Latest Fieldnotes

Two standing stones are marked to the south of Kilfinnane. However both seem to be gone. The first one seems to have been where a new house was built and the other one is no longer there. May have been that the other one was gone before the house was built but I dont know.

There are two standing stones marked on the west side of the town of Kilfinnane. Neither seem to here anymore. Unusually enough on the opposite side of the road to them there is a standing stone, however its not marked on the OS Map and so could be a scratching post.

This standing stone is just on the south side of the small town of Kilfinnane behind the soccer pitch and beside a large motte.
The motte is actually more interesting than the standing stone in that it has two semi-circular ditches around it. Dont know if that is common on Mottes or not.

These are marked behind the cush barrows.
It is accessed via some tough terrain plus the site would be on the other side of a high barbed wire fence. The hill is covered in heather now and unless the stones are 300mm tall I can say with certainty that they are no longer here.

This standing stone is near the village of Caherdaniel, follow the signs for Derrynane House (Home of Daniel O’Connel). The standing stone itself must 2.2m high and there are two pieces of Ogham on it.

This really has to be one of the most beautiful locations for a stone circle ive ever been too. Plus the best thing is that it is off the beaten track and so if your lucky you can have this place all to yourself. Its in such an amazing landscape that this circle must have been some kind of nature temple.
Something I did notice was that the sound of the waterfall doesnt seem to be coming from the east where the falls were but to the southern bank of the lake.

This great stone row is located just to the south of the town of Waterville and is easily spotted from the road. The stones themselves are very tall maybe 3m high.
It seems to be forming the edge of a circular enclosure which im presuming was added on at a later date.

This stone circle is very tricky to find as it is located up a number of back-streets in the busy town of Kenmare. Maybe its just me but I hate asking for directions, all it needs is a few sign-posts from the main square.
Saying that we met 4 sets of tourist while we were there so it looks like people are finding this lovely stone circle despite the lack of help from Irish tourism.

The quarry, quarrymen, quarry machinery – been there, done that, bought the t shirt. Well, I would have done so, but they don’t sell t shirts when you’re in the middle of a blizzard!

This is a delightful circle. Not easy to locate, but well worth the effort. From the trig point you can see two parts of the same wall, split by some undulation in the terrain. Focus on the part of the wall that you can see to the right, specifically on the leftmost part of that that you can see. Then head towards it – easy.

Just to the right of the circle is a substantial dip. It’s not clear whether this has been quarried or what function it might have performed.

The trouble with tractors is that they move! The blue tractor (roller) is still there, but there was no sign today of a beige one. Following the track north, take the left fork when it bifurcates, and follow it for about 20 yards into the landfill area. Leave the track and walk over to the left, in the direction of the farmhouse – you’ll find the stones quite easily.

It’s a small, but charming site. (I don’t agree at all that it’s a sorry site. Yes it is next to a landfill. Just look the other way – it’s lovely.)

I wonder whether the summit of Pendle Hill has some importance here – signalling sunset at the summer solstice perhaps??

Despite what the encroaching plantation may detract from the enjoyment of views leading towards the Sugar loaf and Killiney bay, Ballyedmonduff wedge tomb is an area of great tranquility and atmosphere despite its proximity to the fleshpots of Dublin City. The lack of visitors to the area is exemplified by the presence of a lawn of Cladonia cup lichen (whose red pigment was utilised as an antibacterial compound in times past), and a general lack of ‘visitor weariness’.
The entrance to the tomb has a central doorway, leading to a slightly sunken room. At the back of this room there is a wall where several slots have been carved out, suggesting some form of wooden inserts (?). Over this wall section, a smaller annex seems to be present. The internal walls seem to have been made with larger slabs of rock, whereas the outer shell is of cairn like material. One portion of the internal wall exhibits cup markings.
Its hard to say if the roof did have supporting lintels, was constructed ‘igloo’ (hollow cairn) style, or the insert holes mentioned previous indicate wooden roof supports (personal observations).
A truly exquisite spot, I miss it like a Christian misses his parish, even though its little more than an old boneyard to folk (sigh).

PS my ablutions where a few km away in the confines of the blue light pub (fine views, fine guinness and non-pretentious), and not nearby lest I destroyed the mineral balance that allow the lichen to thrive, thereby not contirbuting to the damage already done by man. (or woman).

For your GPS,
Lat 53°13’44.66"N
Long 6°13’35.39"W

Access from the north, passed Ty Mawr standing stone is still blocked but is ok from the south. What is happening here is very sad as if the duel carriage way and steel work wasn’t bad enough, the work site on the other side is a godawful mess, a much more busy road has been built and the tall menhir Ty Mawr has dissapeared from view completely and is almost unvisitable .

Visited this location on 9th March 2008. The ditch surrounding the barrow is infilled but the barrow itself is clearly distinguishable.

There is some damage to the monument as a result of the erection of a galvanised water tank on its western end. There are a further two or three derelict water tanks lying around on the barrow and in the hedges.

Condition reported to English Heritage National Monuments Record, who are sending one of the Field Monument Wardens to take a look.

I parked by the little chapel at the foot of the hill and from there we scrambled through the bushes and into the hillfort. It’s a big one,not high up or impressive earthworks but it does cover a large area. Fantastic views south of the Menai straight and mountains east over Puffin island to Llandudno west across the beach and island and north is across the sea. I think I even found Arthurs table with seats but I couldn’t find the entrance.

It’s a long walk from everywhere this one, I came from by the Cae Coch farm and menhir to the south-west. Looking at the map the fort is on the left of the footpath, but the fort and its small hill is so assimilated into it’s surroundings that I walked past it and on to the highest point around, from there I could see it quite clearly. You might be better coming from the other side after parking by the old church and spring.
It isn’t a large fort but it is in a great place overlooking the entire river valley below(presuming they utilised the two other higher hilltops nearby). The ditch is mainly on the western side and is at least 7ft from top to bottom. Inside that bank and ditch is the remains of the stone built wall just the scraps of which are left, amongst the wall rubble are some large boulders were they here already or moved into place to stregnthen the wall.
Which brings us to the strangely out of place long boulder, it must have been placed there i’m sure, it’s right in the middle of the fort and carries an air of usefullness.(if thats possible)

In the fierce wind and stingy rain it was a bit arduous getting here , I walked within yards of it and only found it after giving up and heading back. I’m almost certain this is the cairn but some doubt exists in my mind, It is in exactly the right place with a settlement just to the north west, coflein give it’s dimensions as 8m across and 0.6m high which it was, but they also say its a level platform which it isn’t nor is the discription of the cist a match either. But there was nothing else in the vicinity and I checked all gatherings of stones which is when I found the settlement. If anyone else has been or knows any better let us know.

Troldkirken (Church of trolls // Troll`s church) is a truly magnificent long dolmen (Danish: Langdysse) in North Jutland. It is one of Jutland`s most famous megalithic monuments.
The tomb was built on a hilltop ca. 15 km west Ålborg 1km NE of Sønderholm. From the site you have a splendid view over Limfjorden and parts of Himmerland.
The barrow is approximately 50m long and 7m wide. Despite some erosion barrow’s height is still appr. 1m. Orientation is NE-SW. The barrow is surrounded by 47 kerbstones (according to literature....I did not count them). Some of them are still in situ, others were moved out of place when the earthwork eroded in the course of the time. The one at the northeastern end of the barrow is the largest at a visible height of appr. 2,5m.
The chamber is situated some meters northeast of barrow`s centre. It is a large hexagonal dolmen chamber with short passage (Typ IV) covered by an enormous capstone.

Access is easy, it is only a short walk uphill. The site itself is a landmark and cannot be missed. It is marked on most maps and signposted.

Reference:
Ebbesen, Klaus, Danske dysser – Danish Dolmens, Attika, København 2007, p.199, Pl. 177B

Gundestrupgård – Søndre Jættestue

Passage Grave in North Jutland (Nordjylland)

The ground plan of this tomb is extremly rare in Denmark. I am not sure if there really is a another one of this type.

A 4m long passage leads into a polygonal chamber, covered by a large capstone. Between two chamber uprights is a small gap, that connects the main chamber with a polygonal sidechamber. The sidechamber has approximately half the size of the main-chamber and is also covered by a single capstone.

The tomb is situated in a damaged barrow. Clear height of both chambers is reduced a bit as they are filled with earth to a certain extent. Therefore access of the sidechamber was not possible.

There are a large (bronze age) barrow and a magnificent, but overgrown and damaged double passage grave with two side-chambers (Gundestrup Northern passage grave) nearby [Date of visit: April 1990]

Sogn Beskrivelse No. Skræm (Skraem) SB-27
Skræm sogn, Øster Han herred, Hjørring amt

Reached by a road running northwest from the beacon and then taking a path across a field on the left. Keep to hedge to far end and go over stile...the fort is infront of you.

A large ditch and banks seperates field from a flat area that then drops away into the valley. This is an unusual site and thought to be Iron Age in date. It is in a great setting and would be easy to protect from all sides.

Superb views out to sea.

What a stonker!
Easily found if you have an OS map and only about half a mile from Veryan village if you walk. Who knows what uses this barrow has had over the years..I would guess the concrete slab on the top was a lookout post as the views are superb...even on a windy day in March.
Rabbits are busy colonising the barrow and I had a good look around to see if any of the Golden Ship had been dug out by them...

The nearby Ringarounds are worth a visit if you have time...if just for the strange design of the ‘fort’ and the view.

A marked rock with 18 cup marks and a group of eight hut circles 500 metres away discovered yesterday , all previously unrecorded , in the lee of Schiehallion (hill in background).

This is indeed a beautiful spot. A nice little beaker/bronze age mound overlooking a stunning bay, with all of Snowdonia as a backdrop. As other people have mentioned, there is not much to see of the barrow itself; just a few large stones, but it’s a great place to be – either lounging on the soft turf on a summer’s day, or huddled behind the nearby stone seat when the big winter southwesterly gales are piling up the surf.

If you check out the eroded slopes just below the barrow you can pick up little bits of mesolithic flint. They’re mostly just waste flakes, but it’s a tangible connection to the people who were here 7,000 years ago.

The best thing to do is to park up at Porth Cwyfan (the church in the sea), and walk for a couple of miles along the coast path. This is a great little walk. The church itself is quite special, and rightly popular with artists. Further along the coast you can see the wreck of the ‘Bothilde Russ’ at low tide, lost in a gale in 1903. There are usually a few seals watching you from the sea, and if you’re lucky there may be ravens or pairs of choughs showing off their aerobatic skills.

Overall, a great place to be. Make the effort and go there – whatever the season, you won’t be disappointed.

I agree with Stubob and Hamish. These ‘standing stones’ are about the size of a housebrick. Interesting perhaps, but not at all spectacular. Took me ages to find them too.

The alignment of the chamber at Barclodiad-y-Gawres has been puzzling me lately. The Irish passage graves – of which this is surely one – were sometimes aligned on the sun. Newgrange is the classic example, aligned on the midwinter sunrise.

The orientation of the passage at Barclodiad-y-Gawres is just about due north, as measured with a compass, which means that it cannot be aligned on any movement of the sun.

It is, however, aligned on a pair of low hills in the distance – Mynydd y Garn and Mynydd Mechell. The standing stones of Llanfechell lie at the foot of the latter.

The horizon on this part of Anglesey is remarkably flat and level, so these hills do stand out on a clear day. The obvious feature of the horizon is the great lump of Holyhead Mountain, but the passage points instead to the two smaller hills. I’ve attached a photograph of these from the passage.

Was this a deliberate alignment? Were these sacred hills? I don’t know. Go there on a clear day, sit in the clear air of Anglesey, soak up the view and see what you think.

About a hundred metres east from the stone circle Coflein simply states;
A cairn, 21m in diameter and 2.5m high, impinged on by an OS triangulation pillar and a sheepfold
But neglects to mention the stupendous 360 degree wonderview.