Latest Fieldnotes

My little boy and me very naughtily sneaked across 3 feilds to see this stone, we ninja scurried and got abit muddy but what an impressive menhir ,despite the obnoxious braces

Harelaw Crags featured as the bonus site at the 2006 Rock Art Meet, and as such probably saw more visitors in one afternoon than it had in the previous year.

One of the most frequently remarked observations was that the carvings on this low ridge of outcrop seem to be the survivors of quarrying. Leading to much speculation about how much rock art may have once been there.

Another much noted aspect of the site was the fact that the trees do not half get in the way of an otherwise excellent view of the Cheviot to the south.

As was discovered at RAM06, if you keep walking down to the bottom of the cleared patch between the trees, there is a gate, saving much snagging-on-the-wire.

I visited on a dull, grey day and my mood didn’t lighten when I realised that there were “ceremonies” being conducted within the circles. A group of women were being (for want of a better phrase) sprititually massaged by a middle aged man, whilst listening to “plink plink” music. Grrrrrr.....my issues with this kind of behaviour is that it makes the stones almost inaccessible for any other visitors. This was a Sunday morning (11am-ish) so I would assume it was pretty likely that others would want to visit at this time.

10 minutes later, a coach party of pensioners turned up but they were at least interested and I got a bit excited when I realised that Mike Parker Pearson was the tour guide! Once upon I time, I got excited when I met Michael Stipe; these days I’m an archaeology groupie!

I liked Stanton Drew but it felt a wee bit empty to me. Maybe it was the miserable weather but it didn’t lift me in the usual way...maybe I ned to return and have a better experience?

Godstone Village in Surrey provides a central hub to explore various interesting sites ranging from the Mesolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages.

This is great to find just outside of the M25 and a short trip away from London!

Recent Mesolithic finds are found at North Park Farm

Near to the village are the remains of some Bronze Age tumuli and are well worth checking out. North of the village green – take the public footpath by the Hare And Hounds pub and after 100 yards or so enter the field marked as Hilly Fields which is marked as owned by English Heritage, and follow the path(s) to the north where there is an obvious incline containing supposedly two Bronze Age barrows. There are no signs but a deliberate path has been cut and takes you up and onto a clearly defined mound – where the centre appears slightly hollow (no doubt from historical digging).

I struggled to pinpoint the location of the second barrow due to the summer plant growth (yay! thistles too!) but presumed it was directly south on the rise below the main barrow. The field undulates before you with many possibilities that this could have been a cemetery, but is rudely cut off to the north by a fence and the boundary to a private reservoir.

To the south east of the village and the Parish church at Leigh Place there is evidence of an Iron Age fort and a spring called Diana… link here

There has been a slight change of footpath’s since Earthstepper’s 2003 visit, as you turn right into the wood, before the house, follow the steep path up into the wood for a short while but turn left up the track. This will bring you to the farmhouse that lies behind the fort, (its best to go thro the rough grass/trees not across his mown lawn bit!) there is a little gate into the field. This is the north entrance into the camp, there is a small bank traversing the centre of the camp, which lines up with the east entrance. North and south defenses, the ridge on the west side overlooks the Bristol Plain and has no bank. Banks were covered with sweet smelling Ladies Bedstraw.
Brooding on the moment in time when iron age people took to the high places the question must be asked why. Social change, population explosion, lawlessness, climate deterioration or warfare, so that people, foodstocks and animals had to be protected. Little Sodbury is a big place – 22 acres – Horton and Dyrham forts just down the road. Were they palisaded enclosures, noisy with people and animals, the stench of both human and animal manure thick on the air, ruled by a tribal head, its an intriguing part of our unknown history. Visiting these places today, all soft english countryside farmed neatly we should do well to remember their past often violent history.

28th June 2006

And so to The Sanctuary... well that is if you can actually get into it! It took me about 5 mins to work out how to open the gate, which seems to have been fashioned from an Inquistion torture device and one of those brakes mechanisms that they used to put on kiddies go-karts. I pushed and pulled and the gate remained locked; i lifted and tugged and still no joy. I tried a combination of the above and, at last, it came undone – this certainly wasn’t the type of riddle that i’d expected to be confronted with here.

Once inside there’s not much to see and it’s rather left up to your own imagination or the graphics on the EH information post to fill in the blanks, or the holes if you will. In the dramatic reconstruction that an EH artist has kindly put together i found it rather disconcerting that Neolithic man bears an uncanny resemblance to the hairy, bearded bloke from that 1970’s erotic masterpiece, ‘The Joys of Love’. Perhaps it was the same artist?

Either way this shouldn’t really distract from the wider context in which The Sanctuary is posited: sitting aloft Overton Hill at the south-western end of The Ridgeway and forming part Avebury’s astonishing Druidic complex. As some of the other posts have commented, this really is the place from which a visit to any of the surrounding sites should begin. Having already trod the Ridgeway earlier in the day up at Uffington i picked it up once again, by way of the M4, at its conlusion just north of The Sancturay.

As one journey ends at The Sancturay it seems that so another begins – that of the descent down to Avebury and Silbury. I found an excellent print in the Henge Shop in Avebury etched by Antiquarian extrodinaire, William Stukeley, in which he offers up a far more interesting and aesthetically pleasing dramatic reconstruction than the one seen on the EH sign. In it he depicts a panoramic elevation of Beckhmanpton Ave, Avebury, West Kennett Ave and The Sanctuary in which the shape of a serpent is apparent in the way the sites are connected – The Sanctuary being it’s head!

28th June 2006

West Kennett Longbarrow was the 7th destination on this my first pilgrimmage from the city slums of the Big Smoke to the mystical, mythical West. I’d spent the morning at Uffington in the company of the White Horse et al, then it was back in the motor and back onto the M4 and off to Wiltshire...

As other posts have alluded, the car park for WKLB is frequented by local bandits and there’s no shortage of reminders in the form of rude, day-glo posters put up by the local fuzz. It would be easy to condemn this skullduggery as a product of modern times; but i couldn’t help but speculate as to the comparable threats and dangers faced by the Ancients on their own sacred pilgrimmages and wondered if indeed there was a Neolithic equivalent of a Hoodie? So rather than a modern anomaly i came to view this threat as something that i probably shared with my forefathers and something that, undoubtedly like them too, consolodated the purpose of my journey. Another point to note is that on the lower reaches of path leading to the barrow there are sections where the nettles severely intrude on the walkway and, as such, leg protection is necessary or you’ll probably find that you get stung. Avoid wearing mini-skirts!

There is little point in me going into any detail about either the barrow itself or the panoramic views afforded from it – these are all described elsewhere. However, one thing that i must mention is the view to the south of the barrow. Normally overlooked in favour of the view northwest towards Silbury Hill, or east towards The Sancturay, i’d argue that, certainly at this time of the year, the view to the south is by far the most spectacular, inspiring and profound on offer. This has happened by chance it seems, as nature has conspired to present us with a highly seductive floral alternative to the man-made sites that our gaze usually comes to rest on: three fields: one blue, one pink and one yellow, interspersed with swathes of brillant scarlet poppies: psychedelia au naturel!

I found the barrow itself magnificent but ultimately a sort of gloomy place – a place of solenmity and death. But the adjacent abundance of flora, fauna and wildflower speaks only of life and vitality. Perhaps the barrow’s isolated, elevated position – surrounded as it is by the wild landscape – has something to do with this? Death and decay amidst life and renewal? Whatever the answer it was well worth the journey and an experience that i will, undoubtedly, take with me to the barrow.

I’m not too sure what this is, but until corrected otherwise I’m putting it down as a burial cist. It’s about 150 metres east and slightly north of here:

themodernantiquarian.com/site/8434

on the down slope towards Glenasmole valley. It’s quite hard to miss so I don’t know why it’s not marked on the OS map. Cursory research on the ‘net last night found no mention of it either.

The alignment of the largest stone, a 3 metre long kerb-like or recumbent, is roughly west-east. What may be a capstone lies at the west end of this, looking over a small water-filled pit that is lined with small boulders. The pit itself is about a metre long north to south. I didn’t feel up to investigating this watery grave today but will return later.

Another possibility is that it’s a small portal tomb, but there is no evidence of another large stone that would have supported the capstone on the south side. To confuse things even further, north of the large recumbent supporting stone there is evidence of a small passage, putting the burial pit outside the ‘tomb’.

The views from here are great. Last night there was low cloud over the city, completely hiding it from view. Were you a stranger you would not have been able to tell that a million and a half people were out there somewhere to the north-east. East of here the significance of Piperstown Hill is apparent, with Mountpelier behind that to the north-east.

Ballymorefinn – Baile Mór Finn – The big town of Finn (Finn McCumhaill {McCool}).

If you want to attempt accessing St Helen’s interior, the number given on the noticeboard outside for the Rectory is 01629 734 257. I tried a day in advance, and still couldn’t arrange a visit – so the more notice you can give, the better.

I came across this on a previous trip back down from Seahan Hill and was curious. The camera battery was dying a rapid death and the light was fading fast so I split and said I’d return. I approached it from one of the forest tracks on the left of the Ballinascorney to Kilbride rifle range road. It’s the one with the largest entrance and has a forestry barrier. Walk along this track for about a mile (you will start to descend after about 300 yards – don’t worry, keep going). At the end of the track there is another steep track on your right hand side (due east). Head up here and make sure you check out the quartz encrusted boulder at the top. You’ll meet another track crossing here. Turn right and walk for another 100 metres or so and bam, there it is, just inside the tree-line.

How can I describe this? Best thing is to look at the shots. However, if you’re up here, check out the views to the east and north, just over the fence and 100 metres into the heather. The day I was there, low cloud hung over the city to the north and all the way up Glenasmole valley. Beautiful.

Another 123 metres higher, and about a mile further south up the track you were on, is Seahan Hill, which you’ll want to visit.

I own and work Stonehead Croft, over the road from the Stonehead Stone Circle. We’ve had quite a few visitors over the past few years, as have our neighbours at Glendale and Whitebrow (on whose land Stonehead Circle can be found).
However, we’re having more problems with visitors of late and would ask people to be more respectful of those of us that live here and of the site itself.
First, please check with the owners of Whitebrow that it’s okay to visit the stones – due to livestock concerns. The entrance to Whitebrow is on Western Road, to the left as you go from Insch to the A96 and just before the Wardhouse turnoff (which takes you to the stones).
Second, please do not park in the drives, field gateways and fields unless you have express permission, and do not block the road. The entrances are all in regular use and there is often livestock (horses, sheep and pigs) in the fields of both Whitebrow and Stonehead Croft. Also, under no circumstances should you feed the animals.
Third, if you want to dowse the fields for leylines, please ask first. Similarly, if you want to wander around at night and see the stones by moonlight, please ask and make sure you do it at a reasonable hour. If you’re sneaking around the fields at midnight, you’re almost certain to get a hostile reception.
Fourth, do not leave litter around the stones or try to chip bits off them. This is a site with both historic and spiritual significance, so please show some respect.
The current owners of all three properties (Whitebrow is currently for sale, June 2006) welcome people visiting the Stonehead Circle provided they show respect for the site, the properties, and the people who live and work here.
Thanks.

The cairn lies to the E of the track and is not visible from Moel Goedog West. The ring is ca 6m wide and contains ca 15 stones, most of which are short and fat.

The cairn lies to the W of the track. There is a wonderful panorama across Tremadog Bay. The ring is ca 6m wide with ca 11 upright and 7 fallen stones. The tallest stone at the WNW is 0.85m high, 0.7m wide and 0.15m deep.

Moel Goedog East cannot be seen from the cairn.

It lies immediately to the SE of the track through a derelict fence. 1.1m high, 0.77m wide and 0.55m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60938 32288.

The stone is immediately to the NW of the track. It is 1.3m high, 1.0m wide and 0.8m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60857 32191.

The stone lies SE of the track and the fence and about 60m from Moel Goedog stone 2. It is 1.0m high, 1.0m wide and 0.77m deep and tapers to the top. GPS position SH 60858 32176

It is not listed on CARN under the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust records. I will try to contact them to find out why not.

It stands just to the NW of the track leading to Moel Goedog.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 0.9m high by 0.6m by 0.5m at the base. It is situated between two tracks, near the junction.”

It stands to the W of the road, just S of where the track braches off to Moel Goedog.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 1m high by 0.5m by 0.18m, leaning slightly to the W.”

It lies to the SE of the road just N of the entrance to Merthyr Farm.

Coflein description (Fonlief Hir stone E): ‘Standing stone about 0.8m high. It measures 0.34 by 0.3m at the base, but is wedge-shaped in profile. there is a raised stony area around the base of the stone, spreading out for some 2m on the W and E and 1m on the N and S.”

It lies to the NW of the road just N of the cattle-grid and the fence running off to the NW.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 2.2m high, 0.9m wide and 0.4m thick at the base. An earthfast stone is visible on the W side.”

It lies to the SE of the road 100m S of the road junction.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 1.8m high by 0.6m by 0.3m at the base.Erosion round the base has exposed a number of stones, although none of them obviously used as packing stones.”

I drove from Llwyngwril up to the end of the tarmacced road at SH598101. It was then a 15 minute walk NE up the track and S along the footpath to the stones.

The location is superb. The stones are on a flat area of land on the side of the hillside with a magnificant of the whole of the Lleyn peninsula across Cardigan Bay. Both stones seem to be looking NW virtually directly at the shapely peak of Carn Fadryn on the Lleyn. Would the sun set directly into it at the summer solstice? Unfortunately, I was there 2 weeks too early to find out!

The S stone is 1.65m high, 1.3m wide and 0.65m deep with an approximately triangular cross-section, the long flat side being at the NW.

The N stone lies about 8m away to the NNE. It is 1.17m high, 1.02m wide and 0.56m deep with an approximayely semi-circular cross-section, the long flat side being at the SE.

Drove up to the end of the tarmacced lane at SH641192 and then had a 15 minute walk N along the track at the edge of the forest, NW along a footpath through the forest and then S and E along forest tracks.

The stone 1.4m high, 0.46 m wide and 0.35m deep stands at the S side of the track. It is really well disguised amongst the trees around it and at first glance looks just like a tree stump with its covering of moss and vertical bands of grey and brown looking like bark.

I tried unsuccessfully to find the glacial erratic with the supposed sword imprint listed as Cerrig y Cledd (North) in the Megalithic Portal. I could see no sign of it in the relatively thin forest up to 100m north of the stone but did not venture into the denser forest further north.

Prior to upgrading work on the A1 M62 interchange at Ferrybridge, archaeological fieldwork was carried out in the area in 2001 and 2002. The new road was planned not to impact immediately in Ferrybridge henge, the only known henge in West Yorkshire. Two timber circles were discovered and recorded less than 200 metres south of the henge.

The suspiciously flat bottomed cup just has to be an enhanced natural feature. No-one could peck such a flat cup.

Midway between the two panels, is a possible ‘sname‘, (a shallow, fire-reddened bowl). Or something that looks like one. If they exist. Which they might not. And even if they do, they might not be archaeologically significant. And even if they are, they might not be prehistoric, let alone contemporary with the rock art.