Latest Fieldnotes

Noting on the map that ancient places were nearby, we headed into the hills. First of all finding a cairn. Nothing spectacular, but the views were magnificent. Occasionally, a window would open in the low cloud and offer us spectacular views onto the loch below, or over to the Kyle of Durness. It felt like we were in the seat of the gods.

We headed off across the blasted plateau in search of a Pictish Wheelhouse marked on the OS map. After much crossing of streams (during which Shaun performed the most spectacular of salmon leaps across a burn to land in a crumple heap half in, half out of the water) and upping and downing, we spied an outcrop. Scott reached the top first and let a loud whoop! Upon reaching the top we found ourselves looking down onto the most perfectly preserved wheelhouse I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if it has been restored at any time, I suspect not. The whole thing seems too jumbled to be reconstructed.

The Keeper arrived and was mildly dissapproving. He didn’t know the site was there, which is not surprising as these stones are well hidden by the grass. None of them are upright. The nearby area towards the road is littered with industrial archaeology, making me wary of interpretations of the many other large stones in the 200m(ish) radius I explored.

Look for areas where the grass is thin, with more heather and moss hummocks, these seem to be the areas with the “arrays”. If you’re heading from the B-road, the site is on a slightly sloping flat area, just after the marshy bit. There’s a low, linear bank and ditch affair about 60m to the east.

There’s no walls to climb over, but the going would be difficult for wheelchair access.

Visited 2nd August 2003: Even though we approached from the west, we went to see Trefwri (east) first. It’s not enormously tall, but pleasingly proportioned. It has quartz seams running along it’s length, and a heavy strata visible on the sides and top of the stone. It looks good and old. This Trefwri stone stands closer to Afon Braint than it’s neighbor.

Visited 2nd August 2003: After Trefwri (East) we doubled back to it’s bulky and broad neighbor, Trefwri (West). It’s not entirely clear whether this stone originally stood upright, or whether it’s always been longer than it is tall. In places it’s shot with brilliant quartz, but from a distance the stone looks a dumpy and dowdy. Like it’s partner, the location of the stone near the river (Afon Braint) is interesting.

Yet another group of “Seven Hills”. Now only slight traces of four remain, one of which has been excavated and dated to the Bronze Age. Soil marks indicate a ring ditch.

Two burial mounds of unknown date in the grounds of Honington Airfield, Larkhall Heath.

A turf covered bowl barrow measuring 27m across and 1.7m high.Excavated in 1958 when a female skeleton and incense cups were found. Dated to the early Bronze Age 2500-1501BC

A very large Bronze Age barrow with ditch and bank. Steep sided and tree covered, it is much burrowed into by rabbits. Scheduled but not yet excavated.

The stone is located on the green outside Peterborough Museum. The notice indicates that the “Neolithic standing stone was moved from a nearby location and re-erected here”. When I visited, there was a temporary exhibition featuring a life size figure of LaraCroft – Tomb Raider. Strange item for a museum, but I suppose that most archaeological exhibits in museums are from raided tombs!

I liked Knap Hill. It’s not quite as exposed as its neighbour, Adam’s Grave, which is an advantage when you’re trying to eat your sandwiches without consuming mouthfuls of hair. Also, its vista is quite different. At Adam’s Grave you are compelled to look outwards – outwards, upwards, downwards, east and west. You don’t think to look backwards with such a view on offer. But Knap Hill’s different.

At least half the time I was looking at the Downs around where I was sat – Adam’s Grave and the ridge on which it lies take up a good proportion of your field of view. I was watching for people approaching, watching people climb up towards Adam’s Grave, seeing them sillouetted on its back, and following with my eye the curves of the hills and those distinctive undulating chalkland valleys. So I felt that Knaps Hill’s not all about Onward and Outward and Far Away (though it certainly has that) but it has the comfort of the land close at hand too.

Wherever I looked there were weird and wonderful chalkland flowers and fluttering butterflies. Wherever I sat was a spiky plant, but hey, it’s a small price to pay for this view. As I walked down to the road again a flock of goldfinches flew off the thistles where they’d been feeding and flashed red and gold in the sun.

First discovered at the same time as Rempstone Circle (March 2003), and partly visible from the road towards the chain ferry to Poole.

This is in a really beautiful setting, on the nature reserve on Studland Heath. The only stone I saw is visible from the road, and there’s loads of parking. At the time, I thought this was all that was left of the stones – one stone maketh not a row! I will return to seek out the others mentioned in Juamei’s fieldnotes.

This place always seems to be busy – a popular place for families. But not many seem to stop by this stone.

The views of Brownsea island, Brand’s Bay, the smaller islands and their oil wells, are just perfect on a late spring afternoon...

Better than queueing for that goddam ferry anyway! Lovely place for a stroll.

This is the nearest stone circle (that I know of) to me – and it is now among my favourite places to be! First discovered on a jolly jaunt around Corfe Castle area (still haven’t been to the castle itself tho...) March 2003.

Found on a map of the area, and didn’t really expect much tdue to the proximity of the road, to be honest. But what a pleasant surprise!

On the road from Corfe Castle to Studland (the same road that leads to the chain ferry), the road almost touches the edge of the circle, but you could so easily just drive past. There is a layby type of affair directly opposite – from Corfe, the circle will be on the right just past the Rempstone Horsey Centre or whatever it’s called... The 3 times we’ve visited, we have only seen 2 other people there, and have found it to have the atmosphere of a place that could be in the middle of nowhere.

The copse of trees that it is in seems to be scattered with large stones – maybe part of another circle? Or an avenue? Whatever – the small wooded area makes you feel safe, and has quite a magical aura.

One of the stones has a symbol etched into it that I have seen all over the place – but what is it? There is a diagram included on this page. I’m sure I’ve seen it etched on the side of a building in the middle of Weymouth as well, but pretty much ignored it as it was a part of a shop front. I thought it could be to do with OS, but Mrs Goffik thinks it could resemble a scallop shell beloved of pilgrims in the olden days (“olden days” – bless!).

This is a lovely site. Be nice to have it all to ourselves, but that’s a bit selfish, innit? ;o)

Visited 2nd August 2003: We went on to Castell Bryn-Gwyn after Bryn-Gwyn Tre’r Dryw, by which time the sun had come out again. It was lunch time, so we had a picnic on top of one of the banks. After the food William and I played rolling down the bank. This is a great place to hang out, and I’d recommend it as a picnic spot.

This is a lovely little Yorkshire Henge.
As Stu states, it’s a bit battered and worn but what matters is that it’s still there.

This barrow lies just 20metres to the south-west of the bank of the Bull Ring henge. It is described in the SMR as an oval barrow overlain on its western end by a later bowl barrow, although no known excavation has taken place.

It now stands 2metres high and the northern end seems to have been foreshortened by the erection of a churchyard wall.

These lovely stones rise up in front of you as you come down the path towards them.
As a four poster they’re a bit jumbled up but the stones themselves are lovely and full of character. The site does not look down into a valley or plain, it lies in the shadow of the limestone scars of Malham Moor.
Significantly the site may be on a trackway from Settle to Grassington. The site also appears to be on the most westerly margin of Wharfedale and its many enclosures, settlements and hut circles.

When I last visited this site I saw two fairly knackered circles. On this visit acompanied by the mighty Stubob and his most excellent gps I saw a different circle which was far more defined, though still pretty knackered, than the ones I saw last time.
I looked for my two wrecked circles but couldn’t locate them this time.
I thought that I had read that there were two sites up here but when I got home and checked I discovered that Burl has 3 sites listed up here so maybe I’ve now seen them all. Not sure tho‘

There are two ways into this area. You can walk along Black Hill Road from the B6265 or you can do as we did and park at Middle Skyreholme and walk up Skyreholm Bank. A GPS would be very useful to help you finding the rocks, many of which are in the fields around the track. As you march up the bank you will come to a fork in the road. The rock art posted by myself and Stu is all from the area surrounding Black Hill Road.
The stones with the most complex motifs have views into the Skyreholme valley and beyond. The rocks with simpler motifs tend to be on the lower north facing slopes looking towards the B6265 and Grimwith Fell.

4 cups in a line across the highest edge of a rock. 2 of the cups looked to be natural tho’.

This is a massive boulder built into a drystone wall. There are between 30-40 cup marks on it. The better preserved cups are on the top of the boulder and after Fitz had moved a few coping stones around he found the craziest looking cup I’ve ever seen.....it seemed to stand proud of the rock a bit like a boil....

The stone is hard to miss, built into the wall on the west side of Black Hill Road.

Visited 2nd August 2003: Ever since I first read about them, I’ve been fascinated by these stones, and at last I’ve got to visiting them. It’s no secret that they’re big, but you have to stand next to them to get a real idea of just how big. They’re much larger than anything else in the area, and standing next to them you can’t help wondering about everything that’s been lost here. This is an excellent place. I’ll definately be back.

This is kinda in the same field as the ‘Cup, Ring & Groove’ rock, only lower down the slope and near to the foundations of an old drystone wall.....

The last stone me and Fitz took in for the day and what a beaut... cups and grooves on one face and a group of 10 or so cups on one of the rocks ‘shoulders’.

In a field just off the main track (Black Hill Road) that goes over the moor from Skyreholme to the Stump Cross Caverns.....

There could be up to 13 or so cups on the top face of the rock although some are quite worn....there are a coupla nicely defined ones tho’.

The stone lies just inside the church entrance (St Peter’s Church). It is a beautiful little church, normally open (if not, ask the key holder who is most helpful). I’m sure they must be fed up of people going in their church just to look at the stone, so please make sure you leave something in the collection box on the table (we put in a fiver between us).

The stone was brought down from a hut circle above Llanbedr (an explanation lies on a piece of paper pinned to the notice board next to the main entrance).

High above Harlech, you need to take the unclassified Road from Llanfair and park up on the left past the farm entrance. Hop over the fence and walk up the bracken filled steep hill. The Circle will appear on your left as you go over the hill in a clearing. There are signs of a possible 2nd circle 50 yards away.