Latest Fieldnotes

I parked to the southwest of the circle, in the carpark by the meeting of two rivers, the Sychnant and Afon sawddle, on the Beacons way footpath.
The way up to the stone circle is long and hard, and the ring isn’t easy to spot, but it is in a spectacular setting. Just follow the Sychnant east gently climbing the hill and when the river branches of to the left follow that uphill, when it has ceased being even a stream and gone underground break of at 90 degrees and go straight up hill. This should take directly to the stone circle.
Though if you do find it you may wonder why you bothered, most of the stones are just a bald pate amongst the grass, one stone was loose so I picked it up to get an idea of how hard it is to build a stone circle (a piece of cake as it happens)
and under the stone was its original stone hole so I re-erected it, Yaaay. Only two or three are of any size, two to three feet tall, and I would guess three men could haul it up from the rocky valley below.
But all of that is just by the way, its the scenery
that takes ones breath away specifically the Bannau sir Gaer ridge, Fan Foel and Fan Brcheiniog, it is truly gorgeous, and red kites everywhere.....ace !
Below the ridge of Bannau sir Gaer is llyn y fan fach, the lake from which a faerie lady emerged and had family with a local farmer whose offspring are the physicians, said to be the Pant Meddygon stone row a few miles north at the usk reservoir.
themodernantiquarian.com/site/9087/pant_meddygon.html

This is a single round barrow on the false brow of the most obvious hillock in the area, overlooking a good expanse of heathland to the south and west. It also overlooks a busy and notoriously dangerous crossroads so don’t expect it to be a sylvan idyll. There is no obvious ditch but that is understandable as a small brick hut was built on top at one point! You can still see the foundations and some bricks scattered about. Hampshire Treasures piqued my interest with the quaint words:

Disturbed by insertion of building.

Fascinating group of four very small and very well-preserved bowl barrows. I wonder if they might be pagan Saxon; I shall have to delve into the records and get back to y’all on that. One of them (the southernmost) has had a big chunk of ditch and the outside edge of the mound dug away fairly recently. Why? Where has the spoil gone?

A group of 8 barrows, spread over an area about 500 x 200 metres. Some of them are on private land but up against the fence and easily visible. One has been heaped up with more earth to make an old rifle butt. The one I visited up close had been dug into in several places by large tunnels – badgers maybe. The soil is quite wet here and that perhaps accounts for the very shallow ditches which have filled up over the millenia.

There are two large barrows togther here on the south side of the road. In passing, they may look like another clump of gorse but they are worth a look because they are quite unusual. Hants Treasures calls them bell barrows but using Grinsell’s taxonomy I would say they are bowl barrows with an outer bank. In Dorset Barrows he has this to say:

Only a very few barrows of this type are known in the whole of Wessex

The bank is shared at the point between the two barrows, making a raised pathway pressed down either by human or equine visitors.

Unfortunately the well-preserved ditches have also been a convenient place for some cretin to dump two lots of concrete fence posts. Boo!

An unusual line of three or four barrows, depending on how you count them. Hampshire treasures suggests there is a bell barrow, then a twin bowl, then another bell, though only two parts, the twin bowl and what I would think is a larger bowl, seem obvious on the ground. The twin has two excavation dimples on top and is more of a oval than an hourglass shape. No, I don’t think it’s a long barrow; it’s aligned north-south, it has 360 degrees of ditches and there are no other neolithic sites in the area. There is a lot of gorse growing on the barrows but they are in good shape, over 2 metres high, and have well-preserved ditches of almost 1 metre depth. None of the barrows seems to have a berm at all. It’s easy to access this site from the track parallel to the road.

Located off the B5105 between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion.After passing south through Clawdd newydd look for a carpark to your right, if it has an information board your there, pay attention to the board it has directions for both stone and circle . Watch out for wild Przewalskis horses( I kid you not)

It’s only been a few hours since we gave up on this place, but after a successful stone hunt at Maentwrog and another look at the info board I reckoned I knew just where it was.
I did too, The long walk down the path eventually bends to the right, fifty yards on look amongst the trees to your left a small clearing contains this shy but pretty little stone circle.
About nine or ten stones remain, best noted at the northern side, but they are mostly missing on the southern arc. It’s not a circle but a long oval
aligned north east – south west maybe. Two large stones may mark an eastern entrance one pointy topped the other flat topped.
I’m no expert though, but both Eric and me liked this little stone circle, we renamed it after ourselves... Hope you dont mind

I parked on the A496 near the churches archway entrance, a short walk takes you down and out of the village to this lovely little church, with big old Yew trees and at its south west corner is the standing stone.
About five feet tall the stone is just centimeters away from the the church wall, its as smooth a stone as ive seen. Sitting down next to it for a while it looms above me like a giants doodah, rubbing my hands across it’s surface I can feel a
hot spot on its top whilst the lower portion is quite cool. Strange
Inside the church i looked for the stained glass window with the saint laying his hand on the stone, it was the first window clockwising round the church, and perhaps not coincidentally the nearest window to the stone. Further round the church the womens fellowship have made a tapestry of the church and the stones right there, even further round are victorian plans of the church without the stone.
Its nice to see such a pretty stone still standing and that not all Christians are bigoted zealots.
(oops sorry)

Located off the B5105 between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion.After passing south through Clawdd newydd look for a carpark to your right, if it has an information board your there, pay attention to the board it has directions for both stone and circle . Watch out for wild Przewalskis horses( I kid you not)

Initially it was really difficult to find this one, I 
was going mainly on the goole earth image , which is slightly off, instead of looking on the north side of the path (where I thought the stone circle should be) I was looking on the south side and it just wasn’t there. This is where the youngest trees are, the ground is uneven to say the least my whole leg dissappeared into a wet invisible ditch at one point. I decided that blundering around the thick vegatation was no good even climbing up a tree was no use wet and severely scratched I gave up, the stone was lost to us....for now.
Back at the path I strode north through the not so thick undergrowth looking for the stone circle and eventually found the clearing that was so visible from the google earth images. In that clearing was a large rock, did the circle go round it? I probed the grassy tussocks with my trusty shears, but found only one stone, a bit dissappointed I took a photo and sat for a while with my chatty young stone hunting buddy.
The stone, I found out later was indeed the Maen Llwyd I had been looking for, its almost horizontal only its bulky nature stopped it falling completly, It may have stood 6ft tall when upright and i half fancy it had a cupmark on it but thinking it was just a rock I didnt pay much attention, I doubt the stone would have been visible from the stone circle just a couple of hudred yards away.
On returning to the carpark i saw the info board and realised my mistake it felt good knowing i’d found the stone but not good knowing i’d not found the circle,another time maybe.

Fedderat cairn is one of a number of remains in the Schivas area. Wild stones scatter the area which has its fair share of hut circles. What remains there are can be seen in a pile of stones covered with grass and whins, with hints of a well robbed circle. Possibly, as suggested by Coles, there might have been a Fedderat stone. Unfortunately that might have vanished but the location more than makes up. The whole area is worth a look! Plus a cup marked stone, I’ll try to find it next time!

Leave the B9005 at Tangland, cross the River Ythan, and follow the river for a mile, stopping at the old quarry just before Ythanbank.

Visited 7/4/09.

From the B993 from Torphins heading north take the first tarred road leading in a westerly direction. At the end of this road the standing stone of Learney will be in front. From the Milltown of Learney travel north for 1/2 mile turning east at the West Learney Lodge, parking at the steadings where the tar road stops. Keep going past the Claypots Cottage until into the trees. The track here is a bit of a shambles. At the first large boulder, on the other side of a wee valley, head south west and the site can be seen in a clearing.

The remains of the site are at least 14m wide and 1.5m tall. The interior still exists with some upright slabs giving an indicator of the chamber. Underneath the turf some rocks of the kerb can be tripped over whilst a couple on the south east arc can be seen to avoid this fate.

Tremendous site!

Visited December 08.

Re-visited 10/2/2017.

The village of Methlick is situated on the split crossroads of the B9005 and the B9170 at the bridge crossing the River Ythan. Head north towards New Deer and turn east at the Auchencrieve signpost. Head for the farm, then turn south towards the river. Walk for approx 1/2 mile and turn east. There is a path beside some barns.

This is a maze of hut circles, furrows, rigs and the standing stone of Bellmuir which stands at 8 feet tall. Facing south, with a choke behind it, it looks like a flanker. Stones have been removed, but still this is a place of incredible history! At least 12 hut circles in the area!

Visited 7/4/09.

Long barrows in Sussex are few and far between but I thought it worth mentioning them as they form part of the abundant collection of earthworks within the Kingley Vale Nature Reserve north of Chichester. The other notable relics being the enormous round barrows on top of Bow Hill and Goose Hill Camp Iron Age Hill Fort. You can find them quite easily by following the trail next to the dyke that runs alongside the round barrows north-east for about half a mile. You’ll come to an opening in the woods to your left and the first long barrow sits in a field beneath you. The other lies in an adjacent field and the pair of them are bisected by a footpath leading down to the village of Stoughton itself.

Cortie Brae is the remains of circle that stands on top of a man made mound that is about 4-5 feet in height. Two stones remain 1 up and 1 down. A crumbling dyke surrounds and supports it.

The site at Cortie Brae farm sits near the A90 and A952 junction. From the farm it is short walk, 200 meters, to the mound. If taking a car be extra careful as this is one of the North East danger spots, it is a dreadful junction.

Visited 8/4/09

I find it a little surprising that nobody has written any fieldnotes for Kingley Vale before. These are probably the largest barrows in the whole of Sussex, the highest being about four metres high, bigger even than the probably more famous ‘Devil’s Jumps’ directly due north from here. Not the easiest place to get to and few signs to aid your navigation it’s well worth a visit whether you’re into lumps and bumps, walking or just being plain spaced-out. The views are also something else as you look south towards the cities of Chichester, with it’s landmark cathedral spire, and Portsmouth further west. You can also quite clearly see the Isle of Wight in the distance. To the north are superb views of the spine of the South Downs. There’s an absolute wealth of material to look at here within an area of about two square miles including the various ditches and banks around the four main barrows, two very moderate long barrows on Stoughton Down, an un-named rectangular enclosure slightly further north-east and about a mile further from there is the almost hidden and slightly inaccessible small Iron age hill fort of Goose Hill Camp. Nearest parking if you’re coming from the south is near the village of West Stoke.

While taking a spin in the Glen of Aherlow I found a sign to Rock an Tarbh, being curious to what it was I took a walk over and found this odd looking rock feature that looks a little like a bull.
Im not sure if this has any folklore attached to it or how new the name is but it would be interesting to find out whether it has an ancient pedigree.

Kilfinnane Motte is thought to originally date from the early medieval period where it was a seat of the Kings of Munster. To me where it is located suggests it may have a much earlier date and may have been reused a number of times.
The bronze age complex of Cush is only 3 kms away.
The mound itself is 10m high and situated within the town of Kilfinnane. The three ditches around it are an unusual feature.

I recall trying to find this fort a few years ago on a previous visit to the Kingley Vale Nature reserve but it had been difficult to make out due to the excessive undergrowth. This time around it proved much easier as there has been a lot of clearance throughout the reserve recently and after stumbling over a few dead vikings we found it once again. It’s an interesting site as the outer and inner banks and ditches are unusually far apart and the whole thing is filled with a profusion of ancient yews. The day we were here was splendidly sunny and warm and peaceful but having been here at other times when the weather was less clement the whole reserve has a rather sullen and slightly oppressive feel to it which I think is largely due to the dense yews. The fort sits on a hillside, not quite at the top, looking east over the downlands and is roughly oval in shape. Interestingly there’s another earthwork about half a mile from here as you walk back to the huge barrows on Bow Hill, but it’s not named and is distinctly rectangular in shape. Can’t seem to find any information about this.

This is a rather sorry looking standing stone that is marked on the OS Map. However Ive seen many others that arent marked that look more convincing than this one. It is about 500mm high and only a few metres from a ringfort.

Ramsbury corner situated near Cold Ash in Berkshire is believed to have been a small univallate hill fort. The site has been greatly ploughed down but the boundaries of the site could be followed when I walked it particularly the northern edge that follows the road and to the west and south of the site. There was also a bank and ditch on the other side of the road to the north which I believe could be original. A shame that the site has been so cultivated and continues to be.

Bussock Camp, is an Iron Age bivallate Hillfort situated near Snelsmore common near Newbury. It has a double bank and ditch on the south and east, with only a single bank remaining on the north and west. There is a lane running through the middle of the camp providing access to the private property on the eastern side of the woods. The Entrance to the north of the site is believed to be the original.

I found this possible standing stone when I went back to photograph the stone at Skahard.
This stone is even more impressive and if genunine is a real corker.
Its over 2.5m and from one side looks like a thin slender standing stone and from the other more of a behemoth.
It is situated on a hill near the school of Bohermore just on the outskirts of Limerick City.
Both standing stones in the area are intervisible from a ring-fort as can be viewed in one of the pics.

For some reason this stone is named as a “stone circle”
The 25” 1840s map shows this as a Legaun with no mention of a circle.

I noticed this possible standing stone while trying to find a short-cut into Limerick during the snow back in March.
Not 100% that it is a standing stone but it is a big hunk of rock that is standing. Not too much of this kind of thing in what is prime farm land.
It is about 1.75m high and is behind an old and newly built house.
There are electrical lines running over it and I wonder is the damage to it something to do with that because it seems pretty recent.

Just outside the town of Pallasgreen on the left hand side travelling towards Limerick is this possible standing stone. It is not marked on the local OS map.
The fact that their is a blackthorn bush growing on it would suggest some fairy folklore to the local populace.
It is situated on the low slopes of Cnoc Greine.

Skelmuir Hill isn’t the easiest place to find as this part of the North East is a maze of roads. The best and most direct route is as follows. Leave the A952 going west after Ardallie Primary School, keep going for at least two miles until a sharp corner turning back east. Stop here! At the gateway a stone at least 7 feet long can be half buried in the ground. Keep going across the field, over the wall and fence for 1/4 mile until the stone can be seen. It is a gray granite stone standing/sloping facing south on the north side of the hill 6 1/2 feet tall. No views south great views north, east and west.

Visited June 08.