Latest Fieldnotes

I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!

The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.

(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)

The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.

I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!

The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.

(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)

The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.

I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!

The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.

(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)

The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.

Visited 20th April 2003: Another stone in a garden, although you can see it from the road. It was just me and Will on this visit, so I decided to knock on the door and get permission to see the stone up close. The gentleman who answered was friendly, and didn’t mind us wondering round to the back of the house to see the oddity in his garden. He seemed a bit bemused, but I got the impression we weren’t the first people to ask. He told me that nobody really knows how old it is.

The stone is very large, and built into the end of a dry stone wall/hedge bank. Perhaps it’s position on the end of the boundary protected it from being destroyed. The shape and size of the stone reminded me a bit of Avebury, which isn’t an enormous exaggeration. Very impressive.

I visited the stones was when I was lost up on the moors to the south, coming from Drum, in thick mist, no visibility, I followed my compass north, across the moors, and from out of the mist came the stones, I was taken back at how they stood there, almost waiting for my arrival, and how I’d walked right into them, really atmospheric stuff.
Another time in strong rain and wind, I noticed, when I put my hand on the north westerly stone, (the one that’s a bit square) I’m sure it was vibrating. Could it be the ground it stands on?
The cist was excavated I think in the sixties and I read they found the remains of two people, one a child, so the site may have been used for sacrificial purposes. Michael Seniors book on the stones of North wales covers this area quiet well.
It’s a great area, rich in antiquities, and resonates the past perfectly, especially when you’re lost!

This is a magical place set in a megalithic landscape.
You can see evidence of the hand of man altering the rocks stretching way back into prehistory. There are at least two sets of rock carvings here that are unique, this is not suprising once you look at the landscape they are set in. Views across the valley to Cratcliff Rocks and Robin Hood’s Stride with Nine Stones Close just beyond, Doll Tor and the Andle Stone less that 1km away and Stanton Moor just beyond that. This is a beautiful and unique landscape and must have influenced the minds of the carvers.
The Serpent carving was very difficult to make out and will probably have to be visited in different light conditions to appreciate it’s true beauty. The quartered circle with cup and petal motifs is gorgeous as are the two ‘eye-like’ rings.
The none-prehistoric carvings are is amazing too. What was in the head of the barmy masons who altered huge swathes of the rocks. Caves, steps, seats, passages and massive rock faces have all been created from the altered rocks. Me and Stu checked out one rock cut room that had been worked on every surface, a small hole had been bored through the cave wall to allow a tiny shaft of light to enter the otherwise dark room. In this room I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen in the UK, it was supsended from the roof and guarding a huge silk ball.
Whilst admiring the view, a huge wagon drove by in the valley below, on the back of the wagon were three massive stone blocks, evidence that the Derbyshire stonemasons have an unbroken lineage from the present day back to the neolithic (that beats the phoney freemasons, with their Solomon’s temple crap, hands down dunnit?).
Rowtor Rocks is a magical place, take your kids, take a torch and take your time.

Visited 20th April 2003: On our way to St David’s to get milk, first thing in the morning, William and I detoured to visit this stone. There’s no public right of way through the field it stands in, but it can easily be seen from the road. I’d have liked to get closer, but the field is sewn with crops, and I didn’t have time to seek out the farmer (even though the farmhouse is very close to the stone).

Possible ring cairn with central cairn, Barnatt suggests a robbed cairn due to it’s closeness to the stone wall.
Tricky to find, wouldn’t like to say whether it’s worth the fight through heather and peat bogs.......but hey it’s there.

OK so this ring cairn is hard to find and when you do..... it’s a bit of a let down, just a ring of slightly higher than the rest heather. But the views are outrageous. With Win Hill, framed by Lose Hill and Mam Tor in the west and the Derwent Valley and Crook Hill to the north.
If there were stones remaining here......it would certainly be one the Peaks best sites.

A small cairn 6m in diameter, and may be 1m high surrounded by 5 standing stones, 2 of which lean badly. A bit of confusion as to what exactly the site is.....kerbed cairn or in-filled stone circle.

A real pain to find, and the moor is wet for much of the year round.

This circle has a North Yorks Moors groove about it, it’s wrecked, it’s buried in heather and there’s not a lot to see.
I love it!

Visited 19th April 2003: I confess this was my first visit to Gors Fawr, and it lived up to my expectations. It was really sunny, and visibility was good, so the Preseli range appeared formidable and central to the focus of the site.

The outlying stones to the north of the circle stand between it and the mountains. Beyond them (obscured by trees, gorse and buildings) are the Rhos Fach stones, which could once have been visible from the circle. Off in other directions are numerous standing stones, orientated towards the mountains. The probability that the people who erected those standing stones would have known, and possibly worshipped at Gors Fawr amazes me. The circle is a megalithic cathedral surrounded by little chapels (and gorse).

We eventually wandered over to the outlying stones, which are relatively large compared to the stones in the circle. All the gorse in the area has been grazed into topiary by the sheep (I assume) so the immediate landscape has a bit of a manicured feel to it. William seemed to like it though. When we got back to the car we found that Alfie had lost a sock (he’d been in the backpack) so I had to retrace our steps on my own. It was good to be out there without William tearing about. The place was that bit more tranquil.

Incidentally I found the missing sock, but if anyone finds a little woollen hat near Bedd Arthur please let me know.

This is a nice spot and is enhanced by the walk over the moor with all of it’s features and megalithic oddities. Stu reassures me that the site looks a lot better now that it’s had a good coat of looking at.
The setting amongst the birch trees and with the new turf give the site a park – like quality.
I liked the tree with all the bobbles and ribbons on it. It gives a focus to folk who feel the urge to leave their hair care products at this ancient site, although I think a used bobble is pretty crappy gift to leave. At least they’re not strewn all over the stones.

“Love comes pouring out”
The Crystals

Sums it up for me
Nuff said?

When I saw this stone from the road I just had to smile, it’s gorgeous!
It’s a beautiful proto temple and fits right in with the other megalithic wonders of this part of the Peak.
A climb to the top is worthwhile, there are two oversized cups with channels. I think they’re what those blokes on the antiques shows diplomatically describe as “being made in the style of”

Hahaha me and my mate Dan... we reckon that some one has nicked it from a cartoon... it’s a perfect round hill with sheep on it HAHAHA!

Standing Stone approximately 1.2m in height, the Devils Causeway (Roman Road) passes close by.

Visited 19th April 2003: Louise chose this site as a minor detour on our way to Gors Fawr. The first thing we saw was one of the two modern standing stones on the common. We parked up near these and my initial reaction was to check the Landranger in case we’d entirely screwed up. Having established that one of the modern stones is marked on the map as a monument, we set out to find the real thing.

The Rhos Fach Standing Stones aren’t on the common land, but to the north of it, hiding behind a huge forest of gorse. You can get good views of them from the common land, with Carn Meini behind them. We were extremely lucky with the weather, and the whole setting was beautiful (if a bit windy). I’d definitely recommend a visit to anyone visiting Gors Fawr.

The name Rhos Fach means little moor or little heath.

Visited 18th April 2003: I spotted this stone on the Landranger, and persuaded Lou that we should detour to visit it on our way back from Fishguard (aka Abergwaun).

The first thing we saw as we approached was a small stone, slightly further south than the place I’d expected to find the Ffynnon Druidion stone. On closer inspection it turned out to be a recently erected stone, with lots of tell tail signs that it had been recumbent not that long ago. Subsequent investigation confirmed my suspicion that it isn’t prehistoric. I’ve christened it the Ffynnon Druidion JCB Stone.

The real Ffynnon Druidion stone stands in the next field along from it’s fake neighbour. It’s rather tall (maybe 7ft) with a slight zigzag shape to it, and covered in lichen. At it’s base it tapers and there are lots of exposed packing stones around it. I found it rather impressive, and having just visited it’s in neighbour, it felt comfortingly old.

[visited 19/5/3] – This is another delightful sight with what I’ve just found to be Robin Hood’s Stride very close by (ooh thats a very interesting rock outcrop). The stones definately look like the sorry remains of a circle & reminded me quite strongly of Bathampton Down. Very easy to reach from the road & lots in the area, well worth a visit as you’ll probably get this to yourself like me!

[visited 19/5/3] – Following an abortive first visit at night earlier this year (I was considering whether to tresspass when a dog licked my hand & I was so freaked I gave up :), I arrived here with the rain just starting. Luckily it was only a twenty minute shower and gave me a chance to eat some lunch.

So the skies temporarily cleared and I quickfooted it to the henge. In one word, wow. I loved the visual effects the makers had created, not being able to see the stones from outside the henge & aiming straight at the meeting of the two hills in the distance. I was lucky enough to have the sight to myself and if I hadn’t been on a fairly strict timer I’d have stayed much longer. As it was more rain & more sites to see drove me back to the car.

And so onto the incident which prompted the unwritten actual fieldnotes to start ‘Still shaking & ouch’. Whilst at the henge the kindly farmer had put cows, sheep & lambs in the field between the henge & the farm. I’m not sure but I think cows like to protect lambs in the same field & I am definately sure that a cow trotting into me is gonna hurt more than the electric fence I gripped two handed after leaping over the nearby stone wall. Watch the cows, keep watching the COWS!!!

[visited 19/5/3] – What a lovely site. Ignoring the rape of the landscape from the mines, the views are tremendous & the ambiance just right. I parked at the start of the Five Wells farm track & walked the 10 minutes across the fields, setting myself up nicely for the landscape to open up in front of me as I reached the summit. When you are at the site, stand on the mound and rotate 360 degrees, warmed the cockles of my heart that sight!

I was still buzzing from Arbor Low when me and Stubob hit this site.
Stu sorted out the access and we were away.
It can’t be a coincidence that this site and it’s beautiful grove of Beeches can be seen from all over the area.
This is an awsome place, full of wonder and dignity.
I gotta big-up stubob for letting me in on this lovely spot.

A return visit – this time with Si and Ursula.

For me this site is really under-represented! Looking at the first circle of the White Moss pair, we all commented on the fact that we’d not really heard much mention of the place and couldn’t understand why. This circle in particular is in really good condition, considering it’s location, and taken into consideration with the other four circles. The only reason I can think of for why more people haven’t visited is it’s remote location, but it’s not that difficult to get to. We took a more direct approach this time, venturing over Hard Knott pass and, despite difficult driving conditions, decided it’s a much quicker route than the one we had taken previously (the coastal route) and offers some spectacular scenery (and a Roman fort).

Burn Moor exudes a real magic. For me the best spot is within the first of the two Low Longrigg circles. From here the view down to White Moss and Brat’s Hill is very clear, and quite overwhelming. I’ve yet to see these sites in sunny conditions, and I must admit, these overcast doomy skies do kind of add to the place, but next time I will definitely try to visit on a cloudless summer’s day, just to see how much this affects the sites.

I’d go as far as saying it’s pretty perfect up here, and would urge anyone with an interest in the stones, who can, to pay a visit because it really is a very special place. The walk from Boot is steep, but well worth the effort. Fantastic.

Still smiling we walked over to Gib Hill.
This place..........The henge, the circle, the cove, the avenue, the half-a-henge, it’s just too much for an unsophisticated lad like me.....
I’m still smiling!