Latest Fieldnotes

This is on the road between Hospital and Knockainey. It is one of them really thin standing stones, about 1.2m high. I couldn’t get in to have a look at it with the bullocks.

This is just to the northwest of Rath Croaghan, it is described as a a fallen four-sided standing stone, 2.78m in length. Its name is linked to the name of Maeve and the folklore in the area.

It is easy to get to these stones. The farmers don’t generally mind as long as there isn’t a crop.If there are livestock then that is your problem.In my case I waved to the farmer and he waved back so all was ok.These are rather unremarkable stones,on one is an inscribed cross-also unremarkable-but the Society of Antiquaries state that this is one of the first examples of a symbol of the Christian faith to be placed on a stone of a pre-historic group.

I stopped by here on my way back from a flying visit to Cork, it looked quite close to the road on the map and near to a track. I hadn’t stopped before even though I pass every couple of weeks, the recent photos make it look like a bomb crater. I was feeling a little optimistic that things may have improved for this little circle but unfortunately the optimism didn’t pay off. This circle really has had it rough, and the damage seems to be ongoing, the interior of the circle is a trampled pond with jumbled stones sticking out all over the place. The outside isn’t any tidier but despite the damage and disfiguration it’s still possible to make out that this was a very nice circle with an unusual pair of portal stones. Or, maybe I was only able to see its former glory because I had seen photos of it in a more complete state on Anthony Weir’s site (as in link below)...

I didn’t enter the field that the circle was in as it had quite a few bullocks in it and a whopping great bull who made a sneaking advance and then a full scale charge, I had one of those horrible sinking feelings that the electric fence wouldn’t ‘work’ and for a moment I think the bull had the same thought judging by his fit of rage. I didn’t delay making my way back to the track only to find that the bullocks in the opposite field were not too keen on me and my tripod either and to my horror, their fence had already been trampled to the ground... If your planning on visiting here, be very cautious!

I parked outside of a house opposite the field where the stone is sited. A lady came along and asked if I was going to have a look at the stone.She lived here and is a member of a local archeological group. She asked me if I knew Nick Brand, she was hoping he would give the group a talk about his stone travels. I can’t add more because Nick has told it all.

Before I came here I had a look at the restored Dove Cote,there is quite a lot of restoration going on around here.A short waljk down the lane is a gate on the right and a path leads to the Earth House.The site is well looked after and there are quite a few little surprises for the searcher.

I approached this site from the A928.You can park in the are by the track gate.Walk down through the woods ‘till you come to a fork and take the left. Carry on for about 400mtrs and keep an eye to the right.The Stones are on some unused land wich is rather overgrown. There had been some gorse clearance and the farmer had helpfully piled the gorse on top of the smaller stone.As Nick said, these are not very impressive but the large one is LARGE.

Another sorry urbanised site. Destroyed in antiquity, the stones were used in a wall, and most have disappeared. The equally abused Brandsbutt Pictish stone was also broken up for walling material, before being Blue Petered back together and dumped here. Just to finish it off, they then built a housing estate around it.

Not a place to linger, I’m afraid.

Four years on, and at last I can reach the circle-and its well worth it. A truly massive recumbent, and everything about this circle seems big, although the suggested arc is quite tight. This could have been quite claustrophobic when complete.

Most recumbent stones are chocked into place, and this is no exception. However, I like the fact that this ones main chock stone was also shaped to fit snugly against the flanker. There is a smaller stone adjacent to the flanker, which I feel could well be the ‘backsight’, the smallest stone of the circle moved from its traditional place directly opposite the recumbent.

I know there’s lots to see in Aberdeenshire, but you won’t regret a visit here. Visit Sheldon while you’re at it.

Four years since my last visit, and the circle seems bigger than I remember. This is probably due to the fact that the grass and gorse have been well cut down, and this makes viewing the circle so much easier. I hadn’t even made out the outlier on my last visit, but now it stands clear, and the arc of the circle can be clearly seen, along with the sheer size of the tallest stone, some 8ft high.

This is a wonderful site, although a cutting north wind was blowing, there was all manner of rubble strewn around the interior: field clearance and possible cairn rubble certainly, along with the ubiquitous scattering of quartz.

Had a long chat with the Farmer & Bob the sheepdog, and he said that not many people visit anymore (the farmer, not Bob). This is a real shame, and those of you that have visited Aberdeenshire without seeing this circle have missed out on something special. Next year?

To the east of Llanddona, park on the lane that leads to the sea and follow the footpath heading towards the radio mast, not easily found, when the path arrives at a small wall follow it downhill and the stone is off to the left nestling at the foot of a small hillock.This pointy menhir is nearly 6ft tall

Visited late in the morning of the vernal equinox 06,do not under any circumstances park where i did ,well park wasn’t exactly what I did more exactly I got stuck in the mud and couldn’t extract it on my own,so I went to find the circle first then worry about the car.
Amongst a Conifer plantation the stone circle is next to a rough road where the trees have been cleared ,it would have been a good ring once the stones are quite large but all prostrate,from the circle I could see forestry workers across the shallow valley so I rode my bike a mile or two around the road and asked if they could pull my car out ,they elected the youngest member of their group to help me, I threw my bike in the back of his pick-up and retuned to the earth fast car he pulled me out then got stuck himself then I pulled him out and we said goodbye, Thank’s friend from Dumfries

Indeed it was really,really worth a look .loads of parking and a beautiful part of the Staffordshire moorlands.Surely it can’t be just good fortune that this massive stone rests on smaller stones it looks a bit like the Maen Cetti on Gower, I’m not convinced it’s entirely natural

Less than a mile north of Monreith. A small lane links the A747 with the B7085 and a smaller lane leads east to Blairbuy farm, the stones can be seen to the left, park at the side of the road if you can we didn’t ask permission to see the stones but were spotted by the farmer though he didn’t say owt so I presume it’s ok.
Cope describes it as a proto-neolithic temple,the nest is a natural tree covered level mound and the Egg is a big glacial eratic with two smallish stones 20-30yards to the west.It was late on the sum sol morn when we visited with big fluffy white clouds ,a wonderful place to sit and ponder the ancient world

Situated close to the road,at the junction of the B5035 and the small road heading north to Brassington.Overlooking Carsington water the stone is about 6ft high but without it’s bad lean would be considerably taller,the stone has a number of markings a small cross and a number of probably natural cupmarks.
A good stone with a good view to the west

Having fallen in love with Gop Hill and moved there with my young family, I have been trying my best to research the site and its caves.

Unfortunately Boyd Dawkins excavated a shaft from the top to ground level which may have made irreporable damage to any of its interior structures. If it is believed to be a cairn – should there not be an entrance on the south west of the hill? Most similar cairns in ireland, scotland and cumbria have. As there is zero budget for archaeology in Wales it seems that this hill will remain a mystery for years to come.

The surrounding area indeed has a dense concentration of barrows and tumili, i don’t know of any other few square miles in the country that has so many, it is a small piece of our country that we know little or nothing about despite continuous human habitation there since prehistory.

I believe that Boyd Dawkins did also investigate parts of the caves, which found human as well as wooly mammoth, wooly rhino, hyena bones. The caves really are an enigma as they seem to have small shafts running all over. More investigation is required to map the caves. I will make an attempt over the next year or so. It will take time – and my hope is that the caves may run under the cairn itself – and perhaps into it.

Arch. Inventory of Co. Wicklow has it that this is a possible passage tomb. Also says that a decorated stone now in the National Museum of Ireland is reputed to have come from here.

The mound itself is completely overgrown with gorse. There are a few outlying stones to the north of the site that may be part of the kerb. On the south side there is one large boulder that could be some possible kerbing too.

I clomped through the gorse to a clear area on top of the mound but there are no signs of any opening into the tomb here.

The views across to Keadeen and Lugnaquilla are amazing.

I searched high and low for the bullaun that’s marked on the OS map at S977949 but to no avail. I was about to give up when I noticed a beaten track leading from the forestry entrance where I had parked. I followed this and it led me out of the forestry and into the field where the bullaun is marked. Continuing along this I crossed the stream and BAM, Brittas 4 with its four single and one double bullaun was there in front of me. I can safely say that this came as a total shock and a surprise to me. Continuing further up the track about 10 metres further on is Brittas 3 with its four bullauns.
Both of these stones are earthfast. They sit there for all the world like magical vessels as the small brook bubbles nearby. Seems there’s a lot more to this place than what first meets the eye. According to the Arch. Inventory of Co. Wicklow there’s “a large, earthfast granite boulder with four basins…” which I take to be what I have called Brittas 3. With the two that Fourwinds has added, thats four bullauns with 50 metres of each other. Awesome!

In a garden just off the N81 at Ballintruer More is this charming stone. It’s well marked on the map and well looked after by the folks that own the house.

Easy enough to find with an OS map (Explorer 441). Respect the polite request of the estate and leave your car by the gate. Go through the double deer gate and follow the estate road till you reach a bridge over a burn. The broch is on your right down toward the loch side. There is quite a bit of standing masonry with plenty of broch type stuff to stick your nose into. Be warned bring plenty of DEET if you visit in the small bitey thing season.

We parked by the farmhouse and asked permission to see their stones. The red faced farmer’s wife said it was OK, so long as I locked the gate behind me. Upon reaching the gate I saw the reason. A Black Beauty of a horse that wasn’t going to leave me alone.

The three stones are all white quartz. Only the central stone is erect (but leaning), and the three of them are not in a straight line. Even allowing for the two fallen stones, ones lying where they fell, if re-erected they still would not be in a perfect line. Perhaps they’ve been moved? Who knows? Maybe they were once part of a circle, like Duloe in Cornwall.

About six feet tall and hiding in the undergrowth beside the lane, with a nice squarish profile. The stone is about 2 miles north of Carreg Cennen castle.

I wandered across three fields to find this stone only to find it hiding in the hedge. Well, I say hiding, but it was easy to see once you knew where to look. One farm lane, one field and one footpath seperate it from Llanfyrnach stone B. This stone stands maybe 10ft tall and is a good looking stone with a nice view.
Coflein says it’s the survivor of a stone pair

With Llanfyrnach stones A and B this stone forms a close trio. Parking is dodgy on the small dead end lane, but there is an overgrown footpath running parallel to the stone’s field. From the lane the stone can be seen, but from that distance the stone’s size is unapparent. It’s nearly 8ft tall, 3ft wide and about 1ft thick. Its longer axis is north to south.

Something slightly strange happened to me here, my batteries were running very low so I took them out and put new ones in. I took a picture and turned to go 30 metres on and I turned to take a zoom pic and lo and behold the battery door was open and empty. We spent a good half hour searching the small area we’de just covered but to no avail, they were gone, troublesome pixies no doubt. Damn ‘em.
Coflein says this stone also was one of a pair

Mellor Hilltop is a complex multi-period site approximately six miles south east of the centre of Stockport centred around National Grid Reference SJ 9818 8890. Usually designated as an Iron Age Hill Settlement dated to the around 500 to 1000 BC. The site continued to be occupied through the Romano-British period into Norman times. Excavations have also revealed flints from as far back as Mesolithic times, indicating the use of the site may go back 10,000 years.

Only discovered about ten years ago, crop marks noticed during the drought year of 1995 revealed under the soil, the presence of the deep rock-cut defensive ditch of a Hill Fort. Excavations have taken place annually by the Archaeology Dept. of Manchester University. Some interesting finds have been made including a Bronze Age flint dagger and Iron Age pottery. The core of the site is in a private garden and is not open to the public. However there is year round access to one small section of the excavated ditch. From the footpaths in the area and you can get a good feel of the sense of place and there is a magnificent view from the Churchyard. There is an open day every September for details see the link to the Mellor Archaeological Trust.