Latest Fieldnotes

Very lovely setting, surely no-one wants to destroy this. Great walk to get here with so much to see on the way. It looks very manicured at the mo, with it’s turf base neatly cut, but still great ambience.

After walking around Michealstow I decided to head up to the Beacon. I local farmer had told me that although it is on private land there was a stile over the wall that everyone uses. This was not the easiest thing to find but once over the walk to the hill fort was simple.

The gorse covered banks surround the site of a medieval chapel and some stone work remains amongst the undergrowth incl part of an arch. Some of the forts original banks have suffered from sheep erosion and in places the area has been quarried for the local greenstone.

It is still a wonderful place in which to sit and take in the views.

It is covered with a fine collection of ancient cupmarks and marks created by more modern tossers who had decided to add their names to the collection, including Christine, Dave and 1984. May they rot in hell. Then it occurred to me that perhaps, before the advent of writing, the cupmarks themselves were little more than neolithic tribal graffiti, which would mean that Christine, Dave and 1984 were actually no different to the cupmark makers. Or maybe not.

[visited 22/09/2003] My first view of a certified cursus and I was not disapointed. I visited a bit near the middle of the cursus at approx SU025167.

I parked in a weird layby next to a farm gate on the edge of the A354 & worked my way through Oakley Down barrow cemetary, past a small wood and onto the cursus at SU023163. I then followed the path of the cursus north, touching on a wood full of some kind of pheasant thing. The best viewable remains seem to be in the wood itself, I didn’t look for the west bank in the wood but the east bank reaches a height of approx 1.5m skirting the edge of the wood. Also look out for clear marks in the soil to the south of the wood, the east banks path is clearly visible at this time of year (late september).

So general impressions, it is huge. The only other sites that had this vastness about them that I’ve seen are Silbury & Avebury, but the overall nature of this dwarfs them. Two banks of earth taller than me, ploughing across the dorset landscape for miles upon miles, over hills into valleys, onwards ever onwards. One of those few occasions I’ve been overawed by what I’ve seen at a site.

I came here again in September,the stones were much easier to see,the day was hot making the visit more pleasant than previous occasions.I have added two more photos as the stones can be seen more clearly.

After visiting Blackfaulds Circle I decided to go to Wolfhill, do not go by Blackfaulds farm unless you have a 4WD. Go back to Guildtown take the road to Burrelton and then the first right to Loanhead farm, not good but a lot better, you cannot miss the stones on the left just in Blairmuir woods. No need to add to previous comments.

Not an easy place to visit, men in uniform lurking, but I walked with extreme confidence to the stone and was not accosted. I was there earlier in the year than Baza and the stone was surrounded with undergrowth, and rather eerie.

You could be a wee bit dissapointed when you first see this rock after walking up a long and very steep track for about an hour but once pull up a piece of turf and start to enjoy the view it all seems more than worth it.
This site has fantastic views, its even better on hazy day because you cant see Dundee.
The stone is marked by about 30 cup-marks , six forming three dumb-bells and four or five that look like they sit within a 30mm channel rather than being linked by one as reported on Canmore.

24-9-03.
I wouldn’t like to count the number of times I’ve driven past here... not sure I’ll be back much though. I felt the place had a miserable feel... in an absolutely disgusting state, used as a playground by local kids. Two of the stones have serious red graffitti. Gave the stones my apologies before I left, I will think of their sorry plight each time I pass.

Directions to the site: follow the A89 towards Broxburn from the Newbridge roundabout and turn left after the garage. Left again, behind the garage, to the dead end. The site is on the right hand side, announced by a worn out board.

Access: Right next to the road and up a short path about 30m. There is a wide gate which was padlocked, but also a reasonably wide gap alongside. There is a rocky path leading up to and amongst the stones.

.o0O0o.

What a mess. The stones here are so strewn around that I wasn’t entirely sure I had found the remains of this ring cairn/stone circle at all Add to that the heavy undergrowth and the covering of birch trees and the site is almost impossible to work out – Stubob’s pictures taken early in the year give a much better idea of what’s left.
Sometimes known as SM1 (Stanton Moor 1?) or just plain “61” by the Heathcotes, Rooke recorded two entrances to the north-north-east and south-south-west but I couldn’t figure them out, there were certainly traces of an earth and rubble bank, along with much disturbance in the centre as well as several scattered smallish boulders, one of which could have well have been a standing stone. A rough estimate of the diameter would be 8-10 metres although it could well have been larger. The position of the site is interesting despite the destruction and flora intrusions, at this point the land is already beginning to drop away to the northeast towards Stanton Woodhouse and the River Derwent just beyond.
Probably best visited in winter.

Visited 2nd August 2003: Penrhos Feilw was the last site we visited on our August Ynys Môn day trip, and by the time we arrived the light was fading. I’d had visions of watching the setting sun from here, but a large cloud bank spoiled the view. Still, it was a good place to be.

What beautiful tall things these stones are. They aren’t as isolated as most of the photos suggest. There’s a farm house nearby, and a static caravan by the gate. There are also far too many telegraph and power cables in the area, tainting the views towards the west. I shouldn’t over emphasise these relatively minor intrusions. Penrhos Feilw is well worth a visit.

A strange looking boulder resembling a giant golf flag that greets you as the land drops away on the southwest of the moor down towards the road from Birchover to Stanton-in-Peak. One side is hideously disfigured by modern graffiti, foot holes and iron handles and the weathering around the narrow base makes it look like it could topple over at any time. Although there seems to be little evidence of ancient activity around the stone, the early inhabitants of the moor would certainly been aware of the boulder and Fitz’s description of it as a mini Sphinx is quite apt, imagine the stone as a mute guardian of the moor, forever gazing blindly out towards Doll Tor whilst protecting the circles and cairns behind.

Somehow this stone seemed smaller than I remembered it from the last time I saw it about 4 years ago, I was thinking that the battered wall and the greenery encompassed the entire size of the boulder so I was somewhat disappointed when I realised it’s actual size. Being a shortarse and on my own I had doubts that I’d be able to climb it although I really wanted to check out the views of the surrounding countryside and the large cups on top but the decision was soon made for me anyway. Making sure everything was packed in my bag so as not to drop anything on the way up I realised I had left my GPS standing on the roof of my car acquiring a fix, needless to say I beat a hasty retreat to recover the offending article. Technology? –Pah!

A nice sized boulder perched in a commanding position on the east side of the moor. From here there are views southwest and northeast along the moor edges while straight ahead to the northwest the land immediately drops away slightly before rising up to the gently rounded plateau where the modern track (which based on the proximity of the many monuments must have been where the prehistoric track lay) winds down towards the Nine Ladies. I can quite believe this formed a meeting point for people in the distant past to view the circles and cairns in front of them, it still does today, there were several walkers resting around the stone when I got there.

Visited 2nd August: Went to shop, got key. It’s not difficult you know! I can’t believe how many people are missing the key bit!

Barclodiad-y-Gawres is a strange contradiction of a site. It’s beautiful and it’s ugly. It’s moving, but someone has used the entrance as a urinal. Everyone who comes in while we’re there is amazed by the carvings, but there are T-lights and dead flowers scattered liberally around the place. The damp darkness inside and the salty fresh brightness outside are too much to cope with in quick succession.

After too much time in the cage we ended up on the beach with ice creams (as sold by Wayside General Stores).

Visited 2nd August 2003: Why is everyone in such a rush to get to Barclodiad-y-Gawres? This little cairn (or tumulus depending on who you ask) is on the way, and well worth the detour (a detour of about 3 meters from the footpath). The remains of a cist are clearly visible in the middle of what’s now a rather flattened mound.

NB. It’s tempting to keep stepping backwards trying to get a photo of the cairn with the sea behind it, but be careful of the quarry that has been dug just to the east of the site.

20/09/03. Toby and KJ, TJ and DJ (all sisters) met up with Amy and Barry in the road outside the stones. It was a fairly easy site to find, and all was quiet in the foggy morning except for the horse show going on in the field on the other side of the road. We all took photos and got in each others way. Never seen a stone with such holes in it before.

05/09/03. Toby, Mell, Andrew and Tracy visited here before moving on to The Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor. We liked the site, it was easy to find but not over visited.....

We put our 50p’s in the tin and strolled around the circle, I took some pictures then we moved on to the Barrow.

We didn’t have much time as we wanted to make the 9 Ladies before sun down.

As we left we were blatantly blanked by a man who made a great show of leaning on a drystone wall and studying the horizon as we passed him, as if he was determined not to pass any conversation with us. we didn’t bother to try.

Wow, seriously impressive. As you approach from the west it’s hard to judge the scale of the hill until you start to pass by on the south side of it. If you then take the turn north and follow the old road as far as it goes you get a whole other perspective on Mam Tor as you stand facing the crumbling eastern face with its alternate bands of sandstone and shale and distant birds of prey hovering over the summit. Turning round 180 degrees gives and entirely different view down the Hope Valley, on the right hand side lies Castleton and the intrusive tower of the cement works beyond but to the left is an interesting line of hills, one of which, Win Hill stands like a tiny pyramid on the horizon 4 miles away. Coming from Lincolnshire I’m not used to landscapes like these and I wonder if early settlers had the same reaction when travelling west up the valley, Mam Tor stands like a giant full stop that marks the end of the journey. Stood at the foot of it looking east I was strangely reminded of standing at the west end of the Stonehenge Cursus near to the destroyed long barrow looking in the same direction down the faint parallel banks into the distance – this place is like the Cursus landscape written large in nature.
I’ve never been that convinced by Sacred Hill theories in the past but this one certainly does it for me, I didn’t have time to attempt the climb up to the top or see the hillfort or barrows but definitely a place to revisit soon.

Edit:
A couple of weeks later I went back and climbed Mam Tor – well worth it but a bit exhausting – the views are spectactular.

Mrs Goffik and I tried to find this place May 2003, but, being the buffoon I am, approached it from the wrong direction, throwing the directions that I had into disarray!

This time, we took the first signed road to the beach at Carbis Bay, from the A3074 toward St Ives, and past the church on the left, took the next right into Headland Road. At the end of the road is a footpath that goes straight ahead or left. We turned left, down the slope, and over the train track, then right along the cliff path, down a steep bit, then, when the path forks, take the left turn. Again, a quite steep bit, but a very short distance will lead you to this beautiful, clear, flowing well...

It’s completely untouched by modern hand, bar the obligatory clouties in the tree above. An inspiring setting, made all the better by the beautiful sunny day.

It is a natural well, granted, with no man-made structure around. It is attributed to St Uny, who was about in the 5th century, but I bet anyone a million squillion quid* that is was used by neolithic/bronze age man on a regular basis, both for the wonderful tasting fresh water continually gushing through, and the spiritual essence that is undoubtably in residence. If you believe that sort of thing. It’s nice, whatever.

*Strong evidence must be supplied.

Visited the Maidens Sep 2003, after spotting them on our AA road map, very close to the A39 with a handy layby. It seemed a good stop to make on the way back from Tintagel and the Witchcraft museum at Boscastle. I was a bit dubious about the Maiden’s authenticity, I have to say, but maybe that’s my natural skepticism...

I avoided the stile, as my wife and I had attracted the cows in the field right up to that point in the fence. So I went to a gate a bit further SW down the road. If you walk from there, you pass a few much smaller stones along the edge of a dirt track across the field. Lots of quartz in evidence.

The stones seem a bit hap-hazard: Fallen or pushed? Some of them are standing well and are quite large. There’s a ditch (with water) that runs alongside them – that probably doesn’t help their stability. It all felt a bit lonely and the stile is the only (dodgy) evidence of a public footpath. I was pretty sure I was trespassing. Still, I touched them all for luck, and shan’t forget the visit. I’ve got a photo my wife took from the layby, which I shall try to submit. Don’t know what she thought of me, consorting with maidens in a field on our honeymoon... :-)

Toby and Mell went to Utoxetter to visit Tracy and Andrew, we went to see the 9 Ladies and it was all quiet. No Eco-Protestors or their opposite numbers.

We enjoyed the stones and the solitude, all around the site there was the evidence of previous visitors fires but we were alone that night. We had a b-b-q and a small fire of wood we gathered, with added pine cones.

After sundown we walked back to our car and drove home.

This site is most well known for it’s Roman mausoleum / tombs, villa and other buildings. The mausoleum / tombs are all that now survive above ground and were open today as part of the ‘London Open House’. It’s in the private grounds of a rather posh house (complete with Tennis Court) and is not normally open to the public.

However, what is less well known is that the site, on the lower slopes of the now dry valley of the Ravensbourne, was first settled in the Iron Age circa 600-200 BCE, when a small farm was established. This later expanded with enclosed animal compounds and wooden huts indicating a reasonably affluent family living and farming at Keston. Links are also assumed to the nearby important hill fort at Caesars Camp.

A glorious place looking out towards Taransay and northwards to Lewis. This lichen covered wonder really has one of the best outlooks of any other in Britain. The sunset from here is inspirational.

A small hillfort overlooking the Severn Valley with distant views of Bristol and South Wales. The fort is built high up on an outlying spur of the southern Cotswolds and is best seen from the high ground of Dyrham Park (NT)