Latest Fieldnotes

Sunnybrae was very apt name as the sun, as arranged, had become very warm which made the woods a very pleasant place to be. Canmore says two kerbs south and west, I agree, but I think fallen trees have covered another 3 or 4 kerbs, so this might be more complete than expected.

So some of the kerbs remain in situ in a cairn that is 8.5 meters wide and stands 0.6 tall. In it’s day it must have had tremendous views south especially to west and Morven.

I stopped at the southern end of Witchlock Loch on the A97 (cue for folklore I’d think) pulling in near the tree forestry station. The cairn is to the west, basically walk 100 meters west and look for a very squint tree. As can be seen from the pics I removed some turf. After I was finished I placed the turf back to leave the place looking the same.

Visited 7/4/2011.

Deskry Farm can be found by going south on the farm track just before the A97 crosses the Don. I parked at the farm and made my way up the hill. The cairn is situated between two small woods.

Nothing much remains of this grass covered cairn which must have been massive. Nowadays it’s width can be measured at 17 meters and height at 0.4 meters. Somewhat ironically a pile of field clearence, no doubt containing cairn material, sits slightly to the east.

Visited 7/4/2011.

Don’t know how I have not gone looking for this one before....walked the area loads of times. Marked as a cairn on OS maps, this little cist is hidden under a gorse bush beside the old tramway that runs west from Bearah Quarry.
Apart from the capstone there is very little above ground...hardly a cairn in the Bodmin Moor scheme of things.
Too dark and too small to take a look inside so had to rely on the camera to get a photo. It looks very tidy inside with banding on the stones suggesting where the earth/water level once was?

The Luib is a place with a very good atmosphere and has a beautiful location. One kerb defiantly remains whilst the central mound has been hollowed. The remaining stones forming an inner circle of types. It stands at almost 6 meters wide and 0.4 meters tall.

From the A944 take the A939 east towards Corgarff and the Lecht (ski centre). These roads are very famous as they are normally the first to be blocked in winter time. Go past the primary school then stop and were two tracks head in a northerly direction. (The Luib is the farm down the road.) Following the directions given to me, I found the gate, saw the telegraph pole and aligned it to the pylon further up. In this way the cairn can be found in the middle.

Visited 7/4/2011.

Ive passed through the village of Hollyford many times but never saw this sign until about 6 months ago.
It shows directions to a “Cromlech” and also to Ned of the Hills burial place. I found the cromlech which is made up of 3 stones in not any particular pattern. Its not mentioned on the OS map or Archaeology.ie so I do wonder how real it is.

I couldnt find the burial place of “Ireland’s Robin Hood” Ned of the Hill but there is a least a Cillin on the OS map where he is reputed to have been buried. Access however appears to be through a farm yard so I didnt attempt it.

This wedgetomb is only a couple of miles from the village of Portroe and is drivable up to about 50m.

This was one of the first megalithic tombs I visited but I couldnt find any of the old photos so visited it again recently. It looked a bit lonesome here with a entry but no pictures.

There seems to be lots of souterrains in this area Clova, Buchaam, Whitehouse etc. Sadly this is the one in the worst condition. Only a pile of stones is left and a small depression in the ground. Sad, as going by the Canmore notes there have been loads of discoveries.

Once again one of the locals came to my aid and led me to the remains. She almost seemed embarrassed when I told her about Buchaam but she went on to tell me about a cairn at The Luib. Thanks to her directions I found that no problem.

Keep going onto the A944 when the A97 crosses the Don. Take the first road heading back east and keep going till it runs out near Castle Newe. Walk down to gate and take the path north, then head west. The pile of stones is 20 meters approx away.

Visited 7/4/2011.

This is less than 500m from the possible standing stone in the same townland.

Archaeology.ie classifies this as a “real” standing stone. The fact that it is next to a ringfort probably reinforces this. It is a small rectangular stone.

This is marked as a possible standing stone in archaeology.ie. It is in a field next to a road which links the Dundrum and Cappaghwhite roads coming from Tipperary Town. It is more probably a scratching post.

This monument is wrongly marked as a standing stone on my edition of the OS map 65.
It is located in Curraghchase forest park which is owned by Coillte. There is an entrance fee of €5 which is very steep in my opinion (megalithic opinion anyway).
The gardens are lovely and surprisely there were a lot of people here walking and enjoying the grounds.
The monument is located on a hill in woodland, although not a standing stone it did remind me of being in Narnia or something like that, a monument choked by the woods around it.

If anyone can shed any light on the history of it, that would be great.

Buchaam is on the A97 south west of Glenkindie but befor the croosing of the Don. Head up the signposted track and go to the farmhouse to ask permission. This souterrain is in the garden.

Mr Ogg who runs the farm took time out from doing paperwork to give a history lesson. In 1895 the house was extended at both ends which led to the souterrain being terribly damaged. However they repaired it as best they could. In later years he asked permission to block the entrance as his children would have been endangered. The end nearest the house he covered until the children were well into their teens. I’ll stick up the Canmore notes which gives a fuller account.

To get into the souterrain is simple enough if you fancy crawling in on your stomach. Still, an excellent start to the day.

7/4/2011.

Follow Browfoot Lane from Staveley which bends left around the area called High Knott (on top of which can be seen Williamson’s monument). The road splits into two bridle paths; left to The Heights right toward High Hugill (also known as High Borrans). Follow the right path until it almost disappears and turns left onto a more disinct path. Ahead of you there is a grazing field and High Hugill is the field to its left from where you are standing. A quick hop over the wall is all that’s required to access the site. Whoever owns the field has erected a new sheep pen in one corner of the field. The site itself seems to be regularly shaped stone foundations in a dip lower than the rest of the area. The field adjacent to the East contains a spring which may have been the ancient water source for the farming community that was. Pictures to follow.

Visited 31.3.11
This was perhaps my most surreal visit to a prehistoric site ever!
Picture the scene:
A race course with a golf course in the middle of it and 4 prehistoric burial mounds amid the golf course. Not only that but a surprisingly bust B4635 road running through the middle of the lot of it!
We turned onto the B4635 and drove towards the race course – only to discover that a race meeting was on! Still, the road looked clear so we slowly headed north and just the other side of the railway line, in a field on the right; I spotted the first Barrow – now no more than a small lump. Had I not been looking for it I would have driven past none the wiser?
We were now in the middle of the race course / golf course and I spotted Barrow number two – just to the right of the road. Little more than a low mound – again easy to drive straight past.
Barrow number three was much most impressive and easy to spot. Again to the right of the road and a tree growing out of the top of it. There was room to park on the golf course ‘rough’ to get a closer look.
Finally, we took the minor road to the North West to seek out Barrow number 4. At first I couldn’t see it amongst the trees but then there it was – it’s HUGE! Silhouetted on the horizon surrounded by trees.
I was going to have a closer look but then the fun started. Barriers were placed across the road, thick mats unrolled across the road and all traffic coming to a halt. The next thing I knew a horse race was about to start! There in front of me was about 20 jockeys on their steeds waiting for the starter orders. Soon enough, the race started and myself, Karen and Dafydd had a guess as to which horse was going to win. Luckily none of us ‘backed’ horse 7 who came hopelessly last (although he did better than the jockey who fell off after about 20 yards!!)
So there we were; stood next to a Bronze Age Barrow, in a golf course, watching a horse race from inside the track. As I said – all very surreal!!!

If you do plan a visit I suggest you pick a ‘non-race’ day. All four Barrows are easy to spot and 3 of them easy to access. Oh by the way, better keep an eye out for stray golf balls!

A stroll up on a lovely Spring evening (25.3.2011). It’s nearly a year since I last visited my local site and on reaching the fort I’m pleasantly surprised to find that the enigmatic barrow/square enclosure has been completely cleared of weeds and vegetation, making its form much easier to see than previously.

The northernmost stretch of rampart is also clearer than I have seen before.

A beautiful sunset over the ramparts finishes the visit perfectly.

Visited 29.3.11
What a cracking place to visit this is!
A bit of a maze of country lanes to traverse but when you get close it is sign posted.
A large free car park and an easy short walk past an information board takes you to the Hillfort. Dafydd decided to stay in the car with Karen which meant that Sophie visited her first site properly – at the ripe old age of 4 months! (Previously she has sat in the car with her mother)
You can walk right around the site in 15 minutes and there are good views to be had. The ramparts/ditches are fairly well preserved – particularly the section near the trees which has several banks of defences. The centre of the Hillfort is fairly flat and is easy to cross – no fences for a change. This would make a good place to come for a picnic on a nice day.
All in all definitely worth a visit when in the area.
(I think Sophie enjoyed it??)

The last day of our Inverness holiday (18.3.2011) and we hadn’t got a plan. G/F quite fancied a wildlife-spotting boat trip, but a quick visit to the tourist info indicated we were a month too early. But the helpful info person suggested a walk along the coast on The Black Isle, a few miles northwest of Inverness. Being a tourist info place, they sold me the relevant Explorer 1/25000 map as well, and thus equipped off we headed to Rosemarkie.

Rosemarkie village is famed for its little museum boasting a collection of Pictish symbol stones and cross slabs, but March isn’t the time to visit, cos it’s not open. Never mind, the sun is shining on the Moray Firth – despite the deep snow still lying over the hills along the Great Glen to the south – and we headed off along the coast path with a feeling that we could be in Cornwall.

At the northern end of Rosemarkie Bay, the beach meets a little stream, filtered through an impressive waterfall just inland, flowing out into the Firth. At this point the cliffs jut out, cutting off any further progress if the tide is in (as it was when we arrived). But just before that, the OS shows “Caird’s Cave”, so we have a quick shufty.

The cave is a low, shallow cut into the vertical cliff face, itself a lovely pinky colour, its strata tipped up to a 45 degree angle by ancient upheaval. Nothing much to see in truth, but on returning home I find that the cave has yielded finds dating back to the Neolithic.

There are more caves further along the coastline, but time and tide are not on our side and we mess about on the rocks for a while, then look for interesting pebbles (some nice orange quartz about here) before heading back towards Rosemarkie. From there we carry on round Chanonry Point to Fortrose, where a sudden downpour makes us beat a hasty retreat back to Inverness.

Thanks to the lady in the tourist info, we wouldn’t have come this way without her suggestion and it proved to be a lovely spot on a sunny day.

For my money the easiest approach is from the point where Sir William Hill Road coming out of Grindleford meets two footpaths and turns into a track at SK2245 7742. Easy parking on the lane. Between the two footpaths is a third track visible on Google Earth though not shown on the OS map. It heads towards the circle and forks – take L fork and then you can pick up track(s)on R to the circle. However, the ease is relative, and I would recommend using GPS.

My interpretation of the site would be that it feels as if its designed for an ‘audience’ to the S observing activity with the dramatic skyline as a backdrop.

I approach along the western escarpment edge of Mynydd Llangeinwyr from The Werfa barrow, the route overlooking Cwm Garw and Pont y Cymer.. hey, I’ve been to the Bryngarw Country Park on quite a few occasions in times past – as you do – and often pondered upon the source of the Afon Garw. As you probably don’t. Well, here it is. Ta dah! Overlooked by Bronze Age barrows, too.... who’d have thought it, eh?

The summit of the mountain is not long coming... or at least the severely undermined OS trig pillar... with Carn-yr-Hyrddod itself visible a little to the approx north across waterlogged terrain. Well, it does rain here. A bit. Coflein is non-committal regarding the perceived age of this scheduled ancient monument; however the Glamorgan/Gwent Archaeological Trust surveyors place it firmly in the Bronze Age – (PRN) 00059m:

“...The cain stands in a commanding position on the top of the ridge. It is turf-covered, 14m in diameter and 1.7m high. A small cairn has been built on the top and on the south side there are several disturbance hollows, c0.4m deep and 1-3m in diameter. Stones are lying on the surface in these hollows and in the middle of the cairn. On the north side there is a slight ditch c 2m wide and 0.2m deep. (Source 05) GGAT 72 Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites Project”.

The siting is indeed fine, particularly bearing in mind the industrial pedigree of the area, with a sweeping vista eastwards, across Nant y Moel, toward Mynydd William Meyrick, itself crowned by several Bronze Age cairns. Yeah, there is more to this upland area surrounding The Rhondda than may at first be apparent to the untutored eye, so to speak. Consider the source of the Afon Ogwr (Ogmore) a little to the north, the very same river crossed by idyllic stepping stones beside Ogmore Castle. Perhaps the placing of these cairns wasn’t as arbitary as is sometimes supposed? Look (very approximately) north-westwards towards Mynydd Caerau and you will see another heavilly cairned hill near the previously mentioned source of the Afon Garw....

Carn-yr-Hyrddod is much more substantial than I ever supposed. Not that I really ‘supposed’ anything at all until 30 mins or so previously, of course. It is a great hang, too, the sun bathing the landscape in swathes of golden light and making this the place I want to be right now. OK, the walkers’ cairn erected on top of the monument inspires me to ‘substitute an ‘n’ please Bob’ to the term, and the couple of trail bikers in the distance deserve a slap for being such ignorant muppets. But, this apart, I’m impressed. As well I should be. However this is Wales and, naturally, it can not last.

Suddenly I notice a bank of cloud sweeping in from the west(ish)... just time for a compass bearing before I’m engulfed in thick, clammy vapour and the expansive views are distant memories. Yeah, I’d swear I could almost hear the wind mumur ‘not so easy now, is it?’ It would be right, too. Despite being just below the ‘magic’ 2,000ft mark, you take these hills lightly at the risk of a much longer walk than you might have otherwise anticipated.

‘Visited’ 30.3.11
There doesn’t appear to be any easy public access to this site so I tool the easy option and viewed from afar! This ‘mound’ is massive. If it is man made it can’t be much smaller than Silbury Hill. Easily seen from the roundabout off Junction 7 of the M5. Well worth a look.
(Best if someone else is driving when having a look!!)

Visited 30.3.11
I found a place to park next to a field gate on the surprisingly busy B4197. From here a public footpath takes you across a field up to the edge of the trees which encompass Woodbury Hill.
The public footpath then runs along the bottom of the hill although of course what I was after lay at the top! The trees, brambles and wild undergrowth of the hill looked a formidable challenge and I feared I would have no chance of getting to the top.
(No wonder Owain Glyndwr in 1405 chose this site as a base and no wonder the English decided not to attack him!)
Luckily I came across a 4x4 track which zig zagged its way up and I gratefully took this route. (This track is not noted on my O/S map)
After a stiff climb I eventually reached the top and came across a pheasant pen (hence the track leading up the hill). The views would have been wonderful but for the trees.
As I was conscious of Karen being sat in the car with the children and it taking a lot longer than I was expecting to climb to the top, I decided to only investigate the southern most defences. These consisted of little more than a single shallow bank/ditch. The O/S map suggests the defences to the north of the site are more pronounced?
Needless to say I managed to get lost going down the hill (there are several 4x4 tracks which criss-cross each other) and ended up battling through the brambles/bushes/trees down the steep slope. Luckily I came out at the top of the field I was after and after a dodgy leap over a barbed wired fence I returned to the car.
It took 30 minutes to walk from the road to the top of the hill and in all honesty I would say it is one for the dedicated only. I have an interest in Owain Glyndwr so for me it was worth the effort.

Visited 30.3.11
There was room to pull over on the grass verge at the turning to Broom Hill, just south of the Village of Drayton. There before me stood Barrow Hill – one of the largest Barrows I have ever seen. So far so good.
Then the problem. The Barrow is on private land and it is clear the owner wants to keep it private. Although a bridleway runs to the south of the Barrow, the field in which it stands is surrounded by tall hedges and a barbed wire fence. Normally I would hop over this fairly easily but it was in a poor state and rocking from side to side – making it impossible to cross.
I therefore had to content myself with a view from the road.
As I said, this Barrow is huge and is covered with mature trees.
Worth a look when in the area.

‘Visited’ 31.3.11
On my way home after a couple of days in the Midlands knocking another couple of English Heritage sites off my list I thought I would stop off and try to spot this Barrow.
Unfortunately I failed.
I tried to access the field where the Barrow is said to be from the minor road to the south but this takes you straight into (I think) a gypsy site.
I then tried to see if I could spot the Barrow from the busy A49 and the minor roads to the north and west. The road to the north is slightly elevated so gave a decent view of the field in which the Barrow stands. Nothing to be seen.
Either I was looking in the wrong field or more likely it has been ploughed down to a small lump?

Visited 26.3.11
Just north along a minor road out of the small village of Barnsley you come to this Barrow, easily seen on your left, next to the road. There is room to park on the grass verge and a quick up and over the drystone wall brings you right up to the Barrow.
The Barrow is approximately 20 metres x 30 metres x 3 metres high.
Covered in brambles and evidently dug into at some point in the past.
Well worth checking out when in the area.

If I recall correctly, Tom Hanks delivers the immortal lines “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get” in Fforrest Gump. The same could be said to apply when visiting obscure prehistoric sites... such as the remains of the Bronze Age round barrow set a little below, and to the south, of the 1,864ft summit of The Werfa.

Unfortunately the ubiquitous label ‘Tumulus’ marked upon the OS map gives no indication as to what may – or may not – exist beneath the dominating transmitter antennae which crown the summit of the high ground to the west of The Rhondda. In short, there’s only one way to find out... don the boots! Or perhaps get on your bike. Two ways, then. Two previous visits having been thwarted by snow-bound roads and zero visibility, an incidental visit has thus become a ‘must visit’. I will not be denied. Or something like that.

There are a number of possible approaches. However I choose the easiest, from the A4107 mountain road to the approx north-east. Verge parking is possible beside the gated entrance to the concrete track accessing the transmitter station (please don’t block this like a tourist muppet). Then.... simply follow the track, veering left (unless you fancy a trip to the summit first, that is) until the edge of the escarpment overlooking Cwm Garw looms. Here, just before the track swings sharply right you might – if you’re lucky – make out the seriously denuded round barrow to your left. OK, perhaps it’s not as bad as that, but the disappointment is palpable after the false starts. Nothing more to report, I’m afraid. Worth a wander for a look, but the archaeology isn’t exactly going to blow you away, so to speak. The weather might well, though.

However... as Mr Hanks duly noted, life rarely goes to plan... and Mother Wales usually has something up her sleeves. Yeah, sure enough, I notice a prominent cairn some way distant upon the (approx) southern skyline. Checking the map, this appears to be Carn-yr-hyrddod. A named cairn? Well, it would be rude not to have a shufti, I guess?

Bit of personal history here... since the Mam C first settled in South Wales, at nearby Eglwys-Brewis, some 26 years ago. More or less. How time flies, eh? She’s moved on since then – in more ways than one (ha!) – but perhaps a quarter of a century is too long to wait before finally checking out the Summerhouse Camp... so thanks, Carl, for the prompt. Although, as usual, low cloud over the mountains ensures today is the day.

The little village of Boverton, complete with ruined, ivy-clad ‘palace’, adjoins the eastern end of Llantwit Major. Follow the minor road south-eastwards towards Boverton Mill Farm, from where a very rough – but nevertheless driveable – track leads to a parking area near trees. Beyond, my old 1:25K OS map depicts a ‘Christian Centre’, the realisiation of this fact inducing horror in this traveller. What could well be described as an ‘utterly redundant sign’ warns one to keep out. Ha! Who in their right mind would wish to venture further? Love thy neighbour, eh? But enough of such absurdities... a muddy track leads into the trees and in a short while massive earthworks suddenly materialise from the undergrowth. Note the plural, too, for I count three ramparts and ditches, the tri-vallate nature of the defences later confirmed by our friends at Coflein:

....’A strongly defended site, set on the E end of a spur between a defile to the N and an eroding cliff-line on the S. A subrectangular inner enclosure, c.60m WNW-ESE, defined by a bank and ditch, is set within a similar, larger enclosure, c.126m WNW-ESE, defined by triple ramparts and ditches. There is a possible annex, c.52m WNW-ESE, on the E. The whole complex is cut by the E-W cliffs, being from c.82-46m N-S....‘

(source Os495card; SS96NE16) RCAHMW AP955145/42. J.Wiles 19.12.02

True, the site is completely overgrown. However the ramparts are substantial and ‘walkable’ (I use the term figuratively, you understand) for the most part, the sound of breakers when approaching the southern extremity of the fort instructive. Yeah, Summerhouse Camp is a promontory fort, the Glamorgan coastline terminating in a characteristic cliff-line and therefore forming a natural defence at this point. A footpath along the cliff-top links the semi-circular defences and also provides access to a ‘Seawatch Centre’.. where you presumably ‘watch the sea’. And why not? I can think of many worse things to do.

Summerhouse Camp is named after a C18th ‘summerhouse’ standing within the inner enclosure... funny, that. To be honest I struggle to make out the form of the latter, but there you are. Strip away the foliage and – arguably – this fine, powerful promontory fort would lose much of its charm and vibe. I think so, anyway. Another, larger enclosure sits upon the coast to the west at Cul-how point (Castle Ditches). However that must wait for another day, as I’ve put my trust in the forecasters and am off to the hills......