Latest Fieldnotes

The Shetland Amenity Trust and the University of Bradford have for the past 8 years been excavating a site in the south of shetland known as old Scatness.

The site slap bang next to sumburgh Airport and only a couple of miles from Jarlshof is a truely marvellous find.

The focal point of the site is the disovery of a 4m high Broch which is surrounded by the remains of an Iron Age village. Carbon dating points to the broch as having been built around 400BC. Later the site was used by the Picts and the Vikings.

Further evidence suggest that the site was in use during the bronze age with pottery discovered at the site thought to have been from then.

The Scottish Megaraks visited this area today during a tour of Perthshire. We had a look at the cairn, which according to Canmore was surrounded by kerb stones. Only one was visible, but on pulling back some of the turf and generally nosing around, we discovered that there are still at least eleven in situ. The cairn itself is fairly unremarkable, only being around a metre tall. It is visible from the road if you know what you’re looking for.

This stone is in a field which also contains a long cairn and a circular mound (ringed by a ditch) known locally as Pontius Pilate’s grave. The cup-marks are fairly large, we tried to illustrate them better by applying what remained of our water bottle... without great success.

As can be seen from the photos, the views are well worth the climb. The site had been ‘added to’ by some idiot who had built a small cairn/altar in the centre. This had been removed by the time we left.... (see my last photograph) leaving the original 6-stone site as it is meant to be seen, allowing for the fact that a wall had been built through it in the past!

My mistake – should have done more research! Big Sweetie and I visited again today, in the company of 2 other Scottish Megaraks. The stump of one of the other stones in the group is visible 5m east of the survivor. Hidden down in the turf again about 5m south lies a recumbent pillar which was probably part of the group. I have uploaded 3 photos, 2 showing the relationship of the survivor and stump, and one showing the recumbent with turf peeled back (thanks, Milgi!).

Yeah, it’s all kind of flat really. But great setting, the circle was overgrown so the stones were all but invisible other than when stood on top of each. The overgrown form however stands out in the otherwise kempt field. Didn’t notice any sign of previously mentioned outer bank/ditch. I actually counted 19 stones but lets not get into one of those debates.

Hope the directions below help (also for Grey Mare & Her Colts that have been particularly illusive to me)

On the road to Abbotsbury from the A35 at Winterbourne Abbas, after a signpost right for Littlebredy and before you get to Portesham (see parking notes for Hell Stone) , there is a left turn signposted for the Hardy Monument. At this junction take the (very)minor road to the right (west). After about a mile the road bends sharply to the left and follows the valley round. At that point there is a layby to park. Return back up the road to the footpath that head NW up the hill. Shortly up this path you are faced with a 3-way split. The Public Footpath heads through a Private Farm. Take the Bridleway that heads straight on and hug the hedge to your left. After about 400yds there’s a footpath through the hedge on the left. Follow this for about a hundred yards and the barrow is over another hedge.
Return to bridelway and follow for another 3/4 mile and just before the large clump of trees Kingston Russell Stone Circle is in a field on the left through a gated gap in the hedge.

Oh Joy, over 80 miles from home, it’s taken 3 aborted attempts to find this site over the last 3 years. But today we made it, armed with an O.S map and determined heart. Well worth the wait though, it is a kind of tumbled-down West Kennet. Hope the following will help. On the road to Abbotsbury from the A35 at Winterbourne Abbas, after a signpost right for Littlebredy and before you get to Portesham (see parking notes for Hell Stone, there is a left turn signposted for the Hardy Monument. At this junction take the (very)minor road to the right (west). After about a mile the road bends sharply to the left and follows the valley round. At that point there is a layby to park. Return back up the road to the footpath that head NW up the hill. Shortly up this path you are faced with a 3-way split. The Public Footpath heads through a Private Farm. Take the Bridleway that heads straight on and hug the hedge to your left. After about 400yds there’s a footpath through the hedge on the left. Follow this for about a hundred yards and the barrow is over another hedge.
Return to bridelway and follow for another 3/4 mile and just before the large clump of trees Kingston Russell Stone Circle is in a field on the left.

Mousa Broch is the finest example of a 2000 year old Iron Age tower or broch anywhere. It stands 13.3 metres high and dominates the landscape of the small island of Mousa just off the Shetland mainland.

Accessibility is only by boat and it is thought that the only reason it still stands so proud today is because it would have proved too difficult for past generations to sail over and steal the stone.

The instructions below are spot on for finding the stone(s), but I think Grid Ref SP782416 is more accurate than the one given.

Lying within a nature conservation area, the walk alongside the river is well maintained, and it’s possible to see that the stones are resting on the surface rather than being embedded in the ground. That suggests to me that the stones are not that old, but I’d be happy to be proved wrong.

I parked spot on the grid ref given, but couldn’t see the stone anywhere. There’s a footpath leading behind the houses, but nothing to be seen there, and a footpath on the open ground on the other side of the road. I drew a blank.

Any specific directions to find the stone would be useful (unless the grid ref is actually wrong)

Don’t be afraid to knock on the door to see this strange stone, the present owner of the house and guardian of the stone is only too willing to show it and tell you about it. You can only see it from the garden which is behind the cottage.

Martin’s directions get you there with no problems. The silage had been cut when I got there and it was easy to approach the Quoit. You don’t get a real impression of the size ‘till you get near, it’s massive and on a par with the other more well known Quoits. Don’t leave it out of your itinary when you are in the area.

This is a beautiful stone and worth seeking out. You can park on the main road, the stone is a short walk away. Martin’s description tells all, no need to add more.

This stone points an accusing finger to the south west. I didn’t try to get into the field, the fence was difficult and I am not as young as I used to be.

I walked up to Kemyel Crease farm but did not see any standing stones there. There was no one there to ask either.

Where the signpost points to Kemyal there is a house, park opposite and look through the field gate – the stone is in the middle of this field. The approach to the gate is very muddy so be careful. I spoke to the farmer at Kemyal Drea farm about stones in the area, and he said there were a lot of scratch posts but they were grey granite and new looking.

Was here May 20th, farmers were all too busy to worry about me, so I got as close as I could and took my photo. From where I stood it looked very neat with its hat of bluebells. It is not the easiest thing to find but can be approached from where the road bends to go to the farm.

Felt rather sorry for this stone as it is miles from any (known) companion and is leaning badly. Asked at the local farm for permission to walk on their land and was asked for a contribution to the Devon Air Ambulance Service! Pretty cool and no prob. The farmer said that a dowser had found several lines emanating from it but was a bit vague about the details.
There are simple crosses carved near the top on all four faces and the top. I couldn’t see or photograph this as the top of the stone, even in its leaning condition, is 2M+ in height but it can be felt easily enough. The crosses are just two lines at right angles but do I detect a circle round the one on the W face?
The stone doesn’t seem to have been worked, except for the top which is fairly flat. To judge by the debris in the field, the local stone may split naturally into this form.
BTW. The stone is about 50M to the W. of the location shown on Streetmap, across the road somewhere about the “g” of “Long Stone”.

Disabled: Parking on verge opposite stone. Field was/is ploughed.

Chunky stone by the oak and just outside the churchyard. Usual stories by the locals about the Devil trying to throw/carry it elsewhere. Also said that it is a “Sarsen” ie. a foreign stone and not from the immediate area. I’m not a rock expert but it looks to me as being a granite with a pinkish hue. Are there any sources close by? The oak is pretty venerable and has been looked after well including the rotten core being filled with concrete.
Apparently it takes about a dozen guys with crowbars to flip the stone on Nov. 5th.

Disabled: Parking next to stone.

I was looking forward to visiting this site, it looks good on the map, it dominates the Northern side of the Honiton by-pass and A30 and is crowned by some noble trees.
What a disappointment! Parking is up a short,steep track with only room for a couple of cars and the NT sign baldly states its name with no other info.
Following a steep track up, I reached a flatter, semi-mown path which seems to encircle the lower slopes. Following this for a while and not getting any closer to the top, I struck off up hill through waist high bracken to be greeted by a wire mesh fence below the first, rather small, rampart. Scrambling over a broken bit and ducking and diving through the scrub and lower tree branches, I came to another fence on the second rampart. Following this I found a field gate which led to an open field with the Trig Point.
Where’s the view? To the S. the scrub and smaller trees block any sight lines and to the N. and W. the way the hill slopes doesn’t give any sense of this being a commanding defensive site. Somewhat miffed, I negotiated even more fences and scrambled back to the car.
Some sensitive scrub clearance and the removal of at least the lower fence (Does a farmer use the field for pasture?) could make this into a much more visitable site.
Of course one always has the awful thought that just round the next bend in the road is the proper access point with all the info one would need!
Disabled: Drive-by, steep tracks and fences.

What kind of strangeness is THIS?!

Five cist-like chambers arranged like the spokes of a wheel, in varying states of disrepair, some with capstones, dolmen-like, some with only three sides of their chambers remaining, overlooking Dinas Head. A real mish-mash is all that is left. But what a mish-mash!

A decidedly weird place and like NOTHING I have ever encountered before. At its widest point it must’ve measured 30 or 40 metres across. It lies only 10 metres away from the main A487 Fishguard to Cardigan road and can be clearly seen through a small gate in the hedge.

I tried to make sense of it… was it one almighty barrow-like structure at one time? It showed no hint of hump or raising as many still do. Treaclechops noticed there was a standing stone in the same field, but as we were already trespassing, and the field was very wet and full of bullocks, we didn’t venture too far further.

A large standing stone, about 8 feet high, on private land, but only 15 ms from the road. On a steep hillside, this menhir is in a very dramatic position being overlooked by Mynedd Carningli. Very stately.

The fallen Maen-y-Parc stones are bit hard to find… One stone is only a 50 or 60 metres away from Maen-y-Parc ‘A’ so hidden as to be imperceptible. Now firmly integrated into the hedge/field/lane boundary and hidden under a hawthorn bush, my son Rupert noticed the top of it just peeping up.

Suddenly it became easy to see how a 6 foot tall menhir could become ‘lost’.

There is no public access to Maen-y-Parc ‘A’, but you can see it at the edge of the field, rising sharply up towards a bit of a forested hill. Despite the lack of access, I vaulted over the gate and started trotting towards it around the field boundary in order to get a photo. The stone itself is very lonely but quite grand at about 7 or 8 feet high. Like many round here, it has a square footprint.

According to the map at Tafarn y Bwylch a number of standing stones can be found.

Parking by the cattle grid, we trudged up the bleak looking path, and first came across a pair on the left hand side of the track leaning violently over as if bracing themselves against the wind. The light was low and the mizzle and murk prevented me from sketching but treaclechops liked the moodiness of it and, naturally, got out her camera. The stones stood stoicly together about 4 feet high, and the place felt very bleak.

We pressed on towards an altogether grander affair, the Waun Mawn stone part of the same complex only about 100 bone chilling metres up the hillside on the right hand side of the track…We noticed on our map that there were a number of other standing stones, again part of this Tafarn y Bwylch group, just about 200ms away to the east, but by this time we were so cold, that we couldn’t be arsed.