Latest Fieldnotes

Really easy this one. Drive down the road which runs alongside the field where the stone stands. Park next to the gate which leads into the field and you will see the stone directly in front of you. You don’t even have to get out of the car if you don’t want to!
Easily see when driving east along the M4 – drive carefully though!!!

Such are the megalithic riches of Cork and Kerry that this beautiful recumbent stone circle was, I’m ashamed to say, merely languishing upon my ‘reserve list’ of sites to be visited should the chance arise. Fortunately, for my self-credibility, it did.

The R569 leads eastwards from Kenmare – which, incidentally, possesses a fine stone circle of its own – to the town of Kilgarvan, south of which a minor road ascends above the Slaheny Valley in the direction of ‘Macaura’s Grave’, the nature of the latter remaining an unknown entity. Without an OS map I’m forced to rely upon Mr Cope’s ‘Megalithic European’ directions. He does not let me down..... not that this is readily apparent as I park up beside a lonely track-cum-road leading to a distant farm, since the ‘ring, perched upon a rocky knoll, is not visible until you are a few yards distant.

A 5-bar gate to the left furnishes a clue, however, and sure enough a short track brings the traveller to one of the most intimate, exquisite little stone circles it has ever been his privilege to see.... before a swarm of Grade A ‘attack’ midges necessitate an immediate sortie back to the car to retrieve insect repellent. So a few minutes later, smelling like a prize lemon – and no doubt looking like one – I settle back down to enjoy the moment... when, horror of horrors, the sound of a car driving up shatters the ethereal stillness. Thankfully a local accent and the comical clamour of alarmed sheep being moved into an adjacent field announce salvation. Gurteen was clearly designed to remain hidden from prying eyes, a haven away from the distractions of every day life. So it was written, so it shall be.

As mentioned, the ‘circle is a bona-fide gem, with eleven (I think) orthostats, one fallen, and two external, radial portals – the entrance arrangement apparently very unusual, according to Burl. The recumbent is no ‘tiddler’ either, plus – like the aforementioned Kenmare ring – there’s the additional bonus of a central ‘boulder burial’. The surrounding landscape is impressive, with a sweeping vista of Slaheny Valley to the north providing a softer counterpart to the rugged Gullaba Hill and soaring 2000ft ridge to the south.

In fact I’m inclined to review my previous assertion. Far from being hidden away in the ‘middle of nowhere’, it could well be argued that, at least to those that built it, Gurteen was actually at the centre of the locality, at the very hub of ‘everything’. It’s just our 21st Century perception that has changed. More’s the pity, perhaps.

This place is totally mad. It’s impossible for me to take photos that describe it. That’s because for one thing, there are these mad ‘earthworks’ – they’re not really earthworks, they’re dry chalk valleys. But from some angles you’d think you were looking at a hill fort with snakey defence ditches. Secondly, once you’ve climbed up to the top, the slope drops off in an insanely steep way, very suddenly. And thirdly, you are confronted with the most enormous view. From the vantage point of the round barrow on the crest, you have a 360 degree view – one way out to the north and west out over the steep slope and away to goodness knows where (I felt like I should be able to see the glitter of the sea, but that’s a bit too much) – but with a quite different feel to the south and east, which has that vast minimalist curveyness like the Salisbury Plain.

The long barrow is barely perceptible, but you just think: what on earth is it doing where it is? You had that view and you stick it there? Clearly the builders’ priorities were different from mine. Surely it is knowingly near the Edge but yet deliberately not near enough to see the view. A liminal spot but not on the distracting boundary. I don’t know. I’d love to know what others would think.

Having footled about for a bit I sat for a while looking out in the late afternoon sun. There’s Heddington church at the bottom of the hill but a place like this has surely always to have been better for thinking about stuff.

(I left the car backed up to a tree near a barn at SU010656. This is the old Bath-London coach road – you can rather imagine it when you know? Then I walked back and through a squeaky gate near the sign ‘dogs to be kept on lead’ (not the track through the open gate to the sign’s right). This side of the fence is open access land with a little on the other side of the sunken lane. Then it’s not too badly uphill a walk for long, just rough grassland underfoot, though don’t go too near the water trough or the reservoir, as the ground’s craftily boggy :) Aim for the corner and the world opens up in front of you).

This was one of the first places I went to after buying the big orange book and it sent me on an almost fervoured Cope inspired ramble all across the UK, Ive been here in blazing sunshine, at sunset, at night in the snow, foot n mouth drizzle, and now an equinox foggy sunrise, todays was by far the best.
At 6.15am I slung the heavy wooden stepladders over my shoulder and made my way through the farm yard paying the obligatory quid on the way.
The fog which had plagued the whole drive here now threatened to obscure any sunrise, but on the, erm, bright side there was no-one here but me, no pagan dafties, no stupid dog, no livestock, nothing, just me the camera and some stepladders, we had a good time.
Then to top it all the sun came out, weekly at first but as the fog thinned intermittently it shone through brighter and more beautifully than ive seen in quite a while. Alas the fog and bright light outfoxed me and my extremely limited camera knowhow, but the ladders were a good idea for getting above the stones a little.
Before I knew it the sunrise was well and truly over but the light there was so gorgeous that I spent nearly two hours just trying to capture the scene.

Whenever I come to the Peak district I have to go through Buxton, if I then want to go south to say Arbor Low or Minninglow, a substantial shortcut can be taken through the Buxton suburb of Harpur hill, for years the bump on the hill had drawn my attention as I drove past, this sunday morning was the ideal time for a visit.
I had tried once before, but theres houses on one side and some kind of underground facility on the other, and then gave up. But today it was 9.00am on a sunday morning so I decided to go for a sneak whilst no-one was about.
I parked on the A515 to the north of Harpur hill and walked up to the gate then skirt left round the fence and there it is. A manmade hill on a hill on a hill. The cairn is maybe 6ft tall and is strangely spread down the hill to the west, it has been dug into on the east exposing bedrock, the barrow is mostly round except for the spread to the west making me think the ancients picked an already prominent hilltop bump then elongated and built it up.
Watch out for the distasteful abandoned party tent, one shudders at the thought at what might occur here at night.

Bejaysus... these Cork ‘circles are hard for the outsider to find, are they not? And without a lot of time/patience, forget it! Not worth asking the locals, either, since everyone assumes you’re a tourist looking for Drombeg and – since that’s signposted – you must be a muppet. One gentleman in particular looked me up and down and gave me the stereotypical ‘I wouldn’t be starting from here, mind...’ directions to the honey-pot site even though, in retrospect, we were less than half a mile from Bohonagh.

However such tribulations can have unforeseen benefits, for example one false turn leading us to Woodfield, birthplace of Michael Collins. The name apparently still arouses heated, divided passions within Cork; the deep scars the Civil War inflicted upon Irish society clearly fade very slowly indeed.... nevertheless an enigmatic, intensely ‘human’ man worthy of much personal study in my opinion. But I digress.

Eventually the proverbial ‘one last look’ (seriously), whilst descending a steep hill, highlights the ‘circle stones silhouetted upon the skyline opposite. No objections being raised at the nearest house, I set off up the hill and am promptly blown away – metaphorically this time – by the scene which greets me. With due respect to this morning’s fabulous Drombeg visit, Bohonagh is in a different league altogether in terms of vibe and sense of place. There is an absolutely sensational aura upon this overgrown, unkempt hill top today. Possibly this has something to do with the towering, black storm clouds, washes of sunlight streaming across the landscape following a sudden shower. Then again it could be the sweeping views out to sea, or the joy of finally standing here being accentuated by the difficulty of the pilgrimage. Or the silence reflecting the overgrown impression of ‘rawness’ here? In truth I guess it’s a combination of all these factors. The only (very) minor gripe is the cattle fence, but hey, so what?

But what of the circle itself? Nine substantial uprights stand in the ring, two of which, big beauties, are set radially to the circumference, acting as portals. Opposite, the conglomerate recumbent has been described by Mr Burl as ..’like an old white loaf thick with currants...’ Wonderful words, indeed. Some way to the east is located a companion ‘boulder burial’, a sort of dolmen-variant with an (apparently) approx 20 tonne capstone resting upon much smaller supporting stones.

So everything’s in its place at Bohonagh. I tend to think of the place as Drombeg’s beautiful, reclusive sister, who doesn’t get the boys because she can’t afford the latest clothes and is too shy to come to the dance. Doesn’t make her any less enticing, though, does it? I’d argue it makes her more so.... just like the landscape she graces, gloriously uplifting and melancholic by turn. Just like her even more reclusive nearby sibling at Reanascreena, another essentail visit.

We head back to Ballyvourney via Beal na mBlath (the site of Collin’s ambush by anti-Treaty IRA forces), a spot which, like Bohonagh/Reanascreena encapsulates the heart and soul of Cork for me. Places which invoke real, raw human emotion; places which can make you actually feel something. How refreshing......

Ballynoe is cited by none other than Aubrey Burl as ‘one of the great rings of Western Europe’.... so an overcast morning, threatening rain, is probably not the optimum time to visit. But then experience has shown that dear Roisin Dubh rarely accommodates the insignificant wishes of Gladman, so he’s well advised to take whatever’s on offer, so to speak.

The circle is located a couple of miles south of Downpatrick, the town, as its name implies, more than happy with its association with yer man himself (although the claim that St Patrick’s actually buried in the cathedral here is perhaps somewhat, ahem, tenuous). The final approach on foot is along a tree-lined track, the unintentional effect of which, combined with such a distinguished write up, is to heighten the anticipation of the traveller to, well, you get the idea. It therefore comes as quite a shock to find.... no fanfare... no fence, no turnstiles, no hype... in fact not even any people. Just a deep, lush pasture with Slieve Donard (one of the ‘Mountains of Mourne’) gracing the horizon to the south west and a slumbering arrangement of large stones poking above the grass. Right on!

The sense of anticlimax, albeit most welcome, is fleeting, for the validity of Mr Burl’s assertion is soon very much apparent. And then some, since the circumference of the ring is still nearly intact, featuring numerous large orthostats. There’s more, however, in the form of a long mound partially surrounded by a heavy, incomplete kerb. Whether this originally enclosed the mound is unclear, although further kerb stones at the western end suggest it did, I guess. The mound itself possesses remains of a cist at its eastern end. So, Ballynoe is a fine, multiphase monument. But which came first, long mound or circle?

Well, perhaps the siting of portal stones outside the (approx) western entrance at Ballynoe might shed some light here, for Mr Burl hypothesises that since this (amongst other features) is very similar to the arrangements to be found at several Cumbrian ‘circles (in particular at the wonderful Sunkenkirk), there is a case for suggesting Ballynoe was erected by incomers from across the Irish Sea, perhaps trading axes from Langdale? And of course the great Cumbrian circles do not surround tombs. An intriguing theory, also discussed, incidentally, by Mr Cope in his ‘You Gotta Problem...’ sleeve notes.

Ballynoe has many other stories to tell, including possible Mid Winter alignments upon the aforementioned Slieve Donard. But perhaps the most significant story is that here we have one of Britain’s finest stone circles languishing in relative obscurity. But don’t just take Aubrey’s word for it..... I happen to think so, too.

Although rising to a relatively modest 1,078ft, the incredible mini-mountain of Knocknarea (Cnoc na Riabh) appears much higher to the passing traveller, the result of its isolated coastal position emphasising its full elevation literally from sea level. Indeed, water would appear to be key to its significance within the landscape, the deep incursions of Sligo Harbour (to the north) and Ballysadare Bay (to the south) combining with the Garvoge River, draining Lough Gill (to the east), to form the peninsular upon which the mountain stands, to the west of the great Carrowmore megalithic cemetery. That Knocknarea and the latter are linked, I guess, must go without saying?

Knocknarea is visible – nay, dominates the skyline – for many miles around the locality, making it a suitable spot to erect surely one of the most enigmatic pile of stones in all Ireland... Miosgan Meadhbha, or Maeve’s Cairn. Unexcavated, like nearby Heapstown Cairn, the monument is on a par with the great passage graves of Bru na Boinne in terms of size, but, for me, eclipses them in terms of visual impact and siting. Although generally thought to contain a burial chamber (or two) – oh come on, it must, surely? – I suppose we could even have an Irish variant upon the Silbury theme if this was found not be the case after all? Hmm. Unlikely, I think.

The monument is bordered by a substantial bank and several smaller cairns, further emphasising its stature, as well as a small prehistoric settlement to the north east. And of course there’s the sweeping sea views across Sligo Bay and beyond Sligo itself to the elegant escarpment of Yeat’s Benbulben, the evocative scene enhanced by cloud swirling around the cairn and across the summit plateau. Suffice to say if there isn’t a great queen buried within... there bloody well should be!

Knocknarea truly has it all, so you won’t be surprised to know that there’s a price to pay for an audience with Queen Maeve... that of a steep climb. I’d suggest the easiest approach is the obvious one, via a pretty rough track starting from the Grange North car park to the south east.. not easy, but within the capabilities of the average mortal, I’d have thought. We took approx 45 minutes, although this included a diversion to eulogise with a typically rosy cheeked farmer over the beauty of his two magnificent horses whilst his cattle curiously looked on. Bear in mind the aforementioned cloud, however. Although a mini-mountain, normal rules apply, so take care.

Interesting place, the mounds are Romano-British but the whole site has a much older feel to it.

The notice board says that five roads used to meet at the crossing and the Romans built a temple on the riverbank. I suspect that all this activity took place on an exisiting site.

Anyway it was chucking down with rain today and the Mounds look a lot nicer when the suns out so I will come back and explore further in the Sping.

Cong is a small, historic town sited between the loughs Mask and Corrib, large bodies of water which restrict the approach to the mountains of Connemara from the east. Its principle claim to fame is the ruined 12th Century abbey, the building besieged by schoolboys as we arrive from Galway, thoughts of their heritage no doubt the last thing upon the minds of the little shites.... The other attraction is a ghastly, mock-medieval structure known as Ashford Castle. Hmm. Nothing here to satiate the megalithically minded then?

Appearances, of course, can be deceptive, for just a mile(ish) to the north-east sits as varied a four stone circle complex as you could wish for. Needless to say, without a map, or road sign of any description, we struggle to find the rings at first. But ‘endure and perservere’ has always been an unofficial Gladman motto.... and eventually the first of the quartet – the northern most, and coincidentally finest – comes into view. It is worth finding, being a variant recumbent circle, the recumbent and odd little flankers set on the northern arc of a ring enclosing the remains of a kerbed cairn. The setting is exquisite, too, the stones having been erected upon what would appear to be an artificial platform, overlooking a pasture from beneath a copse of trees. This, then, is the ‘cared for’ site for the occasional visitor.

The second site lies beyond the stone wall to the south. A large, embanked stone circle – the largest ring of the group – it is dishevelled, semi-derelict and overgrown, but nevertheless still possesses several large orthostats in situ. The visitor retains a perception of having a ‘stolen moment’ here; such experiences are, of course, often all the more sweeter and memorable because of their illegitimacy, whether actual or supposed. It is an evocative site, indeed.

The third stone circle, to the north east, is a ruinous cairn-circle of four surviving uprights. It is also engulfed by vegetation but well worth the calf graze I suffer climbing the dilapidated dry stone wall to get to it. Show sites have their place, but arguably these half-forgotten, hidden monuments offer more reward to the inquisitive.

The final circle of the group stands within the private grounds of Deanery Place, shrouded by yet more foliage. But unfortunately time has run out. Burl cites this as being a ‘plain elipse’ with a ‘score of light-grey stones...‘

Back in the car it’s time to head into yonder mountains, well happy with a visit to perhaps the most neglected stone circle complex on the western coast?

Megalithically-minded visitors to Lough Arrow and its environs – a most beautiful part of Ireland, it has to be said – are quite rightly captivated by the great Carrowkeel cairns crowning the Bricklieve Mountains. These are a ‘must visit’, if ever there was one. Other visitors, not so inclined, carry on down the N4 to Sligo, perhaps to indulge in some Yeats, or, if that doesn’t appeal, 15 pints of Guinness. Hey, it’s a nice town, so it is.

However virtually no-one, it would appear, makes the short detour beyond the northern tip of the lough to Heapstown crossroads. Time is money, or so the proverbial ‘they’ say, but if you do make the effort I guarantee your ‘account’ will be in credit. And you can’t say fairer than that, can you?

For here, a little north of the aforementioned crossroads, sits a veritable slumbering giant of a cairn – I assume ‘passage grave’, although, like nearby Maeve’s Cairn upon Knocknarea, it remains ‘unopened’. And what an unassuming behemoth it is, too, hidden away in a wooded field set back from the junction of minor roads. A full 60m in diameter, it is one of the largest cairns in Ireland outside of Bru Na Boinne, far larger than those at Carrowkeel. The site is bordered by a kerb which infers that the cairn was once far larger than it currently is, the missing material probably now adorning many a local wall, road or building.

According to the local, excellent guide (issued by the Arrow Community Enterprise Limited), George Petrie (yes, himself) visited Heapstown in 1837, at which time a large monolith stood upon the cairn’s summit. Unfortunately this is now long gone, apparently lying smashed somewhere within the lush vegetation surrounding the site. More’s the pity. The site is known as Carn Oillriallaigh in gaelic folklore... which apparently alludes to it being the tomb of Aillil.... must study up on Irish mythology.

We visit upon a typically Irish day of fine, misty drizzle – the ‘dry sort of rain which won’t soak you to the skin’, according to one of our many B&B hosts, I forget which – this lending a somewhat soft focus to the landscape and cairn-topped mountains beyond the lough. Does wonders for the female skin, too. Oh yes, this phenomenon being another of the wonders of Ireland. But I digress... Anyway, climbing the slippery cairn material with the intrepid ‘Gladmum’, a dog barks in the yard below as it spots the intruders, so momentarily breaking the silence which seems to envelope the great cairn like a warm blanket. We sit at the summit in hushed awe – reverence, even – trying in vain to contemplate the mind-blowing expenditure of effort it must have taken to erect this monument. And why build it here, aloof from the great nearby mountain top cemetery? Putting it simply I believe there is a lot more to Heapstown Cairn than currently meets the eye, and it could well have been an integral part of the Carrowkeel ‘experience’. This is a very, very important site, indeed.

It certainly deserves to be better known...... but in a curious way is fine just the way it is, so to speak.

The most amazing thing I have ever seen was at Glastonbury Tor. Myself and my partner visited in early December and found the countryside was thick with fog – a real ‘pea souper’ – you could only see about 20 yards in any direction. Despite this I insisted on climbing the Tor as this was something I had never done. As we climbed (visability now pretty much zero) we feared it would be a wasted trip. However, as we reached the summit we literally walked up out of the fog, into brilliant sunshine – dark blue sky with not a cloud in sight. (The fog ended about 10 feet lower than the top). All you could see in any direction was the top of the ‘cloud like’ fog – as far as the eye could see. There was complete silence and a lone dove sat on top of the church tower. A truly memorable moment in my life. I only wish I hadn’t left the camera in the car as we assumed it would be fog all the way up.
We later drove to Bristol airport where we had booked a flight to see the Northern Lights over northern Scotland. What a day!!!

This is one of those sites which I found to be ‘jaw dropping’. I had of course seen many photos before visiting and had read many articles on the site. However, this did not prepare me for the sheer size of the place and the unbelievably large and deep ramparts – they are MASSIVE!!!!
The defenders of this hillfort must have felt very confident when they saw the Romans approaching......................... Allow as long as possible when visiting this site, It will certainly take a time to walk around the outside edge!

One of those sites you drive right up next to – in this case, even through it! Easy to park and obviously easy access. The circle is huge and Long Meg itself is very impressive. This is one of the best stone circles I have visited. Highly recommended.

With the aid of an O/S map I found this site easy enough. Park in the layby and it’s only a short walk to the stones. This is the ‘perfect looking’ tomb – stunning – with great views all around. I would highly recommend a visit if at all possible.

Park on the main road and take the short walk up a ‘resident’s only’ small walk. The site is on your right hand side behind the houses on the main raod. A lovely little place despite being in the middle of a residential area. Still, I imagine the stones will be here longer than the houses?!

Drive up Gaer Road (road on left off main road into Newport from the Tredegar House junction of the M4 – next to a traffic lights). Drive to the top of the hill and park in any of the side streets on the left. Most of these small side streets have a kissing gate at the end which gives access to the site. There is a grass walkway around the site which looks as though it is kept mown by the council. Good views on a nice day.

With the music of Arne, Purcell, Schubert, Schumann from todays Moray Music Festival in Elgin and the sound of Stiff Little Fingers (Aberdeen Tues 17th) still birling in my head some much needed fresh air was needed.

The 2 remaining stones, both standing over 1.7 meters tall, of a circle near Llanbryde provided the perfect escape. Sadly the other stones were destroyed to build a railway bridge. Still it must have some place in the past.

Heading west from Fochabers on A96 turn south just before the first Llanbryde roundabout over the railway bridge marked Greenfields. The garden centre has a tearoom. Follow the footpath sign until the tar track runs out, the stones are in the field slightly to the south.

With that it was back Elgin for the songs of Britten, Grieg and Strauss. Sometimes I love my job!

Visited 18/03/2010

Where else can you get a drink and a meal sat right next to a prehistoric site? (Avebury is another place) At least you could when the pub was open!

Park in the car park in the village of Killin and walk over the old stone bridge (above the waterfalls) and turn left heading towards Kinnell House. Walk up the private road, through the trees, and as you approach the house the stone circle is in the field on your right. Easy to access although I imagine you should ask for permission first. A Nice little stone circle – worth a visit.

Easy to get to. After visiting the ancient yew, turn left down the road (church behind you) and in about 100 yards look in the field on your right. Access is through a gate and a gentle walk will get you to the stones.

Visited this site on the way to Castlerigg. Park at the start of the (private?) road which leads up hill to the farm. A bit of a walk but on a nice day lovely views to be had looking down the valley. The circle is right next to the farm track and access can be gained via a gate. I really, really liked this place and actually prefered the circle itself to Castlerigg. Make the effort to visit this site – you won’t be dissapointed.

My favourite stone circle. The views are simply stunning. I had a ‘jaw dropping’ moment the first time I visited this site. I had read a lot about it before visiting and I am pleased to say that it not only met, but exceeded my expectations. The circle itself is a joy to behold, but the setting is something else.

The Ythan valley provides a lot of Aberdeenshires ancient sites and this is another fine example. Although robbed of most of the stones it still stands amongst the trees on the south slopes of Laverock Hill at East Kinharrachie farm near Ellon overlooking the River Ythan. Leave Ellon heading west on the B9005, the cairn is in the first clump of trees to the north.

This must have a beautiful place with significant views all round including Bennachie. Nowadays it is grass covered and stands at almost 13 meters wide, 1.2 meters high with the centre robbed. Like Den Of Howie there is something that says, in my head, that this place is very, very old. In this valley anything is possible.

Visited 17/10/2010.

I much preferred this site to Arthur’s Round Table. Probably due to the still standing high sides of the henge plus the standing sone in the middle. Very pretty place and easily accessed. I am amazed that it has survived so well over all these years. Will visit again one day.
Although a bit off topic, whilst in the area, I would recommend a visit to St Andrew’s church in Penrith. In the grave yard, to the right of the church main doors, is a Viking ‘Hog Back’ grave. I ‘discovered’ this by pure accident – what a happy bunny I was!!