Latest Fieldnotes

[visited 20/2/11] Not much to see here but worth a look if you are trawling the peak barrows. Its quite denuded now and has obviously been hacked apart presumably by treasure seekers in times past. Some stones are visible poking out the top. I came up in the deep mist with snow on the ground so saw very little of the surrounding cast, but should have a clear view down to the Bullring and several hilltop barrrows to the east.

Access is up a field from the nearest road. This is on private property and permission should be sought from the farm at the end of the track.

Visited 20.3.11
My last site of the day – and a pretty good one it was as well!
After initially having difficulty finding the right country lane to access the site I eventually parked up near the correct field gate / public footpath sign.
The Barrow is easily seen from the field gate and a 5 minute walk takes you up close and personal. This was the only site I visited today which involved walking through mud.
As I approached the Barrow pheasants went scurrying across the field and a group of crows were making quite a racket in the woods to my left.
The Barrow has two tall uprights remaining and a large half fallen capstone. There is a large shrub/tree of some sort growing out from under the capstone which looks as though it has been growing there for quite a number of years. The Barrow must have been quite prominent when first built in this flat landscape.
The field had been ploughed and crops were already showing. Small wooden stakes painted red were pegged in the ground around the Barrow to signify the extent of the ‘protected’ area.
Well worth a visit when in the area and fairly close the picturesque village of Castle Combe.

‘Visited’ 20.3.11
After visiting Castle Combe (self proclaimed ‘the prettiest village in England’ – a statement hard to argue with) I thought I would seek out Green Farm Long Barrow.
Although I couldn’t find any trace of it, it didn’t seem to matter as I enjoyed a lovely stroll along a country lane with the sun on my back, the sky blue and butterflies and primroses in abundance. All the while feeding Sophie her bottle and peaking through hedgerows looking for a Barrow!

Walking from Bibury towards the lovely village of Ablington, past an area marked as a ‘settlement’ on the OS map (though no visual evidence). After leaving peaceful Ablington we made our way to a strange other-worldly valley which felt like a stream or river had once flowed there. This we followed up to some abandoned stone pigsties, then with Gambra Hill to our left we followed a field edge to Lamborough Banks long barrow. On the edge of a grouse rearing wood, the barrow is behind a Cotswold stone wall. We didn’t attempt to climb over the wall as a very good view of the barrow without doing so. Like most un-restored long barrows, this one is much damaged and overgrown with brambles – though probably the longest long barrow I’ve yet seen (excluding WKLB). Today parts of it were covered with a profusion of wild violets.

Timothy Darvill in his book Prehistoric Gloucestershire describes another nearby mound as a beehive chamber. We did manage to locate the mound a short walk from Lamborough at the side of a nearby farm – again enclosed by a stone wall and at the centre of a newly planted saplings. (Sometimes described as Ablington Barrow 2)

As the Ballyhoura Survey says the most prominent feature of this hillfort is the ruins of the castle in its centre. Those who travelled the old N8 will probably remember this castle as a landmark between Mitchelstown and Ferymoy. Now on the new M8 its much more difficult to see.
The height of the fort is 210m and it doesnt really dominate the surrounding area.
It encompasses an area of 12ha and is 470m east-west annd 330m north south. The rampart is quite clear to the eastern side (where I walked up from) but trickier to follow through scrub on the other sides.

Visited 14.3.2011, after a walk through snowy woods to Loch an Eilein and its water-locked castle. The snow has stopped temporarily but it’s a good 6 inches deep, even on the pavements of Aviemore (and considerably deeper off them), blanketing the cairn at the centre of the circle.

I like this circle a lot, despite the overnear houses. The sky is the colour of iron and everything is a stark monochrome, making the domestic setting less intrusive. Some serious mountain peaks momentarily come into view, before retreating back into cloud-cover. Their brooding presence is never too far away here though.

White Hill is one of these places that reeks with history. This area has had a turbulent past, the Battle of Tillyangus being one of many battles in the area. This must be one of the few places that can take in the three high points of the North East, Knock to the north, Tap O Noth to the west and Bennachie to the east. Inbetween 8 hillforts can be spotted which makes me wonder if this was really an outlook post for Tap O Noth. Cairnmore is less than a mile away.

From Clatt head west towards towards Rhynie and turn at the Smallburn track following the track to the footpath. I parked at the second farm. To the south is White Hill and the enclosure sits at the top. The circular shape of the enclosure can still be made out as the remnants of the wall remain. Legend has it that this might have been a Druid’s circle that was filled in. No stones of any size remain but if it was location must have been the prime objective.

A good way to recharge the batteries after a bad weekend on the sporting front!

Visited 21/3/2011.

Visited 13.3.2011, on the way back into Inverness after a walk out to Torbreck. This sadly ruined cairn, presumably of a Clava type, is surrounded by a recent housing development. Accessing the site requires a climb over a post and wire fence separating it from the houses.

The site is somewhat confusing, and appears to consist primarily of the remains of the southern part of a kerb of nicely selected, round-ended stones, graded up to a height of over a metre. Various other fallen stones lie around the perimeter, including a couple at the foot of a mature tree on what would be the NE side of a ring.

It is not clear what form the central cairn took, although the OS shows it as “chambered”, presumably based on other Clava-type sites in the surrounding area.

A shame that it is in such a poor state, but at least it survived the building of the estate without further damage. Not much atmosphere here though, sadly.

Visited 20.3.11
What a little cracker of a site this was!
Directions given by Monoman are spot on although it would be very easy to miss the field entrance / public footpath sign on the busy A420. Luckily as it was a Sunday the road wasn’t too busy and I was able to drive slow enough to give me time to spot the entrance and pull over onto the grass. If I was going at any speed I would have missed it.
Over the wooden stile and the Long Barrow is immediately in view to your right – and a big one it is too! I would guess about 40m x 10m x 3 m high.
The best bit of course is the chamber itself – on the far side of the Barrow as you step over the stile. Next to the chamber is an old metal post which looked like it may have held an information board at some time in the past?
The chamber has been restored with 5 metal bars holding the capstone up and a bit of dry stone walling can be seen (assuming this is not original of course!) The chamber is plenty big to stoop into, being about 1.5m x 1.5m x 3m long. There is a (blocking?) stone at the front of the entrance.
Against the far wall was what appeared to be some sort of ‘shrine’ someone had built using flat stones to form a base and a ‘phallic’ looking stone placed on top – very odd!
Sat in the cool chamber, looking out to the bright sunshine and the field beyond was a very peaceful experience.
I would highly recommend a visit to this site – top notch!

Visited 20.3.11
I liked this site a lot.
Easily spotted from the road and very easy to access via a metal field gate.
Three sides of the cist survive along with two large flat stones standing next to each other.
The pile of stones mentioned in a previous post has now grown to 15.
Perhaps someone is trying to ‘grow’ a Long Barrow?!!
This site is well worth stopping off for when in the area.

Visited 13.3.2011, in sleety snow. The previous day had seen a very heavy snowfall across the area and the walk here from Inverness along pavements and quiet lanes was a bit of a slog through wet snow. A track leads SW off the minor Torbreck road, along which a number of houses are built (but not shown on the 1:25000 OS map). After climbing steadily up the lane, the circle came into view to the left as I approached the house called, appropriately, Stone End. A friendly chap playing out in the snow with his lad advised me to follow the line of a (fallen) fence to get to the circle.

By this point, the sleet got a bit more persistent and photography was hampered by lens splodges. Weather notwithstanding, This is a brilliant circle, graded to the SW, the tallest stone over 6 feet high. Although the stones are closely spaced, there’s nothing to indicate that this was a ring cairn (so far as the snow in the circle revealed).

I didn’t stay as long as I would have liked, the sleet didn’t encourage lingering, so I headed back towards town. What a beauty this is though.

I always park in the same place, east of the stones by the side of the road near a farm entrance, about fifty yards down the road from Cromlech farm, from there a footpath leads straight to the stones over three stiles the last of which is six feet from the triad.
I had hoped to witness an equinox sunrise from these stones, but not only was I late by fifteen minutes the sun never turned up at all, or rather I should say I was there the sun was there but that old dog the Welsh weather had incinuated itself upon our mini meet, and the sky stayed stubbornly grey all morning.
But these stones are enough, such an enigma, Ive only seen two triangular settings like this, this one and way up north on the isle of Mull at Glengorm, but that trio is known to be a tampered with stone row, I think.
Here there are no hard facts even coflein knows nothing even so far as to suggest that theyre not ancient....for shame coflein, you could cut the prehistoric atmosphere with a bronze dagger up here.

The first time I came here I tried to drive as close to it as I could but found myself on a driveway to a house, so i turned around and parked where I think Hamish and Stubob did, theyre right it’s not close and theres no where to park.
So this time I went back to the house and pulled off the drive and onto a grassy area by a big shed. There was nobody around and the kids were still lethargying in the car so I felt a quick look wouldnt hurt. It didnt niether, just me and the big stone in a quiet field. Though it wouldnt hurt to have had a word with the home owner, but at 8am on a sunday morning would you ?
The capstone is huge and has a good view to some Snowdonian pass Llamberis or further west I couldnt tell, whether it was ever raised above the ground I couldnt tell that either, perhaps its a natural place utilised by the ancient people here like Henblas.

Presuming you take the right turn off from the A499 to Pwlleli this collapsed dolmen is very easy to find as its easily visible from the road, the first time I came here it was chucking it down and the field was full of curious cows so I left a closer look for another day.
Today was another day and with plenty of time and no animals to contend with we took a closer look.
The rain though slight was coming in sideways so Eric and me huddled under the capstone for a while, from here we noted the extreme flatness of the capstones underside, was it picked because of its flatness or was it done by human hands, probably both, or am I being too obvious again, either way I liked it.
There are lots of pebbles under the fallen capstone, fist sized up to head sized, but are they part of the cairn or just field clearance, whoever put them their also made what looked like kerbing to keep the stones in place.
I’d really like to see this one re-erected it shouldnt be too much trouble though one of the uprights is shorter than the other two,how hard can it be? but what do I know i’m just a postman with an obsessive nature.

Not too difficult to find, just take the turn off for Dinas Dinlle, and park in the corner of the first right hand bend. The stone is in the second field 20yards from a very old stone wall.
The stone is about six feet tall and very angular and pointy, that would’ve been all there is to say about Bodfan menhir if it were’nt for the strange behavior of the sheep in this field.
When Eric and me entered the field the sheep predictably legged it into the next field, but after a couple of minutes they decided enough was enough and they all came back, somehow emboldened enough to push us away from their stone. We gave them the field, but instead of dispersing around the large grassy square they all congregated around the stone, like Jesus and his disciples or Justin Beiber and brainless teenagers. Had the sheep learned to tap in to the stones energies ? or were thirty sheep trying to hide from the wind behind a single stone ?
Dont know but it was a bit odd.

Lingering, swirling mist ensures thoughts of guiding the Mam C all the way up the wonderful Y Grib from Castell Dinas remain just that. Abstract thoughts. I mean, you wouldn’t visit a fine art exhibition during a power cut, would you? Nevertheless the presence of the Bwlch Bach a’r Grib cairn crowning the next section of the ridge is felt a little too strongly to be ignored. The call is unspoken, never unheard...

We slither – great word, that – down from Castell Dinas’s entrance into a morass of mud, the distinctive hue of which leaves us in no doubt we are in Old Red Sandstone country, regardless of visibility. From here a rather steep climb to the north-east brings us to a small drystone walker’s shelter. NO! They haven’t got this one as well? Thankfully, however, the mist swirls and the ridge is seen to continue to rise for a short distance more. Yeah, false alarm. Since here, crowning this minor summit, sits the deceptively substantial remains of a grassy Bronze Age funerary cairn. Funerary? Well, yes, particularly since Coflein cites a possible cist buried within the structure. Closer inspection reveals that, just like the similar monument upon Pen-y-Beacon (Hay Bluff), virtually straddling the English border to the east, our friends are on the money. I concur.

Slowly the mist rises and the sun breaks through to illuminate the landscape. And what a landscape this is! Behind us to the south west rises Mynydd Troed, beyond Castell Dinas itself. The siting of several of the Neolithic monuments in the locality suggest the former may possibly have been viewed as a ‘mother hill’ by the long cairn builders? Perhaps the architects of the rounder variety of cairn viewed it as ‘special’, too? To the south/south-east the beautiful Rhiangoll valley is worth the price of admission in itself, whilst the western/northern arc is that of pastoral beauty, the gliders which soar above the northern escarpment of the Black Mountains on clear days remaining firmly upon terra firma today. Which just leaves the north-east, the twisting grassy ridge of Y Grib leading the eye to the desolate peat bog summit of Waun Fach upon the right hand skyline. Incidentally a further Bronze Age round barrow is to be found upon Y Das, the far left hand peak.

As we sit and take it all in the only sound – aside from the call of an ‘interceptor’ crow, dispatched from the collective to engage and comprehensively ‘shoot down’ a bird of prey (of some description) foolish enough to approach the colony – is that of the nascent Rhiangoll cascading into the valley from its source just below, and to the north-west, of the aforementioned Waun Fach. Small eight ‘person’ teams of army cadets are visible labouring up Y Grib, their positions betrayed by orange rucksack covers. They are by no means the first, of course, finds of flint arrowheads instructing us that men bearing arms have roamed these high ridges for millennia. Perhaps one of them was interned in this very cairn which still crowns this summit? What an inspiring thought.

Thre new finds from Saturday , in an area with nothing prehistoric recorded for 6 km in either direction along Loch Earn and the marked rocks 3 km across the loch at Ardveich themodernantiquarian.com/site/13680/ardveich.html .
I usually omit posting pics of single cup marks but this one is interesting in that the marked surface is not the usal sandstone but a very hard igneous rock , it must have taken quite a bit longer to make and also has shown much less signs of wear .I’ve also included a “before ” pic of what one of the sites , a marked knoll , looked like before the moss was removed .

We unpacked the bikes from the car, which was tastefully parked on the narrow single file road that skirts round Parkhuse hill and Chrome hill and past Dowel cave. The reason for the bikes was unclear, but at the very least it served as encouragement to a nine year old whose commitment to getting to the top flags and wains too easily.
We didnt take them all the way up Hatch-a-way hill, just less then half way then we discreetly abandoned them and carried on walking the rest of the way. As we crested the shoulder between Hatch-a-way and Parkhouse hills the sunset was about to burst across the sky bathing the easy southern slope of Chrome hill.
When we reached the very top of the hill the cairn came into view, probably less than a metre high, but with a complete ring of stones it looked pretty cool and I was impressed with this unassuming everyday hilltop cairn.
Though the hilltop was large and wide the cairn was sited as close the edge as possible overlooking the two prominent hills Parkhouse and Chrome but also the lovely green valley with a stream that bursts from the living rock only yards from Dowel cave.
We had hoped to be able to stay long enough to see the super big moon rise, from here I predicted a moonrise somewhere in the vicinty of Foxhole cave hill (is that it’s name?) but it was getting late Eric was tired cold and hungry, and we were both looking forward to riding our bikes back down the hill to the car, which ended up being a good idea, the wind in your hair a smile on your face and a wildly squeeling child.
A good day

This cairn or what remains of it can be seen directly behind the Leslie Flying Club. Situated on the lower slopes of Hawk Hill. Further up is the RSC famous for it’s massive recumbent stone. Since it was getting darker and very cold I headed back to the car and will return on a better day.

Leave Premnay, B992, head west towards Leslie/Clatt, the trees are directly behind the air strip to the south. Much easier to go to Edingarioch farm, which saves jumping the Gadie Burn.

Visited 14/3/2011.

Low cloud continues to lie – like a wet blanket, perhaps – upon the high mountain summits of South Wales. However it’s not unusual. As that bloke from around these parts once sang.. what was his name, now? Big fella, bit hairy, wore a medallion? Consequently the Mam C and I embark on one of those ‘let’s drive around a bit and see what turns up’ mornings, the ones we subsequently pretend were clinically planned to the last detail... if everything works out.

Anyway, to cut a long story short we eventually find ourselves in the pub car park at the foot of Y Grib, a wonderful, narrow, grassy ridge which provides arguably the finest line of ascent to the high peaks of The Black Mountains. Not that you would realise any of this today. Not with an impenetrable wall of opaque vapour smothering the landscape to the east virtually down to ground level. Nevertheless, after handing over the quid parking fee (it goes to a local charity, by the way), we decide to visit the hillfort-cum-castle of Castell Dinas, which crowns the isolated, initial ‘hillock’ of Y Grib somewhere within the mist. Follow the footpath sign from the car park, descend to – and cross – the stream (no bridge), then basically head uphill. Even in virtually zero visibility (like today) it’s impossible to get lost, although the steep gradient, not to mention soaking hillside, means it’s all too easy to slip up in less abstract ways. Wear your boots... I performed a near perfect double twist with pike, but the Russian judge still wasn’t having it.

The initial outer defences encountered are comparatively minor – as you would probably expect – the ramparts presenting an attractive aspect courtesy of numerous skeletal trees diffusing the flow of clammy vapour. Very ethereal. The main citadel crowning the summit, however, is anything but minor. A medieval castle, apparently dating to the later 12th century, occupies/overlies the northern section of a fair sized Iron Age enclosure, the latter divided by a cross-rampart. Although no doubt repaired to serve the later castle, the inner ramparts remain very impressive, indeed, with an entrance at the north. The stump of a masonry gate tower here would suggest the practical Iron Age choice facing the easiest approach was adopted by the later inhabitants, too. Well, if it ain’t broke..... the remains of some kind of Great Tower crown the highest point of the enclosure, presumably medieval in origin.

As we walk the defences breaks appear in the swirling mantle of mist to reveal tantalising glimpses of Mynydd Troed to the south-west... and the rest of Y Grib rising to the Black Mountain summits to the north-east. Yeah, the next ‘hump’ in sequence, overlooking Bwlch Bach a’r Grib, possesses a Bronze Age cairn I’ve wanted to re-visit for a while now. Oh, why not? It’d be rude not to, now we’re here.

Finally note that the so called ‘holy well’ of Dinas Well can be found in the immediate northern environs at SO17893022 (shown on my 1:25k OS map). Holy? Perhaps. Practical? Definately.

Visited Rybury hillfort today, walking through the mid-day mist from the village of Allington. Taking the hard surface track uphill towards the Wansdyke, it was easy walking; initially seemed to be a gentle incline but became progressively steeper, reaching 294 metres at it highest point. Earthworks visible to our left (near some sheep holding pens) as we reached the top of the hill . Amazing views of the rolling downs overlooking the Pewsey Vale; almost treeless apart from a few low lying thorn bushes, there was something beautifully bleak about the mist rolling across them.

Clifford’s Hill was to our left as we walked across the high flat hill top. A walk downhill, then a surprisingly easy scramble up Clifford’s Hill to the hill fort surrounding the summit. As with all of Wiltshire’s hillfort’s, fantastic views, in this case, towards Milk Hill. And a sense of the solitary. A windy walk along a ridge back down to the Pewsey-Marlborough road crossing over to Cannings Cross Farm where the footpath is clearly marked towards the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Misty, windy and thoroughly invigorating.

This hillfort is right on the limerick/cork border. A road runs along the northern slopes of the Darragh Hills. There is a signpost for Castlegale hillfort where you can park at the entrance of the forestry track. I went the wrong (but interesting) way climbing over the hill and approaching from the south but you could follow the track east and approach from the north.
Approaching from the south I came upon what looks like the remains of a megalithic tomb built into a stone boundary wall.
The hillfort itself using a natural knoll of rock which gives it cliff faces to the north. There is a double rampart to the south and a single one to the north.
It is known locally as ‘the citadel’.
Seemingly it was heavily forested when the Ballyhoura Hills project surveyed it but the trees must recently been cut.
“The enclosed area is 13,799m2 (1.4ha) and the fort measures 138m (externally) from the northern to southern ramparts; and the interior id 109m (north-south) by 114m (east-west)”

Ive tried to put up an aerial view from Google Earth but this is a fuzzy area on the ireland map.

This standing stone marks the gap in the southern ramparts of the hillfort. It is referred to in the Ballyhoura project as a standing stone.

This cairn stands on top of Castlegale hillfort. The Ballyhoura Hills project refers to it that “it is possible that it was a prehistoric burial cairn, given the spread of stone strewn around the hilltop and the occurrence of similar cairns in locations such as Carntigherna and on the Galty Mountains.”

It is also meant to be the remains of a tower built by the Castle Oliver estate and when the owners of the estate reputedly flew a flag from the tower when in residence.

Id follow what the Ballyhoura project says, that it is likely to have been a reused prehistoric cairn.

Although this is listed as a dyke (why is there no other option?) it is in fact a ditch as the name suggests and not just a small thing but a ditch which extends over 2 miles, though a little broken in places. The coordinates start in the west in ‘The Valdoe’ a small wood about a mile below The Trundle but it eventually peters out near Halnaker on Boxgrove Common as it meanders along the bottom of the South Downs. What it’s original purpose was nobody seems to be in agreement over and research has suggested that it was a defence against the Saxon invaders of the 5th Century but more commonly it is believed to have been built in the Iron Age and was either a boundary marker or again a quite sturdy piece of defence work. A lot of the middle section is difficult to get a look at as it’s mostly on private land and people are rather fond of guns in this neck of the woods. Judging by the state of the section in the Valdoe it’s also pretty silted up, but I’m hoping to have a look at the sections in the east some time soon.