Latest Fieldnotes

My attempt in October ‘04 failed to locate this stone. I did find the field clearance boulders; there are a lot of them forming the thorn infested field boundary, which has now been wire-fenced off. The fence has then become overgrown with nettles and some kind of creeping plant that obscures the stones. I managed to check about 30 or forty stones, working from the top of the boundary down the slope, from where here is an old gate next to a big boulder both of which have also been obscured by foliage.

The cup marks may well still be there, but finding them would take a painstaking survey of the hundreds of stones in the clearance strip.

Whilst it would be possible to nip up to the strip of boulders from Homer’s Lane, permission and slightly easier access can be obtained from Thistleriggs Farm.

This is a gem.It is great finding a little known site. It looks out proudly across Devon, a must for a visit.

An unusual and interesting variation on the general Orkney-Cromarty plan.

The chamber here is at right angles to the passage – they are usually on the same axis. There is also clear evidence of a facade running to the SW.

Nice site with good open views and some tall stones (up to 1.5m).

Access. . Easy but we had to climb the gate into the field. Ask at Braedown. Room to park opposite their drive.

Visited 31 October 2004

There are some really big stones at this Orkney-Cromarty cairn – large enough not to be dominated by the tree which grows out of the chamber.

Mostly chamber stones remaining with the hint of a facade.

Access. Easy. Ask at house. Cairn to W of the drive.

Visited 31 October 2004

An attractive Orkney-Cromarty cairn sitting in an elevated position in a forest clearing with tremendous views over towards the Sgurr Mor mountains.

Most of the cairn material has gone but the chamber stones survive – the tallest being 1.75m high.

Access. There is a waymarked path into the forest through Beallachnagore Farm. If you come this way, turn left when you enter the forest then, a small distance up hill, look for the track to the stones on the right.

Unsure about parking, we came in from the E having parked at NH497562. I don’t think we’d have found it without the GPS from this direction. Eventually, we joined up with the route above.

Visited 30 October 2004

The scant remains of this site lie behind a barn and are covered in farm debris.

It is near the road and on the way to Muir of Conan and Cairn Irenan but, otherwise, hardly worth the trouble.

Visited 29 October 2004

I wasn’t sure what to expect here but it turned out to be good and bad news.

The last published account said that, in 1996, the site was covered in broom and brambles so the printed plan reverted to one made 40 years earlier. This showed quite substantial remains.

The good news is that the broom and brambles are no longer there. The bad news is that neither are the substantial remains – at least anything visible above ground.

Hardly worth a visit then unless it was en route to nearby Cairn Irenan. It’s close to the road.

Visited 29 October 2004

There are some massive stones here. It’s not clear whether they are the remains of one chamber or two but it’s fun trying to work it out.

It sits just outside the forest so there are splendid open views on three sides from its 250m OD position.

Access. You need to allow a bit of time to do this one – plan for a two hour round trip. Take the Swordale road out of Evanton and drive to the end of the metalled road near Milton Lodge – plenty of room to park.

Walk up past Fannyfield (stop sniggering!) then onto the forest track which is mostly through more open country than the map suggests. The last stage after the “ruin” was a bit wet underfoot but the final challenge comes as you reach the site.

A deer fence runs along the edge of the forest which looks unclimbable. Persist and you will come to a spot where a tree which has fallen onto the fence allows you to clamber over.

Visited 30 October 2004

This splendid example of a Clava passage grave sits isolated amongst the Orkney-Cromarty cairns in the area. Probably the most northerly surviving example of this type of cairn.

It is in the corner of a croft. A little overgrown especially around the passage area but you can still clearly see the inner and outer edges of the cairn.

Four of the stones of the surrounding stone circle still remain upright, the tallest being nearly 2m high. Three have fallen.

Access. Ask at the croft. No Sunday visitors please.

Visited 29 October 2004

Set in a forestry clearing, this is a good example of the features of a typical Orkney-Cromarty passage and chamber – not much of the cairn survives.

The less well preserved Scotsburn Wood East also sits in the forest at NH726768 but was not visited due to an outbreak of CBA.

Access. Several possibilities but we parked at NH733763, followed the Right of Way west for about 1 km then N up the rather wet forest track. Easy walking but two stiles to cross.

Visited 1 November 2004

Not much to see here. A ruined Orkney-Cromarty cairn with only a couple of chamber orthostats visible in a cairn surrounded by a fence and topped with a telegraph pole.

Worth a visit though as part of a trip to the much more interesting Boath Long and Short.

Access. Across the road from the Boath cairns. Stiles into the field and over the cairn fence.

Visited 1 November 2004

On the east coast of Scotland between the Dornoch Firth and the Moray Firth (known as the Firthlands) is a high concentration of chambered cairns. Around 47 surviving – about one every eight square miles.

Most are the passage grave type known (rather unsatisfactorily) as Orkney-Cromarty.

Boath Short is probably the best preserved example in the Firthlands. If you are in the area, it would be worth visiting for that reason alone but add to that its beautiful open setting, its easy access from the nearest road and two other chambered cairns just a stone’s throw away and you have even more reason to see it.

The cairn (round on a “horned” platform) survives to roof level and it is through the roof that you enter the chamber. No Historic Scotland ladders here so you need to be pretty agile to get back out!

For more on the preservation within the chamber – see the photo captions.

Boath Long lies some 200m to the SW. An impressive 70m long but heavily robbed in the middle. Only a few chamber orthostats can be seen at its NE end.

Access. Easy. Room to park opposite the entrance to East Ballone Farm and tracks lead up to the cairns.

Visited 1 November 2004

Visited 22nd May 2004: We parked on the road to Ferryside that runs to the south of the stone, and followed the footpath to Iscoed Home Farm. After the second fence (the first being the one that runs next to the road) we deviated from the path to take a peek at the standing stone. There were no crops in the field, so we ended up taking a closer look.

Iscoed Standing Stone is large (according to Coflein 2.25 metres tall and approximately 1 metre square in cross section). It’s an extremely solid looking lump of rock! The stone stands below Iscoed Mansion, a beautifully ruined 17th century brick house which looks like it’s being renovated. It’s a lovely spot.

From down by the stone, trees obscure the views west, so you don’t get the impression of being near the Towy Estuary. The proximity of the stone to the estuary, and the stream is interesting (the connection between sources of water and standing stones in the area is re-occurring). In this case, springs rise up in Iscoed (the wood to the east of the stone) and beyond.

It was a lovely day when I got here, I’d just been round the peninsula and stopped off at Criccieth for a break and saw this marked on the map. What an enchanting but forlorn site, but it has survived here hidden from pitying eyes. I felt a tingle when near the stones which made me feel good.

November 2004
A misty, damp day with low clouds scooping over the hill tops.

In the fading light of the afternoon, we parked in the layby at the top of the hill and took the short uphill route to the Belas Knap monument. At Belas Knap, the height of the position was lost in the clouds and mist and we were left with a quiet landscape. The sight of two deer increased the sense of timelessness...

-----------

The false entrance of Belas Knap reminded me of the (real) entrance to the Stoney Littleton Long Barrow with its dry stone walling and arching entrance.

June 2004. Warm and sunny.

The stones are tranquil. The sun is beating down and the traffic roaring past and yet inside the circle, you get lost in the ambience of the setting and forget the world outside.

We parked in the farmyard across the road and walked along the roadside verge to the stones and it was a real treat! The manner in which the stones are hidden from the road by the tree cover and low hanging branches hinders the tourist but rewards the stone seeker with a truly fantastic environment.

Visited 22nd May 2004: When we got to Maen Llwyd we found that the field it stands in had just been sprayed with manure. Not only that, but the stone itself was plastered in dung. I made a half hearted attempt to get closer to the stone, but it would have been fool-hardy to have gone any further. Poor old Maen Llwyd!

Stumbled on Little Kits Coty in my third attempt at encircling Kits Coty. Parked as per Pure Joy on the ‘demi lay-by’, the Track is marked Pratling Street but looks like it loops round and comes out further down by the industrial estate having transformed into a more sensibly sized road. A twenty yard dash back against on-coming traffic was probably safer than walking all the way down from the recommended lay-by at the top of the hill for Kit Coty

Visited (not) 7th November 2004: Hats off to Treaclechops, I tried paying a visit to Y Capel yesterday and singularly failed to find it. Had both of the boys with me, a 3 wheeler pushchair, only the 6 figure grid reference and failing light. These are my excuses!

To add to the catalogue of parking difficulties, I drove round and round this site deciding to opt for the large layby in site of the pub at the end of the single track dual carriage way. From there instead of risking the walk back to the path UP the hill, I followed the pavement around and up the hill towards the Kits Coty Estate. After about 400yds (up hill but at least on a pavement) there is then a sign-posted path down some steps to a bridelway that leads down to the dolmen. Such a shame about the railings, bit of a feel of The Wispering Knights at the Rollrights. A passing woman on a horse confirmed that one of my aborted attempts at parking in the Kits Coty estate has got a footpath through to the field with the stones in and may have been nearer.

Signs from the village and some friendly locals pointed me in the right direction. The walk from the car park isn’t far but it had got a bit boggy. Visited on a damp Sunday morning but was all alone having left wifey at Bluewater (less than 30 mins – well worth bearing in mind if you have to assist in the transport for retail pilgrimages, these stones and Kits Coty are do-able in a couple of hours). The view down the Medway Valley isn’t spectacular but not unpleasant, you can envisage why the site would inspire its builders. Unusual compared to say West Kennet, Stoney Littleton Waylands Smithey etc of the Cotswold Severn variety that are nicely set but not quite so ‘perched’ on high.

Also known as Llywn y Fedwen after the nearby farmhouse.

Permission must be gained from the farmer before visiting.

His contact details may be provided by Glanusk Estate on which he is a tenant farmer (Glanusk Estate are the landowners of the nearby Fish Stone).

Those who are unprepared for a formal visit can spy the stone (About 14ft high) from the minor road which crosses the river Usk at the narrow medieval Llyndgynidr Bridge.

Before the bridge is a small cottage (with a public right of way marker) on the lefthand side of the road from here about two fields over the stone is clearly visible along the hedgeline.

If travelling in the opposite direction on the minor road on the southern side of Myarth Hill, the stone can be seen from this road after Gliffaes Hotel, but before reaching Llwyn y Fedwen farm (on the lefthand side).

It is reasonably easy to spot, apart from being approx 14ft high it is covered in white lichen.

The usual type of small Breconshire stone circle comprising of low stones.

Experts believe it to be late Bronze Age or in use for a very short time because of the looseness of some of the stones.

It is the only fully excavated stone circle in the old county. This work was carried out in the early 1940s shortly after the MoD took over the land. Since that time many of the stones have gone missing.

Until the discovery in 1994 of a stone circle further north, it was previously the most northerly of the concentration of stone circles in the western part of the old county.

The bleakness of the upland heathland makes the feel and views from Ynys Hir similar to those in the nearby Mynydd Bach and Nant Tarw examples, ie. wind, no trees, sheep, marshland.

To visit, as Kammer has posted below, will entail contacting SENTA (Sennybridge Training Area) for written permission. They do have a website, and parts of the firing range are being opened up to public access.

However, Ynys Hir will never be fully open as it is located in the central impact area (all ranges for safety purposes aim into the centre of the range).

The best time to visit is usually August when the range is least in use.

I had an excellent visit which involves:
Electronic security gates
Briefing (don’t pick anything up or try to talk to soldiers as you may become involved in an exercise)
Car pass
Having to use X Range Exchange to telephone back to HQ when I was on and coming off of the range.

The circle is a good 20min + drive away from where you have to sign in and pick up your car pass.

From X Range Exchange to the circle is a 10min + walk up an old unsurfaced track (muddy in wet weather).

Sadly, on my visit quad bike tracks were visible running through the circle.

If you wander up past Cairnholy 1&2 and take a right past the old barn with no roof, there is a gate ahead. In the field are a number of what I refer to as “sheep cairns”, the remains of dead sheep with a pile of rocks and boulders on top of them. Fron the gate you can see three smallish ones and then another 2 larger ones, further to the left.

The 3rd small one to the left has a largish stone placed near the top and clearly has cup and ring marks on it. Someone has also made out the outline of a fish, although I couldn’t see it – perhaps you need a day when the sun is casting some shadow to identify it?

No idea where the stone came from originally though....

Fairly trashed cairn, as mentioned by Stan Beckensall in his ‘Prehistoric Rock Art in Northumberland’.

In the middle is a cist, the cover of which is rather substantial, and looks like it’s been split in two at some point. The cist is probably the best surviving part of the cairn. It’s main bulk has been spread by excavation in centuries past, and the kerb is visible in patches.

But it’s got the obligatory view of Simonside, added to which is a clear line of sight over the rest of the Cheviots, as far as Kielder to the east, and Cheviot itslef to the north west.

It also has one of the little standing stones with a cup on top, which seem to come as part of the burial package in this area.

It also has a couple of patches of rock art. I couldn’t find the larger of the two, which SB says is the harder to spot. Having found the ‘easy’ one, I’m not surprised. It’s just underneath the ‘p’ in ‘sheepfold’ on the map, and comprises of a large basin and a couple of motifs of cups and concentric rings, covered in lichen.

Access to the cairn itself is by a fairly decent trackway/bridlepath, with a quick scramble over 20m or so of heather, mercifully bracken free.

Revisited 09/05/05

Found Panel 1a with the aid of a gps contraption. It is so weathered. So very, very weathered. I can’t see it being there for much longer. It’s very close to the cairn, much closer than I’d previously thought, just down from the modern carving of a five-pointed star.