Latest Fieldnotes

3 km east of Clonmacnois (near Clonfinlough Catholic Church) a large boulder lying flat on the ground in the middle of a field, decorated with a number of motifs including crosses, and something called “The split year” (acc. to H. Wirth, 1936) a circle divided in two halfs by a line. The rest of the ‘decorations’ are supposed to be natural, resulting from the effects of natural chemical solution. Similar signs were found on stones in Spain and were dated to the Bronze Age.

Wednesday 20 August 2003
I always forget how far it is from the White Wells car park at SE118470 to the 12 Apostles. It’s the approach I first read about, so it’s the approach I still use. I always reckon on about 20 minutes, but it’s always more like 35-40 minutes.

I’d certainly recommend an OS map for a first visit, but the 1:50,000 Landranger 104 does fine for finding the circle. If planing to investigate the moor more fully, I’d go for the 1:25,000 Explorer though.

From the car park, follow the metalled lane up the hill to the White Wells building and the toilets.

Follow the clear wide track as it zigzags between the buildings and starts its craggy, dramatic and strenuous ascent onto the moor itself. (I also always forget how steep this part is…. Maybe next time I’ll try coming from the Cow and Calf!!)

From here it’s more or less ‘follow your nose’ and the ‘straightest’ path until reaching a fork at around SE123454. Take the left fork, which briefly descends to ford a small gill.

The path then begins to climb fairly gently but I find that this final section does turn into rather a ‘drag’…. Parts of this section are on wooden walkways to cross boggier areas, but these could CERTAINLY use some repairs! Watch your feet!

As you reach the final crest onto pretty much the very top of the moor the circle comes into view, easily visible despite deep heather, on a slight but clear detour from the main path across the moor.

There are 12 stones. Or there were on this day. I’ve never seen it with more, but I’ve seen it with fewer!

“How so?” I hear from non-locals. Simply because there are actually 9 stones ‘in-situ’, but it’s rare that some enterprising soul or souls haven’t seen fit to add 2 or 3 extras to make up the 12….

Luckily they sensibly don’t (fingers-crossed) try to actually dig the impromptu stones in, but just use bits of rock to ‘wedge’ them upright. (They’re usually remarkably appropriate in size and shape too….)

I always forget how much I love this place. It’s right on the ‘roof’ of West Yorkshire and (on a reasonably clear day) commands excellent views for at least 135 degrees.

I also have to say that I find the proportions of the circle remarkably pleasing – the stones averaging around 3-4 feet high with a circle diameter of around 50 feet?

To me it’s typical Yorkshire. Down-to-earth and well-used – the paths are very well worn yet I’ve rarely seen anyone actually at the circle, and impressive without being ostentatious!!!

A wonderful circle to call your ‘local’….

By the way, in my edition of Burl, he says ‘nearly all’ the stones are down. So some restoration has gone on, probably since 1995.

Wednesday 20 August 2003
*Remember that the circle is marked as a cairn on both the Landranger and Explorer OS maps, but that such luminaries as Aubrey Burl regard it as a stone circle.*

Just at the north end of Threshfield we took the small (initially residential) ‘Skirethorns Lane’ to the west from the B6160, signposted to Wood Nook caravan site.

You can follow this lane well past the caravan site right onto the tops. It is increasingly narrow and in places steep, so take care! Park when you reach the first gate barring the lane – after perhaps as much as 3 miles. Or if you have time, park lower down and enjoy the walk!

From the small area where you can park just before the gate across the lane, the circle is visible a few hundred yards away. It is just to the left of the wall that leads off directly west across the moor. The lane itself bears slightly right (north) away from the wall.

The circle is probably fairly unimpressive on first sight, but really seems to grow in stature as you properly take it and its surroundings in. It’s not just me either. Everyone I take there seems to feel the same, unprompted!

The stones of the ‘errant Scottish 4 poster’ stand on a distinct embanked mound, probably around 2 feet above the surrounding field. As has been documented on this website, the SW stone is broken off and lies in the centre of the ‘circle’. The stone at the SE has had the mound cleared from its base, but still stands solidly.

Interestingly, the mound extends further out to the south east to reach a large stone that lies recumbent.

Whether this stone was ever anything to do with the circle is unlikely. But the extension of the mound looks to either be the earth removed from the base of the SE stone, or to suggest that the embankment actually originally extended a good 10 feet or more from the circle stones, at least to the south.

The weather was much cooler and the general atmosphere considerably ‘wilder’ than on my last visit with Jane. (See her fieldnotes).

Still a fantastic spot though!!! The very openness of the land really shows how visible even such a diminutive circle would’ve been for some distance – especially if the drystone walls were absent!

I’d forgotten but Burl relates that the name comes from the legend that 2 of the stones once had a lintel stone, making them form a tiny trilithon. It seems highly unlikely, but is a nice thought to bear in mind when looking at the stones!

When we visited this site in September 2001 (yes, I know these are slightly delayed notes) the farmer who owns the land was on-site, and he was great. He took us on a mini-tour of the main circle and also of the standing stones in the surrounding fields (I can’t remember exact details, it’s so long ago!).

The point of this post is to say what a great guy; he really stands in contrast to those landowners who will do anything they can to deter you from seeing the great monuments to which they are privileged to control the access. He really appreciated having the stones on his land and was only too happy to tell us about various legends. Big up!!

Wednesday 20 August 2003
For finding the circle, I strongly recommend the OS Explorer 1:25,000 map. Even with this map I found the point where the footpath and farm track split a little disorientating.

This point is particularly important, as the circle is on the moorland directly to the east of the footpath – the opposite side to the farm. In fact, as the Explorer map shows, the circle is directly in line with a farm wall at right angles to the path.

This wall is the one that links the farm lane as it leads slightly downhill towards the farm and the fieldwall that the runs northwards alongside the left (west) of the path.

If you stand on the path at the corner of these 2 walls, facing ENE, imagine where the wall that descends the short distance to the farm lane would go if it continued across the path to the ENE.

Follow that line by sighting on the hillside in front (still ENE) and after around 100-150 yards I guess, you should see the indistinct and low-lying circle stones.

Beware, however! As I found to my cost, should you go too far or wander slightly off course through the heather, you will find that the whole moor is a Pandora’s Box of intriguingly laid out erratics!!! I spent a good half an hour and half a film finding and photographing what I call ‘Isthatit’ rocks….

Eventually with time running short, I returned to the fieldwall, reset myself, concentrated hard on keeping straight and walked directly to the circle, which is pretty unmistakable once you find it. (Aren’t they always!)

All that remains of the circle is 4 or 5 low stones just visible through thick heather. At least 2 of the stones are easily identifiable though by the fact that they are distinctly set on end with their faces facing the inside of the circle.

The area of the circle is also on a slight embankment, visible at the moment by the fact the heather is even higher!!!! (Just marginally.)

Clear the heather and you’d probably have the remains of a nice little, typically understated, Yorkshire circle – quite like the Appletreewick stone circle – my former bête noir – see my notes on the relevant page…!

Like Appletreewick, it includes one large boulder that looks as if it could be naturally occurring and used as part of the circle....

Standing about two feet tall under a large bay tree, this stone has somehow survived in it’s position in the very centre of Chipping Norton’s genteel urban landscape. Like all the other stones in this area (Goose stones, Hawk stone, Rollrights, etc) it is of oolitic limestone and is very badly weathered. Massive holes are worn right through like a huge piece of sweet gruyere. It screams ‘genuine’ to me. It’s probably the oldest erection in Chippy!

I noticed these quite by chance after having visited the Churchill village stones. I spotted a tall stone, looking for all the world like a gatepost, but bigger. Stopping to investigate I saw that the standing one was about 3 or 4 feet tall but looked taller by virtue of it’s position on the edge of a sunken track, and it had three or possibly four fallen companions each about 4 feet long.! (I couldn’t see *exactly* due to dense undergrowth.) It most certainly wasn’t a gatepost. The stones are not marked on the map but their proximity to the Churchill village stones certainly made me wonder if something else has been going on here.

Ten days after seeing the Churchill Three stones, I found a reference for them in a book I thought I’d lost, ‘The Old Stones of Rollright and District’ by Bennett and Wilson and I was heartened to find that they too thought them as suspiciously genuine as I did.

I reckon this must be the most perfectly sited work of rock art in England....the view along the valley to the Langdale Pikes is outrageous.

After I thought I saw a map on The Badger Stone on Ilkley Moor I was well primed to see Ironmans map laid out on the boulder at Copt Howe.....it stands up to it well enough.....although the people I went up there with worked out another map using the heavily pecked area as the scree slopes on the Pike o’ Sickle.....it has to be said the rest of the map was rather sketchy compared to Ironmans.

A wonderful place............

Oldbury Rock Shelters – 25.8.2003

WOW – wow wow wow. These are cool. They were occupied in the Middle Mesolithic period (100,000BC to 30,000 BC)

The southern one I found with Juamei’s instructions. The shelter is just off the path marked at both ends by small concrete plaques marked ‘Public Bridleway’ (i.e. not the ravine like path marked with a wooden post labelled ‘By Way’). It’s quite amazing to think that you are standing somewhere that people used up to 100,000 years ago. Underneath the rock overhang, parts of it are surprisingly high enough for me to stand up in (I’m only 5’ 8” though).

Then I found a set of shelters further north. What I saw doesn’t quite tie up with what the English Heritage record of scheduled monuments says (see the link on the oldbury page which links you across to a PDF document on the MAGIC site). Annoyingly, some of it does totally make sense, and some doesn’t.

I walked about 200m along the eastern edge of the apple orchard before investigating through a small gap in the trees/undergrowth and found a large and enigmatic tree (complete with some written graffiti and sun style aerosol daubings – presumably not Mesolithic) underneath which was a set of low cave shelters / holes. This is just underneath the crest of the hill, facing east (as the English Heritage record says). And is exactly where the red dot is on Juamei’s annotated map on this page. But it’s not the same as his directions. Before finding the shelter I did go all the way down to the end of the field, where there didn’t seem to be anything. The shelters I saw did not have a platform outside of 4m wide, more like 1 metre (be careful – it’s a steep drop). And it was more like 200m from the other shelter, not 90m. Maybe I found something different? Maybe just all of us using rough measurements? Really not sure!

I was really chuffed at finding these shelters and really freaked out to be feeling so close to our ancestors.

NB – this second rock shelter is offically on private land so don’t come running to me if someone tells you off!

Oldbury Hill Fort – 25.8.2003

An enormous hill fort, measuring 1,350m north-south, and 700m east-west, with an interior covering 49 hectares (about 125 acres)! So with only about half of it open access (National Trust land) it’s still an enormous place to mooch about in.

The woodland car park at TQ578558 is an obvious place, and is signposted (not that well) from the main road – the A25. A footpath directly opposite the end of the car park takes you up to the most impressive part of the ramparts (the west side). There are various paths all over the hill fort area, or as Juamei suggests a walk around the ramparts is nice, although the A25 does follow the ramparts on the south-east side making you feel really close the road despite the oppressive trees.

Excavated evidence suggests that the site as rapidly constructed on a huge scale but never occupied on a permanent basis. Short-lived settlement was discovered in the southern half of the hillfort, possibly relating to the construction period.

I later found the Mesolithic oldbury Rock Shelters (I think), the northern one of which does offer rare (and beautiful) views off to the east of the hillfort.

This pretty flint-built church with dark clapboard tower and pointy red clay-tiled roof hides a secret. Where have all these idley strewn about megaliths come from? I counted two at the entrance of the path, one in the church and seven lying about amongst the gravestones. There may be more, lurking just under the surface of the turf. I did a reccie to make sure there weren’t others, naturally occurring on the edges of the field next to the church, but they were so different to be inexplicable. Undoubtedly, this was an ancient site, though precisely what it is impossible to say. The lie of the land seemed right, and I was reminded of the Churchill village stones which I had seen only the week before. In response to ocifant’s musings on whether or not the indentations on the stones are cup-marks or weathering, I would join the weathering school-of thought, but I have no real experience on which to base this hunch. I’d need to know more about geology to tell.

Sunday morning we left Southampton at about 11.30 for a walk. 7 of us in all, me, my hubby, Cath & Keith, their kids and Mr Hobbs our expert in all things flora, fauna and country pubs!

Decided as we had the 1989 copy of the Ordenance Survey book of British Walks to go to Micheldever Woods. Easy to get to, leave the Motorway at Winchester and follow the old Roman Road A33 and then turn left at the Roman Pub! (Full of tales of ghosts and late night drinking exploits from Mr Hobbs). Micheledever woods are on your left handside as you go past the pub (Ordenance Map Ref SU530365). We pulled into the car park and were suprised to find we were the only people there. Decided to do the 2.5 mile walk and take in both burial mounds and the banjo!! Don’t take the 1989 Ordenance Survey Walk Guide with you as they’ve actually changed the paths!!!

What a fantasticly well managed wood land it is. Beautiful in its colours, sounds, tree types and wildlife. Monk Jack Deer (scuse spelling) were seen and all kinds of butterflies and dragonflies. Even tales of bears were told from the footprints in the dried out mud!!

The first mound is easy to find and you can clearly see the ditches surrounding it. It has the tallest tree on the top. Well posted signs give you a brief syopsis of what it is and time periods and so on. The second mound, due to the paths being moved, is not so easy to find and is hidden away in the trees, next to the Motorway, so the atmosphere is some what ruined by the sound of passing cars. It’s also been excavated over time for flint so is badly damaged.

The walk itself is stunning and easy for those who don’t like hills or have trouble walking as it’s very flat and the paths are well maintained. The Walk is in a circle of sorts, but due to our old map we ended up double crossing ourselves and I’m sure there is an easier way round. Before you get back to the car park is the Banjo Settlement again nicely sign posted. Again you can see the ditches and get a feel of the size of the settlement and can work out where the houses were and where the hearth was and really get a feel of life. The silence at this spot is very strange, not even a grasshopper sound. Perfect silence....

I loved it and thought it was wonderful, and never would have expected it to be there. (For a meal and a beverage afterwards I recommend The Flower Pots at Cheriton!)

Visiting on a Bank Holiday Monday I half expected the Avenue to be swarming with people. But of course it wasn’t! I think part of the reason is because only a couple of stones are immediately visible from the henge end, so people don’t think to walk down it. This is definitely their loss.

I had driven from the direction of West Kennett, and parked in the little layby just where the stones start, so I had a lovely walk into the circle and back – not to deprive the NT of their new ticket-machine monies, but personally this is the route I’d recommend if you fancy a bit of peace. I don’t know for sure which direction the avenue was ‘supposed to be used’, but I do know that the way you experience reaching the main henge with the banks rising up in front of you is much more enlightening than the sudden way you enter it from the NT carpark.

Another advantage of this direction is that from lots of directions Windmill Hill doesn’t look like much, which has always surprised me considering it’s the Original site, older than Avebury. But walking towards it down the Avenue the Hill looks big and important: it clearly overarches the henge. Surely this must have been a consideration when this Avenue was put up?

Another thing that struck me was the way the Avenue is bordered by Avebury Down on one side, and Waden Hill on the other. You get the impression it is nestling between them, but take away the stones – yes, it would be a natural route, but somehow the stones highlight it. I really felt that the stones weren’t Competing with the landscape, they weren’t imposing on it. Some of them are pretty massive, but they’re nothing compared to the surrounding landscape, nor I felt were they trying to be. You know how at some sites the stones feel the centre of attention (Long Meg feels like this to me) but here I didn’t think they were. Neither were they echoing their surroundings like I felt at Castlerigg. They just ‘show you the way’. Probably a bit obvious as it’s an avenue? But it’s not an enclosing, single minded ‘This Way’ sort of avenue. If you see what I mean.

I’d never walked down here before and so was pleasantly taken by its curving lines – it certainly feels profoundly un roman or christian! I thought it was quite funny that some of the stones are or should be on the opposite side of the road as the S swings round – typical that the road should develop straight from A to B through them. The S-shape reinforced to me how it’s not a ‘This Way, People, Hurry Up’ kind of device. The journey is important – it’s not just about funnelling people from one place to another.

Driving back past the Avenue and out towards the Beckington roundabout, Silbury Hill quickly appeared. I admit I’d kind of forgotten about it being so close, so it was quite surprising. I remembered that Waden Hill is the hill that plays the ‘Silbury Game’. Everything is so linked here; the landscape is so full of ‘monuments’ and each one was added (one imagines in a meaningful way) onto a layout already in existence. There’s so much we don’t know and can probably never know, and wandering about in this landscape is so tantalising; it’s like having a phrase on the tip of your tongue but just not being able to remember it.

I only spotted this on the way home as I took a wrong turning. Parking in a layby I looked across and thought “hello, what’s that?“. Checking the map, the opportunity was too good to miss, and we carefully made our way up the deeply rutted track to the even more deeply rutted car park.

As others have said, the ‘fort’ is impressive. I was totally unprepared for the inner ditch, and knew right away that this was special in some way. It’s a bit too ‘jagged’ for a proper henge ditch, to my mind, and looks a bit rough and ready.

Great views though, and a large and varied butterfly population.

South Baddesley is a small place: a church, a school and a few cottages. We parked in the church car park, a couple of hundred yards North off the Lymington-East End road.

I walked back down the lane to the junction, but could see no sign of a sarsen, even though the GPS said I was on the spot. There’s a small triangle of grass at a junction with a side lane, that would have been an ideal spot if the stone had been moved, but it was bare.

Sadly it looks as if this is no more (or is now recumbent in a ditch, covered by undergrowth)

25th August 2003

We visited this site today after spending some time at Old Sarum. We agree that it is a rather strange hill fort and have our own suggestion. We think that it could originally have been a henge monument or small causewayed enclosure that was later re-used as a hill fort. this would explain the inner ditch. The outer ditch could have been created later to heighten the bank and improve entrance defences. We also noticed that one entrance frames a view of Old Sarum very well – any significance? who knows! A henge monument would have predated Old Sarum, which could disprove our theory, but maybe there was something else at that time at Old Sarum or maybe the entrance was changed when the hill fort was created? Hambledon Hill (in North Dorset) was originally a causewayed enclosure and so was Maiden Castle (Dorchester). Both of these were modified to form hill forts, so this would not be exceptional. Any more ideas anyone?????????

Surprised to see only a few entries to the old cove here. My first visit here in 99 was magical. As we approached the stones a December storm was brewing-the sky a boiling of black whilst the sun shone apon the stoney pair making them shine white against the apocalyptic backdrop. It looked very dramatic and made the stones seem even more lonely and special- glad to still be there and undaunted by the attention their avebury cousins get. I stayed until the rain really hammered( A double memory for me too as this was when my old para boots finally expired) The many miles took their toll- At Longstone Cove I lost my sole (sorry,sorry...)

If you drive down Dyffryn lane you`ll see this stone standing by the road-side. It`s nearly five feet tall and leans to the north-east.

Maen Beuno could well be an outlier to the Dyffryn Lane henge which is about 100 metres further on down the lane, in a field on the other side of the road.

We found the stone after a little searching around in the undergrowth.

Park in the social club car park and walk towards Marston Mortain on the opposite side of the road to the houses (with the church in the background). Enter the park through the first stile that you come to, turn right and walk through the long grass for approx 30-40 yards until you are opposite number six Station Lane / Jubilee Cottages (?) – hard to tell where one starts and the ends.

The stone stands approx 20-24 inches in height and is concreted in place, kind of octagonal in shape.

I was on my way to Mabe Church when I spotted this through a field gate. A sad sight that must have happened all over Cornwall. The chain was rusted and there was no indication of drag marks so this must have happened a long time ago but sad nontheless.

I went here on a rather hot day, the air filled with swooping Swallows and Martins, although near the M4 it is a peaceful place not frequented by many people on foot. The barrow itself is overgrown with long grass and other vegetation which makes it difficult to get an overview of its condition.

To find it from Tormarton take the Marshfield road, cross the M4 and take the first left. The barrow is about 200 meters along the road, there is a field gate and easy access and easy parking.

I have visited this Stone many times,it seems to have an “atmosphere” about it.People report feeling strange or suffering from headaches,like Tamlin,after visiting.
I took another pic of the little Stone in the wall but haven’t posted any more of the Long Stone.

1400hrs Sunday 17th August 2003.

Just outside St David’s, this stone, roughly seven feet tall, stands happily in a well used field. There is no path, and no sign post, but if you find yourself in the farm of Trecenny you have gone too far. Back track one hundred yards north, until you come to a field gate on your right. Look over the hedge on your left and you will see the stone. The farmer was ploughing and gestured to me in a friendly manner, inviting me in, but I could see he was busy, and his tractor took him close to the stone. I had no wish to disturb his chores and contented myself with photographing from the hedge. One thing that is apparent is how brown the stone appears. Maybe it was the surrounding earth, but this feels to be a ‘farmer’s stone’, and one happily existing in its natural landscape. It appears shaped towards the top and on one side, but otherwise a friendly, cheerful stone, lord of all it surveys.

Access is along a winding road, but full mobility would be required to see the stone over the hedge.

1430hrs Monday 18th August 2003.

Sadness. Perhaps my earlier visit to Coetan Arthur has played upon my mind, but these two tiny chamber tombs speak to me of children. Situated at ‘Highwinds’ on the map, these tiny forgotten graves lie just behind the rotting foundations of what were once anti aircraft and sea defence guns in the second world war. I for one cannot imagine daring to ‘step outside for a smoke’ on a winter’s night in such a place, for even on a summers day history and its ghosts surround you here in swathes.

One tomb retains its capstone, four foot square perhaps, and cosily resting on four decent sized slabs, with one slightly sunk. The one behind, no more than five feet away, has the capstone pushed off. At first glance it almost looked like a Holy Well, similar to those found in Cornwall, but closer inspection revealed this too was a small tomb. It tucks into a low bank and almost seems part of the hill, projecting out onto the headland. From the tombs you can see Coetan Arthur. Perhaps they could see their father? A weird and unsettling place, with sadness and loneliness soaked into the stones. I offered a blessing to those gone before, and wished them at peace.

Access is along a well marked coastal path, but it does swing perilously close to some very severe cliffs, so children need to be watched at all times. To visit the tombs you have to leave the path and traverse some quite steep hillside for approximately half a mile. The path is clear at all times, but take a good OS map to lessen any confusion.

1200hrs Monday 18th August 2003.

Climbing up from Whitesands, Coetan Arthur bursts onto the skyline in perfect silhouette, astonishing one with its dramatic curves and intensity. First espied, when approaching St David’s, and I am amazed. A moment before it was not there. Such is the approach, the pitching, rolling angles of the springy gorse that the tomb, one moment nestling within a circle of bracken and gorse, seemed to spring up from natures grasp and suddenly establish itself proudly on the skyline.

Low and deep, the capstone is strong and immense. Solid, with purpose it grips the supporting stones with a vice like grip, unlike the nimble acrobatics of Carreg Samson. Situated roughly one hundred yards out from the defensive walls of the headland hill fort, the site almost challenges the visitor to first pass the warrior or chieftain who surely must have been buried here. “You may battle with the physical, but our ghosts will surely slay you too”, the message is writ, in hunks and slabs of angular stone that graze the earth like the nearby wild ponies.
The position, overlooking the Irish Sea and the multitude of small islands around the head seems a statement about who resided, who still dwells here. Tread carefully, they are not gone.

Access along a coastal path is visiting from Whitesands, well marked but close to cliff edge. Scramble off the path and up to Coetan Arthur through scrub and heather. Difficult but not impossible for anyone with walking disability.