Latest Fieldnotes

Ackling Dyke:
Although not in itself “megalithic” , being of definite roman origin , this place is surrounded with ancient sites. Everywhere you look there are barrows , including the very impressive Oakley down barrow cemetery which has examples of just about every type of barrow known. It’s siting by the romans appears, at least to me to be a deliberate show of military strength , passing through a major cemetery and close to the great Dorset cursus as it does.

With no plans to stop on my 4-hour trek home, it was with a screech of brakes and a floorwell full of front-seat junk that I decided with 25 yards to go to stop and have a look, as I’ve passed it too many times without paying my respects.

Strangely the tree-planting noted by Stubob only covers the road-side of the barrow, and there seems to have been no additions since his photos from last December, though the unplanted side does seem to have spouting trees of some sort, maybe from coppicing.

Hemmed in by drystone walling, but protected by it, so a double-edged sword, unfortunately not repaired after digging so bearing the scar on the south-east side, which always gets my back up. But this is compensated by the lovely views of the Dales, a far softer and less forbidding landscape than further north. A definite stop-for-a-ciggie place for the future on my A515 slog.

Pay at the interpretation centre at (South) Liddel/Liddle – vital talk there included in the price. On the way to the main objective the BA house at the burnt mound is a must see. As you come closer to the tomb (RCAHMS NMRS record no. ND48SE 1 at ND47048849) there is a low bank of earth and exposed stones in a field by the track that may be the reduced remains of a cairn or barrow. It is about a couple of metres across and at least several metres long (though you can see the end), starting by the field boundary and at right angles to the fence. From this direction the Tomb of The Eagles (the White-tailed Sea Eagle, or erne, called aigle) is only another scruffy mound.

Coming closer you see several smallish stones projecting from this side, the full glory appearing as you move around, with a resemblance to Wideford Hill Cairn. Best viewed from just ouside the fencing – look from the coastal (i.e. east) side and south is to your left and north at the right. A little of the area about the entrance has been eroded, from just to the left of the passage to way over to the right, so that we are missing the actual entrance (there is no evidence for it being a connecting passage anyway. From the the north side of the central cairn a 1.5m wide wall, standing to 0.3m, runs NNE from the outer wall-face for at least 12m that is known about (? ‘death road’). This feature is later than the cairn but pre-dates the overlying rubble mound. On this side there is strong evidence of a hornwork curving to the NE, on the opposite side an apparently balancing earthwork is canny use of a purely natural formation.

In one place there is a short length of higher standing wall parallel to the NNE running wall behind its western face – part of said hornwork? Climbing on top of this side of the mound there is exposed a long dark stone (or possibly two) that looks to be an E/W course of wall, and looks to be shown on the plan in Davidson and Henshall. Others can describe the interior better than I. The south end side chamber has a display of skulls behind a screen. There is a light switch for this, but you have to keep it pressed in order to even attempt a photo. Davidson & Henshall mentions that quite aways from the cairn a ‘storm beach’, again to the NE, covers some kind of stone structures.

Made it up the hill to this fort on Friday evening, so not enough time to make the climb to the top as it was getting dark, but with some fantastic views from halfway and from the quarry side, it was well worth it.

Third attempt, and with stronger legs, I finally found this site, and what a superb place to put whatever it is. Stunning views of Eccles Pike, Whaley Bridge and further on to hilltops and lows unknown [at least by me] especially at 9am on a wonderful clear spring morning.

It measures 36 by 34 feet across, so rather small, with a pronounced bank on the western downhill side. Several larger stones, with many smaller and buried stones found by probing, all around the perimeter, with a single central stone. Highly unlikely to be the result of field clearance, as there are several other stones in the field and a deep narrow gully only 50 yards away downhill. Easily visible from a long distance [so how did I miss it before? Too bloody lazy to walk another 50 yards...steep path though], but alone in the landscape.

I was under the impression it was a hengiform thing, but there’s no evidence of a ditch, it’s far too small, but it would be pretty perfect as a stone and earth barrow that has been robbed out. Suggestions of it being a stone circle are probably based on the stones visible around the edge and the central stone, like a small version of Arbor Low, complete with flat stones. As well as the stones around the field, there is a very large one under the tree in the field over the path to the south. The field has never been ploughed [or the farmer had an unlimited supply of blades to break] so the ridge around the edge survives well enough to give an impression of how wide it originally was.

A skull currently at Tunstall Farm was alledgedly from this site.

Worth the climb.

The first photo is looking south and then the second photo is where the tomb turns almost to a 45 degree angle.
This can be seen from Fourwinds postcard in the misc section.

About 360m high this hillfort is cut into thirds by two walls with two stiles, the grass is kept short by the sheep of which there seems to be loads of round here. I parked by Fonleif Hir C standing stone and walked the track past three more standing stones and at the two cairn circles go straight up hill .
I know this might sound a bit samey but from up here there are absolutely staggering views.

We parked up the lane from the property with the chambers, at an empty house that was being renovated, then a short walk down the lane and up the drive of Tan-y-Muriau house we knocked (no choice really) but no one was in, we did see the donkey and the dog that had harrassed poor old sam last month but they were locked up.
Iv’e got to say if it wasn’t for sams photos I wouldn’t have known what a small wonder this place is so hats off.
The big dolmen is a good one and one can just about sit comfortably inside but the other chamber has slipped and collapsed, so glad I came without the bracken.

This eight foot tall monolith is easily visible from the small lane there’s even a gate right next to it , but the field was full of sheep and their lambs so I was very reticent to enter willy nilly, and with a nearby house and its barking dog I settled for a zoom in picture.
But for once the kids came up trumps and scared all the sheep to the other end of the field and the dog quietened down so I walked quickly to the stone touched it took a decent photo and skipped back to the car.
Tra la la la laaa.....

I really should have asked for permission as a house is only 100m away but I didn’t, instead I parked on the road side and climbed the small tree covered slope and jumped the fence.
This tall slender stone is about two metres tall and has a good view and coflein says it has been shaped towards the bottom

For anyone trying to ‘reconstruct’ this monument, a recent visit with Stukeley and Ashbee’s words in my head cleared it up.

Stand to the east, looking back over the stones and along the access path. The closest stones [the mouth of the chamber] were all pushed over to the north, ie, to the right. The capstones lay tangled between the uprights on either side. The rear of what Stukely described as a semi-circular chamber was pushed in and to the right, and with his plan in my hand it made sense at last. Just don’t expect to see two lines of parallel stones!

Unfortunately, although still graffiti-free, some digging had been done to the north, around a 2’ hole, mostly, from what I could see, the remains of the roots from the tree that stood in that spot, wedged between three stones. Thankfully there was enough spoil left so filling it in wasn’t too difficult, though it did look hand-dug....two fresh smaller sarsen chunks down there tho, was tempted, just for a second, to have a poke around, but managed to reign in my curiosity, and reported it to Maidstone Museum instead.

Tumpless. I definately found the spot this barrow used to be, with grid refs and OS map, but it’s there no more. Pity it’s a great spot. A few (large) old stones hapahazardly scattered against the wall are all that the farmer has left to mark the end of 5 millenia. hey ho

To reach it take the road that runs through South Ronaldsay to Burwick pier, following the signs for the Tomb of The Eagles just before the latter. This is a private site but is included in the price for the tomb. They give a very good talk at the interpretation centre and their information on the various parts of the house make things clear when you arrive at the site. This is quite close to the farmhouse (a very short half kilometre) and is as well displayed as the Barnhouse settlement, though of course much smaller. The final length of track approaches from the north downhill with the site on the left. As you come down look to the field boundary beyond, and to the right where a fieldfence starts uphill is an unexcavated partner mound. I could see Liddle II, ND38SE 5, as a line of dry blonde grass when I went, although it seemed easier to see the slight rise itself as I came back from the tomb. Two orthostats were removed from here and supposed to be gravestones, which makes me think on Mussaquoy. At the north end, past the trough, is the “flag-lined gully leading to a floored [and presently flooded to boot] hollow”. Looking back uphill, the successive laters of stone in the ‘“face’ of the mound at your right are plain as day. Looking clockwise there are four wooden stakes exposed in the ground. Nothing to do with the archaeology, they are much much too close together for a fence and make me think of a fish-trap or simple weir – but why here ?

To reach this site go along the main Kirkwall-Stomness road until you reach the Harray junction, turn up towards Dounby and the follow the directions for Corrigall Farm Museum on the east side of the road. The farmroad is very long and windy. At the museum you can see the mound just a little behind the the farmyard itself, to the right of a broad steep track going up the ways. Unfortunately the persistent rain tipping down prevented my approach to any nearer than the fieldgate beween the museum and the farmhouse (and my brother that drove me is not even into mounds, never mind a brochaholic, so wouldn’t stay), but if you have transport it is well worth a visit if ruinous mounds are your thing. Best ask at Corrigall Farm Museum or the farmhouse for permission I think.

Commondale Stone Circle...Easer bank holliday Monday 090407...Found it... with O/S map, one look at the compas and a good knowledge of the area... Oh yes, and a three year old son, stroppy twelve year old daughter who loved it when she got there and a very cold, bewildered but understanding wife (she was ok supping whine in Tomms afterwards)...Watch this space for our wonderfull family account of the search for the Commondale Stone Circle........and we found it.

Boringdon Camp is situated around 4 km south of Dartmoor and is accessed from a car park on the edge of Cann Woods. This can be reached by driving north from Colebrook on the road which goes to Shaugh.
The camp was in use from around 350-150 BC which according to the information board was the B section of the Iron Age. It is 145 metres above sea level and would have had a comanding view over Plymouth Sound when in use , unfortunatly this is now obscured by the pine forest. It still has views north towards Dartmoor.

On the OS Map there is a cairn marked between the summits of Greenane and Greenane West. I made the difficult climb up to 800m and 5km from the road using the path that is shown on the OS map that stops short of the summit.
When I got up there I couldnt find anything that resembled a cairn the only thing up there is “O’Loughlins Castle” which I’ve added a photo of. I’ve been meaning to check out the old OS notes for South Tipp in the Local Studies area of Thurles library.
I’ll see if this cairn has been destroyed or what it referred to.

We gained access by climbing from the shore below, only possible at low tide. The approach via the gully on the northern side is somewhat easier but not as exciting. It is maybe possible to climb down from the cliffs above but we didn’t check this out. There is enough remaining of a substantial broch to make the visit worthwhile and is a beautiful place just to sit and consider the original builders (and the in-coming tide). It’s not the best work I’ve seen but pretty neat nonetheless. There are no door checks or guard cells but there is some remaining intra-mural staircase. So it’s a broch all right and quite rare for this part of Scotland.

After yet another visit to this intriguing site it seems clearer than ever that the entrance to the henge is aligned with a notch on the hill which is due east. This appears to be the point where the midwinter sun rises.

Whether I will ever be brave/foolhardy enough to trek over boggy fields to spend a few hours on this wind swept land in the middle of winter to check this out for myself remains to be seen!

First time back at the Upper WHS for a good few years, there’s some new-fangled train thing running past it now, quite a contrast between the old and the new.
Now it’s a mess. A distressed, neglected, over-visited mess. The smell of rotting flesh [two recently-deposited chunks of unidentifiable raw meat, complete with plastic bag, covered in flies], the remains of several fires, cans and general shit everywhere. Stones moved here and there, some even having had fresh holes dug for them and stuck in, wobbly and half-done...

No matter how I look at it, it still doesn’t look like part of a chamber. There is no mound as such, just what is left that hasn’t been cut away to make pathways on either side. The downhill slope could feasibly have washed away over the years as happened at Warren Farm 200m to the north, but it is steeper than I have seen at any other LB, especially with alternative flat land accessible all around. But it didn’t stand up on its own...

I am trusting the info board at this site for info on this stone. The stone can be found in the car park of Poldark Mine near Wendron , north of Helston.
I know no more about it .....see image for more info.

Thi is another of those sites in Cornwall that I have past many times but never bothered to explore.....and another that after you make the effort you ask yourself why you have never done it before.
Castle-an-Dinas is LARGE!
Easy to reach just off the A30...which will shortly be closer to it when the new road opens...there is a handy carpark so that even those who do not want to walk far can access the site.
The whole place is full of history, not just the Iron Age fortress but also the 20th century wolfram mine buildings that flank the car park.
But it is the prehistory that will entice those who read this...
Fingerposts now guide you around the castle to preserve banks that have been badly eroded over the years by those who head straight for the top. Follow the posts, its worth it, you get to see far more of the site...in fact I would reccommend walking around in circles until you have done them all....
Once in the centre of the fort you will notice at least two mounds, all that remain of earlier tumuli, and a pond and eveidence of excavation, from a later period. I am sure the views on a good day are fantastic, it was a little hazy when I was there....good excuse to return!
Was this THE Iron Age castle of Cornwall?, I think it’s the biggest...and being central between both coasts I think it must be. The hill fort at St Dennis is just across Goss Moor where evidence of Bronze Age tin streaming has been found. Beyond St Dennis the China Clay waste tips have obliterated any other prehistory many years ago but to the north the Nine maidens and Pawton Quoit are not far away....
But I waffle....make a detour when heading west..climb to the top and take in Cornwall...its worth it.

“A Standing Stone At Eynsford
This 1978 report says that a sarsen stone was recently recognised in a direct line between the ancient ford and the church. It is 29” high and set in concrete outside Bridge House, It’s shape suggests a possible fertility significance. The writer says ‘Ponder its enigmatic presence’”
Arch Cantiana Vol 9 p260-262

“A sarsen stone at Eynsford was “re-erected” in the 1970s. Located between the ford and the church, the stone had been lying “embedded in the ground” but was re-erected to “what was probably its original position”. However, there appears to be little evidence that it ever stood upright in the first place.”
ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/search/fr.cfm?rcn=NMR_NATINV-410176

The claim of a stone being on a line between a ford which is up to 30’ wide, and a church, less than 200m away, is utterly ridiculous. However, I spoke to an old chap years ago who reckons it used to stand until they built the wall, which disturbed it, and it ended up half-buried in the path until someone decided to put it back up again years later.

This can be found in a church alongside the road to Burwick pier where the short sea ferry crossings take place in the tourist season). It is now in a back room at the church, and the key can be had from the lady who runs the local P.O. As this is on the 1:25,000 but unsignposted it is probably best to enquire at the Tomb of the Eagles in order to avoid disappointment outside of its limited post office hours.

This grouping of barrows bridges the gap between Bronkham hill and Gould’s hill. Access is very easy as it’s on the south west coast path .The barrows themselves vary in size and condition , depending on how much they’ve been ploughed. Most of the barrows straddle the crown of the hill , however there is a very interesting set of three to the north , which are very close together and appear to share a common ditch. At the western end of this group are two very large bowl barrows , two pairs of bell barrows and several ploughed variants. The middle section contains an excavated large bowl barrow known as Ridgeway no.7 in which a bronze knife and a gold pommel were found. Unfortunately I think this barrow now has a hideous telecom aerial planted in the middle of it. Next to the barrow with the mast on it is a very large earthwork which is a modern covered reservoir.