Latest Fieldnotes

The Ordnance Survey have just replied. They are also confused by the symbol on the map and agree that it is in the wrong place. At the next revision they will put an appropriate symbol at SK 2833 7728. Quite what that symbol will be is anyone’s guess – I have counted 8 different symbols for stone circles on the OL24 sheet alone.

A fair walk to the place especially if you have just “done” the White Caterthun, but well worth it in my opinion; if only for the view of the flat top of it’s sexier White sister. There is a lot more to see in the winter with less heather and of course only the grouse for company.

There’s no two ways about it, it’s a long hard slog to get up here but if you stop two or three times and have a look about your hardship is well rewarded.Two sets of banks and ditches are well preserved on the hilltop ,a good south facing entrance that seems to enter the fort at an angle .(not seen one of them before)On a clear day you can see really far Cadair Idris ,Snowdon and Tryfan To the West and the seemingly endless plains to the east and the other Clwydian mountains north and south .The summit cairn I think is modern but it sits on a more intergrated bump that may be an ancient work of some sort.
Plenty of carparking space by the way

I thought this would be a short foray into new teritory but alas I’d already been past here once in my old 4wd (and you really do need one the road is really rough)god knows how I missed this big barrow. A ten minute walk from the road, down hill over stream up hill over fence and your there , but there is an unwelcoming feel to the place, probably the sign on the gate. Good views everywhere except to the west

Earthwork remains of an Iron Age hillfort containing levelled rock-cut hut platforms, according to ADS, but they’re hard to spot amongst the heather. It’s quite a small fort, sited on top of a rocky outcrop. There’s not a lot to see, but it’s obvious that the site would be easily defended.
You can see Castlerigg Stone Circle from the top, if you know where to look, and have binoculars.
It was a cold day of sub-zero temperatures, when me and my mate, Pie Eater, visited. The ice, under the light covering of powder snow, made for an interesting ascent. The Forestry Commission have spoilt the area somewhat, but the short detour to the top of nearby Raven Crag will reward the intrepid antiquarian with spectacular views of Thirlmere.

The ‘Cook’s Stone’ stands near the road East of Rhosgoch on a mound. Coflein says it’s almost certainly natural, and describes it as a 3.0m x 2.0m stone resting on rocky outcrop. It’s thought to have given the parish it’s name.

In Northumberland’s Prehistoric Rock Carvings (Pendulum, 1983), Beckensall says ‘The site is very unusual at the side of a stream, and does not command the usual extensive views’, this is closely tied in with his Zen-like statement in Prehistoric Rock Art in Northumberland (Tempus, 2001), when he adds as a caption on the photograph on p.119, “This flat boulder is either in it’s natural position, or has been brought there”. I’d agree that it seems to be in an incongruous setting, but noticed that when approached from the east, you can see above the treeline and there’s a superb view over to Cheviot, framed by the two nearest hills. This argues to it being in situ.

However, when you’re at the boulder itself, there’s a profusion of field clearance stones, all of which are either small cobbles, or medium sized bits about the right size for a Northumbrian kerb cairn. So there’s the possibility that the marked stone came from a now defunct cairn. The area drips with funerary remains.

Adding to the ambiguity is the fact that the stones seems to lie smack bang on a prehistoric trackway, complete with standing stones, cists etc., which supports either viewpoint. I just couldn’t make my mind up completely.

I agree that this is pretty difficult to find. We would have had no chance at all if we hadn’t asked at the ‘Tea and Books’ store in Dervaig. A cheap local guide is available giving accurate directions to the site and others. The path here is extremely boggy, and watch out for ticks, as we all came back with quite a few. However it is worth visiting and makes a good compliment to the other two Dervaig sites.

Round Hill Mound

Marked on the explorer 170 map as ‘mound’. The site is to be found on a track leaving the east of Wantage. The site is much worn down and appears to have been used as BMX track for some time!

(added 14/02/2007). Musings on what it is: If marked as mound and not tumuli, then I suspect (and only that!) that it may be a moot point similar to scutchamer, except on a smaller scale, and NOT a burial site. Please bear in mind that I’ve been wrong before (I said Didcot FC would win the championship one day..... :-)

Some marked rocks found a couple of years ago on the hill opposite Clach a Mhoid

A couple of newly discovered marked rocks , missed by the royal commission survey of 2000 .The hills in the background are part of the Ben lawers range .

A small square cairn standing on the opposite end (SE) of Harland Edge to Hob Hurst’s House square barrow and to the south of the similarly shaped Rod Knoll.
Situated on a local high spot the isolated cairn, 3x3m, stands on stoney ground in an area where there are remains of medieval lead boles, and so can be tricky to find.

The first time I came here I was armed only with an OS map and in the fog I got hopelessly lost .
Second time with map compass and GPS I found it just fine .
This time map and memory sufficed .I parked where fourwinds did, and always have, I took my bike this time .
It’s not easy to find, the hills and mountains are a bit samey and the paths aren’t marked ,I pushed my bike most of the way, and when the path got boggy I tried a new way of my own, big mistake, at one time I was wading knee deep struggling with my bike , always stick to the path no matter what and keep your head up so you can see the path or you’ll wander and believe me you don’t want that.In the end I was on a small hill and saw the cairn in the distance, sucsess. (of a sort)
Last time I was here it was a bit foggy but this time it was beautiful wonderful views all around .The stones seemed to glisten in the sunlight I sat down and enjoyed this place whilst I dried off , I can’t beleive how badly this place has been treated, the army used it as target practice, Ignorant b******s.
Its a lonely place up here in bad weather it could be a bit scary , I wondered whether to rename it’s builders from the Ancients to the Crazies .
It was time to go and I heeded my own advice and stuck to the path it took no time at all to get back I even managed to spot Llyn Eiddaw-Bach on the way . I may come back here many times ,though maybe in the summer heat next time (though snow would be cool)

Directions. From the A487 head south on single track lane if youv’e no desire to walk far look for Ynys-ddu small farm and turn right, pass the farm, down the lane and a small group of houses and another farm are reached ask at one of the dwellings for parking, and go through gate into field pass through hedge and the chamber is on the high ground to the right.
Looking at Julian Copes directions I put off coming here for a while but I brought my bike and parked the car on the B4411 which made it a lot easier and more fun.
This place is really cool, I got here before sunrise and moonset and witnessed something I felt was not often seen the full moon setting in the Llyns mountains and behind me the sun rising . the capstone would be better discribed less as a piano more as an arrow or spear head, supported on four upright stones one has a chock stone presumably for increased stability (dubious though i prefer the show off factor) and another stone only barely touches the capstone .
A fantatsic place where hardly anyone goes sunset would be awesome

Only a mile or two from Ystumcegid and only a 10-15 minute walk from the car .Off the A487park at Beudy Cil-haul not at the farm itself but next to a barn where the footpath heads south-east.
Follow the path then bend right(ssw) then a short walk uphill and there it is.
About five and a half feet tall circular in section near the floor but more angular as we go up and terminates in a point. Nice stone with great mountain views

Coming out of Caher on the road to Clonmel this standing stone is on the first imposing hill on the right hand side. There seems to be a lighting conduction on the hill as well. Part on the right-hand side of the road and access is easy enough thru two fields.
The stone itself is about 2.5m high and I wonder does the look of it and the fact it has a lightning conductor beside it are connected, perhaps it used get hit by lightning regulary!
The views from the top of this hill and panoramic and stunning. On a clear day you can see all the cairns that top the hills around these parts.

I looked on the OS map on this one and thought its positioning close to the road looked funny. This is actually ON the road in a little traffice island.
It is on the road south of Cahir take the road signposted for the Swiss Cottage but ignore the right hand turn for it. The stone is at the junction of the next left-hand turn.

Again there is no sign of this standing stone. Seems to be a regular occurance in the Golden Vale.

This tomb no longer appears to be with us.
With the construction of the M8 the site of this is difficult to get to.
I’ve been up here twice and Im fairly satisfied that it is no longer here. It is in a pine plantation and there is a little mound roughly in the area where I think it may have been.
As they say better men than me are welcome to try!

Well I was wrong about this site, I attended a talk about prehistoric sites in the Suir Valley and this appeared on it with a picture and everything. So this made me even more determined to find it.
It is very tough to find even with the ten digit OS grid ref.
It is in a kind of forest area with loads of different types of trees etc and no paths to it.
There does seem to be various paths through the forest but they dont go to this so it makes it even more confusing.
I believe it is listed as a possible Portal Tomb, Im not sure why that is so. although in fairness its state of repair at the moment is poor. There seems to be only a capstone and one small upright remaining. There is also some quartz stone in the vicinity.
Apologies about the pictures, I will get a few better ones another day, if I can find it again!

I had wanted to come for quite a while ever since I saw Kammers pictures who by the way had provided absolutely spot on directions, looking at the map it’s not really clear just where and how to get there just follow the directions.
I really wanted to add a picture of the megalithic bridge it’s very pretty but presumably not ancient.
The stones are barely ten minutes from the car and well worth the little walk.Conundrum ,that just about sums Llys Bradwen up but after the glut of single standing stones in the vecinity this little mystery was most welcome, more people should come here,but not whilst I’m here.
P.S approach down the road from the north, in Arthog the lane is well tiny and very steep.

150 metres north-east of the of the main cairn at Poulawack are the remains of another small burial cairn. Rising to a little over a metre, it’s a robbed out ruin. Estimated diameter is about 10 metres. At the centre of the mound there are the remains of a burial chamber/cist, with some of the orthostats still in place on the east side. It’s hard to guess the dimensions of this due to the infill. On a drizzly, January day we wondered who it was that pulled this mound apart and what they were looking for.

There is now a turnstile-type gate and three information boards at Poulnabrone. The pathway from the road to the tomb looks and feels unfinished. How many of the million-a-year visitors that the Cliffs of Moher get stop off here? There were 2 tour buses here the day we arrived, late January, when most of the Burren facilities were closed down. We waited for them to leave and had the monument to ourselves.

This is one superbly located wedge tomb, amazing views in all directions around Dingle Bay, across to the Iveragh Peninsula and over the fields and beaches far below. From the pictures it looks like the tomb is still covered in most of its cairn, there is a fair amount of cairn still here but the ‘entrance’ is really a gap where a side stone has been removed and the true front has been blocked up with dry walling which also makes up most of what looks like the cairn. It makes a great shelter, probably has been used by shepherds and travellers for thousands of years.

It’s hard to be sure but it seems there are three massive capstones in place, the structure is complete from inside except for the missing sidestone. It once formed part of a field wall and there doesn’t seem to be any double walling present. Overall a fine but modified monument.

To get here follow signs for ‘Arkil’ (the quarry?) from the main road through Lispole, go past the quarry and masts, back down the hill a bit on the left is a track with a wide entrance with room to park a car or two. The map shows the track winds around and back up to the tomb from the south, a much better approach is to leave the track at the first sharp bend, over the gate to the right. From here, climb to the top of the hill to the south west, the tomb is on the summit.

Visited this site on 27/01/07. Unfortunately someone’s dumped a load of stone debris around the base