Latest Fieldnotes

Two ways to reach this, either an ovine catburglar-proof ‘Orkney gate’ into the field next door then through an opening by the building or the wire-looped metal gate to the site’s field. Used the latter – a farmer has informed me that you climb over the hinged end of a gate if you find you have to do this anywhere. Managed to forget that this mound almost up against the roadside wall was the knowe itself so only took a hurried look (and I thought my digital camera wasn’t focussing, some weird stuff because it wasdoing so). Enough to see what felt like a circular spread of large horizontal stones on the top, invisible from the road as is often the case with such features.

Last weekend I found a stretch of rock with some cup marks and an incribed name , Alexander Crerar , on the same rock .Sadly there was no date but a wee bit geneaological research came up with a local who had written in journals in the early 1800’s . I like to think this may be the same chap , if so he would be one of the early rock art researchers . A return journey this weekend produced seven new marked rocks , not bad for a quiet glen that had no previous recorded prehistory .

Up a steep embankment from the road and set into the side of the field, I approached this tomb from the neighbouring field as there were the usual frisky bullocks about. Confused by the barely visible layout, it wasn’t until I checked megalithomania that I discovered that this is a court tomb, and a nice one too at that.

Set into the mound of a holy well (megalithomania.com/show/site/931) in the corner of a field and probably not in its original position. The stone is very roughly a metre cubed and of the aggregate that’s common in these parts. The one bullaun is about 8 to 10 cms deep. It’s a beautiful little site and well worth a visit. There were some ‘offerings’ in the water in the bullaun the day I was there, 22/9/06.

Now I had time but there really were kie in the field. Tried hard to find any other access, including a very overgrown old track or ditch and down the old Windbrack track down to Ramly Geo, but even the old wires have been ultra-tightened now.

Now I had time but there really were kie in the field. Tried hard to find any other access, including a very overgrown old track or ditch and down the old Windbreck track down to Ramly Geo, but even the old wires have been ultra-tightened now. I think archaeologists should hire animals, because in those few places in Orkney I see “Beware of the Bull” there is always O.S. 1:25,000 archaeology, even if including WWII stuff ;-)

APRIL 2005 I considered for a moment paying a visit, I’m no scared of cows and calves me, but had my targets to reach still. Beyond the reported Crustan mound is what looks to be a yet smaller one. This looks very low in comparison with the other two mounds, but much more interesting because of the stones you see in my photo, either scattered over it or protruding through, possibly both. It played hide-and-seek like Mittens, only visible from certain spots along the road. Really need someone in the locality to investigate further as to age and nature of this.

Getting here is very easy indeed – National Cycle Route 7 passes by the bottom of the railway embankment (so there’s a good footpath from Killin, Balquhidder, Strathyre, Lochearnhead – take your pick!)

The high gate doesn’t appear to ever be locked. I’ve been up here twice now and both times there was no lock. It’s a popular walking route too so access seems possible at all times.

Walk along the railway embankment until you reach Moth’s “metal framey-sheltery-type structures” (actually cattle feeding units) and go through the gate here behind them. Once through turn right amongst the tress and there is a large mound in front of you, next to the burn. The cairn is on top of this mound.

Exploding bunny population taking its toll and seems to be more cattle scarring

By the time i reached this site i’d run out of water so sorry for the quality of the photos.
Heading back down the footpath by Hardwick House theres a stile in the far left of the field climb the stile and look right in the next field its the largest boulder just by the wall.

About 50m west of the swastika stone to the rightof the footpath lie 2 fallen gateposts.
The one which is the smaller of the two has two shallow cups and rings on it.

The Anvil Stone sits rather close to the footpath, the carvings arent stunning but certaintly worth checking out. also theres a rather cosy chamber underneath made by a gap in between the rocks.

If your heading towards the Swastika Stone dont miss this one its right next to the path easily identifiable by its curious folded strata.
i counted several small cups one with a ring a couple of basins and a few grooves.

What a corker of a stone and as the previous post states fairly easy to locate.
Take the millenium way off straight lane towards Addingham Crag, go to the foot of the crag and its in the third field on your left towards the bottom of the field very easy to make out as its almost square and stands out from the others.

Standing stone or possibly a scratching post. Best way to access top of hill through Llanvair past a bungalow and you will find a gate on the left.

If you go around the field towards the left you will aslo see the remains of a rather nice castle

Castle pictures and standing stone here:
castlewales.com/llanvair.html

There’s a likelihood that this is the Pauperhaugh stone, as described here:
keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N2904
and here:
rockart.ncl.ac.uk/panel_detail.asp?pi=495

I’ve visited the Black Burn, and apart from a very conspicuous (but probably natural) mound and lots of muddy water, there was indeed nothing to be found. Pauperhaugh is close to Longfamlington, and the findspot reported in Keys To The Past matches up with Pebbles’ description above.

As usual the sunlight was a gorgeous golden shade against a dark stormy sky, picking out and magnifying the green shades in the trees. Also as usual, this was while I was on the road between Armagh town and Cookstown. By the time I got to Creggandevesky the haze on the horizon was filtering out the strong sunlight and the lovely stormy sky was dissapating.

This site is signed all the way off the main Cookstown-Omagh road but the very last sign is minisule and green, spotted at the last second while driving down the road. I only noticed on the way back that the site is clearly visible from the road until you park. There is a decent stile there which gives you the false impression that access is easy. I made my way down to the lakeside and decided that the locked gates meant the south shore was not an official right of way, what a fatal error!

I made my way around the north shore which was boggy but passable until you pass the knoll that blocks the tomb from view. Once I got this far around I realised the track ended in a barbed wire fence, on closer inspection it was a DOUBLE barbed wire fence. With the light fading fast there was nothing else to be done so I scaled the fence and soon found myself in boggier and boggier marsh. This meant circumnavigating part of the lake that was overgrown and crossing another fence with soggier and soggier toes. When I was about 100m away from the tomb I discovered the ground dissapeared down into a deep banked stream, a prod with a tripod leg ruled out a crossing attempt.

As luck would have it though I followed it back towards the lake, resigned to not making it to the site when I noticed the stream was covered over nearer to the lake so the only obstacle left was another barbed wire fence and foot deep-holes of cow dung.

Though the fence is far too close this site is really wonderful, though the sketchy access has not deterred the vandals, names were carved in foot high letters on both sides of the tomb entrance and the information board had been smashed and destroyed. Nonetheless the lakeside location and beautiful views soon distract you, the tombs remarkable state of preservation and neat construction easily make this the best court tomb I’ve yet to visit, even better than Creevykeel (possibly because that looks like its located in someones back garden). The tombs construction is better described elsewhere.

I wished I had brought a ladder to get some good overhead views, the sun did briefly make an appearance but even climbing the stile didn’t offer a good overall view of the structure.

On the way back I took the south path around the lake, though be advised that the cows and bullocks here take no s**t, the usual shouts of ‘gerrrrout!’, ‘whisssshhhhhhht!’ and ‘ye feckin JERK!’ had absolutely no effect on the fecker standing directly in my path with his nicely rounded horns. More trekking through deep holes of dung with one eye over my shoulder on the way back to the car...

Dung, mud and bovine bothers aside, this is a real treat and should be visited by everyone who goes to Beaghmore up the road. If there were no fence, marsh and animal issues this would be a truly extraordinary site.

I came away liking these stones, despite the frustration of another site thrown down by backward christians.

Built into the South Kirkyard wall are the last remains of the recumbent stone circle which once occupied this site. Thought to be the flankers (where’s the usually bigger recumbent? Buried?), only one is now clearly visible, as the other was further obscured by a wall re-alignment in the past.

Entering through the gates, and walking to your right, look for the large Stephen family monument against the wall. Just poking out of the soil is a thin fillet of stone. Hop down over the wall, and the full length of the stone is revealed. Climb back up, and walk a few feet to where the wall doglegs, and you can make out the top of the second stone.

Driving up to the site from the Fintray road, we noticed two large stones in front of a house which look distinctly megalithic. They could be recent additions, but given that they cannot be seen from the house, or its garden, why? They are not mentioned by RCHAMS, but perhaps they drove in a different way ;-) I wonder if they were part of the circle, and were discarded, re-found and re-erected? If anyone knows, I would love to find out. They can be seen from the Kirkyard, looking over the E wall through the poly tunnel frames.

Visit! These stones deserve to be seen by those who still appreciate them.

Access: Easy, From the Fintray to Blackburn road, take the signposted turn uphill for Kirkton. At the fork, bear right and note the 2 stones in front of the house. Park outside the church, which is no longer in use, and enter the Kirkyard.

Intriguing site this one. 3 stones in a field, two very flat, one more rounded, set in a very large triangle. RCHAMS list it as Springhill Standing Stone, yet call it the remains of a circle, and schedule only a single stone and a wider area where a second may be. What about the other two? Farmer standing his field clearance on end? I’d like to know.

Worth a visit, the stones are excellent, and the views are, as ever, superb.

Access: On a minor road south of Kirkton of Skene. Visible from the road, which is just wide enough and just quiet enough to park carefully on. Opposite a gate, and 200m across a field. Visit in Autumnn/Winter to avoid growing crops.

Quite straight forward to find, especially if you have an OS map (a neccessity in this part of the world, as there’s so many sites to find. Can someone buy me a whole set pretty please?)

The forest track you need is directly opposite the entrance to Glassel House. Big gates, very much of the ‘get orf my land’ type I chickened out and parked 100m up the road by the log piles (Sunday, no trucks about). If you look on the OS map, you will see the circle clearly marked parallel to the track, and there is a contour line that passes through the track to the circle. Simply walk down the track until it starts to dip down, turn left through the trees for 100m and you’re there. The site sits on the edge of a steep slope, so once you hit that, you know you’re near. I’ve also added a photo showing an old field wall & gate on the forestry track. Stop about 10 m short of them and you can turn left here and walk through.

The site? Nice, very compact and very different. A peaceful setting and a pleasant feel make this an essential site. As Greywether says, don’t classify it, just enjoy it.

The nicest and in this weather, one of the most apt names for a circle. The still strong September sunshine drifted around these warm pink stones and it really could have been any century, any millennia.

Largely whole (and wholly large!) you can imagine this to be an important site at the time of its construction, with the massively cup-marked recumbent adding weight to this. The recumbent has fallen and such a large piece as broken off, it almost looks as if it hit the ground with a crash. Strangely though, and like Tyrebagger this only seems to improve the site.

Access easy and as described, and a big thanks to the farmer for making it so. They don’t have to, and they certainly don’t always.

My 4th visit and I can’t believe I never noticed the graffitti on the recumbent! (Seems I’m not alone)

I can’t make out much, looks like 1864, some initials and....? Its right on the top, near the right flanker (from inside the circle). Anyone who can decipher it better, let me know.

Also in the woods near the northern Balblair stone I found a suspiciously long stone lying in the grass, just to the south of the menhir. Could be a gatepost, and after a day in the field you do start to see megaliths everywhere, but it raised my suspicions.

I do like this site, and I guess we should be grateful that it still remains-especially after visiting Kinellar Kirkyard earlier in the day.

This is a hard to find site, small, but the evidence is there if you stumble upon it, with worked stone to be seen.
If you can’t find it amongst the many areas of scree and rock then so what, ‘cos it’s worth going to the top of Glaramara for its own sake. Glorious, with the length of Borrowdale stretching northwards to Skiddaw, and the highest land in England to the south.
If you walk south along the ridge to Allen Crags, just after the lowest point, look on the left for the most perfect of mountain tarns, just off the track, and ringed by grey rock. The setting is unforgetable, the waters gently lapping the shore, the wind soughing through the mountain grasses, whilst the north face of Great End looms over all, dark and gaunt, the mists rising like smoke through her gullies.
.........and at work I wonder why my mind isn’t on the job.

Here is a route covering all the sites listed for Eyam Moor. It is just over 5 Km and earlier this week took me just under 2 hours in good weather. It could take substantially longer in poor visibility, especially without the use of a GPS to locate Wet Withens, and of course when you spend time looking at things!

Starting at the bend in Sir William Hill Road at SK 224780, take the path running NE. It runs alonside a wall for 500 m and then after the wall turns off to the E, the path continues NE across the moor. In another 500 m you will see down below you to your right a right-angled corner in the wall 200 m away. Head straight down through the heather to Eyam Moor III stone circle (SK 2320 7881) which is just to the NW of the corner and can be seen as a green bilberry mound.

Next head N to the end of the delapidated wall and follow it for about 100 m until you reach 2 gate posts through which runs the footpath down to Leam. To find Eyam Moor II stone circle (SK 2316 7897) go 30 m SW along the footpath back towards your starting point to a large rock in the middle of the path. There is now a raised circular bank of about 10 m diameter immediately to the left of the path which marks the site of the circle.

To get to Wet Withens (SK 2254 7900), return to the gate posts and follow a compass bearing due W through the heather for 650 m. Locating it in the heather can be extremely difficult. The most noticeable features to look out for are the pile of rocks in Eyam Moor Barrow 30 m N of the circle and the tallest stone at the NE of the circle (lots of photos on the site).

Navigation but not the going underfoot now gets easier. Head SW towards the mast near the top of Sir William Hill that hopefully will be clearly visible. Knee high heather is intermixed with waist deep bracken but after about 800 m you come to a wall running across the moor. Climb over the barbed wire in a gap in the wall and follow the path to the NW on the other side. In about 500 m the tops of the trees in Gotherage Plantation can just be seen to your left and 2 tall stones looking like gateposts appear in the wall. Now head W along a gap in the heather for about 100 m and find the Stanage Cup-Marked Stone (SK 2152 7870). The Stanage (Ring) Cairn with another cup-marked stone is clearly visible 40 m to the S (SK 21540 78663).

A footpath can be found about 10 m to the W. Follow it S to Sir William Hill Road and then go E to return to your starting point. Be prepared to get back with very wet legs if it has been raining but look forward to lots of bilberries if you get the season right – they wre still plenty this week!

The western stone of a pair. Sheet 35 shows another, 100 metres to the east, putting it in a farmyard.