Latest Fieldnotes

Very easy access via the appropriately named Mud Lane! About a 10 minute walk over flat land from where you park the car. Nice place to visit.

Needless to say, a unique and fantastic place. However, at the risk of sounding snobby – a bit too commercialised for me. It is certainly worth visiting – a ‘must see’ site – but I must admit I prefer Avebury.

UPDATE:
Visited this site on 12.6.10 – the first time for nearly 4 years. It was a lot busier this time with coaches and tourists from all over the world – plenty of Americans and Australians. There was also security guards at the car park which I don’t remember last time. Near the ticket office was a lone ‘Druid’ protesting about people visiting the site – or something like that. He had some pretty colourful banners hanging from the railings and was selling handbooks on King Arthur I think? I have read about the changes planned for visiting the site (new visitor’s centre etc) so I wanted to visit again before things get changed. I plan another visit once the changes have taken place to compare if things are for the better?

There is not much that can be added to what is already posted. All I would say is if you have never been here – visit. This is an incredible place to visit – the circle is massive – the stones huge. I have been to many famous prehistoric sites on mainland Britain but for me, Avebury is the best. Not just the circle but Silbury Hill, WKLB, Windmill Hill etc. Visit as often as you can – stay as long as you can. You will not be dissapointed.

If, like me, you like to keep walking to a minimum, you can follow the lane about half way up the hill before parking at a suitable point. When I say suitable I mean a slightly wider bit of track! Be careful not to try to drive too far up as the track becomes increasingly narrower, rutted and unless you are driving a tractor undrivable. I tried to warn an American tourist about this as he drove past me. Needless to say he knew better...... Once you get to the top, over a gate and a flat walk to the several barrows to be seen.

If you are able I would highly recommend you walk the Avenue. You do feel (at least I did) that you are following in the footsteps of the ancestors – like you are taking part in some sort of procession. A lovely, easy walk on a nice day.

Most dissapointing English Heritage site I have ever been to. Only plus side it is easy to get to – right next to road.

I found this hard to find. I couldn’t see it through the trees at the top of the (steep) bank and so I decided to climb down to the flat area next to the river. It was then a simple case of following the river until I located the stone. The hard bit then was climbing back up the slope!! Take care.

When you pay to go into the castle, ask for a torch (small fee) – or bring your own torch. Once you enter the castle, look for the tower in the bottom left corner – this is where you will find the entrance to the cave. Initially there are steps down but this then changes to a concrete slope and then you are onto wet, natural stone – slippery. The cave ends with what appears to be a blocked up well?

Drive through the village of Bethleham, up the hill, over the cattle grid and there is a parking place on the left. It is then an easy walk up the hillfort. Be careful though as the collapsed stone walls are very loose underfoot. The countryside here is beautiful. When I visited there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and red kites were gliding silently overhead – bliss.

There are four kerb cairns at the Den Of Howe in various states of existence. Leave the A952 north of Mintlaw taking the road east to Fetterangus. Go thru the village and follow the signpost to Den o’ Howie at the crossroads. Go past the farm and stop amongst the trees at the first track heading north. From here, walk, the site is a 1/2 mile, the second clearing to the east/left. The minor road ends at Cairnorchie farm so a bit of a double back. Follow the track, after the minor road, leads to the car parks for the White Cow Cairn and Louden Wood RSC.

Kerb 1.

This is a magnificent kerb of 7 continuous stones. As with all the cairns a fair amount of moss had to be moved before the remains became visible.

Kerb 2.

Is a few meters to the east of kerb 1 and has three stones remaining. Two stones are underneath a young fir tree whilst the third lies out in the open.

Kerb 3.

Further to south east is the third cairn. 5 stones rest side by side. In the middle there seems to be a pit with a stone sat in the middle. then again it might just be glacerial. I had to move the most amount of moss/heather at this cairn.

Kerb 4.

Slightly to the south of Kerb 3, this cairn only has two stones remaining.

This place is like a small Forvie. It feels old and I got the feeling that more cairns kerb or otherwise might be found in this ancient and lovely part of the world. However the density of the trees make it hard to look. I only hope that the Forestry people take extreme care when taking down trees and are careful not to destroy any sites.

These woods also contain the Louden Wood RSC some distance in an easterly direction. There is a better chance to find the circle as there are no signposts here to direct you to the wrong place!

Visited 16/3/2010.

Oh Carrowkeel... word fails me, but I guess I should try and describe something of what it meant to visit this astonishing prehistoric ritual complex. For me Carrowkeel is quite simply the finest of the major Irish megalithic cemeteries. Sure, it lacks the connoisseur’s art of the Bru na Boinne tombs and Loughcrew – and is of somewhat rougher construction, it has to be said – and Carrowmore is simply mind-boggling in extent. But for a ‘mountain-head’ like me, Carrowkeel really does have it all, the tombs perched upon the Bricklieve Mountains (Breac Shliabh, or ‘speckled mountains’) overlooking the gorgeous Loch Arrow and possessing a magnificent vista towards the one and only Knocknarea.

Leave the main N4 Sligo road at Castlebaldwin and follow the ‘historical trail’ (a bit of a misnomer, obviously, since this is a journey into prehistory) roughly southwards, with the cairn-topped Kesh Corran rearing up to your right. The road surface becomes progressively ‘rougher’, as if to reflect the surrounding landscape, with high limestone cliff faces curiously reminiscent of Northern England, until a sign proclaims that the final kilometer to the cairns is indeed passable by car. Hmm. Perhaps it’s something to do with me being a somewhat cynical Anglo Saxon/Celt/and-whatever-else-hybrid, but we decide to walk nonetheless, fearing a touch o’ the Blarney stone. Wisely as it transpires, too, although the Aussie kangarooing (ho! ho!) past us in his hire car would probably have disagreed whilst exclaiming ‘where’s the cairns, dude!’. Last seen careering downhill towards Loch Arrow...... he at least gave us a laugh and, with large cairns seemingly crowning every ridge, may well have stopped me freaking out altogether with a little light relief. No worries, dude.

The very rough approach track terminates at a turning-area-cum-car-park (ha!) from where a short climb brings us to the first monument. To state that the prosaically named ‘Cairn G’ is a ‘good way to begin’ is putting it very mildly indeed, the well preserved cairn covering a magnificent cruciform chamber, its solid roof slabs supported upon eight (I think) orthostats. There’s more however, for the chambered tomb possesses a ‘Newgrange-style’ letter-box which apparently allows the setting summer solstice sun to penetrate the chamber on 21st June. This is obviously the reverse of the world famous arrangement at Newgrange, so elevating this tomb into the premier league of Irish passage graves in the process. Oh to be here when that happens!

The next cairn uphill (Cairn H) has sadly collapsed into the chamber, although I can attest it is still possible to crawl down the passageway. Well, a Gladman’s gotta do what a Gladman’s gotta do, as they say. Cairn K, however, crowns the summit of the northern Bricklieves and is a real beauty, the cruciform chamber within exceedingly well preserved and reached by a long, low entrance passage akin to the great Orcadian tombs. The three pentagonal side chambers are exquiste, the corbelled roof likewise. And if I’m not very much mistaken.... the passage is aligned upon Maeve’s Cairn surmounting distant Knocknarea! It’s all too much, it really is. No, seriously, because as well as a large cist to the east of the tomb, the ruined ‘Cairn L’ to the west, and a nearby settlement (no doubt the home of the people who used these tombs?), cairns seem to crown every horizon. As old Irish comedian Frank Carson used to say.... ‘And there’s more’. Much, much more at Carrowkeel.

Sadly I must leave and who knows, I may never return? But no matter. Carrowkeel will always have me in thrall.

East Kennett and West Kennett couldn’t be much more different really, not in our century at least. I wondered whether to write these fieldnotes, it’s like drawing unnecessary attention to something that’s quite happy nice and quiet and unknown, despite its proximity to the show sites of Avebury. Not to mention the fact it’s off the footpaths and I shouldn’t really have been there at all. But your tma-ish type values EK for what it is. And most normal people don’t want to trudge to an overgrown hillock somewhere up a muddy track. Besides, there’s nowhere obvious to leave a tealight. So maybe EK’s ok.

Even as you walk up here, you can see that the place is massively, surprisingly, tall. I thought it was an optical illusion until I got very close up and then I had to believe it. As you’re walking up the track, the barrow glowers ominously above you. But on arriving, the near end seems like the less important back, it shuns the view of West Kennett’s fancy frontage and Silbury hill. With the wintery lack of undergrowth I could walk along the barrow’s crest, to the far end which is higher and more sheltered. That has a much more enclosed feeling. There’s a kind of amphitheatre effect, with the skyline at a single level all around. But curiously the skyline isn’t consistently close, some of it’s made up of much further away bits of landscape, but it all overlaps to give this constant line. It’s totally different to the open feel of the other end, with its distant views to all sorts of places that make you go ooh! when you recognise them.

It was very quiet indeed at the far end. It’s riddled with burrows. Flakes of chalk and pointy flint nodules are everywhere (as are spent shotgun cartridges). A rabbit sprang out of one of the holes just in front of me and I don’t know who was more startled. Partridges muttered in the field below but otherwise it was just that distant treetop noise like the sea. My crisps ruined the atmosphere really. I liked the distorted writing on some of the beeches and all the tiny snail shells with their strange little umbilical holes.

On the way back (after another guilt-ridden dash silhouetted against the sky) there were loads of yellowhammers to be seen and heard along the White Horse track. If you keep going straight down, the path comes out where the road crosses the Kennet. It’s amazing to watch, a beautifully crystal clear chalk stream with its vegetation waving about in the current. It was a nicer way to walk back to where I’d parked near the church.

I took the opportunity to visit this barrow while taking some photos of East Hill barrows. The maps and MAGIC etc show two, but I could only spot one of them. Some of the barrows in this extended group along the South Dorset Ridgeway are very slight and hard to see, I suspect that may be the case with the other barrow.
The visible barrow is quite a curious example as it seems to have been turned in to a water tank holder. This appears to have been done to it some time ago as grass has grown over the concrete lid.
The White Horse is 18th century and depicts king George the 3rd on horseback, he was responsible for making nearby Weymouth a fashionable resort and popularised sea bathing.

A lovely looking stone and a lovely colour only 30 yards from the road (small layby). If it has been raining take your wellies as the ground around the stone is very wet.

Crickhowell is a lovely little town and is surrounded by prehistoric sites. These range from very easy sites to visit such as Gwernvale and the Growing Stone to harder sites such as the Fishstone. I have visited Crickhowell on many occasions and always manage to find a new site to visit.

Park next to the houses and there is a footpath which runs past the houses. This leads you into the start of the trees and then it’s make your own path up through the trees to the summit. The whole hill is covered by ivy (I have never seen so much) and I only noticed faint traces of defences. No view to be seen from the top due to all the trees. To be honest not much to recommend a visit. Just as well to view it from the M4!!

A fairly short but steep climb up the steps from the car park up to the headland. I couldn’t see any signs of banks/ditches but there was a lot of bushes about so perhaps they are there but hidden?

Park in the car park at Rhossili point (near the National Trust shop) and it’s an obvious but long and very steep walk up to the top of Rhossili headland. Once at the top keep following the path along the ridge, past the small cairns and eventually you will spot Sweyne Howes lower down the headland on your right hand side (sea to your left). When I visited it was extremely windy – so much so I got blown into a dreaded gorse bush on the way back down. Those spike not only go through clothing but trainers as well. I hate gorse!!!

Fairly easy to access. You can drive most of the way up the hill and park below the ‘pimple’. A fairly short but steep path will take you to the top. Through the defensive ditch and up the steps onto the top. You can see for miles on a clear day. Unfortunately when I visited it was like ‘pea soup’ and I could only see about 20 yards!!

I have looked for this stone twice – and failed!
Does not show on map.
Anyone have any directions?

Fantastic. The whole Kilmartin Valley is such a fantastic place. It rained, rained and rained again. But despite this I had a great day (soaked to the skin) and I can’t rate this place highly enough. I hope to visit again when (hopefully) the weather will be better! Stayed all day but only managed to see some of the sites as there are so many. The Great X is just one of the wonderful things to see. If you are anywhere near this part of Scotland, allow at least a day of your holidays to enjot this very special place. So far, my favourite place in Scotland. For me this is on par with Avebury in England. Fantastic.

Easy to access – 10 minute walk up from the car park. The views from the top are wonderful and yes, you just have to see if your foot fits – mine did! Even though it had been raining and my foot got wet in the process!! One of my favourite sites in the Kilmartin area. Enjoy.

This is one of my favourite sites. The size and scale of the longbarrow is breathtaking. I make a visit to Avebury once a year to see the henge, WKLB and Silbury hill. I call it my ‘pilgrimage’. I have never had a problem with speeding cars etc as I park in the small layby at the bottom of the hill leading up to the barrow. There are usually ‘offerings’ to be found in the tomb and tied to the branches of the tree at the bottom of the hill near the layby. A truly fantastic place. I am planning a trip to the Orkneys this summer so it will be interesting to compare the tombs there against my two favourite so far – WKLB and Stoney Littleton. I will report back!!

Not much to see but easy to find and access. If you are stood in the car park looking at the view down the valley, head for the right hand corner of the car park – where the trees are. Walk into the wooded area and you will see the barrow in front of you.

Agree fully with Thesweetcheat, when I tried to get close to the hillfort I was confronted by a lane which led into a very, very muddy farmyard. Anyway, I think this is one of those sites which is best viewed from a distance. A good view can be obtained from just off the main road – and less muddy!!