Latest Fieldnotes

There is a convenient placed lay-by right where the roads closest to the cairns, we left the car, jumped a fence, we hid amongst the trees untill a large mound hid us from the nearby farm no doubt of the same name, and jumped the other fence and headed for our quarry, well cairn.

The smaller of the two was easy to find as it straddled the end of wooded area and open field, it was wholly in the trees but probably due to stone robbing as there is a really indecent scoop out of the middle so that only a crescent moon shape cairn is left.
The other cairn is two metres high and in much better condition so I wondered how I’d missed it, is it behind the large mound ? to make sure we had the best possible chance of being able to see it we climbed the large mound, but before we’d got there the penny dropped and ...“oh it is the large mound”.
There has been some cairn slippage and it’s virtually covered the quite big natural mound that its builders chose for this cairn, mound, mound, go on say it slowly mooouuunnd.

Geographically only a couple hundred yards away from the easily found sitting duck of Gruline, but an adventurous expedition is what my visit turned into.
The os map said the stone stood in a clearing, a long rectangle of grasses within a large wooded area, unfortunately the abomination that is Rhodadendron had got in there and most of the free land is now impenatrable. Eric and me got turned round several times finding ourselves back in the same place not twice but three times, same idyllic bend in the river, same fallen tree. On one of our ways round a herd of Red deer passed us by on their way somewhere, just about ready to give up and try to find the road (where ever that might be), when my son Eric who was beginning to know his way round and was about twenty feet ahead suddenly shouted there it is, and it was.

Leaning in god knows which direction, but doing its best to hide amongst the ‘orrible bushes which are pretty but far from home. About eight or nine feet tall, three feet wide and one foot thick, it would have been nice to sit in it’s thrall for considerably longer than we did, but it was a combined visit to the other stone and the two big cairns, wife and daughter were wating at the car with two hot dogs (K9) and it seemed like we’d been gone for ages.
Bye stone.

Kånna högar (Kånna barrows) is one of Småland’s biggest grave fields. There are almost 300 graves, 230 barrows erected around 500-1000CE. From the older part (500BCE-500CE) there are 2 stone ring , 30 standing stones, 2 treuddar (tri-radial cairns), 15 ring cairns and a dolmen. On the oldest part, from the bronze age (1800-500BCE) there is a cairn.

There is an info board on the site in Swedish, English and German.

The cemetery can clearly be seen in GE (or Google maps)

How to get there:
Drive towards the city Ljungby on highway E4, turn off at the south exit to Ljungby. Drive 700 metres towards Ljungby until the road curves to the left.
There you turn right, and drive for 1 kilmometre. You will see the site to your right, but continue for about 200 metres until you see a sight sign with the word ‘Gravfält’ pointing to the right. Turn right and drive for 250 metres where you will find a parking spot.

The chamber in this grave is built of 11 stones, and has 3 capstones. The passage consists of 6 stones on each side, and 3 capstones. The entrance width is 0.7 and height 0.6 metres. The length of the passage: 2.7, the chamber length 4.3 and width 2.1 metres.

The passage grave was examined 1843, 1907, 1951 and 1953. Amber pearls, arrow heads, axes, chisels, drills, knives and scraps of flintstone clay pots and the remains of at least 7 people has been found.

About 2 metres east of the passage grave are the remains of a cist, consisting of 4 stones.

The mound can be seen in GE and the passage entrance can just be seen on the ESE edge.

How to get there:
After you have visited the site Glumslövs backar, continue northwards on highway E6 and turn off at the next exit (after 3 kilometres). Turn westwards and turn left in the roundabout after 600 metres. Turn right just when you leave the town Glumslöv (after 3,6 kilometres), and after 3,1 kilometres you will find a parking spot to the right. Park there and the site is in the field northwest of the parking spot.

Note: The site is in the middle of a farmer’s field, on GE you can see a track through the field pointing northwest. When I visited the site, this track didn’t exist, I found one southwest of the site instead, so when you visit the spot, please look carefully around the field and try to find an existing track, to avoid destroying crops.

This amazing panel is on the road up to Staigue Fort. Looking at Cians pics its unreal how much of the art isnt visible normally.
It is now much easier to access after the river leading to it has been bridged over as part of some drainage works.

Approximately 6 ogham stones have been relocated from Kerry to Adare Manor in Co. Limerick. They are hidden away next to the pet-cemetary within the beautiful grounds of this amazing hotel.
There is normally security on the gate leading into the hotel so if you want to get in to see them at least look a little bit presentable. The manor house itself is fabulous looking and would be worth a trip alone. Seeing these fine ogham stones is a great bonus.

For directions etc to the manor see the following link.
adaremanor.com/

The website has the following info on them

“were “imported” from Kerry by Edwin, the third Earl. Three of them came from the town land of Kilbonane, near Killarney, where two had been found inserted in a farmhouse wall. A group of five are close together.”

Complex site consisting of 2 damaged passage graves and 20 barrows. 8 of the barrows are well preserved and can be seen in GE. The barrows are from the early bronze age (2000-2800BCE) One of the biggest barrow is called ‘Viktors hög’ (Viktor’s barrow) and some of the others is called ‘Björne högar’, but none of these names are known to historians, so the barrows are probably named by later inhabitants of the close-by villages. One of the barrows, which in later times were used as an execution place, are called ‘Galgbacken’ (Gallows hill).

Also the passage graves can be seen (the 2 small barrows closest to the highway). Several stones has been blasted away, and the capstones are gone. They have been examined 1842 by professor Sven Nilsson, 1921 by O frödin and crown prince Gustav Adolf. The findings were crashed pottery, miscellaneous flint stone items, stone axes and amber pearls.

They were built around 3600-3200BCE, by the funnel-beaker culture, who was Sweden’s and Denmark’s first farmers.

Sorry for the bad pictures, I (or you?) will try to take some more pictures in the winter, when the grass is down, and the stones more visible.

Info board on site in Swedish, English and German.

How to get there:
The site lies between the cities Landskrona and Helsingborg. It’s easiest if you arrive from the south (suggestion: Visit the site Gillhög first). Drive on the highway E6. When you have travelled 8 kilometres from Landskrona, you will drive up on to a big hill. On the top of the hill, there is a gas station and Burger King, turn at this exit and park the car. The site is immediately south of the gas station.

This shows up as a henge on www.Archaeology.ie , dont know much else about it except that. On inspecting it looks a lot more like a normal ring-fort. I couldnt see any sign of an internal ditch but in fairness it was very overgrown. Might be worth a look in winter when the grass has died back a bit. It is located about 4 kms north west of Listowel. You can easily park next to a graveyard which is right beside it.

When this stone was erected I’m sure the that they didn’t mean what was going to happen centuries later. People where executed at this stone as it stands over 2 meters in height. A dry stane dyke has been added either side. Unfortunately it’s mid section is also covered in barbed wire. For those who committed “lesser crimes” the nearby ‘The Pit’ was used, being a small pool you don’t need to think to hard to picture what happened here.

Take the B9031, heading north from it’s junction with the B9032, and stop just before the next crossroads. The stone is part of a wall in the fields to the west. Good views of the Moray Firth.

Visited 12/08/09.

Dundarg Fort sits beside a ruined chapel and castle. Ditches and banks protect the fort at the southern boundary. The castle extended one of the ditches to make a moat. Within in the fort post holes can be found. Once again superb all round views of the Moray Firth.

Going west from New Aberdour take the first minor road north. When this road ends turn west and stop at the next tarred road north. The road is marked private so I pulled my car into the verge to avoid any complaint. From here walk the 1/4 mile to Dundarg House. The path to the east leads to ruined castle and chapel, to the west leads to the fort and the beach.

Visited 12/08/09.

Gillhög is one of Skåne’s best preserved passage grave. The barrow is about 25 metres in diametre and 2.5 metres high. The passage is 5,5 metres long and 0.5 -1.2 wide. It was examined in 1932 under supervision of Mr. O Rydbäck. They found some skeletons, 1 knife made of flintstone, pearls made of amber, some crashed pottery and miscellaneous tools made of flintstone.

Due to risk of collapsing, Gillhög was restored during 1986 by a team of Danish archaeologists.

This site can also be found in Julian Cope’s book ‘The Megalithic European’ under the name Hofterup, but he also mentions Gillhög in the text.

The compass-reading of the passage is about 121 degrees.

There is an information board on the site with Swedish, English and German info.

How to get there:
The site is situated between the cities Malmö and Landskrona.
Take the highway E6 and turn of the road at the north exit to the town of Löddeköpinge (if you arrive from Landskrona, you will see the shopping centre ‘Center syd’ on the east side of the road immediately before the exit.
Turn westwards toward Barsebäck, drive about 2.4 kilometres. When you are driving upwards a hill, look for a attraction sight sign that points to the left.
Turn left onto the gravel road and drive about 200 metres. turn right and you are at the spot.

You can get to the site along a disused railway line, marked as a heritage path, which runs south from Rhostryfan.

The entrance to the main hut looks towards Dinas Dinlle hill fort a couple of miles away on the coast.
The trees were in the way, otherwise I would have taken a picture.

Visited August 2009. The stone was in a cropped field and therefore not accessible.

The wood containing two barrows sits on the eastern hill overlooking the farm of Mid Pitglassie. However the best access is found by approaching from Corrydown farm, the site of an RSC. Follow the directions to that site, the barrow is in amongst the trees to the south. Keep to the tractor tracks and nobody will be annoyed.

Nothing to much can be seen in the clearing except for the hints of a small raised mound. Some stones, from the barrow, can also be seen on the surface. But the site is mainly turf covered. The best place to find info about the Neolithic and Bronze age finds are in the superb archaeological notes by Alexandra Shepherd’s team. Excavation took place during 1978. I’ll post these on the Links section.

No fewer than 15 stone circles/cairns surround this site including another barrow at the southern end of the wood. But I’ll look for that another day.

Visited 10/08/09.

Car parking, for this site, can be found at the sadly unused and abused Tarlair Outdoor Swimming pool, Macduff. I remember, as a child, this place being crowded in the 70’s and later playing at it’s music festivals. Fortunately the Moray Firth coastal path, going east, is still used and leads straight to the fort after a short climb. At the top is the 14th tee, Macduff Golf Course, slightly further on is the 13th hole.

The first of the ditches is immediately behind the hole on the coastal side. Two ditches can be seen, one easily one more filled in. This small fort was probably wooden with tremendous all round views. A natural harbour can be seen on the eastern side whilst sheer cliff face is to the west. Therefore only one way in, one way out.

Watch out for falling golf balls at the unlucky 13th.

Visited 10/08/09.

This is a large boulder just on the edge of Billy’s Dyke.
It has a number of possible cups plus natural cups and a large basin. I have have added it because it is mentioned in the book ‘Rock Art and Ritual’ by Smith and Walker.
There seems to be a little confusion with the name of this boulder, Smith and Walker state that it is known locally as the Cheddar Stone, the Magic Map has it marked as the Cheshire Stone.
Whatever the name it’s a cracking spot to sit down, have a brew and take in the views.

Easily walkable from the village of Laax (albeit uphill), the stone alignments here are also known as the ‘Parc La Mutta’. Having heard that there are supposed to be astronomically aligned prehistoric rock carvings, I had to try and check this place out, as such things are like unicorn droppings*.

The claims of astronomical alignments are rather complex and defeated my paltry astro-awareness, so I’ll take their accuracy on good faith. The church that’s been plonked onto the crest of the hill presumably makes this also a ‘Christianised Site’.

I didn’t venture into the BA settlement in the trees, having spent too long wandering about in the stygian depths of the trees below, searching for some of the alleged astronomically aligned carvings. I wasn’t convinced, but was impressed by the strange vibes from the ridiculously deep fissures in the bedrock. Echos of the underworld.

The carvings are highly suspect in my opinion. The one definite carving is a portable on top of the foundations of the church wall. As such, it’s obviously not in situ, and looks like a medieval cross to me. Any claims regarding it’s alignment are thus to be taken with a sackful of salt, as it would be very easy to simply turn it around to create the alignment of your choice. The one nearby which is meant to be a crescent and arrow seemed more like natural features to me. The rock is too composite/brecia-like to make for a carvable surface, and there is so much natural texure, it was possible to invent possible motifs with ease. Having said that, the light was quite strong and vertical, so mebbe it needs the right lighting to make the carvings visible. Possibly.

The other carvings are just as suspect, with one seeming to be a discarded millstone roughout. As I didn’t get into the trees, I can’t vouch for the one that is supposed to have a face, but to be honest, I was so disappointed with the others, I wasn’t all that bothered to miss it.

There are a few bits of outcrop that had things that could well be cup marks on them, though these are mostly overlooked by those who promote the astronomical claims. They are recorded as ‘Schaelsteinen’ by some Swiss Archaeologists though, so I’m hopefully not just imagining cup marks.

Overall, the stones of Falera are interesting nough to merit a visit if you’re in the area, it’s in a spectacular location, but don’t believe the hype would be my reccomendation. Prehistoric? yes. Astronomically aligned? maybe. Astronomically aligned carvings? Meh. Nah. Not really.

* As it turned out, exactly like unicorn droppings, i.e. mythical.

What a lovely collection of round barrows, and a shame about the A4 spoiling the peace, and separating them. They are by The Ridgeway, which leads you up the hill to more tranquil surroundings, and the promise of a journey through history. The hairy old mounds, with a head of long grass, speak of the past, and I wonder about the scenes in the days when these monuments were being constructed. The Sanctuary is their neighbour, and leads the eye to nearby Avebury, and Silbury Hill, to which these sites are inexorably linked.

I approached this wonderfully remote stone circle from the south, parking at the road terminus near Watercombe, to the north east of the small village of Torr. From here it is possible to ascend Stalldown Barrow and take in the, quite frankly, superb stone row which runs north/south along the ridge first of all. There’s also a small cairn circle to be found here, too.

The ‘Kiss in the Ring’ is a good mile or so further on, above and to the north of the confluence of the River Erme and Bledge Brook, the latter having formed a deep gulley which needs to be crossed. The intervening ground between Stalldown Barrow and the circle features an additional cairn well worth seeking out, shown on the 1:25 OS map.

The atmosphere at the circle is incredible, the sense of place absolute, the feeling of peace and calm total. Why, even if you was to meet someone else here chances are they would be a fellow stonehead, since no tourist is ever likely to venture up here in a million years! My guess is that this might be the most remote stone circle in England, even more so that upon White Moor?

As if this wasn’t enough, Dartmoor’s longest stone row continues northwards from the circle to – according to the map – eventually peter out upon the slopes of Green Hill. I carried on a little further, taking a look at a rather substantial cairn, before returning back to the circle to simply enjoy being within this marvellously evocative landscape.

Note Mr Hamhead’s warning, however. This is a rough, tiring walking in good weather. In mist the ‘ghostly hounds’ affect your sense of direction, so make sure you have a map/compass. Don’t take it lightly, please.

Go to the Rowan Tree car park near the Chapel Of Garioch and the Maiden Stone, look left when entering. Walk through the quarry following the fairly steep track. This will lead straight to the fort. On the way some seriously large rocks would have hopefully been used to help with the defences.

The fort is almost 40 meters wide and has a later built enclosure/roundhouse inside. A ditch and rampart surround the site with much robbed walls still visible. Entrance to the fort was from the south.

Nearby is small grave yard probably connected to the nearby Pittrodie House.

Mither Tap is obviously more famous but this is a fine site well worth a visit.

Visited 9/08/09.

Re-visited 1/6/2017

This well weathered stone sits on the roadside near to East Blairbowie farm. It stands at 1.2 meters in height and has great views of Bennachie.

Leave the A96 north of Inverurie at the Balquhain/Chapel of Garioch junction. Look down into the valley and Balquhain RSC can be seen. Leave this road at next minor road heading south, marked Dubstone. The stone sits beside the first passing place on the west side.

Visited 9/08/09.

The farmer at Broadsea Farm was kind enough to show me to all the four marked stones. Canmore, whose decriptions I’ve posted below, say that there are three. They also describe them as carved and possibly cup marked. I thought they looked more like Bulluan Stones. Two of the stones having markings on both sides which means some of the cups can’t be seen. None of these stones sit in their original position.

Travel south from the Chapel of Garioch taking the third minor road east. Broadsea is signposted at this junction and is the first farm on the road, 1/2 mile away.

Now for the negative note or bum note for my job. Historic Scotland, who do a lot of good work, haven’t been very helpful here. One of the old dykes at the farm has fallen and the framer asked for assistance and aid. Seems reasonable. The “historics” sent tonnes of forms and bumpf but no help. Typical!!

Visited 9/08/09.

This burial field was restored in the 1940s. There are 60 graves, of which 38 are stone circles of varying size (the 2 biggest in the pictures). The trident is unusually large, and is probably a cenotaph, a symbolic grave. The site is from early iron age, 500BCE to 500CE.

How to get there
Take the south road (road 132) to Aneby from road 32. When you reach Aneby, turn right, and immediately left, so you drive on a bridge over road 132.

After 7 kilometres, turn left towards Flisby. The site is on the right side after 1 kilometre.

The trident can be seen in GE (or Google maps).

According to an info sign at the place, the five stone circles were built in the later iron age (0-500CE).

The name of the site, ‘Smålands stenar’ (the stones of Småland) which by the way has given the nearby town it’s name (Smålandsstenar), was invented by the megalith-interested priest Daniel Nordin in the early 19th century. Before that, the name of the site was ‘Skäppekullen‘

How to get there
The town Smålandsstenar is about 72 kms along road 26 from Halmstad.

Driving northwards, almost when you have exited the town, there is a white sign with black letters ‘Gravfält’ pointing to the right. Turn right and drive about 500 metres, then turn right and drive 250 metres.

The circles can be seen in GE (or google maps).

The fort lies on the edge of a mountain at the border between the forest and the open plain. Close by, runs the river Järleån, which was an important means of travel.

The fort had natural protection on three sides, with steep, 20 metre deep slopes, and the fourth side was protected by a stone wall. The wall has fallen apart, and looks now more like a bank, but close to the entrance, the wall is better preserved.

Info board on site in Swedish, English and German.

How to get there:
Drive 20 kilometres northward on road 50 from the crossing of highway E20 and road 50.

On the right side you will find a truck parking spot. Park the car there, and immediately north of the parking spot there is a small gravel road to the right. Walk 200 metres and then turn right onto a small track. After about 200 metres you are at the spot.