Park on the Golf Course carpark, ask permission (it’s only polite, and they don’t seem to mind at all). Head straight up the course, don’t be distracted by the earthworks, keep to the left of them, then just as you spot the cottage, look to your left, they’re about 3m from the path.
The view to the south is excellent, and the carvings are unusual, cups in rectangles.
It’s a strange looking place. The circumference seems too small for the height of the earthwork on the west side. You get the impression that they were once much higher all around, in which case it would have been quite an imposing structure, especially with a pallisade on top. Apparently there have never been any excavations, so it remains undated.
The bloke at Highburn House campsite can be petitioned for access permission.
The ramparts and ditches are still quite well defined, it seems as though there are at least two distinct sections to the fort. The bracken was quite rampant, but there were what were probably hut circles visible in places.
You can scramble up the SW side from the Kings Chair, though the route from the northern side is much easier, the path is nice and easy to follow from Waud House.
Presumably built to guard the ravine running between Kenterdale Hill and the Horsden, the Kettles now seems to hold the pine plantation of Kenterdale hill at bay, which lurks threateningly to the west, looking like a coniferous shieldwall, possibly ready to charge down at any second.
East Lix is a wee bit difficult to access due to the thick forestry but if your gps won’t work in the trees , find your westing then barge northwards there is a narrow break going E-W , follow it until it heads N. about 20 M . , a further 20 m and the the stone is in a very small clearing to the W.
I’ve listed this site as a cairn to reflect what it says on the map, but to me it looks more like a bell barrow. The large central mound – which has apparently been extensively robbed and now has a flat top – seems to be made of earth rather than stones, and is covered in grass. Around its base there is a clear ditch and bank.
This struck me as quite a sad site, despite it being in quite an atmospheric woodland setting. Around about the cairn brambles, ferns and nettles are quite overgrown, but the cairn itself is clear – the Woodland Trust (who run Huntly Wood) periodically clear the site of vegetation.
Access I walked along the coastal path from Warebeth beach towards Breckness. I’d guess it’s a mile or so on a reasonably good path, but it’s probably only good if you’re OK on your feet – it undulates and has been damaged by subsidence in a few places.
The stones are easily visible from the path but a real struggle to reach. I ended up being a bit naughty and nipping through the barbed wire and walking up the field margin – you’d have to get through the fence to reach them anyway....
Friday 25 June 2004
As Wideford has said, Orkney is littered with stones, often in pairs, some of which seem to be acknowledged as ‘bona fide’ standing stones, and some that don’t.
These are in a lovely spot and it’s a really nice walk from Warebeth beach, round the ‘corner’ from Stromness.
The nearby stone that Wideford has mentioned looks every bit as much a ‘real’ standing stone as these, though many others seem maybe less convincing. Bottom line is that unless proved otherwise, many could be ancient boundary markers, and many might not be.
I passed a big pile of at least 5 or 6 similar stones stacked by the coastal path on the way up from the beach. Were they ‘old ones’ taken down & stacked by a farmer, or ‘new ones’ ready for use? Or both?
We visited this remote site on 11 May 2004. Cutting down the forest on the leftside of the road towards the farm was in full progress. The first report of this site regarded a sandstone slab with a cup and four rings, found in the farmyard by L. Main. We spoke to the current owner (not a farmer!) but he was unaware of that slab. He had redecorated the yard and garden and had not seen a decorated stone. Bad luck!
The main site is a ridge with nice carvings. We lifted some turf and found cups with very clear peck-marks.
A bit to the North lies the wooded outcrop rock with cups in line.
The owner told us that the name “Blarnaboard” came from Gealic and meant something like: “Gathering of the Bards”. The place survived the Highland clearances because the old barn was used as a market place for the area.
I visited the Holestone today, taking my Dad along after earlier unsuccessful attempts to find it. It turns out there was no need for my guide: the route has been signposted with the brown monument signs showing the way. That got us onto the Holestone Road ok, but we still managed to drive past the site twice since the gorse was hiding the stone and the information sign can’t been seen from the road. Keep an eye out for a silver metal farm gate into a field with what looks like a group of bushes in it – that’s the mound of rock the stone sits on.
My first ever visit to Avebury two days ago and I`m still smiling. The first thing that hit me was the size and I felt a bit daft to think that it could be any different! Arrived around tea time and there was still loads of people there but despite that I felt so peaceful and so lucky to actually be there.
Lots there that I wasn`t expecting, like the NT shop, cafe and museum – not too sure about some of these but understand why.
I feel privileged to have witnessed this wonderful and beautiful place.
A rare and curious example of a preserved excavation of a Mesolithic dwelling.
The site was discovered in the late 1940s by Sir E. Beddington Behrens who noticed the existence of flint flakes, tools and weapons dating to the Mesolithic Era. It was excavated and preserved by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey of Olduvai Gorge fame in Dec. 1950. Hearths and post-holes found suggest that it was a temporary hunting camp.
A small museum, which covers the site has more information and a selection of artifacts.
Access
The site is on private land and the key to the Museum is held at Manor Farm. Local schools occasionally visit in pre-booked parties but for individual trips it is better to contact the landowner on 01306 730760.
The site is either accessible from Manor Farm, across fields, or from a field gate near the bottom of the hill.
On the tour of Mine Howe the archaeologist said a lithic specialist had identified the flint chipping as being of Mesolithic manufacture. Though these are obviously re-used they can be read as evidence of a nearby settlement of this date. I wonder how old the relict dunes/shorelines (HY522071) are on the coast towards the Point of the Liddle, and Sandy Howes (HY498067) is a very faint possibility – but I’m probably speaking out of my backside ;-) Or perhaps it should call to mind the stone working site hard by the Unstan tomb.
No pit was found underneath but some kind of slot emerged instead. The holes could perhaps be from a Mesolithic bivouac but could equally well be connected to the kerbed cairn. Unfortunately this trench was just being closed whilst the tour took place and was newly covered by earth when our party reached it.
If you want to know where the cist is when the dig is done simply find the block of stone bordered by two incised lines in the roadside wall and look straight across.
Took the tour today and heard about work on trench G. In part of it they found a very crude stone floor against the ditch. In one corner they found a circular arrangement of upright slabs in which was a baby burial (made me think of the stones downslope of the Long Howe cist, except that is Bronze Age, merely a coincidence). They removed it to search for further structures but regretfully found none.
Visited 25th May 2004: This lump is probably a Bronze Age round barrow. It’s visible from the road, but partly obscured by trees that have been purposefully planted on top of it. There’s no public access to the barrow.
Not worth a special visit unless you are barmy about barrows.
Visited 25th May 2004: The western of the two barrows is right by the road, so easy to spot. It’s on the wrong side of a fence, so if you wanted to crawl all over it you would have a problem, but just looking at it is easy enough.
The eastern barrow is on private land, and I couldn’t spot it from the road (it was a half hearted attempt to be honest). Not worth an enormous detour, but worth seeing if you’re passing by.
A real find. The village is situated some 6 or 7 miles out of Monmouth, and on the approach you are aware of how you climb the hills to reach the site.
Trellech is a small village, built around the main road that cuts through the heart. The church of St Nicholas is approximately 3-400 yards from the stones. A visit to the church is a must when visiting the stones.
Parking for the stones can prove difficult – a lay by is some 200 yards from the site, but you then have to walk back along a busy road with blind bends to the stones. Children and animals will have to be kept under control and wheelchair users might find themselves feeling very vulnerable. Entrance to the paddock is via a kissing gate, again a barrier for wheelchair/pushchair, and something to be considered.
The stones are beautiful, a warm brown rock, coated with gossamer lichen that spreads in rosettes across the surface. One side of the rock felt much warmer than the other, despite the fact the sun had yet to make an appearance. Two of the stones have a pebble dashed appearance, for a moment raising the panic than some sort of ‘renovation’ has taken place.
The phallic properties of the rock shape are obvious, but lend a certain bawdy ‘seaside postcard’ feel to the site, which emanates a cheerful and rumbustious air. The sheep graze cheerfully around the stones and a small earth bank nearby creates archaeological curiosity. A ‘For Sale’ sign reveals the site and nearby farm are for sale, at ‘Offers over £400,000’.
Leaving the stones, head back into the village to the church. There is parking for 3 or 4 cars outside the church, and entry is via a normal gate.
In the churchyard stands ‘the pyramid’, a collection of granite stones placed in formation, topped by a cross. In front, the ‘Druids Altar’, the sides of which bear faint shadow to the carving of Celtic Crosses, traceable by the finger, but not available to capture by the camera.
Inside the church, the sundial, with carvings of the stones around its base. Why a sundial indoors, why the carving?
This place raises more questions than answers. The sense of history runs deep and those with time to study will reap rewards.
Tuesday 24/8/04
Another steep and tricky cliff face- another site! It’s a bit of a scramble up here over slippy grass, scree, through gorse and stinging nettle. I’m back up here with the digi cam to take some decent pics and also some measurements- especially of the ‘hunter’ figure. The deer was only rediscovered in 1996, but no mention was made of the human figure only 3 cm to the left of it. To be fair- the deer is very prominent compared to the human, but the latter is definitely pecked from the rock using the same technique as the deer. The deer is 145 mm long by 107 mm high. The horns are 47 and 45 mm long. The human ‘hunter’ figure (which is 21 mm to the left of the nose of the deer) is 17 mm wide by 68 mm high with legs 30 mm long. It appears to be holding a weapon of sorts on its left side- possibly a representation of a bow and arrow, this being 37 mm long.
Just about 1.1 m to the right of the carving there’s a crevice in the cliff face and a crack forming a natural chimney- indeed the rocks in the crevice are blackened with carbon and soot. At the base of the rock with the carving is a horizontal slab approximately 80 cm by 1 m to sit perched on the cliff. I guess it’s impossible to date such a carving, but this place has a very ancient feel to it- the deer and hunter carving, the fire shelter, the perch high up on a cliff…
18/7/02
On an extremely muggy and warm lunchtime I find myself on the stone perch next to the deer having lunch and admiring the fantastic view. I took the path round the base of the hill this time and straight up to here- very tricky as it’s mostly slidy scree. Only stopped on my way up here to sample the very good wild raspberries growing all over the place. I was having a re-check of the carving- it’s on an almost lozenge shaped rock about 75X32 cm forming part of a small cliff rising to about 2 m by about 1.5 m wide. The deer is pecked from the rock and in recognising this I notice something so obvious that I missed it on my last visit- just to the left there is what appears to be a humanoid figure- bloody hell! It’s not as deeply carved as the deer though. I have a good survey of all the rock faces around the cliff- but no more carvings.
7/7/02
Not the easiest to find- the GPS was about 6 m off, but I found the tiny creature on a slab of red rock looking SW across the Braid Hills. I was expecting something Pictish, but this looks far, far more primitive. There’s lichen growing in the actual carving so it’s definitely not recent (not that it looks in any way modern).
Friday 20/8/04
Just a short walk from the rather good Harestanes visitors centre and just off the St. Cuthbert’s Way path. A drive leads off from the country road up to Woodside house and the standing stone is apparently in the small wood on the left- we walk up the drive, but no sign, down again and I spot, just peaking out through the thick vegetation- the top of the monolith. It ain’t gonna be easy getting to it though- the plant life is thick and nasty looking, but I think I see a line through it. Well- between me and the stone there’s a small burn and the sides drop down into it- it’s down there that the stinging nettles are over 6 foot tall and the brambles are around waist height. They are also old which means the thorns are thick and real sharp- it’s slow going but I keep pressing on through it- my legs are ripped to shreds and stung to bits- mebbe a bad idea to attempt this in shorts! Eventually I am beside a thick and bulky stone. It’s almost 90 cm square and not much higher at about 1.3 m.
After all that- turns out that there’s an easier way to get here- through a gate off the drive and up through a field to the west of the stone- I return to the road this way…
This chambered tomb sits on a prominent position on the hillside and must be visible for miles around (weather permitting). On the day of our visit it was relatively clear and the view from a high level like this is probably the only place you can describe Uist as having any scenery!
I am sure I read somewhere that it was a little unsafe and indeed the entrance seems to show some signs of collapse. If you can get past your fears then once inside you’ll find a relatively roomy and well constructed inner chamber.
Mrs Hob was keen to revisit, having been here just after the big storm of ‘87, when she says some of the trees got toppled.
Plenty trees now though. Whilst this may wreck any chances of checking out inter-visibilty with other stuff, it does make it superbly tranquil and welcomingly cool on a hot summer’s day.
In full agreement with PureJoy’s comments about the 4x4s though. They are knackering the ridgeway, and can temporarily spoil the ambience.
The holey stones on the facade are marvellous examples of domesticated sarsen. This place lives up to the hype.
Visited 10th April 2004: The following information is a public disappointment warning. Do not visit the Bridgewater Monument round barrows unless;
a) you are especially fanatical about tiny undulations in the ground,
b) you are visiting Ashridge anyway, perhaps for a nice stroll or something
My visit fell into both categories, but if I’m honest mainly the second. After a rather pleasant pub lunch in the Greyhound in Aldbury we walked back up the hill and I asked at the shop where the barrows were. After lots of discussion I got some directions from a member of staff, and with two young female National Trust volunteers in tow (not the kind of thing that happens to me a lot on these excursions!) I headed off to find the barrows.
We wondered round the field by the monument, looking for these things, but couldn’t see any sign of them. Then I realised just how messed up these monuments are. I was standing right in the middle of the larger one. The two National Trust volunteers were relatively philosophical about it all, but to be honest, it was a bit disappointing. Later on my dad posed for the photo, which cheered me up a bit because it’s quite ludicrous.
Located approx 1/2 mile from Crosh Portal Tomb, which I was unable to locate at the time – though given the almost ‘wintry’ weather that accompanied me that day, my enthusiasm wasn’t running that high. This is easy to locate and can be seen from the main road. Between this site and the one at Crosh, there were many very large stones scattered about. Not certain if that bears any relevance to the site, but thought i’d mention it.
Before going here I really should have read the fieldnotes but never planned the visit I just stopped off on the way to Dorset. It was the middle of summer and I decided to park my car at the bottom of the lane and walk up. At the bottom of the lane it says Belas Knap 1.5 miles walk a 1/4 of a mile up the lane you are greeted by a sign pointing into the cricket ground also saying Belas knap 1.5 miles! So I set off up the footpath through the cricket ground uphill into a field and uphill again you get to a wall at the top and cross the stile which brings you out on the lane you parked at the bottom of! I followed the lane up turned the corner and was met by parking spaces for your car with a sign saying ‘Belas Knap 0.5 miles’ arghh! Ah well I enjoyed the walk anyway. From there its easy, through a small wood into a field (just go straigt up the top of this field) turn left through another field and there she is at the end of the path. Wow what a beauty, I was quite suprised by the number of visitors up here I always like a little solitude and rtime out when I get to these sites but I was also quite happy that more people are taking an intrest in these special places to, which kinda makes up for it :) Go there and see her for yourself the walk really isn’t that bad.
A local site about half a mile from my house. I made a foray up but most of the site is now considerably overgrown and difficult to get close to, due to a forest of nettles. Took some pics with my 35mm Olympus Trip but haven’t got them developed yet. I’ll check this out again. It’s also part of the ‘sales pitch’ for the local estate I live on and a highly valued feature of the area.
