Latest Fieldnotes

Esso is now Texaco.

This didn’t feel old. It seemed out of place, like those stones that are used as garden ornaments in council estates to give them some ‘character’. Lifeless and lost.

As Ironman says, easy to find, and there’s a huge layby less than 100 yards away. Just follow the signpost(s).

The only good thing about this site now is that it’s a bit of a haven for wild flowers, being covered in the same specieis that I saw at Hetty Peglers Tump the other week. No idea what they are – I’m crap at botanical identification.

I agree with Treaclechops – let’s bury Gloucester Cathedral in case it gets vandalised!

10th May.

I get the feeling this is a site you need to visit alone in order to get the real sense of why it’s here as opposed to somewhere else. Boy, did I pick the wrong day! It was like Picadilly Circus up there (and living in London, I should know!)

Obviously a popular site, there was a large group of walkers enjoying their lunch when I arrived. The sudden rain shower didn’t seem to put them off, they just carried on munching on their sandwiches. Obvioulsy a British group :-)

Consequently it was difficult for me to gauge the site. I took a look in each of the chambers, and was upset by the detritus left there by previous visitors (see photo). Interesting to note the plastic meshing peeking through the mound, there’s obviously been a lot of restoration work done here. Also interesting was the possibility of a hidden cavity, spotted on the SW side – it may just have been slippage of the mound, but some brickwork was seen under the grass, and there was a gap in the brickwork – difficult to discern whether this was original or part of the restoration work.

With no sign of the walkers moving on, and Mikki waiting patiently in the car below I took my leave, not really satisfied that I’d ‘met’ this site properly yet.

10-5-03
Passed this site on my way home, the sun was just going down after a beautiful clear day. Hadrian’s wall is situated to the north of this site; the whole of this area is fantasically open-skied and remote [not far from where the bit in Prince of Thieves was filmed, movie fans ;-) ].

I didn’t read the previous information posted here before my visit so I couldn’t possibly comment on it’s origins as a circle: but I took it as a pair of stones and the setting was lovely: Just on top of high ground within a valley which is naturally sheltered, with views to the west to the Solway Firth.
There seemed to be “earthwork” trenches immediately beside the site; anyone know anything about these?

.o0O0o.

Visited 10th May 2003: Taken here with Kammer, this is a blink and you’ll miss it spot from the road. There is a little layby to the right of the road here where you need to stop, turn to your left and see the hedgerow that you will need to follow to get here.

As you walk along the hedgerow, you can see the remnants of a wall made from a reddish-brown stone. Bare this in mind as you get there. You come across the little wooden sign and stone. It is at an angle to the hedgerow, and you get a feeling for the idea of the curve of the stone circle. It does seem embedded in the ground to a similar degree as the older placed stones at Avebury, so you can feel it is what is left there may be where it was originally. It is in parts the same colour as a lot of the stones from the aforementioned wall.

If you are taking in the wider surroundings of Avebury, it would be a shame to miss this stone.

Visited 10th May 2003: Armed only with a brand spanking new Explorer map, we drove right up to the mound and took some photos. Time didn’t allow a more prolonged visit.

We didn’t ask permission, but instead opted for the ‘driving right up to it’ approach. This seemed to work quite well, but maybe we were lucky.

Marked on the OS map, we spotted this as we were passing.

Sadly, there’s not much to see here now at all. There’s a slight mound above the level of the field (6 or so inches), but unless you were specifically looking you’d never know it.

A piece of antler was found during the 1979-82 excavation of the North Barrow.

(Added to save other people time and bother looking...)

Looking for the Goose Stone, I found this fort at the same map reference, so I’ve added it as a separate entry.

The ‘fort’ consists of a round bank, 7-8 feet high with two entrances (roughly NW & SE), and is currently being used as a paddock, but a public footpath passes through the fort, so access is no problem.

(I didn’t find the Goose Stone).

Visited 15th April 2003: On our way back from Bedd Arthur I left Lou and Will on the main path, and took Alfie off in the backpack to find this site. At the time I knew very little about it, as I’d only spotted it on the map quite late on.

To my surprise the site isn’t just a crumby old cairn, but quite a large old pile with an equally large chamber in the middle. The chamber is very low, so I wasn’t going to try and get inside. The position of the cairn is spectacular, standing at the foot of Carn Meini (the natural outcrop) and at the head of the Stone River. It’s the latter that’s really special, because from the cairn you can see the band of stone arching it’s way down the hill.

A detour well worth making, and had I done my research properly I could have gone to see it when we visited Carn Meini rather than as an after thought. I don’t think baby Alfie was especially moved by it all though.

At last!........
After what must be double figure attempts, both singily and combined. The mighty Neil and I finally found this ring cairn. To say we’ve missed it so many times.... it’s quite an impressive site.

The stones that make up the cairn are alot bigger than any of the other Derbys’ ring cairns, some of the stones looked as if at one time they may have stood (thats only going on the shape of ‘em).
Right on the banks of a stream. Stone free interior and with a definite South facing entrance.

On a clear day the Beech trees at Minninglow are easy to spot on the distant Southerly horizon.

A bit of a strange one. The smaller stones that could be part of a circle are mainly buried in clumps of heather, but they could form a circle....I guess.
J.Barnatt has the circle down to a fortuitous arrangement of stones.

Sadly the rocking stone marked on the late 1800’s O.S maps is no longer rocking. A familiar tale in Derbyshire.

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09/05.
I had a feeling for sometime that the stone features mentioned by Flopsypete to the south of the circle were associated with a medieval farm/settlement.
Remembering to check them out last time I was up there.....I’m pretty certain that they relate this settlement. The structures, marked in places by upright stones, are in fact the remains of a long house, a smaller building and an enclosure wall.
Not prehistoric but an interesting spot all the same.
There are similar but more ruinous structures over the road in the Sheffield Plantation on the Longshaw Estate.

Harboro’ Rocks are an impressive outcrop of dolomitic limestone.

At the top of the rocks between the trig point and the rock ‘chair’ there used to be a chambered cairn, now sadly destroyed. Altho’ inspecting the ground shows what maybe traces of a rim. The cairn was thought to date to the Neolithic, and several crouched skeletons were found in the chamber.

In the early Iron age the site was used, and some bumps in the terraces on the eastern side are thought to be housing platforms.

Access is easy, there’s room to park near the Hopton Works.
The views from the top have got to be seen, and there’s a few strange shaped natural menhirs dotted around the place. And caves to explore on the lower terraces.
Top place.

This row is part of a complex that includes a circle and a second row just to the east.

It runs for 78m and was originally a double row but has been robbed out to such an extent that it is now a single.

There is a suspicion of a ruined circle at the N end of the row which would make it a match for the eastern one.

This row is part of a complex that includes a circle and a second row just to the west.

Trowlesworthy east is a double row with a separation of about 1.4m. It joins the circle at the SE and runs away S for about 130m.

There is a more modern leat running through the row about halfway down but this can easily be stepped over.

This site is part of a complex that includes the circle itself and an eastern and western stone row.

The circle has 8 stones and is about 7m in diameter.

The attached eastern row runs away to the SE.

The alignment of the row and circle is up the hill towards the hut circles on Trowlesworthy Tors

7-5-03
I had a worky visit nearby when my accomplice suggested taking a slight detour on the return journey to some stones he knew of at a Ladies Golf Course… I was sceptical because he isn’t a believer (!) and I thought yeah, golf course, stones, hmmm… but then I saw them, wow! Well impressed with these, they are enormously tall. Made up for the gigantic weight of guilt for taking a 20-minute skive to see them!!

It was a gorgeous day for it, had to push past a couple of Old Dears on the first tee (“you off to see the stones, then?”) – the stones are on the second tee. On the way back we visited the little golf hut and the bloke gave us a printed handout, details posted separately. Not surprisingly, the handout says the stones are called “Lundin Ladies Standing Stones”.

Originally they would have been able to see down towards the Forth below. One stone appears to have cups, but it is probably just weathering.

.o0O0o.

Visited 15th April 2003: We had quite a bit of difficulty figuring out which rocky outcrop was which, but in the end I think we got to Carn Meini. It’s an enormous mass of stones, all higgledy piggledy. You look into it and see standing stones and burial chambers all over the place, but they’re not real, just natural coincidences that look extremely similar to the real thing.

We had a snack at Carn Meini, then William insisted on climbing to the highest bit he could see. Children know no fear! This place would be a good stopping off point for slightly older kids because they could roam around and explore (without stressing their parents out too much).

I’ve got one more photo of Carn Meini to post up, but I’ll be putting that under the Carn Menyn Chambered Cairn part of the site.

The Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny) was taken/borrowed/stolen from The Hill of Tara, Ireland and taken to Scotland to serve as the coronation stone for the Irish raiders who were to help form the nation of Scotland (distinct & separate from, although to eventually incorporate The Picts. ‘Scoti’ being the Celtic for ‘raider’ or ‘invader’ ). It was from HERE that it was subsequently taken by the English monarchs, to serve the same purpose for their benefit. It stands in Westminster Abbey, not the Palace of Westminster, under the Coronation Chair...if indeed it is the same one, as:
a) it may never have originally left Ireland
b) it may never have left Scotland

I happened on this accidentally a week ago. I was driving on the A34/Newbury bypass and completely missed my turn and ended up at Whitchurch, stumbling across this enroute. The prominence and height of this beastie and it’s proximity to the road is outstanding.

Stretching for 85 miles from Ivinghoe Beacon in the north east to Overton Hill in the south west, the Ridgeway’s midsection cuts a dashing white swathe through my patch: Oxfordshire. A particularly fine short section from the Uffington White Horse to Waylands Smithy allows the walker/cyclist/rider to experience the drama of Uffington Castle enroute to the great long barrow just a mile and a half away to the south west. The views over the big wide fields and patches of woodland of Uffington Down are breathtaking. Park at the ‘official’ car park for the White Horse and follow the signs to Waylands Smithy for a real treat....

Knowing that this is the oldest trackway in Europe in continuous use, when I walk on it, I love the sense of my feet echoing back down the track for millenia.

If you’re into birding, this short section never fails to disappoint. Keep ‘em peeled to see buzzard, brambling, greenfinch, yellowhammer, titmice (lots), kestrel, lark, plovers, thrushes, woodpeckers.

We finally made it up there after a few failed attempts. We also met the farmer/ranger at the gate, who tried to ‘persuade’ us not to go. He then ‘relented’ but told us to go via the car park and over the barbed wire fence. Luckily someone had actually opened the barbed wire fence enabling people to get over. However, the broken fence must be more of a danger to the farmer/landowner/sheep than people climbing over the gate!

When we finaly made it up over the bank and across the moor... wow!!! We stayed for over an hour and just felt the peace. A magical place.

There are a number of barrows here, probably six or seven scattered around.

We passed a pair of large tumuli at SU519832, which must’ve once been part of the necropolis of Blewbury Down, for here we are between the Ridgeway and the line of Grim’s Ditch. A shufti of the O/S map reveals almost an alignment of tumuli, some in pairs, that seem to run parallel to Ridgeway. All are visible from it as you ride along.

The pair I admired at SU519832 were in a vast field of corn and has somehow escaped being ploughed over. The farmers here just cultivate around them in a wide strip and avoid any damage at all.

They are not particularly big nor clever, nor do they have any outstanding features but evidence of our prehistoric past lying there in today’s landscape for all to see -despite modern farming methods- still gives me a little tingly thrill.

The fort at Fin Cop is an easy walk from the Monsal Dale Hotel, with some excellent views of Monsal Dale below on the trek out.

The fort is defended to the South and East by banks and ditches and to the North and West by the steep sides of Monsal Dale. At the Eastern side, the side you approach from, double banks and ditches are still impressive, an entrance is central to this part of the defences, which carry on over the wall in the form of a single bank.

The views from the top are unreal with Five Wells in the West, Kinder Scout just visible in the North and Beeley Moor quite close in the South-East(ish).
Monsal is one of the best places to watch a Derbyshire sunset without doubt.

An added attraction this time of the year are the banks of the fort covered in Mountain Pansies and ‘Early Purple’ Orchids.

Visited 15th April 2003: Yr Allor are one of the most enigmatic parts of the Glandy Cross Complex, but sadly there’s no public access to them. You can just make them out from the top of the field that Meini Gwyr stands in, but they’re largely obscured by the hedgerow.

Ideally there would be access to the stones from Meini Gwyr, or the main road, but as stands a legitimate route to Yr Allor doesn’t exist. Luckily I have magical hover boots.

You bugger jamie! I saw this a couple of months ago on the OS map and thought I’d visit it next time I was back in the croydon area (I used to live there) and add it to TMA, but when I went to add it today I noticed that you’ve already been there!

Anyway I visited yesterday, and agree with you. Great southerly views across posh Purley and Sanderstead, and a lovely wood with loads of birds and spooky tree formations. Almost all the paths from the south side (i.e. the Upper Selsdon Road) are very steep, but the Northern side is relatively gentle, spoilt only by one of worst games known to man – the dreaded golf!

Lucky there is a plaque there marking the round barrow, coz let’s be honest, it’s not much to look at is it? I did get a general sense of ancient use though – it would have been a great place to live and/or die, over looking all around.