about. I’ve told the local heritage people, who knew nothing, so they might tidy the place up with permission. Somehow I doubt it.

To get back I followed the path south into the trees and found a very easy route back to paths which led back to the manse and the car.

Visited 25/4/2011.

Visited 25.4.11
On my way home after spending an enjoyable couple of hours at Ogmore Castle (CADW) I thought I would take the opportunity to check out this Barrow.
When I arrived in the correct area there were two possible ‘lumps’ which could have been the remains of the Barrow.
Either:
The mangled ‘lumps and bumps’ immediately behind a ‘no unauthorised vehicles allowed on common’ sign or (more likely?) the small low mound a little further along the road (between the road and the metal field gate). If this is the Barrow, it is about 0.5 metres high and spread over an area about 10 metres across. Easy to spot amid the flat grass covered common land.

Visited 22.4.11
I last visited this site a couple of years ago when the weather was awful with mist and rain swirling all around. I have been meaning to re-visit the Garth on a nice day ever since then but had never got around to it – until today!
Despite arriving at the small parking area near to Dan Y Graig house at 7.30am I only just managed to squeeze in on the end – I thought I was the only one mad enough to come up here at this time of day – apparently not! (Including a bare chested jogger!!!)
A 10 minute walk takes you from the parking area to the main Barrow which has the information board in front of it – just follow the obvious ‘path’ up the hill.

There are 5 Barrows on Garth Hill – as indicated on the information board:
1. The main Barrow is approx 5 metres high and 25 metres wide – a trig point is on top.
2. A very small Barrow in immediately to the right of the main one – approx 1 metre x 5 metres. It appears to have been dug into.
3. The Barrow to the west is approx 1.5 metres x 5 metres wide – dug into.
4. The Barrow to the east of the main one is the hardest to spot – ruined and only approx 1 metre high x 10 metres – overgrown.
5. The one furthest away to the east is quite large – approx 3 metres high x 20 metres wide which has also been dug into.

All in all a very worthwhile place to visit with superb views all around – at least it would have been had it not been for the early morning haze which hadn’t burnt off yet.
Oh, and yes, it is always windy up here!!

The stones themselves are on fenced off land, but you can view them without crossing any fences or disturbing any crops by walking S on the minor road (Centenary Way) from Wharram Percy car park past the junction of footpaths to where the field edge joins the road, then walking back N along the field edge. The field edge moves away from the road, and you get a good view of the stones.

Mythopoetic coincidence – a disused railway tunnel enters the dale just to the N of the stones.

The prospect of a fine and sunny Easter weekend had resulted in plans to take G/F to the Brecon Beacons, until Network Rail’s maintenance programme put paid to that. But Saturday is St George’s Day, so we turn our sights to Merrie England instead, and to Dartmoor. As we set off, G/F informs me that she has never been to Dartmoor in anything other than sunny conditions, and today promises to maintain that rather enviable tradition (certainly not one that tallies with my solo visits anyway).

Rather than taking the Nine Stones bridleway mentioned in other fieldnotes, we get off the bus at Ramsley, where an alternative bridleway heads due west then south and provides a slightly more gradual climb up onto the moor. The trees along the route also provide welcome shelter, as the temperature is skyrocketing as we head off (it turns out to be the hottest April day for 60 years or so). The path wanders generally south, always climbing, between drystone walls and over terrain that would be pretty muddy and horrible in other weather but is passable enough today. Eventually we make it up onto the moor, following a stone-paved track rather narrower than the drystone walls either side – my money is on this being a very much older drove route.

This northeastern edge of the moor is pretty remote, with no roads crossing it and only bridleways and tracks even climbing up onto it. Which is great, as it makes for a nice solitary visit. We see a large party of walkers from a distance, but otherwise are left to our own devices as we reach the first site on today’s route.

Hitting the row at its eastern end, at first it appears to be a double row, with no obvious terminals at this end. There are two stones together, before a drainage gulley cuts across the row. Its small and sporadic stones limp on a little further, before suddenly turning into a triple row wonder. Boy, this is a good row – much clearer visually than the similar multiple row we visited last year at Corringdon Ball. The northern row contains larger and heavier stones than the other two.

After maybe 100m, the rows terminate with three larger upright slabs, placed perpendicularly to the rows themselves. Rather oddly, the three terminal stones are completely out of line with each other, especially the northern row’s stone, which is set much further west than the others.

The terminal cairn is a ruin, but contains the remains of not one but two separate cists. It is also surrounded by the scant remains of a small free-standing stone circle, but only five stumpy stones, a foot or so high, remain of it. Seen from this end, the row clearly meanders along its length, appearing to curve southwards then returning to an eastwards direction at its far end.

An excellent start to the day and one that has already taken care of the majority of uphill walking we will do, mercifully given the heat. We head off south, to brave Raybarrow Pool on our way to White Moor stone circle.

Very substantial and well preserved example of an earth banked Henge with ditches over a metre deep. Access is easy, just park near the cattle grid and head up the field. It is fenced but just walking around it is enough to get the feel of this site.

Visited 10th April 2011

Stopped and visited this barrow which lies just off the A345 between Netheravon and Figheldean. Barrow is situated in a pasture behind a cottage.

Wiltshire and Swindon Sites and Monument Record class it as an oval barrow, similar to Silver Barrow.
themodernantiquarian.com/site/11962/silver_barrow.html
These barrows are thought to be a transitional type between the small, late Neolithic long barrows and the more common Bell and Bowl barrows. O.G.S. Crawford said it was a long barrow and marked it down as such on his 6” map.

William Hawley opened the barrow in 1910 and found a barbed and tanged arrowhead together with a few pottery sherds. The barrow was measured as 28 paces in diameter by L.V. Grinsell and listed in the Victoria County History in 1957.

I found it to be uninspiring and lacking in any vibes. It may have been disturbed by the army at some time for it now has the “Star of David” sign to ward off those trenching squaddies.

The name “Gallows” refers to a gallows which was erected in the field next to the barrow. The road was used by coaches before being taken over by the army. A policeman was killed by another policeman near here on 1st April 1913 but the gallows were not needed then.

The web link supplied below by the wysefool suggests that “Sarsen stones for Stonehenge were brought down this valley from the Marlborough downs and a mishap lead to one of them ending up at the bottom of the river Avon in Figheldean”. I had a look around the river but couldn’t see anything. Maybe this was the same stone that was in the river at Bulford?. May go back to search in the winter when vegetation dies back.

[visited 20/3/11] What a lot of pain for what is actually a very easy to find site. For any future seekers, the site is to the North of long lane, so there really is no need to get right up on the top of the hill which is South of long lane. This sits in a very similar landscape position to Green Low, overlooking a clough to the left facing downwards and some way down from the top of the hill it sits on. As such I view them in a similar light.

A clear circle, but relatively small, any stones are mostly buried. I see this as a ring cairn ahead of the embanked circle classification, though they do have a tendency to meet in the middle! Great views looking North and definately worth a visit.

Access is not difficult in a small field next to a rocky track. I parked down in Horwich End and walked about a mile up hill to the site, but temporary parking might be possible at the end of long lane.

Following the road down from Boiling Well barrows (16.4.2011), the jagged ridge of Burway Hill comes into view, falling precipitously down to Townbrook Valley. The narrow saddle of the land at the foot of the ridge is called The Devil’s Mouth, but there is no gaping maw into Hell to be seen.

Instead there is a low earthwork bank, now cut through by the road, but otherwise running across the neck of the ridge. It’s worth a quick climb up the steep slope of Burway Hill to gain an eagle-eye view as well. Once at the top, you are rewarded with lovely views of Caer Caradoc and the line of hills running north to The Wrekin. From here it’s a stroll back down to Church Stretton.

Leaving the overcrowded hilltop of Pole Bank (16.4.2011), I head eastwards along a narrow path through the heather until it hits the minor road that runs from Asterton along the top of the Long Mynd before heading eastwards to Church Stretton.

This road will take me straight to the two barrows near the Boiling Well, a natural spring that I fail to notice as I pass (principally because I mistake the larger pool shown on the OS for it, but there you go). So, barrows near a source of water – who’d have thought?

The western barrow lies in dense (but thankfully low) heather on the north side of the road. It has obviously been cleared of vegetation at some point, but the new growth springing up suggests it might be covered anew before too long. The top has been dug into, as ever.

The road is busy on this sunny Saturday and the frequency of passing cars, coupled with the difficulty of getting a satisfactory photo of the barrow (which seems to blend into the heather at every opportunity), makes for a rather frustrating visit. So I rejoin the road and continue eastwards.

The contours rise again and the eastern barrow sits near the top of the hill, even closer to the road than its companion. It has had a hard time, with the road cutting across its edges, excavation digging into its top and now a row of wooden posts hammered in to (presumably) discourage anyone from driving across it to get to the nearby parking area.

However, what it loses in stature and condition, it gains in the extensive views to the east across Shropshire.

Neither barrow is the finest that Shropshire – or even the Long Mynd – has to offer, but both endure. They are probably ignored by hundreds of people each summer, whether on foot or in cars. I’m glad to have stopped by.

My own route continues eastwards, parallel with the road. Cutting northwards through the bracken, the hillside suddenly drops away down towards a small reservoir far below. From here there are fine views of Bodbury Ring and Caer Caradoc. An excellent place to sit a let the world pass by, before heading into The Devil’s Mouth.

After leaving Robin Hood’s Butts (16.4.2011), I followed the Shropshire Way southwest. The unbroken blue skies of the climb up from Church Stretton have by now given way to tattered cloud and a welcome breeze. Here, the county-spanning long distance footpath follows the route of a much older trackway called The Port Way, which may well have its origins in prehistory. It certainly passes through a landscape that was well known to our Bronze Age predecessors, judging by the number of barrows scattered across the Long Mynd.

Unfortunately, at least for my peace and quiet, it’s also well known to the ramblers of the West Midlands. I pass a couple of large groups as I make my way towards the next barrow on today’s list. Their over-loud (to these ears) conversations seem to be revolving around car mileage and the dislike of particular work colleagues. All of which somewhat breaks the spell of this beautiful location.

But I am soon upon the northeastern of the two barrows here, which dispells the momentary interruption rather neatly. You can’t miss this barrow, it’s right next to the path and has been cleared of vegetation making it a pale green against the surrounding heather. It has the usual excavation scoop on its top, which rather surprisingly reveals some fist size stones of the sort that make up hilltop cairns rather than earthen round barrows. Perhaps something of a hybrid then.

The best views are over to the east, where most of South Shropshire’s hills are laid out, from the top of Caer Caradoc just peeking over the crest, to Shropshire’s highest points of Brown Clee and Titterstone Clee.

Following the Shropshire Way further southwest, an even larger barrow soon comes into view to the right of the path. This one is turfed, and has been subjected to pretty rough treatment in the past. The northern and eastern sides have been extensively damaged by digging and by the insertion of a shooting box (hence the barrow’s name). Nevertheless, it’s an impressive mound and I stop here for a while to take in the views to the north and west. From here, Corndon Hill and The Stiperstones are the dominant features, both with their own cairn cemeteries. Mid-Wales fades into light blue beyond.

[Post-visit note: Pastscape records this as a disc barrow, a rarity in this part of the country. The berm and ditch are lost in heather at present.]

As a detour prior to visiting the Boiling Well barrows, I carry on a bit further along the Shropshire Way, which climbs up to a trig point at Pole Bank. At 516m, this is the highest point on the Long Mynd. It’s mobbed when I arrive, obviously the focal point for most of the walkers out on the hills today. Can’t blame them though, because the views are great, across South Shropshire and even to the Malverns to the south east, into Wales to the west and north. Too busy for me though, so I head off the top to the northeast, for the last of today’s barrows.

Travelling south on the B4401 from Corwen, turn left in Cynwyd after the pub, if you pass a church on your right keep going. On your right as you get higher the Afon Trystion is far below you, the lane branches off several times, keep going straight untill the rough track takes over from tarmac’d lane and park in a wide parking area.
Walk, or like us bike untill the forest ends, deforesting has occured on the right so keep going untill a gate is reached and trees stop on left aswell. go through gate cross the stream to your right, and go up small hillock, stone circle is on top.

Only four stones remain of this probable eight or nine stone circle, three of them are almost half a metre tall and if all the stones were like that it would be a cool place indeed, worthy of a map mention, and on your list of must see’s for the area. But they are all that is left, the fourth stone is almost two feet long but only two inches tall, I cleaned the place up a bit removing dead veggy matter and such, then I probed the ground looking for hidden stones, there wasn’t any.
But even with these scant remains, enough of the circle remains, and on such a beautiful morning in glorious surroundings with someone close to you who could want for more.
It was about now that my camera kind of packed in, every time I try to take a picture, the screen shows error99, turn off and on again or remove battery. GGGGrrrr.... then it would only take pictures with the big zoom lens on and I couldnt get far enough away to get any more than one stone in.