Latest Fieldnotes

This sadly neglected long barrow/chambered tomb has the most commanding of locations on the Welsh side of Severn estuary overlooking it’s two beautiful bridges.

I parked in Leechpool (not a place where you’d want to paddle, unless you were a medieval quack, perhaps?), climbed over the stile and walked up the field to the barrow, its outline unmistakable on the skyline, with it’s two east facing portal stones jutting out above the horizon. It sits atop a little rise, giving it enough height to be described as impressive. I rather think its hillocktop location is the very fact that has saved it from destruction. The view is wonderful – two glorious modern gleaming bridges engineered to span and link this gaping physical divide between England and Wales. Sadly, not much peace here though, the traffic noise constantly swishes in the background. I wondered about the longevity of this modern engineering I was looking at compared to the the ancient engineering on which I stood. No contest. I had a bit of a scout round, and was surprised to see that the stone outline of the chamber, on top of what is left of the barrow, is still in pretty good condition (underneath the thistles and weeds) and realised that at one time the height of the barrow would have covered this lot – and some! It must’ve been a wonderful sight!

Amazing – I was born and grew up here, and knew nothing about these. Neither did anyone else till a couple of local lads saw some illustrations of cup and ring marks and remembered their old gang hut....

From the Cowdenbeat road, take the path signposted ‘To Standing Stanes Road’ (leads to Glassmount stones). Head uphill, over the first stile, cross the field and over the second stile. Bear up on the right hand path leading to the Binn, and cross the third stile. From here (depending on the length of your legs – my paces are just over 1m) take 50 paces up the path. Turn hard right (due S) and move into the wood to the fence. Cross the fence, take about 20 paces and there’s a large rocky outcrop in front of you. And there they are!

20.7.03
Once again I stand in this wonderful circle. It calls me back every time I am in Cornwall. I have visited many other circles since but this one is closest to my heart. Once again the man I love is not with me but he is closer to me now. I hope next time I return he will be with me in this magic place. There is no mist today, no sun, no rain but the impact of this circle of stone needs no enhancement.

Visited 21st June 2003: After the Solstice sunrise at Stanton Drew and a big breakfast at Little Chef, we headed out to find Stoney Littleton. Initially we tried approaching from the direction of Wellow, but we soon realised that there was nothing resembling a car park to the north east o the site. It’s worth noting that there’s no signposting to Stoney Littleton from the direction of Wellow.

We found the tiny lane from Wellow to the Stoney Littleton car park, and on the way got some exciting glimpses of the long barrow from the road. We parking up, crossed the picturesque little stream, and headed off up the hill. The sun was out, and after our greasy breakfast, spirits were high. The moment where we suddenly reached the barrow (as described by those who came before us) was great. Once we were over the last stile, William shot off along the length of the barrow and we all explored. Apart from half a plastic bottle full of rotting flowers (an offering?) the site looked beautiful in the sunshine, with patches of flowering clover sprinkled around it.

William had his torch, and he headed straight into the chamber. At first Lou and I took it in turns to look after Alfie while the other one went inside, but in the end I gave up and I took Alfie in with me. He seemed to enjoy it, crawling around getting nice and dirty. What a great place for kids! Lou speculated that the different shapes of the chamber might represent different parts of the female anatomy. The first part is the vagina, and where the passage becomes narrow it’s the cervix. The tallest part of the passage, where I could just about stand up, is the womb. What a special place this is!

I saw this fella yesterday from the A1. He was standing in the middle of a beautiful cereal crop. I hope it was barley! unfortunately I couldn’t stop. A couple of miles east is the Kirklandhill Stone another handsome chap also sat in a cereal crop and visible from the A1. I’ll definitely stop and greet them properly next time I’m in the neighbourhood.
The view to Trapain Law and Berwick Law are crackin’.

We have been blessed with an almost lonely visit. Only one couple there inhaling deeply what can only be described as a Camberwell Carrot. Take a walk round the whole field and catch the landscape in it’s entirety. As most have described this, it is a perfect circle but how perfect is it to it’s original design after reconstruction work and archaeology. Nice though

In my beer dazed state I stumbled on it, taking a few minutes to focus. Had the 17th century navies really drove this road straight through this structure. You wouldn’t want a big bend around it though, it might slow up the speeding horse and cart. I can only believe that they were the ancestors of MT! Fab place though.

I first heard about this site when The Levellers wrote a song about it, so I always wanted to go here. Not at all disappointed. The gallery at the end of the footpath by the road had some good info and some fantastic paintings. I wish I had bought some. There is so much to see in this landscape, how can you be disappointed. Time to have a quick look at Nine Maidens before that storm arrives!

A great first call, apart from the pub, on an epic trip round the Lands End peninsula. No-one there at all, it was early morning and myself and my brother had hang-overs after 1 too many Scrumpies at the Newbridge Inn. Great shade and great setting as we watched the storm gathering a pace over Lands End. Although not a area of country where you want to be caught in a storm to see black clouds on one side of you and sunshine on the other is quite dramatic.

In a field just to the E of the picturesque village of Fortingall, on the banks of the River Lyon, stand three groups of standing stones. Closest to the road are a group of four stones (NE) and a group of three stones (SW), while further into the field, closer to the river, is another group of three (S). All are water-worn, smooth, rounded boulders.

In 1970, the two settings closest to the road (NE & SW) were excavated by archaeologists from Leicester University including Aubrey Burl. It was found that both had been four-poster variants, each comprising of four large stones at the corners of a rectangle, with four smaller stones mid-way between the larger ones. In both cases, the missing five stones had been pushed over and buried deeply in prepared pits at some point in the nineteenth century. The date is known as one of the stones was found to have a Victorian beer bottle under it.

Excavation showed that the SW circle originally had a floor of tiny pebbles within it, and stones of quartz were found by the SSW stone. To the SW of the circle part of an Iron Age jet ring was found. At the centre of the NE circle, a burnt patch containing pieces of charcoal and cremated bone was found.

The S setting wasn’t subjected to a full excavation in 1970, but an exploratory excavation at the time revealed a stone hole 4.6m to the NW of the W stone, suggesting a circle of 14.6m in diameter. The three remaining stones stand in an almost straight line aligned SE-NW, but taking into account the stone hole, it would appear that this is the remains of an Aberdeenshire-style recumbent stone circle rather than a stone row or four-poster variant like it’s neighbours.

Four miles south of Arthur`s Stone stands Herefordshire`s tallest standing stone, Wern Derys (or the King Stone).

You need the OS map to find this one. It`s about 1/2 mile down a no through road leading to a farm. On the left-hand side there`s a gate with a large notice saying something like `STOCK – PLEASE CLOSE THE GATE`. It`s in the field beyond that gate. There`s no footpath, but the sign on the gate didn`t say `BUGGER OFF`, so I went in.

I stayed overnight at Coldrum Longbarrow this Friday evening, as I often do. I was camped out in the lane beneath the trees of the site and it was a beautiful moonlit evening.

Unlike the moronic idiots who are constantly setting fires in the middle of the stones my small campfire was, (as always), on a raised metal fire tray. In the morning this leaves no trace, since it is set up on bare earth and there is no grass to suffer scorch marks. Despite Coldrum’s isolated setting a couple of lads showed up at my camp at about midnight and we had a good chat around the fire and a few swigs of ‘Druid Fluid’.

The fence damage has now been fully repaired and some worn out posts replaced by Piers, the hard working NT Warden for the site. However I fear that it won’t be long before the idiots come back and smash up all his good work. In fact I’m not convinced that the fence needs to be there at all since it isn’t designed to keep people out, (thank the Goddess), and to the idiots merely acts as a handy firewood store.

I will be ringing the NT local office to negotiate about filling in and turfing over the rapidly deepening firepit in the centre of the stones. As long as it remains it is a temptation to moronic vandals to use it.

Bright Blessings.
John Pullin, (Oriondruid).

You know it’s time to give it a rest when you start looking for pit alignments in the summer grass and bracken.

100m ENE of the standing stone there’s a 300m run (east-west) of square pits dating to the Bronze/Iron Age. Clay lined they would have at one time been capable of holding water.(In fact they still are, some of the less visible ones at the far eastern end are only visible in winter as they still fill up with water).

Requiring an OS map and a good deal of poking around among the gorse and bracken to find it, this small chambered round barrow is presumably like what many others are under their earthen mounds, or what the ruined ones were before desecration.

But this one was intact until an excavation in 1984, and it stands today with all its stones in place.

I’ve never seen a round barrow in this state before. Imagine if there were no West Kennett or Wayland’s Smithy and all we had were covered mounds or stacks of slabs to fuel our imagination.

This great state of preservation gives a strong feeling of connection, the sense of what these barrows were is immense, I have never been so struck by a later Bronze Age monument. It almost feels like the builders could turn up any time with the remaines to be interred.

Well worth the trek!

Despite being merely marked on our OS map as ‘tumulous’, this site was a superb long barrow, at the foot of the hill that has Merry Maidens circle on one side and the Pipers menhirs on the other, with the Gun Rith menhir just metres away to the north.

Quite incredibly, the construction of the road in 1840 decided not to go straight through this long chambered barrow nor to leave it intact, but to bend so as to obliterate half of it!

Covered in turf before 1840, the remaining half stands as bare stones. The largest of the capstones is thought to be a displaced menhir, and the others to have been moved from other parts of the monument.

There are madly large and deep cup marks on one of the entrance stones which appears to be made of very unusual rock. Which is indeed true, it’s concrete as the original stone is in Truro County Museum.

Inside, an Iron girder supports the rear stone. And all the while traffic zooms by at speed.

And yet despite all of this, and the total loss of the northern half of the barrow, it still has strong presence and it is a very small task to imagine it in its original splendour.

Uniquely on this landscape, the monument has an explanatory plaque.

I strongly recommend Ian Cooke’s ‘Merry Maidens Stone Circle and other nearby ancient sites’ pamphlet, available from local tourist info places, which provides a map, a suggest walking route and loads of history on this rich megalithic landscape.

I think the site was excavated mid 20 C. From what I remember, some of the artefacts are on display in Bolton Museum.

I was at the rollrights last weekend-- surprised to find the khapour (SP?) sculpture- quite brilliant--- but the point of this note- the entrance to the stones in prehistory (so scholarship suggests) was not where it is now- but to your left as you come in from the present entrance---so-- presumably, because of the rising of the land, the stones would appear slightly above you as you approached. Would there have been a track along the route of the present road at that time (i know that the period i am imagining is probably hundreds of years)-- what i find myself thinking about is how the landscape would have appeared when the stones were first sited- or indeed, in the first couple of hundred years after they were sited. Presumably fairly wooded-- the ground in fairly high around the stones- so where was the tree line? If you imagine coming through woods, to cleared ground, with the stones ahead of you-- reminds me of cope talking about the ‘silbury game’--- perhaps what is as important as the stones is the way the sit in the landscape---- and also their arrangement to what must have been (?) burial mounds-- more ancient than the stones? land already consecrated? Land of the dead? West kennet long barrow was out of use around the time of the construction of Silbury (holy be her name) hill--- might the barrows here only been the memory of what was sacred? Is this our link today to this place?

Visited here late this morning. It lies on the Carse Grey estate, so ask at the house for permission – this was readily granted, and after making friends with her 3 labradogs, the lady of the house took me up the track to show me the remains of the four poster. She turned out to be interested in dowsing, and a friend of hers apparently had dowsed the circle and found a line running from it directly down to the big house. There has been recorded habitation on this site since the 14th century, and probably long before that. An underground spring supplies the house – a spiral stair still survives of the original 14th century fortified house.

The circle itself is very overgrown, hundreds of fireweeds (rosebay willowherb) and a lot of brambles, unfortunately not yet ripe! Three stones survive of the four poster, no significant markings on any of them, though the largest seems to be a favoured spot for hunting owls, going by the debris left on top and round about.

Canmore says :“The westernmost of the three surviving stones of the is probable ‘four-poster’ was knocked down by a wind-thrown tree early in 1993. The stone was re-erected by the estate under the supervision of the area Inspector and warden. Investigation of the socket prior to re-erection revealed white quartz fragments and pebbles.”

Although this mound looks like a barrow, it is in fact a glacial morain deposit. The four-poster sits neatly on top and has stunning views of Glen Shee from its vantage point. The mound lies about 500m ESE of Old Spittal farmhouse.

According to Canmore, “In 1894 the natural mound on which the stones are placed was excavated to a depth of 6.71m, and it is unclear if the stones are now in their original positions. The stones lie at the corners of a trapezium, with the two largest at the W end of the long axis; their heights are: A-0.75m, B-0.7m, C-0.3m, D-0.8m. No finds or structural features were recorded during the excavation, and the slight mound at the centre of the stones marks the site of the excavation.”

Pity, as it just looks so like a barrow – and what a dramatic place to be buried! The weather was a bit variable whilst I was here but at least it held off raining, though the clouds were well and truly gathering for a downpour. A really beautiful site, and the four poster, though small, is a real wee beauty!

Sunday 13 July 2003
Out of the car we turned our attention to the left of the road from Birchover towards Stanton in Peak. As we walked up to the second layby (on the left) we immediately spotted the Andle Stone in its dinky enclosure.

We were soon standing at the foot of this benign monster. The big papery version of TMA says it’s 15 ft long, by 10 ft wide and 10ft high. Pah! Pah! and thrice Pah! with multiple exclamation marks!!!!!

The proportions sound about right, but absolutely NO WAY is it that small! You can call me Susan if it’s not so. As Droood remarks in his fieldnotes, you need to stand on the pile of rocks to even reach the first handhold! And John’s over 6 ft!

Julian must have had on some serious platforms that day!!!!

I reckon it’s more like 17 or 18 ft high. Possibly more than 20 ft. It was more than high enough for me to give the climb a miss and for John to just climb up the side but not get on top!

It commands a beautiful view of the wide valley to the north-west. Blessed with such a clear and sunny day, we were spellbound.

Retracing our steps from Doll Tor stone circle later, John and I were both so invigorated that we took our courage (!) in both hands and climbed the Andle Stone after all. And WOW!!!! Is it worth it?!!!!!! Hell yeah!

Sod the cupmarks (sorry) and Victorian etc graffiti… FEEL that view and sense of importance!!!!! The extra elevation and adrenaline add so much…

BUT, a word of warning: unless you’re pretty confident with heights, don’t do it! Certainly not on your own! The turn back over the edge to climb down is very awkward, as it’s very difficult to see over the edge and know what you are doing.

With us, John went first, and although he had to negotiate his own ‘sticky’ moment or 2, was able to help direct me from below. But it was extremely touch-and-go as far as this Moth freezing solid with fear is concerned!!!!!

Definitely plenty more than 10 ft. Blimey, even I could ‘dangle & drop’ or at a push maybe jump 10 ft.

Sunday 13 July 2003
As we followed Elderford’s splendidly detailed instructions from the Andle Stone (thank you Mr E), John realised that he’d looked for the beautiful Doll before, but hadn’t known her name. And hadn’t found her.

I’m full of (figurative) disbelief and (real) awe that Jane found the Doll Tor circle without a decent map! It’s almost spooky. I reckon with the Landranger on its own I might have missed it and I’m not bad at following maps.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? An immensely beautiful (now) sylvan voodoo Doll(y) casting a spell on all who see her.

I’ve said that there’s ‘always’ something about sites when I see them for myself that surprises me or at the very least adds to the experience. In the case of the ‘living’ Doll the surprise was threefold.

The ‘lesser’ surprise was the cairn, which I knew about but was bigger than I expected.

The ‘middle’ surprise was that at least 2 or 3 of the actual stones seemed to have been repaired – I knew the circle had been restored and it’s not a problem for me, but I don’t remember anyone explicitly mentioning it.

And the ‘big’ surprise was the view to the north-west!!!! I never realised you could see through the trees and thought I’d have to try to make the trees disappear in my mind as at so many ‘newly’ forested sites.

None of it!!! Looking closely at some of the photos here in retrospect, it is possible to catch a glimpse. I took a couple of photos trying to emphasise it but I’m not sure it worked….

It’s wonderful when a ‘new’ bunch of rocks lives up to high expectations. Doll Tor managed that and more! Phew!!!

Oh yeah, John liked it too.

Retracing our steps, John and I were both so invigorated by Doll Tor that we took our courage (!) in both hands and climbed the Andle Stone. And WOW!!!! Is it worth it?!!!!!! Hell yeah!

Sunday 13 July 2003
Arriving at Elderford’s layby at 119 229 619, we discovered it was full. But luckily there is room for one car at the bottom of the lane on the west side of the road. This is right by the gate to the track leading up the hill towards Robin Hood’s Stride, Cratcliffe Rocks etc and Nine Stones Close.

We didn’t stop at the Hermit’s Cave as there are far too many really old stones in Derbyshire to bother wasting time looking at medieval holes! (I guess it may well have been significant before that really, but I liked the phrase!)

The track bends left as it approaches Robin Hood’s Stride directly towards the craggy outcrop, leaving Cratcliffe Tor (as I believe the outcrop with the hermit’s cave is called).

Robin Hood’s Stride is pretty impressive, but we weren’t going to bother climbing it (too hot!). We kept to the track, not taking a footpath to the right which I’d guess goes out onto the top of Cratcliffe Tor.

It probably passes Cratcliffe Rocks and Cratcliffe Rocks Fort. I’ll have to go back for a looksee, but today time was whizzing past.

As you pass Robin Hood’s Stride on your left and the hill flattens out, there is a field gate in front of you, a stile on your left and another gate on the right. Someone has painted arrows to try to clarify where the path actually goes, but they probably make it more confusing from this direction.

If you’re going to Nine Stones Close, however, it doesn’t matter! Although John and I took ages to realise it – too busy working out where the path goes – the stones are in the second field right in front of you!

At this point they are about a quarter of a mile away, slightly to the left, in a field bounded by a dry-stone wall, next to a single tree.

Nine Stones Close caught me off-guard both by the fact that we looked virtually straight at it without seeing it and by the fact that it was somehow not as I had imagined it.

I knew its stones were pretty big. I knew it was in a ‘good’ setting. I’d even seen quite a few pictures. But I think I’d let it get ‘over-shadowed’ (ironically) by how much I was looking forward to seeing Doll Tor at last.

In the end I think the stark contrast between the 2 circles in size and setting actually worked to make Nine Stones Close all the more interesting and impressive. It’s not really at all like any of them, but it faintly made me think of one of the Machrie Moor circles on Arran (a wonderful place). Machrie Moor II maybe.

Well, Nine Stones Close is a wonderful place too.

Despite being overlooked by the outcrops of Robin Hood’s Stride and Cratcliffe at the south, in the sunshine on Sunday Nine Stones Close was, for me, far from in their thrall. On a clear day, the wide dale opening up to the north allows the circle to be intimate, almost cozy, yet in a place of space under a huge sky.

I found it strangely compelling and now want to see it in more forbidding weather. I imagine it will look and feel very different.

On the way back to the car, I quickly sprinted up Robin Hood’s Stride to see if it was worth an ‘elevated context*’ snap of my now beloved Nine Stones Close, as I had a 300mm lens with me (it wasn’t).

*I just made up some jargon! Anyone know what it means?

I was very impressed with Robin Hood’s Stride itself and it’s wacky shapes though, as well as the views it commands.

Sunday 13 July 2003
On the way back to the car from Nine Stones Close stone circle, I quickly sprinted up Robin Hood’s Stride to see if it was worth an ‘elevated context*’ snap of my now beloved Nine Stones Close, as I had a 300mm lens with me (it wasn’t).

*I just made up some jargon! Anyone know what it means?

I was very impressed with Robin Hood’s Stride itself and it’s wacky shapes though, as well as the views it commands.

Sunday 13 July 2003
Since it was now about 1.15pm, we briefly thought of leaving Arbor Low until later in the day, just before heading back to Leeds, in the hope that there would fewer people around.

We arrived to find the car park and verges at the bottom of the lane very busy.

Paying our 50p each we hurried up the incline beyond the farm towards Arbor Low itself. It was pretty busy, but I managed to squeeze off some photos to replace my mislaid ones, timing them carefully according to where people were standing and using a wide angle lens to reduce their prominence in the pictures.

As we wandered around the site I felt much more comfortable with the place than on previous visits. I wonder if it was the weather, which was much more friendly than when I’ve been to Arbor Low before. I don’t think it was the people, though you never know – there’s not been many about when I’ve been there before!

Since Sunday I’ve noticed that Mr Cope said it can seem almost like a ‘little Avebury’. I must have remembered that subliminally I guess, because the exact same thought went through my head. Henge, ditch, stones, cove, grassy etc.

Ha! Consciously though my thought was prompted by a middle-aged (hark who’s talking) female visitor advising a crony that the 2 of them really must go to ‘Aylesbury or Avesbury or whatever it’s called….’ Hope Pete G doesn’t hear them talking.

It really is a fascinating place. John thinks someone should make a 3d animation in full detail of what the site would’ve looked like when (or, if) the stones were standing. That would be interesting.

If someone would pay him to do it, he’d actually be a good man for the job – he worked for many years creating ‘scenery’ for computer games, has a great eye for detail and tenacity to spare. He’s also at a ‘loose end’ and I’m on commission.

Anyway, after about half an hour, just as I took the last few photos on the film in my camera and I realised I’d left my spares in the car, something strange happened. Almost everyone walked off towards Gib Hill.

Now, I’ve only been to Arbor Low a couple of times before, but I’d only ever seen about 2 other people make the short walk to Gib Hill. On Sunday a veritable procession had begun. And we’re not talking megaraks here, but bog standard sightseers. ‘Sheep’ syndrome?

Which is the norm I wonder?

Ironically of course, we decided not to go to Gib Hill this time – too many people! Weird. I wonder what the blue rinses thought when they got there. ‘Oh, it’s a little hill.’ Sorry, that’s probably patronising….

As a result, we missed out on Arbor Low II which I didn’t know about on previous visits and haven’t noticed from Gib Hill. I sometimes wonder if I walk around with my eyes closed….

Bet none of the blue rinses noticed it either though.
On the way back through the farm we noticed that some big renovation or conversion work is going on, and observed how nice it would be to live there. We both thought we’d try to get the path moved so that people weren’t traipsing past the house all the time though!

Sunday 13 July 2003
The entrance to Stubob’s disused ‘Wragg’s Quarry’ and Raven Tor is at an (unsigned) gate, at 119 282684, as prescribed. So we parked and hopped over it. As we walked along the track it was soon clear that this was indeed a smallish disused quarry. Didn’t see any ‘private’ signs….

The track is a bit of a dead end, and on the way back we discovered that at a point before the track bears right, there is a fairly gentle heather covered upward slope off to the left. At the top a wire fence is visible. Go up this slope and climb over the fence – it’s not too difficult if you find a post with diagonal supports attached.

If you carry on to the end as we did, you’ll either have to turn back or scramble up a very steep slope. That is, of course, what we did….

Whichever way you take, you still have to climb the fence and are on a fairly pathless bit of heather covered moorland. There are many pits, presumably from unmechanised quarrying, but all the ones we saw are easily visible.

Its worth taking care though and in any case the ground is very uneven underfoot and it would be easy to twist an ankle or strain a knee. Don’t wear shorts (I did) unless you have longish boots on (I didn’t) – the heather doesn’t scratch too badly, but it does fill your boots and socks with uncomfortable and annoying seeds!

I reckon if I hadn’t emptied them out when we got back to the car, I could’ve dug up what I laughingly call my lawns* and had a Derbyshire heather moorland-style garden. It’d be an improvement.

*More like a couple of rectangles of weeds, with a moderately bad infestation of grass.

It will get quite boggy or squishy pretty easily too I reckon – the moor, not my garden.

Once over the fence, stomp more or less north-west. You’ll see lots of lumps and bumps with rocks on, particularly in front of you and to the left. None of those that we investigated were anything interesting and I could sense John’s faith waning, so we stopped bothering and pressed on north-west towards Fallinge Edge.

We missed Raven Tor (single) Cairn, probably as a result.

For a while though, we were able to follow a satisfyingly crunchy dry track where I assume the heather had burnt, last year perhaps?. Sorry, I’m not really a country boy, though I’m enthusiastic and willing to learn!

Once we got ‘close to the edge’ (great album!) we followed along it to the right, north-eastish. Beautiful views. I absolutely love the juxtaposition of high wild moorland looking out on rolling, lush, cultivated land. And that’s what this is like. I couldn’t wait to find the triple cairn!

And about half an hour after climbing the fence (including investigation of a few ‘red herrings’) I spotted Raven Tor Triple Cairn! I just spread my arms wide to ‘present’ it to John and grinned my biggest grin for a long time. What a setting!!!!

A few seconds later. I realised I’d not put a new film in my camera and the spares were still in the car…. A certain amount of swearing and gnashing of teeth followed, but receded fairly quickly with the thrill of finding this place. The photos on this website show the cairns perfectly anyway!

‘One of Derbyshire’s best kept secrets’ our man Stu calls it. And he ain’t kidding! I’ve never seen anything like it. For a seasoned ‘stone-spotter’ this is something out of the ordinary. The photos on the Raven Tor Triple Cairn page speak for themselves much better than I can describe it.

The cairn nearest the ‘edge’ looks like it may have been added later, as its arc overlaps with the middle cairn, whereas the other 2 cairns more or less complete their arcs, though they seem to ‘share’ a section of kerb. Fascinating.

I would have said that the rectangular setting was closer than 30 ft away, but I could be wrong. I didn’t pay much attention to be quite honest – the ‘triple’ cairn held my attention too strongly.

Left to my own devices I’d have doubted the origins of the rectangular cairn, but if greater authorities or excavation have proved it ‘genuine’ I can’t argue. I can’t provide any evidence, it just doesn’t seem right or to make any sense to me. It just looks randomly plonked near the triple cairn. Ho hum.

Thrashed back across the moor (really hard work on the way back), discovered the gentler heather covered slope down to the quarry track, missed Raven Tor (single) Cairn. Again.