This stone is easily visible from the N25 heading into Rosscarbery from the east, although it actually took us several days before we found it, spending most of our week either west or north of Rosscarbery.
Latest Fieldnotes
July 9, 2003
This is apparently a fine wedge tomb, and access can be gained via the farm at V976332. I didn’t have time to enquire on my visit, having been talked into giving a local a lift into Skull.
6th July 2003
Right on the top of the cliff, just above the path way is circle of small rocks about 20ft (i didn’t have a tape measure with me) from side to side. Although it is marked on the Explorer map of the area it is most visible with your back to the valley. There are quite a few cairns in the area but this is the most obvious
6th July 2003. It was my birthday and as usual dragged along my wife and friends along for a walk. I liked this place, as no-one appeared to know it was there, indeed as was mentioned earlier, passers by looked strangely at us. My first impression was of it being a cairn, with a profusion of small rocks surrounding it.
There is an obvious path to the circle that comes off the cliff-top path at Froggat Edge
July 8, 2003
Ooh la la – Stanton Drew is a hidden gem. Dunno why I ain’t been here before. Its size takes your breath away. I arrived on a mid-summers evening – and not a soul was around.
It really is a mind fuck. The third largest circle in the UK, traces of a large wooden structure buried beneath the surface and little research done. I guess its overshadowed by Avebury et all. Which is bad – but bad meaning good...a total lack of other visitors really gave me time to soak in the stunning lush agricultural views and breath the place in.
If you’re thinking of visiting – take a picnic ... oh yeah and check out the Cove (coven?) in the beer garden of the nearby Druids Arms.
A magical place that rivals Stannon ring on Bodmin Moor for sheer ambience.
Thursday 1 May 2003
The Fortingall stone circles were a site that I’d stopped at before, but not been right up to. On that occasion the field had had a particularly large number of cattle in it, including what looked like a few pretty lively bullocks.
I nearly didn’t even get out of the car on this visit, this time because it was absolutely chucking it down!!! As at Croft Moraig earlier in the day though, I found I couldn’t resist, and luckily the rain eased for just long enough to have a decent look around the stones.
Must admit, maybe it’s just me but I think they look more impressive from the road. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely site and very interesting, but once I got up to them the stones of the 3 circles look somehow less ‘erected’ and more just…well, ‘dumped’, if you know what I mean. Still essential viewing though!
Thursday 1 May 2003
From the road we took in the Carse Farm I 4 poster and distant stone that remains standing of the Carse Farm II circle. Again I had visited this one before though on neither occasion did I know about the cup-marked rock.
I’ve never actually been down to Carse Farm II yet, but the setting of both circles is very attractive, nestling in the wide valley. Carse Farm I is certainly a particularly beautiful 4 poster, especially when bathed in the sunshine.
Thursday 1 May 2003
We just glanced at this from the car as time was a bit short, but I’ve been before. It’s an interesting if ‘messy’ site that I’d have liked to investigate further, but some farmy-type blokes appeared and made me feel uncomfortable.
Nothing to add to what’s been said except that I guess it reminded me a bit of Pitnacree with more stones!!
Thursday 1 May 2003
Probably a very nice walk from Pitlochry itself (and the suspension bridge is definitely great fun!) due to time constraints John and I took the (slightly) easier option.
From Faskally, we headed onto the A9 south and took a small turn right after maybe a mile towards Middleton of Fonab farm. From memory, I think it had some sort of ‘forestry walks’ sign too.
Whatever, keep your eyes on your mirrors, as the turn is likely to sneak up on you and reasonably heavy braking will be necessary – the A9 is a pretty busy road and it’s single carriageway at this point.
We (slightly more cheekily than is normal for me) drove up the hill and parked at the farm. In my favour, the lanes and farmyard are very spacious! There was nobody about anyway.
Following the paths (rather than bridleways or tracks) up the hill the drizzle started to set in. John was already wearing his Clint Eastwood kit, consisting of oiled Gore-Tex type long coat (with wacky thigh straps) and an allegedly separately bought (but matching!) wide-brimmed oiled cowboy-style hat.
Don’t go thinking he wears that to try to look ‘cool’ by the way. It seems to make him pretty much impervious to precipitation. Git. DRY git. I stuck on the not-very-waterproof, allegedly-breathable-but-not and actually-fairly-sweaty ‘Regatta’ kag that I had in my camera bag.
(It does have to be said however, that John is tall and slim enough to vaguely carry off the ‘Clint kit’. I’d look a complete pillock in an equivalent. And I don’t need a costume to look a pillock….)
Luckily we didn’t have a GPS (see Scottish Megarak visit to this site) so we followed the maps and the paths and found it without a problem. It was well worth getting a bit damp for too, but as luck would have it the weather improved as we arrived.
Having had fairly low expectations of finding it in the forestry and as a result of the OS Landranger calling it ‘remains of’ we were pleasantly surprised on both counts. (Has to be said that much as I love OS maps, their use of ‘remains of’ in relation to circles is annoyingly inconsistent.)
So often using a Landranger something that looks right next to the path is 100 yards or more away, and particularly in dense forestry that cam be as good as 10 miles. Lucky that Clachan an Diridh sits in a clearing that runs as far as the forestry track.
There are only a few stones left in the circle, but they’re good ‘uns – blimey, I should write books with my grasp of all the technical jargon! What I’m actually getting at is that the remaining stones and the site of the circle manage to communicate pretty well what the site would probably have been like, at least if you’ve seen a few others.
The views would certainly have been stunning pre-forestry, but Mr Bigsweetie is right when he says elsewhere that the trees do give this circle a pleasant air of tranquillity and peace.
I’d missed out on this one up until this trip just because I’d never really had the time to tackle the hill. Glad we made the effort. The return journey to the car flew by, almost literally, as we crashed back down the hill, soggy but happy.
Thursday 1 May 2003
To me, the circle at Faskally cottages has a similar kind of feel to Tigh Na Ruaich and is sited in a fairly similar way. From memory (and my photos), the largest stone is split top-to-bottom and side-to-side across the middle and the part on the ‘inside’ of the circle is split in two front-to-back.
The circle can be found to the north of Pitlochry, in a garden next to the cottages to the east of the A924, just before it bends left to meet the A9.
Not having read about Faskally before visiting, we called at the house to the left of the cottages, mainly because it was the only place showing any sign of life. A friendly and helpful chap came to the door and I now guess was probably the Mr Townsend that Martin refers to on this site.
(I make this assumption not least because he produced the report Martin mentioned and said very similar things about having the circle in the garden.)
I (maybe wrongly) got the impression that he probably lives at the house & all the cottages are (now) holiday homes – he certainly got the archaeological report from the house.
Whether he lives at the house or the cottage, he’s friendly & enthusiastic enough that it probably doesn’t really matter. If it’s holidaymakers in the cottage, I’m sure they’ll point you in his direction – I can imagine he might even brief them!
Thursday 1 May 2003
The directions are already well described on this site, and I can confirm that the people at the nursery were very friendly on both my visits. Despite its proximity to the A9, the circle does somehow seem to remain very peaceful.
It’d be interesting to see the landscape shaven of its forestry to fully appreciate the setting of this circle.
People have remarked that some parts of the ground within the circle feel as if they move slightly and sound kind of hollow if you stamp.
This is certainly noticeable, but speculation that this is the result of the excavated cists may be wide of the mark. The woman from the nursery who showed us to the stones told us that according to a dowser, there seems to be an underground watercourse that goes through the circle.
Finally I’d just add that if the only time you are nearby is during the time when the nursery is shut, you can see the stones well enough to get a ‘feel’ of the circle from outside the nursery, looking in from the access road. Worth seeing even if you can only do it that way….
Thursday 1 May 2003
Lundin Farm was another circle I’d visited before. I was particularly keen to see this one again though, as on the previous visit I’d had to quickly nip the dog back to the car when what seemed like a pack of baying hounds flew down the farm road towards us. (There were probably 2!)
Having a Ginger John with you certainly seems to work better, as we were able to properly examine the ‘main’ 4 poster, the various probable fallen stones and the cupmarked stone.
We were also able to gaze across into the neighbouring field (on the same side, slightly further up the lane) at the stones that Burl calls a ruined ‘second Four-Poster’. The field was fenced off and we didn’t want to push our luck!
It could well be, though on my photo taken with a 300mm lens it looks a bit more complex than Burl’s description. Field clearance? I’ll post the pic when or if I get the ‘facilities’. Lundin Farm’s an amazing little site when the canine police allow you to spot all of it!
Thursday 1 May 2003
Ah, the beautiful jumble that is Croft Moraig. It begs to be chilled at, but it never seems to be possible for me. Maybe one day?
Having visited before, on arriving I have to ‘own up’ to being tempted to stay in the car, as it was chucking down. Couldn’t resist in the end though and the rain soon slowed to a steady drizzle. I quickly remembered that on a visit some time ago I decided I’d be ‘lost’ without the info board that attempts to plot the development of this complex piece of work!
Others before me have not left much unsaid, so I’ll leave it there. Oh, except to say that as we were ‘unparking’ at the bottom of the farm lane, we just managed to get out of the way of a huge ‘artic’ coming down from the farm, which was driven by one of the most miserable gits I’ve come across for a while.
Thursday 1 May 2003
Reasonably plentiful parking in the village, the walk up to the falls themselves is breathtaking in more ways than one. Quick stop at the spectacular falls viewed from the ‘balcony’ of the ‘Hermit’s’ cave, then onwards and upwards.
It’s only a few years since I last walked up to this circle, but it seemed a bit further than I remembered! Have they moved the bugger?
As is generally agreed however, ruined but far from sad, and with views unparalleled by just about any other circle I’ve ever been to*, this is one to crawl over broken glass to get to if necessary!
*Off the top of my head, only Moel ty Uchaf and perhaps views during the climbs to Bryn Cader Faner and Cerrig Caerau & Lled Croen yr Ych come even close.
Luckily the clouds were just high enough for an unimpeded view, and we spent a while just drinking the place in. Soon it was time to get moving and we returned by the same path as far as the falls, continuing down the other side of the circular walk.
AND we were lucky with the weather for the whole walk – the sun was even out for a while. Perfect timing!!!
Thursday 1 May 2003
I had previously seen this one from the road but not been able to stop. And I’d read about it in Burl (misnamed ‘MachuiNN’ in the edition I have).
It can look a bit ‘underwhelming’ as you pass it in the car. But once up to it, I thought it was a really nice little circle in a superb setting, with a great view of the Loch below. The actual stones seemed bigger close up too (or so it seemed to me).
Nickbrand described it in a weblog as having an ‘Aberdeen’ feel to it, and I can kind of see what he means.
After lingering for a short while the drizzle threatened, so we returned to the car (precariously perched on a not-too-boggy bit of verge).
A wonderful row. I’m not sure if it wasn’t even more wonderful in the past, as there is a recumbent stone in the row (covered with odd scratches which may just be plough scars) and a low stone at the high end which potentially could have been a fifth, taller stone in the row at some point.
A quarter mile off the road, clearly in sight, but this took some time to reach, due to the (barbed wire) fences in the way and the boggy ground underfoot. Again, like so many Irish sites, wonderful views can be seen in all directions.
This circle is accompanied by an ancient low wall, which heads off to the west from the circle.
This circle lies on an ancient trackway called the ‘Old Green Road’. It’s a fair climb up from the road at V755578, firstly through boggy woodland next to a stream, then across open moorland. There are several stiles to traverse. If you’ve got the time, it’s a wonderful trek, and is part of the much longer Beara Way walk.
Once at the circle, only 3 stones of the original 5 remain. Close by, is a row of alignment stones and further off, the ruined remains of a multiple stone circle. Excellent views can be had of the surrounding mountains and down to Killmakilloge Harbour.
I found a large lump of solid white quartz nearby, and left it in the middle of the three stones before leaving – it seemed to fit there somehow.
I’m rather proud to have started off the demolition of the rather ugly surrounding wall back in 1982. Several overnight stops later half of it was gone. Shortly after, the then DOE took what was left of it away. I’d like to thank all who did their bit as it moved at an alarming rate!
I spent several nights in Nine Ladies back in the early eighties and was always facinated by the effect the circle has on sounds after dark. My friends and I likened the effect to that of talking down the middle of a bog roll tube. It kind of amplified the voice and gave it a wispy effect. There’s a lot written about the causes of this so I won’t regurgitate that here – however, I would be interested to read of anyone else’s experiences of this, either at Nine Ladies or any other Stone Circle.
Groggy
Walking across the field to the longbarrow I realised it was much bigger than I remembered. The bump of the mound stretches out a hugely long way. Was the barrow really that long and wide, or is it
just the result of being ploughed so much? And if it is due to ploughing, well that still hints that the barrow was pretty high to begin with.
I wandered right round the end of the mound – although most of it has been left with tufty vegetation, the edges of it have still been mown at some point, which distorts your idea of how extensive the mound is. According to the information at magic.gov there are flanking ditches, from which the material for the mound was quarried, which run parallel to the long sides of the mound. These were about 3 metres wide but have been infilled gradually.
The stones are pretty enormous, and beautifully patterned with lichens and mosses against the warm colour of the stone. The capstone is quite something – about 3 by 2 metres, leaning firmly against the two uprights. I saw what I took to be claw marks on its face – maybe a fox or a badger?
It would be a perfect spot to linger (no cows when I visited though), and I would heartily recommend a visit. As you will appreciate if you read my weblog, I felt thoroughly relaxed and peaceful after being here. I realise I’m not familiar with the large stones at barrows in Cornwall or Wales (not to mention further afield) but I think in terms of actual remains in this region (ok, bar Stanton Drew and Stoney Littleton) Lugbury deserves more recognition than it appears to receive. Ok I am biased.
As you drive through Spettisbury from the North, look out for a right turning which has a railway bridge going over it. Park on the left under the bridge and walk up the hill, turning into the field where the public footpath is. Taking great care of the rather large bull, the ring appears ahead of you.
One of those sites where you wish you’d taken a scythe with you – the centre of the ring is waist high in nettles. Nevertheless, there are superb views out towards sea.
The best thing to do is to park at the farm entrance (as marked on the OS maps), walk up the hill and turn left just as you exit the wood, through the ditch and up the hill. You can’t miss it.
July 7, 2003
A confusing site. I’d come here for the Boulder Burial, but other aspects intrigue. There appears to be a ruined circle, what looks like a ‘mini-cove’ enclosing a cairn, and a couple of large boulders which may have been burials in their own right at some point in the distant past. All accompanied by the sound of running water from the nearby river. Too much for me to make sense of.
A wonderful site, well worth the climb up the hill. There is now a rather obvious unlocked sprung gate, with the now obligatory ‘No Trespassing’ sign attached, leading to the site from the top of the hill. It took some time to traverse the boggy ground leading to the stones, and approaching the site I was sure there was a recumbent sheep guarding the way. It turned out to be a smooth boulder, outside and away from the main complex. The cairn has a couple of bushes growing well in the middle, but I was amazed at the intricacy of the cairn and the sheer number of stones.
The uprights have a very pronounced male/female aspect to them, but I couldn’t spot any glaring alignments to them in the surrounding scenery.
I’ll confess I was so blown away by the cairn, uprights and views, I didn’t really take much notice of the circle at the time. I did notice the gradation appeared to be opposite to other circles in that the stones increase in height toward the axial stone as opposed to the more usual decrease in height. I must study my photos closer.
I could only get the barest glimpse of these stones. The cows I saw weren’t as friendly as the ones in the pictures here, and had horns. Bullocks!