Latest Fieldnotes

This is the only place where I have watched a sheep dance on top of a stone with an audience of her peers looking on. Quite bizarre! She pirouetted for a good 10 minutes.....

I can only echo the feelings of others who have added their own thoughts – this huge circle has an air of abandonment about it. Still, an impressive size and a good start to a weekend of stone searching around the Solway Firth.....but somehow, I left feeling slightly disappointed. Maybe that says more about me than it does about the cirlce?

Just got back from a trip out to this site and am as perplexed as the other contributers here.

If this was indeed a circle, which seems more than likely given the postion of the remaining stones then it would have been huge. It reminded me of the 12 Apostles in Dumfries, which shares the same air of abandonment whilst still having the power to awe.

Mark said he liked the fact that someone had built a summerhouse on the cairn; that the cairn still remains after so many thousands of years and yet the summerhouse is now just a handful of red bricks seemed to amuse him.

A worthwhile trip; the views from the the top of the site are incredible and I like the fact that I’m just not really sure what it is I’ve been looking at! The whole time we were there, 2 buzzards flew overhead and the sun was shining over the bay, whilst we could see a snow storm coming in over the hills towards the Lune Valley – pretty impressive stuff.

I love this place! Came here with the wind blowing and heavy rain soaking me through. I sheltered in the old mine buildings on my way up from the ‘Eagles Nest’... with night falling I sat with my back against the huge upright and sank into nothingness. Inside was where the ancients were laid to rest and in my thoughts I allowed myself to fall through that big piece of granite and sit with the old ones... with them I spoke and with them I knew all would be well...

Re-visit in Feb 05 with a compass indicated that the natural outcrop at Queen’s Crags is about 80 degrees from magnetic north. I dunno if that’s significant in anyway, I know nowt of these alignment thingies. And I’m useless at using a compass anyway.

I am even more convinced than before that this circle, and the one on Haughton Common, are somehow connected with the phenomenal stone of Gwenhyfar’s Chair at Queen’s Crags.

No sign of the cup marked stones on the shore of Greenlee Lough. Next time they might be feeling more gregarious and will put in an appearance. Maybe.

A visit when the grass was lower turned up a couple of little rectangular cairns, one either side of the circle, each about 20m on a vague SW-NE alignment.

Closer inspection of the notches Bluegloves refers to in the notes accompanying one of his pics, shows that rather than being artificially scooped, they seem artificially filled in. Romans probably, as that wall runs over them. But it made me think that before they were filled in, they would have been a lot more conspicuous, and may well have had something to do with the strange placement of this little circle. Gwenhyfar’s chair probably had something to do with it too.

Visited 1st August 2004: These cairns weren’t high on my list of places to visit, but William and I came across them on our way to Airigh Na Beinn Bige stone circle. Because of the topography of the hillside, there’s a good chance you’ll get to the cairns before the circle.

They’re both pretty large, and the northerly one is obviously a cairn (you can’t miss it). Both are slightly to the east of the circle on the same plateau. For directions to this site see my fieldnotes for Airigh Na Beinn Bige circle.

Visited 1st August 2004: When I set out to find Airigh Na Beinne Bige I got lead on a wild goose chase by the GPS, wondering around in totally the wrong area. The following directions might save you from the same fate:

Follow the road inland from Breascleit until you come to a cattle grid. Immediately after the cattle grid park up (if you’re driving) and walk up the hill (approximately north). You’ll come to a ‘peat covered terrace’ below the summit of the hill. The remaining standing stone is relatively easy to spot, as is the larger of the two cairns.

William and I found the big cairn first, then the standing stone and the hollow. Will found the remains of a dead sheep at the foot of the stone fascinating. The views of the Callanish area are spectacular! We had fun taking photos of each other with the digital camera. It was what people would have once described as ‘a lark’.

Unfortunately I only spoke to Margaret Curtis after this visit, and it was then that I came to fully appreciate that Airigh Na Beinne Bige is widely accepted as a ruined stone circle. If you can’t speak to Margaret, read The Stones Around Callanish before you visit.

This circle of recumbent stones is quite lovely, and lies right next to a smart farmhouse (how is it these Welsh folk get to have such antiquities in their gardens?! See Fairy Oak Round Barrow). Some of the stones have been robbed, but nonetheless, an idea of the commanding nature of the place remains. Fab mountain views are to be had on all sides. Pretty.

A large mound, with two uprights like snaggly teeth, sits in a field on the Dee floodplain. This must have been very impressive in its hey-day, but sadly has been robbed for stonework. Still lovely, though, especially under a winter sunset, while a thrush sings through the dusk.

This is a stunning site; set in magnificent scenery, relatively diminutive, yet equally as magnificent for its completeness. It is quite easy to believe that the original builders abandoned it a few hundred years ago, let alone 4,000 years ago.

We visited on a classically beautiful late winter afternoon, and were bewitched. The peace of this cosy circle is deeply regenerating; its effect has continued on in me for days. Do visit, and prepare to be transported.

Like the Matfen and Warrior stones, Swinburne has cups and weathered grooves. Most pleasing to the eye. Unlike all the other stones in Northumberland, this one is of a decent size.

Access isn’t bad, though from the road, the track is bumpy, and there’s a gate. There’s a decent parking spot next to the ex-chapel at Ox hills, and the short walk allows the chance to have a deks at the strange terracing. Permission to sneak off the path can then be sought at Swinburne Castle, where the chap was quite pleasant, and more than happy to allow us to wander, once he’d assured himself we weren’t going to carve out initials on the stone.

Decided to check out the group of barrows near the villages of Osmaston and Edlaston.

This barrow was a bit, no alot of a surprise, it’s bloody massive. Measuring some 45 x 50m in diameter, and around 4m high the barrow is in excellent condition.
Close to Thomas Bateman’s patch, the barrow somehow escaped his attention.

It’s a pretty easy walk of nearly a mile to this huge barrow, parking by the church in Osmaston village, although you have to leave the path by the stream in the bottom to get to the barrow.

These terraces are listed as being artificial. They are fairly hefty too. I was expecting something on the scale of your average ridge and furrow, but these wouldn’t be put to shame by the earthworks on one of those big southern hillforts.

They are complemented by the strange linear rock outcrops to the north of the thin track down from the A68. I suspect similar outcrops underpin the terraces.

From KeysToThePast site number N4227:
A natural rock outcrop overlies a rock shelter that contains evidence of prehistoric activity. An excavation there in 1975 discovered Mesolithic flints and an Early Bronze Age cremation in a pottery vessel. In addition the upper surface of the shelter is decorated with a carved basin and a groove, markings that are probably associated with nearby cup and ring marked stones. The shelter also seems to have been used in more recent times as post-medieval clay pipes, glass, pieces of iron and ledges carved in the rock were also found.

A good place to sit out of the wind with good views and the skylarks learning again how to sing as they think the winter may be over. Now, where did I drop my clay pipe?

The Kist is situated on Piles Hill amongst 15 other Cairns.A reave runs through them and a Stone Row is close by at the head of the Butter Brook.The photo was taken looking north west with the valley of the Erme in the background.A very pleasant place to spend a warm summer evening.

A group of three stones on a terrace above Little Tombane Farmhouse. They were discovered a couple of weeks ago but the light was poor so decided to return in brilliant weather . There are three more “new” stones in the immediate area.

A robbed cairn 10 m in diameter , with an enclosing stony bank adding a further 4m to the diameter.The stones are graded in height to the SW where one has very faint cup marks . Access is from the Loch o’ Lowes unclassified road just to the W of Ninewells Farm about 50 m into the trees.

This stone was ploughed up 100m to the WNW of it’s present position , is now situated immeciately W. of a possible ruined chapel . Access is from the unclassified Loch of Lowes road then down the Kincairney farm track the site can be seen from the farm up the brae to the N. 68 cups no rings and some channels.

This is one of 5 Kists in the area.It was excavated in the late 1800’s and charcoal and an archer’s wrist guard were found.The site is quite easy to get to from Postbridge via the Drift Lane.It is situated on the side of a hill with excellent views,on a clear day it is a good spot to stop for a while and take in the atmosphere while looking north up the valley of the Dart.

[visited 4/2/5] Foolishly I failed to read the pages here before visiting this barrow. I’d allready failed to find the burial chambers in Avening and bombed straight past The Tinglestone. So as I headed back towards Avening, I passed the longstone and stopped on the verge of the track leading past this barrow.

Seeing no-one about and not really aware of the danger, I strolled to the barrow and had a good root about. 2 stones are standing at one end and one chamber is visible though almost buried. The barrow is in a bad state but better than some about these parts.

And then the landrover arrived. So I pegged it back to my car expecting an irate farmer and instead met 2 nice police officers, who ran the full police check on me as well. I was then informed that the tinglestone is on the same estate and isn’t visitable either...

So, access is prohibited and inadvisable if you have any outstanding warrants. There was no-one about when I went but they apparently have cameras and very efficent coppers. You’ve been warned.

I gotta admit I was a little underwhelmed when I found this rock. I think it’s because I was expecting something bigger, but then again its a Fairy’s Chair so...

I’m sure its a beautiful spot on a warm summers day. It’s just a shame it’s stuck right next to the fence and someone has seen fit to damage this stone. Nice carving on the base, just be careful on that moor. I ended up waist deep in a Bog!

This day though I went near high tide there was plenty of beach and I went down as far as the big WW2 structure. There is a big ole square chunk out of the cliff that had presumably been a quarry, though the bottom is turf now. Climbed up this and found room-sized rectangular depressions. As I went back to No.1 Barrier there seem to be loads of these. Reminded me of the Broch of Lingro settlement which abided beside a stretch of coast from a rectangular bite of cliff to the Scapa Distillery burn. Except that chunk is natural. Perhaps some of the depressions are from the Barrier building period anyway. Also lots of interesting lumps and bumps various sorts, sizes and materials.

Taking the Big Red Beast (TM) out for her final field trip before trading her in for a newer model, I wound up back here in an attempt to track down the alleged circle. A beautiful cold but very bright day, not a cloud in the sky. And this place is most definitely worth a good look. I didn’t find a circle, but I found damn near everything else...

There’s the remains of a large cairn at the top of the site. Immediately below it are two perfect hut circles, which could easily be mistaken for stone circles by someone who didn’t know what they were. They’re certainly two of the best I’ve seen. And the field leading to these is absolutely covered with the remains of small cairns, one of which (though fairly disrupted) had the familiar look and feel of a kerbed cairn. What a place! I spent nearly two happy hours here pottering about, and I suspect I’ll be back. This place is just begging for another look!

There’s a rough track up to Stylemouth farm, where you can park easily enough off the track. Then it’s about a ten minute walk up through a few gates, muddy in places. Unfortunately there wasn’t anyone home when I called as I’d like to have had a word with the farmer about this place. Maybe next time.

Visited here today. There’s a small tumulus situated just off the main drive up to the big house, and the stone stands just in front of this. It’s around 5 feet tall and quite solid. The owner of the house mentioned that it had been excavated ‘in the past’ and that some cremated remains were found under it.

The Ring Cairn is in good condition, with 8 stones of an original 9 still standing in the 70 ft diameter circle, but due to its close proximity to a house; it does loose some of the atmosphere which other circles invoke. The stones grade in size towards the s-sw, with the largest stone measuring 8ft x 3ft. The ruined cairn (5 ft at its highest point) has managed to aquire a rather large tree growing inside. It is hard to see what damage might have been done as yet by root growth; but needless to say some savage pruning might be in order to prevent further harm befalling this once majectic site. Situated by the side of the road but at bottom of someones garden, possibly the best rockery in the British Isles.