Latest Fieldnotes

23rd April 2003

I visited Dissignac with my sister back at the beginning of March but heavy rain made any fieldwork or even general hanging quite impossible. Today there is only wispy cloud in the sky and I can write these notes lying on the grass in front of the tumulus.
Dissignac is one of those marvelously restored tumuli that looks like nothing less than a huge megalithic flying saucer, its stepped facings of drystone walling reflecting successive retaining walls within.
Two passages are sunk into the mound so when one sees a photo it is almost as if one is supposed to cross ones eyes to get a 3-D effect! These ‘stereo dolmens’ are numerous in southeast france but not so common up here. So Dissignac is worth a visit if only to witness its mutant two holed attack.
A small visitor centre (closed while I was here) suggests this place can get quite busy, even so, two days after Easter, with the kids off school, I am given Dissignac to myself.

01 May 2003

In the beautifully manicured ‘Parc de Roi de Menhirs’ (Park of the King of Menhirs) and outside the townhall of Arville stands the massive Menhir du Champ de César. At eight metres seventy it is the tallest menhir in the Vendée and comes at you in a classic Champ Dolent/Manio kind of way. It was once one of an alignment of three but the other two were sadly removed. A local hotel still bears the name ‘Auberge des Trois Pilliers’.
These massive menhirs are still such a mystery, although as part of an alignment it could at least have some astronomical significance.
Although it is difficult to tell in this built up area it is likely that the menhir stands on slightly higher ground and was maybe once intervisible with other sites in the area…

Between Hobro and Mariager on route 555 at Katbjerg, you find one of the most imposing Danish long barrows.

Moth couldn’t find any printed information about the monuments at Katbjerg at all which is almost criminal, because the long barrow is the finest long barrow we had ever seen. Yes, seriously!

This monument was untrashed and probably not much restored. It was long – perhaps 25 metres and rectangular with a continuous line of big kerbstones. And tall, too some up to 3ms high! The mound billowed upwards along the entire length of the monument, completely undenuded. Down one side are two low passageways, each leading to a large intact chamberof grand proportions, one of them has uprights of more than 2m high!

No fancy horned forecourts here though; instead just really whopping stones at each end. Oooh! Oooh! OOOOH! This place blew our minds.

It was partly excavated in 1960. The finds, fine pottery from the middle Neolithic period and flintstone knives, are in the National Museum.

At the north east tip of Fyn is a little promentary on which can be found Marhøj (TME page 158), a particularly thrilling giant barrow. In a landscape shared by other fat, high, humpy høj, Marhøj is Queen.

Wading through the dark earth of the field littered with flints, we reached the monument and found the entrance to the passageway leading in is half way up the mound, rather than at ground level. Stooping very low (if you’re tall this is almost a hands-and-knees-job) I squeezed down the 5 metre passage flanked with big flat stones to reach the main chamber which runs perpendicular to it.

The main passage was darker than dark. I got out the torch but it was unable to penetrate the blackness at all. I found a bit of candle and lit it. Then I found a tealight and lit that. And another and another and another until the whole chamber, 10ms long was illuminated by 26 tealights. It looked very hygge.

I sat down on the damp earth to inspect the chamber, smoke a cig and have a cuppa. It was vast: seven massive capstones formed the roof, all glistening in with wet in the candlelight making it as cosy as a fairy grotto. Moth scampered around with the tripod taking pictures and collecting more than 25 used tealights. It was cold in there – my breath was condensing – but it was out of the rain and the icy wind. It was fab.

Visited 2 April 2006
We don’t have any photos of this, as the only thing we found was a mess and unphotographable under the shadows of the trees. But I’m not sure it was the dyssekammer anyway!

Access: A couple of hundred yards across flat fields, could be boggy in wet weather.

Fenced off but accessible through a typical Danish self-closing gate. These are a normal gate leaning far enough from perpendicular that the gate will ‘fall’ closed when released. (With a ‘stop’ to prevent it falling wide open!) I guess they could be a bit awkward for people with mobility restrictions.

To find the monument, take the 11 north from Varde, taking the turn for Mejls. You will be able to see a few barrow mounds – and you may have seen a few from the 11. They’re pretty common here & by & large, far larger than the ‘standard’ ones we’re used to in the UK.

Don’t go to Mejls itself, but take the first left. Almost immediately, you will pass 2 barrows on your right. Pass a farm on the left and at the far end of the next field, you will find a small parking area/layby on the left, by a building (a bungalow I think).

I’m pretty sure there was a signpost, but basically the monument you’re looking for is immediately beyond the field on your left. You’ll be able to see it & it’s more complete partner from the road. Just walk (roughly west) along the field boundary.

Visited 1 April 2006
It was a misty dank afternoon, but we didn’t care as this was our first Danish monument! We’d driven straight here from the ferry port at Esbjerg, having planned a circuitous route across Jutland to Fyn (or Funen) where we were staying.

James Dyer calls this monument (though there are actually 2) a ‘barrow’. What we found was one complete(ish) barrow mound & a denuded, dug out version* with stones exposed. I’d’ve called it a passage grave, but what do I know?!

(*Or trashed – depending on your perspective!)

Kind of nice combination, actually – a complete barrow (or hoj!) and an exploded version to show how it ‘works’. Nice chamber stones, made up of a slightly tumbled passage & a couple of fairly substantial capstones over a small low chamber.

Not completely thrilling, but well worth a look if you’re in the area or passing en route somewhere! A good start to our danish trip.

Access: A hundred yards or so from the nearest road (north), up a fairly gentle hill, but the ground is quite rough.

We approached from the 11, heading north from its junction with the 15 between Ringkøbing on the coast & Herning.

Just after Brejning, we turned left (west) towards Ølustrup itself. The monument and a small parking place are on the right (north) of the road only about 1km before you reach the village. We missed it in that direction but found it easily by getting to the village and coming back the other way.

Visited 1 April 2006
James Dyer describes this complex as ‘three long dolmens and a long barrow’ in his 1972 book Discovering Archaeology in Denmark. To be honest, it seemed a bit of a mess.

I’ve posted a photo of a plan on a board by the road – make sure you have a good look at it before visiting the monuments! If you have a digital camera with you, take a photo of the plan/sign on your way to the monument – or print it from here! We found it very difficult to work out what was what once actually among the monuments.

Without the plan, you risk getting lots of lumps & bumps, some of which look kind of like barrows. Of course, the real giveaways are those that have had chunks dug away to expose some nice chamber stones!

Featured in The Megalithic European (TME) page 164.

Access: Pretty good. You can park on the small road right next to the monument(s). Through gate to smoothly grassed site.

Finding it can be a nightmare though!!! We found the small roads to the north of Bække to be a bit of a labyrinth, but we didn’t approach from the best direction, having missed a turning.

Instead, I’d advise carefully following Julian’s instructions in TME – leave the 469 between Grinsted & Kolding, 0.7km west of the 417 junction, to head south on Hamborggårdvej. (This was the one we missed. so be really alert!)

On Hamborggårdvej, you will also pass the huge Hamborggårdsten oath stone.

About 1km from the 469, turn right onto Tværvej. Then next left onto Klæbekvej. Klæbek Høje is a couple of hundred metres down on your left. (Or should be!!!)

Visited 1 April 2006
Here are 2 impressively domed round barrows from the bronze age, with added Viking skibssætning – a megalithic longship – between the barrows.

The ‘boat’ even features larger stones at the tips, presumably as prow & stern. One of these stones (the stern, I believe) features Viking runic carving, unusually including abbreviations.

According to James Dyer in his 1972 book Discovering Archaeology in Denmark, it was carved in the 9th century & says “Revne and Tobbe made these signs in memory of Vibrog, their mother”.

A disturbed and empty grave was found in the middle of the ship & there are curious tracklike depressions in the ground that run along the axis of the ‘ship’. The depressions are apparently the remains of a military road or trackway.

Dyer says the road was prehistoric. Seeing them, I wasn’t really convinced what they were, but I guess there’s some evidence I don’t know about!

So, anyway, hoorah! Our first ‘proper‘ Danish monument – just like in TME – not like anything in Britain. Of course the main difference is the Viking skibssætning, but the barrows are also considerably better preserved than most we see here – having been spared the attentions of the plough.....

Featured in The Megalithic European (TME) page 164.

Access: Right on the road. See my fieldnote on Klæbek Høje.

Visited 1 April 2006
A monster! In TME, Julian calls the stone ‘legendary’ and says it was used by Vikings for swearing oaths. However, as it appears as an add-on under Klæbek Høje, he doesn’t say any more. There is an info board, but of course, it’s in Danish....

I’d wondered if the stone was an erratic (not that that would’ve meant it wasn’t significant) but the pictures on the info board do include a drawing of people moving the stone into place. Whether the text asserts that it was deliberately placed I don’t know, as I can’t read (or speak) Danish!

The board does also show what seems to be an excavation, so perhaps there was evidence found at that time that it had been placed. Interestingly though, the stone seems to be far below (modern) ground-level – whereas now, it seems to be simply sitting on the ground....

Edit: Charlotte Thomsen saw my note and kindly provided this translation:

Hamborggårdstenen was moved by the ice during the latest ice age from Finland to its present location in Jutland, Denmark about 15,000 years ago.

The stone is approximately one billion years old (1,000,000,000), weighs about 50 tons and is made of granite. Originally the stone was embedded in the ground 20 meters further west but in January 1990 it was moved to its present location.

The stone is connected to old folklore and this is what the picture relates to: King Harold Bluetooth (10th Century) was moving the stone to his mother’s grave in Jelling but when he heard that his son Sweyn Forkbeard was rebelling against him, he left the stone.

Thank you Charlotte!!!

Featured in The Megalithic European (TME) page 156-7.

Access: Well signposted once you get fairly near. Parking area. Walk is a couple of hundred yards or so from the nearest road (north west), gently uphill along a dirt path through a small wood. Fairly uneven & may be muddy in the wet.

To reach the monument, get to Søndersø, which is on the 311 between Odense & Bogense. Travelling NW on the 311 from Søndersø, take Sanvad – a right turn (NE) towards Stensby, Skamby, Ulleup & Otterup. After around 1km, take a left towards Stensby, Skamby & Glavendrup. As Julian says in TME, I believe it’s signposted from here.

On reaching Stensby, take a left then a quick right towards Glavendrup. Very soon there is a left (Stenager) which passes just to the NW of Glavendrup village. At a crossroads just outside Glavendrup, go straight across, staying on Stenager. The woods containing the monument are a few hundred metres on the left.

Visited 2 April 2006
As you walk through the pleasantly airy woods to the restored skibssætning you will see many modern runestones, some dedicated to archaeologists involved in the restoration.

This is slightly ironic, as in 1800 a gravel pit meant many of the stones of the skibssætning were moved and lost. It was restored (badly) between 1892 and 1894, but the job was done properly in 1958. At that time they also found traces of Viking cremation burials.

The large runestone at the ‘prow’ was found separately, and in his 1972 book Discovering Archaeology in Denmark James Dyer seems to imply that this may not have been its original position. A shame, but hey, it looks great!!!

Here’s a translation of the runes from both sides of the stone, adapted from a couple of sources:

“Ragnhildr placed this stone in memory of Alle, the housecarls’ chieftain, high priest of the sanctuary. Alle’s sons made this monument in memory of their father, and his wife in memory of her husband. And Sóti carved these runes in memory of his lord. Thor bless these runes. A warlock be he who damages this stone or drags it (to stand) in memory of another.”

Ragnarock ‘n’ roll!!! An impressive monument and a very cool place!!!

There are (at least) 11 monuments around Lindeskov. We found 7 of them, including Langdysse 1 – the longest in Denmark, at 180m and a group of 4 in a clearing in a small wood.

Download a nice pdf leaflet in Danish but with a very handy map visitodense.com/dk/Naturfoldere/Lykkesholm_dk.pdf I advise rightclicking & choosing ‘Save as’, as trying to save it once I’d opened it online crashed my PC....

Wish we’d had the map when we visited! Good luck in finding the ‘missing pieces’!!

Spanskhøj stands tall and proud at the other side of the field from Snibhøj.

Don’t be misled by what Julian calls Spanskhøj on page 159 of TME. What he calls Spanskhøj is in fact Snibhøj.

After spending quite some time investigating Snibhøj, we drove round to see if we could get into Spanskhøj. We couldn’t. It was quite tousled with vegetation and had no clear path to it. It certainly had two passages but there was no way we could get in. Shame.

What Julian calls Spanskhøj on page 159 of TME is in fact this lovely chambered mound: Snibhøj.

After reaching Hannerup we saw the sign to drive into a farm courtyard. Before we had even turned the engine off, a kind woman had scurried out with a huge torch for us to view inside the mound.

We dropped our 6kr kroner each in the honesty box, took an informative homemade leaflet and set off through the thick smell of pig poo to the field with the mounds. Spanskhøj, Snibhøj and one other flattened double-entranced mound stand in the same field, and the leaflet makes it clear which is which.

Snibhøj is very special. I’d never seen a monument like it! Two passageways, two FABULOUS chambers which you can get into and investigate, one of which housed a tiny, sleepy bat.

Immediately next to Snibhøj a flattened version of it. We couldn’t find its name.

Spanskhøj stands tall and proud at the other side of the field from Snibhøj.

Access: See fieldnotes for Lindeskov Langdysse 1. This ‘subcomplex’ is reached by a lane that enters the woods a couple of hundred metres to the west of the monuments.

This is not the same lane as Lindeskov Langdysse 1 is on, but if heading west on the 323, it is the next (small) lane heading north.

Once at the woods, reach the clearing by a worn path leading east along the edge of the woods. The path is a little overgrown and not all that even. Could be slippery when wet.

Visited 2 April 2006
Wow!!! What a wonderful surprise! My research hadn’t led us to these monuments, but we saw them on an information board at Lindeskov Langdysse 1.

Neither Julian in The Megalithic European, nor James Dyer in Discovering Archaeology in Denmark even mentions their existence! (but then Julian only mentions Langdysse 6 and Dyer only Langdysse 1 & 6.)

In a clearing in the woods there are 2 langdysser, a burial chamber (dyssekammer) and a round barrow (runddysse). They’re a little ‘worn around the edges’, but still totally essential viewing.

Visited 2 April 2006
Tucked away round some trees behind Langdysse 2 is this nice little round barrow.

It’s so bijou that by Danish standards it hardly seems more than a cist in a small mound, but it has a nice kerb & of course the mound may well have once been considerably taller.

A lovely thing & among the stuff we saw in Denmark, quite unusual. I’d reckon it was well worth visiting in itself, but combined with the nearby monuments....

Visited 2 April 2006
A beauty! Very nice langdysse, though looks a little dug out in places.

The exposed chamber stones seem a little odd. It’s a small setting, almost like passage stones, but pointing in the ‘wrong’ direction – as you’d usually expect them to go to the side of the monument (see Langdysse 3).

Possibly a cist?

Unfortunately I’ve been unable to find any detailed info on these monuments, and none in in English....

Visited 2 April 2006
Probably the jewel in this site’s crown.

Large, and denuded (presumably, or perhaps excavated) enough to allow the chambers to be nicely exposed.

The southern chamber has some stones ‘attached’ that look a bit like the remains of a passage. The northern chamber is a lovely big slabby thing with a raw-looking boulder capstone.

Combined with some big beefy kerbstones, this was a Moth favourite. Oh for some information – in English!

Access: For directions to Lindeskov, see Lindeskov Langdysse 1. For directions to the dolmen itself, see Dysser i Lindeskov Hestehave. If you can get permission to walk up to the site from the nearby farm, it looks like an easy walk of 100m or so across pasture.

Visited 2 April 2006
We could see this from Lindeskov Langdysse 1. Couldn’t investigate it closely, as it’s not officially open to the public. And we couldn’t ‘sneak’ over to it, as there were people working in the nearby farm but time constraints meant we didn’t have time to go and ask permission.

Looks like a beauty, and from the west a ‘rise’ in the field suggested the vestiges of an enormous covering mound.

Access: Very good. You can park right next to the monument. Actually, too close – in fact, if you have a 4WD (hawk, spit!) you could probably park on top of it! (Don’t!)

To reach the monument, take the 8 to Orbæk. Head west(ish) out of the village on the 323. After leaving the village, travel around 1km or less & take what I think is the first turning on the right (north). This turning is just after a large farm at the beginning of a gentle right kink in the 323, and very soon after a turning to Lindeskov village.

Within moments, the langdysse will appear from behind a building and some trees on your right.

Visited 2 April 2006
The longest (or langest) langdysse in Denmark & it failed to make Julian’s cut for The Megalithic European. I can kind of see why – assuming he visited it.

It’s mind-bogglingly long, but I found it somehow slightly underwhelming and ‘soulless’. The drab weather didn’t help, but ultimately, the facts that it was so huge & has a largely complete set of large kerbstones didn’t stop it looking too much like a stretch of disused railway embankment!!!

Perhaps it suffers from chambers not being visible, despite several apparent attempts at excavation.

A tiny chamber is exposed at the north end, without its capstone. But if it wasn’t for James Dyer in Discovering Archaeology in Denmark, I would have probably thought this was the remains of an inserted cist.

It’s a shame that it’s difficult to get a view from the east to properly appreciate its full length (due to ploughed/cultivated field), as from the west, part of it is obscured by the trees mentioned above. It’s also marred by a rubbish bin, an info board & the parking space.

All that said, it’s pretty damn impressive & absolutely a must-see.

Featured in The Megalithic European (TME) as an inset on page 157.

Access: Very good. Right next to the 323 with a layby right next to it. For directions to Lindeskov, see Lindeskov Langdysse 1, but continue west along the 323. Very soon, the monument will appear on your right, immediately next to the road.

Visited 2 April 2006
Wow! A massively impressive skeleton, this must have been a monster when ‘clothed’ in its mound.

For some, the site may be marred by the proximity of the road. But for me, the ‘flipside’ that the closeness to the road makes it easy for all to reach negates this, & adds that feeling that this is a survivor that won’t be done away with easily! And how!

Lindeskov 6 boasts no fewer than 4 good-sized chambers (actually, 2 are huge) plus another diddy one at the west.

The number of undeniably large stones used here make this one of those sites that still fills me with wonderment at the effort put into building these things – no matter how used to looking at them I get!

Wonderful.

Access: Good. The two main monuments are right next to the road, one each side.

From Frydendal Øst, continue north west along the road (which becomes langedyssevej), passing Frydendal Øst. However, when the road forks, you need the right turn onto Nørreskovej. There is a large white house (called Havrekobbelhus!) at this junction, you need to pass it on your left.

A few hundred metres on, you will see a layby-type space on your right, and the monuments are just around the next bend.

Visited 3 April 2006
Nice! Three langdysser – I’d describe one as ‘beautifully broken’, one as not badly preserved & the other pretty totally trashed & unimpressive.

The one on the south of the road is splendid, featuring the remains of a beautiful kerb and the remains of a couple of chambers. Probably as a result of the remaining kerb, it has retained its classic langdysse shape very well, albeit I would assume, considerably lower than it would originally have been.

The other reasonably well-preserved one (nearest to the road on the north) – let’s call it the ‘middle’one – only has a few kerb-type stones. But it’s noteable for a lovely ruined chamber with a large capstone & the remains of a passage to the east.

The final, most northerly barrow is basically a large low mound ‘behind’ the dysse on the north edge of the road. It has a few large stones on it, but I have to admit I don’t remember the remains of a four sided chamber that James Dyer mentions in Discovering Archaeology in Denmark.

A beautiful & peaceful place for a picnic on a nice day – there’s even a picnic table provided.

Approximate long/lat coordinates only, but shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Featured in The Megalithic European (TME) page 155.

Access: In woodland, you can get close enough by car to see the monuments through the trees. The ground around the monuments is typical woodland mud, which may be slippery when wet.

Blommeskobbel is on the island of Als, so travel towards Sønderborg on the 8. We went a slightly different way to Julian in TME, but it looked simpler on the map.

Shortly after a roundabout at Bro, we took a right towards Kettingskov. As we reached Kettingskov, at a crossroads with a slightly more major road – Østkystvejen – we turned left and then took the next right, which is unconfusingly called Blommskobbel!

This is where we rejoined Julian’s route. Less than 50m along ‘Blommeskobbel’, fork left towards the woods. The road goes into the woods, and once into the woods, when it forks again you need to take the left fork.

The monuments are visible on your right after you have been in the woods for less than 1km.

Visited 2 April 2006
Another must-see & a cool place (in more ways than one when we went!) We spent quite a while here, despite the rain & cold. Which is saying something considering Jane’s aversion to cold....

Two langdysser, a denuded but recogniseable runddysse & a diddy dolmen (probably also from a runddysse)! And those langdysser are beauties – big & beefy!!! (Not nearly as long as Landeskov langdysse 1, but somehow more impressive to me....)

The ruined runddysse and the other remaining dolmen squeezed against a tree also add hugely to the site and the whole complex merits a good deal of examination.

Interesting to try to photograph because of the trees – at least they weren’t in leaf! The trees also do an amazingly good (or rather, bad) job of hiding the fact that you are so close to the sea – a view of which would add yet another dimension to the site!

I believe the woods contain a good few other monuments, but that these are at least mostly, or possibly completely, trashed.

We did find nearby the wrecked and difficult to find (& access!) overgrown remains of another barrow – probably another langdysse. Hardly worth seeing, and I’m afraid I can’t remember reliably exactly how to find it. I think it was a little way back up the access road (100m maybe, on the ‘field’ side).

As you drive north out of St Just, directly opposite a crazymadbonkers Christian grotto (which I had fun leaping around on rather disrespectfully) we spotted these three very tall, slender standing stones on the same side of the road as the cemetery.

Fairly approximate long/lat coordinates only, as I couldn’t spot the monument among the trees on the arial photomap. They shouldn’t be far out though.

Access: A 200m walk through the woods on paths north from Havrekobbel. I just followed what looked like the ‘main’ paths & they took me straight to the monument. You could approach up from the Troldhøj road which is the next turning north, to the west of Havrekobbel, but it’s quite steep and I’m not sure how easy it would be to spot the site on the hillside amongst the trees.

For road directions, see Frydendal Kro and continue north & west past Frydendal Øst to Havrekobbel.

Visited 3 April 2006
A pretty spot overlooking a small valley with a road at the bottom.

Can’t help thinking that without the forestry, the view might well be

beautiful – in retrospect I wonder if the sea might once have visible. I suspect not, as the valley bears to the east.

The ‘Old Troll’s Hill’ is a pretty well-preserved runddysse (round barrow). Excavations found a 17cm flint dagger at the bottom of the mound and a bronze-age urn in the chamber.

It has a relatively undamaged mound which is made more dramatic by being built on a the highest point of a steepish valley. To complete the picture, it has a nice exposed chunky chamber, complete with capstone. A little beauty!

Approximate long/lat coordinates only, but shouldn’t be too hard to find – famous last words!

Access: In woodland, a short walk through the trees on fairly level & fairly even ground. May be boggy and/or slippery in wet weather. Just about visible from road – you can certainly see the road from the monuments, at least when the trees aren’t covered in leaves!

On the island of Als, so travel towards Sønderborg on the 8. Continue on the 8 until you are nearly at Fynshav, looking out for a turning left to Helleved (& probably Elstrup) – the road may be called Katry. Take this and prepare to take the next right, ‘Helved’ (not sure if there is a sign that tells you its name).

The road bears left and enters a forest. At the first crossroads (very approximately 1km along this road) turn right and pretty much immediately, the monuments are in the trees on your right.

Visited 2 April 2006
Here there is a dolmen in the almost flattened remains of its runddysse mound, and a very ‘shallow’ (flattened, I assume) langdysse with an open cist-like chamber.

Pretty underwhelming, but worth a look if you’re travelling to the more impressive sites in the area.

Apparently, on the other side of the road, there are 3 large burial mounds. We didn’t investigate, as the trees on that side seemed much more dense....