Latest Fieldnotes

There’s no danger of being shot at this site despite what you may read, been up there loads of times and the only unnerving thing is the low flying military aircraft that sometimes buzz the site, don’t worry they won’t bomb you.

Visited today following Stu’s directions and it seems the layout of the fields may have been changed unless i’m misunderstanding the directions.
As you enter the field from the road you need to head to the top left corner of the field your in, the stile is there and the clearance stones just over it, there is a drainage ditch halfway across the field but no other boundaries. !

Won’t add my pics as the light was crap and they’re not a patch on the ones already posted by Stu.

Circle is badly in need of a good cleanup

The circle is actually on the other side of the road and not as displayed on the map, next time I will save the exact coordinates.
According to the book “Sacred Ireland” there is an 11 foot pillar stone with a Ballaun up the lane behind the farmhouse just before the circle in Templebryan Monastic enclosure near a small ruined church, I did not get to visit this today

The Coordinates I had landed me in a field at the wrong side of the road, I saved these at the stone itself
51.43.53.07 N
08.43.23.00 W

North of the A70, a straight road up to the three lakes Llyn Mawr, Llyn y Tarw and the little but lovely Llyn du, park right between two footpaths, the right path goes to Carreg hir standing stone, the left path is the one we want.
Praise be the inventor of the modern wellington boot.
The path between the two lakes (Mawr and du)
is muddy and mostly puddles, but today I have been mostly wearing waterproofs so was immune to the capricious welsh weather.
The best path to the stone row is up and along the long crag of Craig y Llyn Mawr, past the Llyn Mawr cairns and menhir, all the way to the trig point(485m). Whilst on top of the hill the weather gave up trying to penatrate my clothing and we made up with a double rainbow, surely one of natures most incredible and beautiful creations.
From the trig point follow the rocky ridge top till it rejoins the footpath and ends at a fence, go through the gate and turn right the alignment is a hundred yards up the hill on your left.
There are four main stones in the row, but some other smaller ones are next to these. The southern most stone is the largest and leans at 45 degrees to the west, if upright it might be a whopping two feet tall, the other stones struggle to be 12 inches.
There are also two cairns to the north of the row and in line with the stones well that’s what mappy and coflein says, but on the ground only one stood out.
To complete your walk either keep going north till you get to the Glonc Cairns, or follow the path past the stones down to Lluestuchaf farm and then on to the road.
Hopefully if you go through with all this you wont like me have to change a flat tyre when you get back.
Gggrrrrrr
Good weather comes at a cost round here, all those rainbows have to be paid for.

Poor old Margery hill Cairn, battered and eroded it’s present state belies it’s once obviously important status.
Sitting atop Howden edge and a bugger to get to if you don’t like walking far this site is in need of some urgent tlc.
Now fenced off and recently awarded ancient monument status the cairn commands fantastic views down the Derwent valley and this has probably added to it’s present state offering a great viewing platform for walkers.

There’s a couple of straightforward routes to the cairn, neither easy though, my route from Langsett via the cut gate path, about 4 miles was a hard fought one due to appalling weather, the paths were running like streams, the visibility was down to less than 25 metres at times, not being the greatest of conditions for photography i decided to camp the night on the moor close by and wait it out which proved to be a god decision as the weather didn’t relent once till the early hours.

The other route is via Fairholmes visitor centre through Nether Hey, about 3 miles or so, this was my route back, take this route if you prefer half decent paths though you’ll still need your boots in all but the best of weather, if there’s any chance of bad weather be sure to take appropriate kit, the site is very exposed and the weather can make navigation very difficult.

Access: On verge of farm road just south of Treal passage grave.

Visited Thursday 14 April 2005
What looks suspiciously like a very trashed passage grave. If not, one stone certainly looks like a menhir!

Could of course be field clearance, but surely not the menhir-like stone at least. Couldn’t find any trace in books or on a quick web search.

Access: In garden of house by start of path through woods to the passage grave.

Visited Thursday 14 April 2005
A nice menhir that you can’t miss if visiting the passage grave. I’ve not seen it in any of my research, but it ‘looks’ genuine!

The skibsaetnings in Böckersboda lies on a ridge along an ancient road.
The first one is 30 x 8 metres, and points in NNE – SSW direction. The second one is 17 x 8 metres, and points in NE – SW direction.

They were excavated and restored in 1950 by the county museum. Each ship contained a cremation grave, measuring about 50 x 50 centimetres, located about in the centre of the ships, and contained burnt bones, coal and ash. One grave also contained fragments of a horn comb and dominoes mad of bone. These finds can now be seen at the national Historical Museum in Stockholm.

Info post on site in Swedish, English and German.

The ships can be seen in GE.

How to get there:
after about 15.3 kilometres north of the north exit to Mariestad on highway E20, turn right (if you pass the bridge over the Göta kanal channel, you’ve drove too far). After 1.85 kilometres, you’ll pass the a.m. channel. Turn left after 240 metres and continue for 560 metres, where you will see a blue sign “Skeppssättning” to the left. Follow the signs and you are at the spot.

The grave field of Lekebacken were used for a very long time – the oldest part is the cairn (17 metres in diametre), which probably dates back to 3000BCE, and the youngest ones is the low earth mounds that is scattered around the area – about 1000 years old. The graves has not been investigated, so the ages are estimates made by the Swedish National Heritage board.

The stone circle is 13 metres in diametre and consiste of 9 stones, 1.2 to 2 metres high.

Info post on site in Swedish, English and German.

The stone ring can be seen in GE.

How to get there:
From highway E20, take the exit to road 51 just south of Kumla, and drive for about 7.6 kilometres. Take left towards Kumla, and immediately left again, so you drive under road 51. Follow this road for 300 metres, then turn right and drive for 1 kilometre. Site and parking spot to the right.

God knows how anyone can call this a cairn let alone a kerb cairn, I dont know, perhaps its been excavated and proved as such, but it looks more like a stone jumble now or a bit of outcropping.
Oh well, you never know till you get there do you,
now no-one else need bother.
After all the rainbows and other sites this morning this place was a little bit dissapointing. (naff)

Parking for one only, despite being next to a nature reserve. Leave the car between two footpaths next to Llyn Mawr and Carreg Hir.
Take the path between the lakes, at the end of the lake take left fork and head for top left corner of field.
The kerb cairn itself is at ground level almost. the only point of interest is the 1.2metre tall stone at its centre, I wont mention Glenquicken. Damn I did, its nothing like that cool stone circle, but its view is much better.
Through the gate and up the hill is cairn 2, about 50metres away, a much more substantial monument with a view to match cairn 1 but with no centre stone. Plus the added convenience of higher ground nearby for that all important gods eye view.

About a hundred yards north of Carreg Hir standing stone is this large low ring cairn.
Brilliant views south into the valley, and west is the long crag of Craig y llyn mawr. On a beautiful morning its as nice as place as you could hope for, but in the rain and gloom its a proper depressing place, so much depends on the weather in Wales, say your prayers to the storm god and maybe you could beat my record of twelve rainbows in three and a half hours, honestly ive never seen so many rainbows.

When reading the big orange book one of the pages that stays in the mind most is The hill of many stanes, if you know what I mean. And so it is with this site. (see previous pic)
Over the hill a hundred yards or so is a large low ring cairn.
Even though this is the biggest stone in the area and the most tangible of ancient activity I left it till last, storm clouds brewed over the horizon but golden morning light bathed the valley below me, despite the rain it was a magical rainbow filled morning. Then I had to change a flat tyre upon returning to the car, you can’t have everything.

Visited with the Mam Cymru, by way of a direct, very steep ascent from the secluded Grwyne Fawr valley – we’re getting too old for this lark, I’m afraid – the 2,624 ft summit of Pen y Gadair Fawr is crowned by a substantial cairn-spread, perched upon which is a rather ‘dodgy’ looking modern effort. The size of the latter apparently varies according to the vagaries of the winter storms; a rather feeble construction, if the truth be told. Huh, they don’t make ‘em like they used to, do they?

Not so the remnants of the original which, as the photo shows, would have been of a fair old size and is still pretty extensive. Well worth the trouble in reaching and worthy of such a major peak.

Coflein isn’t conclusive as to period of origin, but nevertheless reckons:

“.....The circular cairn is constructed of small easily-portable stones forming a dense pile and measures 15m diameter and 2.5m high. The grassed-over base of the cairn measures about 1 metre high. The exposed pile of stones on the top, which has been rebuilt in modern times, is about 5 metres across. The feature could be a burial mound, and has extensive, panoramic views......”

As mentioned, the views from the cairn are simply magnificent, stretching all the way to distant Sugar Loaf Mountain and Blorenge above Abergavenny... nearer to hand, the Maen Llwyd stands at the apex of forestry below to the (approx) south. Said to be the highest sited standing stone in South Wales, it apparently aligns upon a man-made notch near Mynydd Llysiau, across the Grwyne Fechan to the west. Nice. Sadly we didn’t have the energy reserves to check this out this time around.

Just south of Glenbarry, on the A95, take the road east indicated Edingight/Sillyearn. Then take the next minor road left until Knockbog farm is reached. Paths up the Knock Hill are here. Use the path until after the second wooden bridge and jump the fence in front and go north. The stone can’t be seen at this point. Keep going over the next ridge , the stone will be above. This is a land of heather, ferns, moss and bogs. With all the recent rain very boggy. (emphasis on very!!)

This large rock which has been used for various things isn’t white, it has been painted in memory of a sheep dog called Trimmy. One thing it does have is tremendous views to the south, east and west. Fortunately the weather was fairly clear during my climb unlike all the streams and boggy bits which I seemed to find with great ease.

Visited 16/11/09.

The daughter of the landowner commented that the location was “Knockcurraghbola Crownlands” not Crowlands
A Google search would seem to indicate this is correct

The owners of the land are more than hospitable and brought me in for tea and refreshments, very decent people

Leave the A95, heading south, after Glenbarry (alas a closed pub) turning left on the Edingight/Sillyearn road. Knock Hill is to the north and clearly visible as is the White Stone on it’s western flank. Take the second left, then a right on these twisty minor roads. Go up the hill to Oakenknowes Farm, the road from hell leads to that farm. The occupants at this house are very kind and allowed me to park.

Walk up the hill until another road is met. This is the historic Bowman’s Road, more of which in it’s site, turn left until the road/path runs out. This is when the fun begins. Jump the stream and climb the hill, half way move out of the wood and into the clearance. I followed a tree forester machines tracks, I don’t know how I didn’t manage to break my ankles. Keep going over the hill down the other side heading to the tree line. Turn right for about 1/2 mile and look to the top of the hill eventually the cairn comes into view.

This, I would think, might be another cairn that will vanish without trace. However at the moment tree stumps with yellow ribbons indicate the ancient monument. Canmore are optimistic saying 15 meters wide, but the height of 11/2 meters is close. It is made up of white quartzs and earth, it’s centre has been dug out but there it remains in what would be beautiful place if not for the forestry. Treebeard would not be pleased!!

Being short of time I decided to take a more direct route back down. This plan was quite good for a while until I walked into a Christmas tree wood. Drenched within seconds, the next 1/2 mile or so was hellish, falling into boggy bits, branches in the face and for good measure several little streams to jump. However help was at hand as the occupants gave me dry track suit bottoms and socks, inviting me in for a cup of tea plus more info about the Bowman’s Road. Hurrah and heat!!

Visited 8/12/09.

North of the A470 head towards Carreg hir standing stone which is on the map, pass two lakes on the left, open a gate and follow the rough farm track and park after another gate.
The small lake, llyn y Tarw lies south east on its northern shore is a foopath that goes within metres of this most idle of half hearted stone circles.
I’m not 100% sure I found it, but I was in the right place and I knew what to look for thanks to Cofleins discription::: Stone circle comprising of at least 39 stones set in a ring 19.25m in diameter. The stones are mostly small, measuring on average no more than 0.5m and vary from lying flat within the ground to standing upright to heights of 0.5m :::
I certainly didnt find 39 stones, more like 9, two of which are maybe 10inches high three stones just poke above the surface and four I managed to free from there mossy embrace, the other thirty must be under the grass.
This stone circle wasnt rediscovered till 1981 and if nothing was done to it then, then its very probable that it was the stones I found and in the intervening 27 years its doing its best to get lost again. Gooooo stones !!!
I dont know if it was the shitty weather, the diminutive stones or my passing forty on thursday, but , this may have been my most disatisfactory endeavor to date, most depressing.

Easy to get to but not so easy to define due to heather coverage. If anyone is as daft as me and wants to track this place down drive all the way through the forest and park right at the top of the hill, the ring cairn occupies the highest point (455m) .
The view to the west and east is full and lengthy, but the forest blunts the eyefull north and south.
It is easily identified but nigh on impossible to photograph.
Coflein describes it thus : A well preserved and prominent ring cairn, 12m in diameter formed by a stone bank 3m wide and 1m high, with a central open area, 5m in diameter.
The weather was at best, shite , so I didnt stay long

2009 excavation of aisled house 150 metres from the stone .

Mr Hogan’s notes are extensive so my notes will be brief. At the moment the fields are so saturated with the recent rain getting there is like swimming in a mud bath. He’s right about the views. As well as Cairn Lee the cairns at Fisherie and Balgreen are nearby. Windy, soaked and caked with with mud, great fun!!

Visited 14/11/09.

Approximate coordinates only – it was well over years ago! I also can’t find a name for it, so made one up for now.

Access: Pretty easy, though a fair walk from the main St Just complex parking place.

Visited Thursday 14 April 2005
Happened across this one & can’t find anything about it online or in books I have. It was a short distance from the right (north) of the path between Le Tribunal & La Four Sarrazin.

Fairly unspectacular (especially for St Just!) burial of some sort....