Latest Fieldnotes

Chumbawala may have encountered horses here, but I had to watch out for the feisty cattle protecting their calves.

At Three Cocks, on the A438, take the minor road heading east signposted to Llanigon. After just less than a mile, the barrow is in a field to the south of the road.

The site is dominated by two old trees which hampered the excavation carried out here in 1929ad. The remains of five males were found.

On approaching, I first saw a large blocking stone(?), followed by a small mound, then the remains of the burial chamber.

GPS: SO 18226 38060

Thursday 1 May 2003
The ‘tumulus’ of Pitnacree is described in the ‘big papery’ version of TMA with no pics, and is lumped in with Lundin Farm. No photos here yet – I’ll have to get a scanner….

I’m not big on barrows, but it’s a fairly small rounded mound with fairly tall thin trees and a standing stone on top of it. (What a professional sounding description that one is….) Or perhaps CANMORE does it better…
rcahms.gov.uk/canmore/details_gis?inumlink=26384

OS map required

This really is in the middle of nowhere on open moorland. Crossing several streams and it’s boggy.

Head out to the Usk Reservoir and use the car park just before the bridge Pont’ar Wsyg.
Follow the track beside river Usk in a southerly direction away from the reservoir.
After 200m or so of this the river forks. Cross the river and follow the right fork.
After 400m or so the river forks again. To your right is the Usk, on your left is the Nant Tarw. Cross the Nant Tarw.
Hopefully you are now between both rivers and ahead of you is rising land. Walk in a southerly direction keeping closer to the stream on your left (Nant Tarw) rather than the Usk on your right.
400m ahead you will hopefully reach a ruined (robbed) circular stone cairn. It is a good landmark and the stone is bare of grass and some 16m by 11m (0.3m in height).
The stone circles are over to the east of the cairn on a plateau.

Behind the hill you are walking along are two mountains (with dramatic scarps: Picws Du and Fan Brycheiniog). If you reach a point where the hill you are on is obscuring these two peaks: you have gone too far and missed the stone circles.

If you reach a point where you are having to cross several streams running down from the hill to the river Nant Tarw: you have gone too far and missed the stone circles.

At the top of the hill is a fence, so it is unlikely you will wander off and die of exposure on the Black Mountain (although there is supposedly a stone circle up there SN 823232 around 600m up Fan Brycheiniog).

It is worth considering when at the circles that if you stand facing north: in the wooded hill north of the Usk Reservoir are two standing stones; another two at the eastern end; another two stone circles (Mynydd Bach) on the hill beyond that just below Y Pigwn. To your right less than 2km away is the standing stone Blaenau Uchaf. Behind you 3km or so away is another stone circle (as previously mentioned, but I cannot find any information on it). Infront of you is a ruined stone cairn (antiquarian accounts indicate 5 or 6 erect stones once defined its circumference).

Nant Tarw consists of a pair of small Bronze Age stone circles 110m apart and intervisible with each other.

The western circle is the higher of the two, slight ellipse of 15 stones with a diameter of 19m. Stones vary in height from nothing to 1m. A guide states that there are entrance gaps at west and east, but because the stones are small and some missing it’s not that obvious. It is comprised of glacial boulders and Old Red Sandstone slabs.

Between the two circles is a large fallen stone 2.6m long by 1.5m wide.

The eastern circle is similar in size (slightly larger at 21m and also an ellipse) and has 18 visible stones. The stones vary in height from nothing to 1.25m, one of the fallen stones would have been higher than that. Again the guide I consulted suggests two entrance gaps, this time in the southeast and southwest sections. Similar stones used to the western circle

Many of the stones are very low. To give you a better idea, many of the guides state that the visiblity of stones is dependent on weather conditions on the ground and plant growth: we are not talking Avebury here by any means. It is a fair slog across open moorland and streams to reach the site.

That said on the day I visited the weather was fair, the scenery majestic and I had the mountains to myself all day. I did run out of water though, so be prepared to be self-sufficient when you’re out there.

OS map required

On Mynydd Illtyd 8km west of Brecon and 1.6km Southwest of Brecon Beacons National Park Mountain Centre.

Situated in the gap between the two halves of Glasfynydd Forest.

Middle of nowhere.

In ‘Prehistoric Breconshire’ by Children and Nash, Logaston Pr. the name of the stone is given as: Troed Rhiw Wen.

At the farm buildings Caerllwyn, head up the single lane tarmac track with a no through-road sign.
About 1km west go through a gate across the road, 200m later go through another gate.
Over the small bridge and through a gate into the yard of Blaenau Uchaf farm.
A bridleway runs up along side the farm house (access through a gate).
Follow the bridleway in an uphill curve to the left.
When near the top look into the field up to your left and the stone will be in the upper field 100m or so away.

The stone reminded me of a smaller version of Maen Mawr (6km or so to the south), a large block of sandstone stood on its longest side. It appears to be raised on a grass covered stone cairn.
(Dimensions given as: height 1.68m, breadth 1.3m and thickness 0.94m)

On open moorland upon a steep hill.

1km north of Cerrig Duon stone circle, or 8km south of Trecastle on mountain road headed toward Craig-y-nos. The stone stands up on a hill and is easier to see up on the left when headed in a southerly direction, rather than up on the right when headed north as it is set back 300m from the road.

On the side of the road is a stile, with Brecon Beacons National Park signage indicating ‘access to standing stone only’.

I am not convinced of the intervisibility between Waen Lleuci and Cerrig Duon, as there is a hill slope in the way.

The stone stands on a small plateau about 15m in diameter close to the field boundary. Broad blade shaped, very nearly 2m high and 1.5m wide, yet it is only 0.26m thick. The stone is aligned in a north-south direction and so can be considered to be pointing in the direction of Cerrig Duon. It is made of Old Red Sandstone.

OS map required

Middle of nowhere on an unclassified road between Trecastle and Craig-y-Nos

The road follows the river Tawe. At the point where both run along side each other, the stone circle is up on a plateau on the other side of the river (30m from the road). It is easier to see from the road if you are travelling from Trecastle (heading south), because the large stone (Maen Mawr) slightly to the north of the circle is reasonably easy to spot. Whereas heading from Craig-y-Nos (heading north) the plateau hides the circle.

You will have to cross the river on stepping stones and the monuments are on open moorland.

Cerrig Duon (the name translates as ‘Black Stones’)is a small Bronze Age stone circle, directly to its north is a large standing stone (Maen Mawr) and beyond that two small outliers, all aligned north to south. To the east is the river Tawe which also runs in this direction.

For those of you who love the super henges, all the stone circles on the Brecon Beacons are small in diameter with small stones and badly damaged, but with exceptional views.

Ynys Hir, is a single stone circle. Mynydd Bach is a double stone circle, as is Nant Tarw and Cerrig Duon is a single stone circle with a large standing stone outlier as well as an avenue.

The most impressive monument is Maen Mawr (translates as ‘Big Stone’) a large block of sandstone nearly 2m high, 1.3m wide and nearly 1m thick. Rectangular in appearance with an almost flat top.

Just to the south of it is Cerrig Duon. Not quite circular (Egged shaped) around 18m in diameter. It comprises of 22 stones. As usual all stones are small, with the tallest only reaching up to 0.6m. The stones are (Pennant) sandstone and slab-like.

To the east of the circle is the avenue, made up of even smaller stones (described in the CADW guide as ‘very small stones, which can be difficult to see…’). Around 5m apart, narrower at the end nearest the stone circle and headed in a Northeast direction. Guide books give the number of stones in each of the two rows as around 16, but I found them difficult trace beyond 6 or so. The CADW guide gives the total lengths of the rows as 42m and 25m (or 35m in another guide).

There is speculation that the avenue points to a nearby standing stone (Waen Lleuci), 1km to the northeast.

Access less than 1km south of Dan-yr-Ogof showcaves on the A4067.
On the road is a property: Nant Gwared Bungalow.
Behind it is Nant Gwared Farm, ask for permission here to visit Saith Maen (there is a bridleway, but signs on the road inform that it does not give access to the hill on which the monument is sited).
Then over the stile and up the hill, which is a short but steep climb over open moorland.
Just head for the top of the hill and Saith Maen will come into view on the summit.
Try not to fall in the very deep kettle hole next to the monument.

The name translates as Seven Stones. Of the seven stones two have fallen (the largest).
They are all of the same stone (carboniferous siliceous grit stone, apparently) except one which is Old Red Sandstone, which means it was either dragged there or was a glacial erratic.

The orientation is north-northeast by south-southwest.

The heights of the stones (including those fallen) range from 0.6m to 2.8m. Edge on (looking along the row) the stones present their thinnest sides. From in front or behind they show their broader faces.

CADW says:
heights
First stone (most northerly): 1.6m
Second stone (fallen to west): 2.3m
Third stone: 1m (sandstone)
Fourth stone: (fallen to east): 2.9m
Fifth stone: 0.8m
Sixth stone: 0.8m
Seventh stone: 0.7m

The length of the row is about 12m, the gaps between the stones appears to be a similar distance (around 1m).

Barber and Williams (1989) suggest that the alignment is pointing to the nearby stone circle Cerrig Duon, which is 6km to the northeast.

CADW also mention a possible outlier 7.9m to the southwest.

Beautiful views up there, but do take care as it is boggy on the track and the limestone outcrops, tough grasses and steepness of the hill can make the decent a bit ankle-bending.

OS Explorer OL 12 gives the name as Ty Elltud

Part of the Black Mountains group of chambered tombs(Severn-Cotswold type).

Heading out from Brecon on the A40 to Abergavenny.
Just after the end of the dual carriageway is the village of Llanhamlach.
Beyond this (before reaching the pub ‘the Old Ford’) is a turning on the left for Pennorth.
Take the turning, go past the first property on the left and continue until you reach a large farm on your right (all buildings plain grey stone, approx 700m from main road turn off).
This is Manest Court, and you should ask here for permission before visiting Ty Illtyd.

Opposite the entrance to the farm on the other side of the single track road is a field gate. Beyond this, pasture rising up the hill to another field gate. Beyond is the brow of the hill with a few trees on it. Head for the trees, because infront of them is the burial mound (it can be seen from the A40 at the Pennorth turning once you know where to look).

Illtyd was a local saint, and ty translates as house.

Great view of the Usk flood plain, with views of nearby Iron Age settlements (Slwch, Pen-y-Crug and Coed Fenni-fach, all to the west).

The mound is orientated north-south, with the chamber at the northern end. It has the shape of a long oval, the west side is badly plowed but does appear to give the impression of the remains of kerbing (thin flat stones) in places. It rises to around 2m and its length is given as 23m by 15.7m across at its widest point.

There is a large stone lying half buried halfway along the east side as well as a smaller one towards the back. I am aware of the large chamber being excavated, but I do not know if all of the mound has been. I am sure that if side chambers were present someone else would have mentioned it in print, whereas all the sources I have read just refer to a single main chamber.

The rectangular chamber consists of three uprights (sides and back) surmounted by a single large capstone (2m long by 1.75m width). In front of the chamber one on either side are low standing stones and in front of them is a large long stone, suggesting the remains of a forecourt of some sort (I couldn’t make out the remains of any horns).

The chamber is cramped, CADW gives the internal dimensions as 1.6m long by 0.9m wide and 0.6m high, so be prepared to crawl in and out through the mud and sheep excrement.

Of additional interest are the carvings (if you can find them, I just about made out 3 crosses and nothing else) inside the chamber: 60+ crosses and lozenges, two sets of dates in roman numerals and a lyre.

John Aubrey perhaps visited the tomb in the 17th century, making it the earliest known reference to a megalithic tomb in Brecknockshire: ‘…The Doctor caused it to be digged; and there rose such a horrid tempest of thunder & lightening, that the workmen would work no longer; and they sayd they sawe strange apparitions; but they found a cake of gold, which was of a considerable value. This was about 1612. From Sr Tho: Williams Baronet, Chymist to K. Charles II.’

From Brecon on A40 heading towards Abergavenny. The Stone stands on the verge of the road where the dual carriageway ends just before the village of Llanhamlach. It is protected by wooden fencing, now in a bad state of repair.

I have read that this stone may not be prehistoric, and I mention it here as it is less than 1km away from the Ty Illtyd burial chamber.

The stone is recorded on OS maps.

Square in plan and approx. 1m high. It looks promising on approach as the faces towards the road are eroded and weathered. However upon closer examination two of the edges appear to be neatly chamfered at 45 degrees. These chamfers also appear to show diagonal tooling marks.

I am assuming it is the remains of a preaching cross or boundary marker. It is well weathered and probably ancient, worth looking at and making up your own mind, if you are intending to visit the nearby burial chamber.

I was up at the rocks today and they were absolutely heaving with folk.
The rocks themselves are an amalgamation of every proto temple you have ever seen. Not so much a landscape but a dreamscape. the Ur equivalent of a city of dreaming spires.

This stone, to the SE of Woodend Cottage, stands just back from the main road on a slight bank. Although it is in amongst trees and bushes, it is easy to spot, but wasn’t always so. Coles visited here in 1908 and couldn’t find the stone, suggesting perhaps that the undergrowth was more overgrown back then.

Irregular in shape but with a flat N side, it has a triangular feel to it, although not as much as it’s near neighbour the Croft House stone. These two stones should perhaps be more properly thought of as a pair of stones rather than two individual ones. They are aligned NW-SE at a distance of approximately 400m from each other. As with other pairs of stones in Perthshire, this stone has a flat side, while the Croft House stone is a more rounded shape.

The stone leans to the N, while its top appears to point W to the summit of Ben Vrackie, visible rising over the horizon.

This stone, across the road from the Tulloch B&B, stands on a grassy bank on the edge of a plantation, close to the main road.

Roughly triangular at the base, it rises to a rounded point at the top. One of the points of this triangle appears to point towards the summit of Ben Vrackie in the distance to the W.

The Croft House stone should perhaps be more properly thought of as one of a pair of stones with it’s near neighbour Enochdhu. They are aligned NW-SE at a distance of approximately 400m from one other. As with other pairs of stones in Perthshire, this stone has a rounded shape to it, while the Enochdhu stone has an almost slab-like flat side.

Sunday 27 July 2003
I went up to Adam’s Grave first. If you’ve read my ‘fieldnotes’ on that you’ll know it rendered me practically speechless.

Knap Hill is hardly less spectacular, but without the barrow on top.

It somehow also felt less wild though. Both hills and the car park between were busy, but several people sat up here for some time, whereas nobody stayed on top of Adam’s Grave for long while I was there….

The views from both just go on forever. Sorry to repeat a cliché but it’s true. And from Knap Hill you can see the Adam’s Grave barrow properly. It’s strange and very impressive from here.

It must be really mind-boggling if you know the area well and can spot places you know. I’m still in awe over a week later.

Sunday 27 July 2003
WOW.

Sorry. Just WOW!

Read all the other fieldnotes. They say it better than I can. Or read my Knap Hill fieldnotes which have a tiny bit more substance than this one!

But if I’d gone up Knap Hill first, I think that would’ve just been ‘WOW!’ instead….

Sunday 27 July 2003
Coming from the Sanctuary, I reached East Kennett village and took a right turn. I parked just down from the church and walked up the lane and through Manor Farm, joining a bridlepath up the hill to the west. The tree topped East Kennett Long Barrow was clearly visible to my left.

After a very short distance an overgrown but obvious track appears on the left, leading alongside the ‘top’ edge of the field where the long barrow stands.

As the path reached the field the barrow is in, there was no hedgerow or fence and the crop had nice wide, deep and clear tractor tracks.

I decided that should anyone disapprove, if I hustled along, the chances of me being spotted were slim. (I’ve now read that it’s best to ask permission, so if I go again I will!)

Two minutes later I was on the north west end of the barrow amongst the trees. Reaching the top I soon found my way barred by impenetrable undergrowth thick with stinging nettles. I don’t think I could’ve forced my way through, even if I hadn’t been wearing shorts, As it was – no way!

I made my way back down to the foot of the barrow and turned right, along it’s north east side. It was a struggle to make my way without damaging the crop and without stinging myself to death on the nettles that also line the edge of the barrow.

Reaching the south west end of the long barrow I found that there is actually some space to stand and look at this end. This ‘felt’ like the ‘front’ of the barrow, though I have no idea whether it is or not.

I couldn’t see the chamber stones that apparently protrude at this end, but the vegetation was rampant, and once again of the stinging kind. Winter visit?

Sunday 27 July 2003
The barrows stand dignified and proud next to the busy A4 and the sunny Sunday afternoon bike-bustle of the Ridgeway. The three barrows featured in most pictures seem clearly to be the ‘tip of the iceberg’ here.

Julian remarks in TMA there were once maybe 12, and as you look on it’s easy to believe and visualise. Given the relatively short distance to an ‘outlying’ barrow to the north and the interestingly-shaped ‘tumuli’ nearby, I’d not be surprised if it was more.

Sunday 27 July 2003
Just as enigmatic as I expected. After only a few minutes I decided it was too complex for me to get my head round, especially with other people wandering about. Need to sit down & read about it onsite and ‘sans tourists’.

As a vantage point for spying out the landscape it’s superb.

And worth spending time at for both reasons!

These are excellent carvings but are in a pretty bad place to be on the moor.
It would bea good idea to get a copy of the diagram posted on this page or something similar, there is quite alot of recent graffiti scratched all over the shop and it gets a bit tricky to see what’s what. Unbelievable really when you think they’re in a quarry full of shag rocks to piss on.

Sunday 27 July 2003
I know many people regard this stone as a kind of (un?)holy grail. And it wasn’t exactly easy to find, even though I had gleaned a fair amount of information and hints from a few different sources.

Reading about it, it seems a very special place and I was very ‘keyed up’ about trying to find it, with slight misgivings about whether I’d be disappointed.

So is it worth the effort or is the chase better than the catch?

When I first approached the stone, I didn’t think it was the one. It seemed smaller than in photos I’d seen and the way I approached, the corner with the grooves was farthest from me.

When I spotted the grooves I could hardly believe how insignificant the much sought-after stone looked....

BUT, the very moment my fingers traced the grooves, feeling how incredibly smooth they are worn, I felt a sudden connection to the people who used the stone to sharpen their tools and weapons.

And I’m not someone who usually feels that kind of ‘nonsense’! For me, that in itself means this is a very special place.

How many people must have sharpened how many tools and weapons how many times to wear such long and relatively deep grooves in such hard rock?

(A question I couldn’t help keep coming back to as I sat and pondered the stone is actually kind of banal, and will surely never be answered – why this stone…?)

Sunday 27 July 2003
As Julian suggests in the big papery TMA, I parked on the left of the A4 at the entrance to Clatford Farm, on the verge in front of the farm sign on the west side of the entrance. I had to take care crossing the busy road to the beginning of the track at map ref SU158688.

After about 15 or 20 minutes the Devil’s Den came into view near the bottom of the gentle slope up to the left. As vegetation was thick, I missed the path where it forks left from the track 20 yards or so before the dolmen. The path itself was fairly overgrown and the dolmen in crop.

I slowly and gently made my way through the crop. Judging from the mess in places though, I guess others hadn’t been quite so careful.

I love dolmens (!) and this dolmen is everything I expected, despite the slightly dodgy restoration or repairs. Having not visited France, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall or Devon for some time, it felt quite odd to be looking at a dolmen. But good!

Photographic opportunities were limited by the thick crop, but I enjoyed the peace of the site and felt fortunate not to be disturbed.

As I walked around the dolmen a couple of times with my camera, its positioning in the valley seemed unusual, as I now see Rhiannon has remarked on this site. It’s placing did however remind me slightly of Lambourn Seven Barrows that I had visited the day before.

Sunday 27 July 2003
Having followed the signs into the visitors car park, I was now to the west of the college. Out of the car, I turned to look at the college and noticed that there were some unfeasibly high treetops towering over the buildings.

Knowing that there are trees on the Mound, I headed between the buildings and was soon standing beside the mound.

What a monster!!

And what a bizarre setting it has in the present day! It really is ‘squished in’ amongst the college buildings, almost giving the impression that should it decide to flex its muscles it would just sweep the encroaching buildings away.

The buildings make the mound difficult to photograph, but at the same time make for some interesting juxtapositions…. And I’m not even going to mention the irritating ‘faux’ standing stones etc ‘littering’ the college grounds….

Reckoned to be a close relative of Silbury Hill the Mound is very impressive once you manage to really see it and to ignore the nearest college buildings and the trees growing from the mound itself. According to most sources it is definitely the second biggest manmade mound in Europe after Silbury.

Unfortunately, it’s actual purpose seems to be even more mysterious than Silbury’s, and surely it simply wouldn’t be big enough to play a similar role to Silbury in any landscape of special significance that once existed here?

Even though it’s huge and second only to Silbury, it’s actually pretty tiny in comparison to Silbury itself, so any parallel may be limited at best.

Yet on the other hand I couldn’t help speculating. If it truly is next biggest to Silbury, so close to Silbury, and of a similar age to Silbury, could they have had purposes in common?

Maybe it’s fanciful, but get rid of the town, make the mound white with chalk as Silbury was, see it from the surrounding ancient paths. Could it have ‘worked’?

Wonder if it was bare white chalk ….

I wrote the above before checking the big papery TMA. It turns out that on pages 78-9 Julian actually says something quite similar, but written (as is Julian’s tendancy) as if it is proven fact. Perhaps it is. I was going to delete my musings but then I thought ‘well, not everyone has the book….‘

And he says it WAS chalk.

As far as arranging visits is concerned, Baza’s ‘Sunday visit’ tactic certainly worked for me at about 9.45am – absolutely nobody about to object to the fact that I hadn’t got permission….

I have to agree that it’s a disappointing site, even more so after searching through the bracken.

Further to Chris’ field note the NMR has a stone with 5 cup marks down at SE1299 4638; the pointed stone is quite small and the cups are worn.

It was good to hear that Chris Collyer had a hard time finding the stones first time out......after finding only 1 of the larger carved stones I feel less of a nubber for it.
In the entrance to the D-shaped part of the enclosure on the right-hand side of the wall is a small single cup marked(?) slab.

West of the Idol Stone and below Green Crag is an enclosure which according to the NMR has the remains of rubble banks, cairns, an upright stone and 7 carved rocks.
But seen as the place was snided with flying ants I didn’t get much of a look around the place.
The carved stone in my pic is right next to the path about halfway up the slope.

Me and Timmo decided to check this fella out this evening.
We packed our picnic and set off to eat our tea at one of Ormesby’s houses of the dead.
We parked up at Flatts lane and followed the footpath through the woods and into the cowfield.
Crossing the field I noticed a bunch of cows and calves checking us out from a distance.
Half way up the cowfield is a stile, don’t take the one at the bottom of the field...believe me ...experience ( I gotta stop kidding myself that I can find sites using intuition alone).
The middle stile will lead you to the site.
The weather was beautiful, the path was dry and dusty, the grass was parched, the crickets were in excellent voice and there was an acrid smell in the air, a mixture of pigs and cows, the vibe was definitely continental.
The woods beyond the cowfield are full of pigs, they just roam around looking for shade and make a hell of a racket when you disturb them.

Anyhow, the barrow is at the top of the hill and on the edge of a field. The land is private and I suppose you should seek permission from the farmer before venturing on to it.
The mound itself is fairly impressive and totally shagged. The first thing I noticed was the large axle, sub frame and wheels that had been dumped on top of it – they resembled a sort of modern exploded chariot burial!
The excavation trenches are open but as they were dug in the early 70’s they have now become the kingdom of gorse and are on the whole, impenetrateble. There is still enough there to see some sort of structure.
There was a carved rock reported here but I couldn’t find it. I know Graeme C has been up here and also turned up with nowt.

The thing about this mound is the setting – 360 degrees of beautiful Cleveland. To the north is the Teesmouth the as you track east, the nearby Eston Nab, the rock art site of Airy Hill, the mesolithic site of Highcliff Nab. I could go on but the list will only bore you.
Needless to say you have views of the Cleveland escarpment and the vale of Cleveland with westerly views to county Durham and the Pennines beyond are excellent. A fitting place for a grave.

On the way back we got spooked by pigs and chased by half sized cows. As I had my boy with me I had to show a little bravado as he ran for the stile, I turned and faced the curious calves and give them a good bollocking for daring to chase my lad and me...hey it worked, the calves turned and fled but then their mams starting looking a bit pissed and slowly started to head my way..time to leave.