Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 26th April 2003: This cluster of barrows is visible from the Thurfield Heath car park. There are three relatively large barrows, and three smaller ones (of which I only identified two) that are much less well defined. The three largest in the cluster are very close to each other, and stand in a neat row. From the top of any one of these you get great views of the long barrow to the south and Cambridgeshire to the north (freakily flat to someone who lives in Wales).

Visited 26th April 2003: This barrow sits out on its own, away from the others, to the north east of the long barrow. It has an iron bench on it dedicated to someone called Herbert John Haywood (apparently he loved the beautiful walk and view). To be fair to Mr Haywood, it is a nice place to sit, even though Royston makes up a large part of the view.

This has to be one of my favourite carvings on the moor despite the fact that it is close to a fair bit of passing human traffic and noise and has been the subject of vandalism in the form quarrying, as well as peoples names and even modern celtic patterns chipped out of the rock. The motifs though amaze me – I think this is only the second time I’ve visited, the first time I managed to completely miss a large section of the carvings and there may be more here that I haven’t yet recognised. The largest motif consists of a deep central cup with double joined arcs and extending grooves, one of which has a peculiar kink in it as it curves away to the west before turning sharply to the north. Just to the east of the pattern a deep groove runs northwest-southeast. On either side of it are about half a dozen cups, 3 rings and several unfinished rings or grooves. To the west is the second motif that seems to have been damaged by quarrying, again it has an almost central cup, this time with a ring that a doesn’t quite meet and a pair of grooves extending from either side that curve in and also do not quite meet. Through the middle of these 2 elements is a half circle groove which also has an uncut centre – why were these 3 elements left with uncut centres? Between the 2 main motifs, 5 cups and a small groove form a triangle – Stan Beckensall shows a further motif to the south but I couldn’t find it.
In my last fieldnote for this site I mentioned that normal maps are of no use on the moor and the GPS reigns supreme. At the time and with the maps I had this was largely true although the comment now seems rather ignorant and cringeworthy. Yes, a GPS will take you close to the stones but it is no replacement for a decent map – I would definitely recommend a visit to magic.gov.uk to get some printouts at 1:5000 or 1:10000 which accurately show the many tracks over the moor as well as the locations of most of the stones and other scheduled monuments.

Visited 26th April 2003: I was a bit concerned that we wouldn’t find the long barrow because I knew it was of the low earthen type, but even without a Landranger it was easy enough to find. It’s up on the hill to the east of the car park. Although you can’t see the long barrow itself from the car park, you can make out the nearby round barrows.

Watch out for the golf players though. Whereas most of the round barrows are on the side of the fairway, the long barrow is part of the golf course (apologies to any golf players if my terminology is muddled). We watched a bloke taking a shot from the top of the barrow. It was rather amusing to me, but I suppose it’s pretty routine for the local players. In this case I think he thought we were admiring his game.

Lost as usual!!! Absolutely fantastic. The road and the trees only serve to make it more mysterious

Windmill Hill. There isn’t a windmill. And to the majority of us that hurriedly guess a glance in its direction when accelerating out of Avebury, there doesn’t seem to be much of a hill either. But this weekend (on my way to Jane’s inspiring exhibition of paintings) I decided I’d finally pay it a visit.

Taking Julian Cope’s book’s advice I thought I’d walk up from Avebury. Just to save you the unnecessarily tiring confusion I suffered trying to find the footpath, let me guide you to it. I parked in the NT carpark. Just as you walk through the gate, turn sharp left and leave the rest of the tourists behind – cut down this shady footpath and at the end of it turn left onto the road. The road soon bends right, then left. By now you will have been overcome by an urge to remark on the cuteness of the village. The road turns into a path, and then into a little bridge/causeway. When it splits in two, take the right hand side, and climb over the stile to your right. Cross the field and the stiled footbridge – then you just follow the path across the fields. I’d met three people so far who cheerily answered my ‘good morning’s – but from this point on I didn’t see a soul until I was back in Avebury.

When you finally get to it, the climb is kind of slow and shallow, but it turns into a slog – the type where you start off chatty but end up silently wondering ‘aren’t we there yet?’ It made the walk more of a Journey really, as I had time to ponder. Arriving was quite gradual – not like the short concerted effort of getting to Adam’s Grave or WK longbarrow, and there was no shock value of a sudden view. When I arrived I was alone – well, as alone as you can be amidst 100+ sheep, but they largely ignored me. It was immensely windy and cold, but sunny and clear. It should have been totally silent, but the wind was howling in my ears and I could hear a lot of noise, even though there wasn’t any. If you see what I mean.

I stood on the biggest barrow and did feel at the centre of all I surveyed. Behind me the steep slopes up to the Ridgeway were enclosing, in front the Pewsey Downs pointed out to the flat landscape. I guess the hill must slope away equally on all sides, but it didn’t feel like this. Maybe it was partly to do with the colours of the fields and only an illusion of this time or season.

I couldn’t see Avebury for trees, but Silbury Hill stood out . Its top seemed about the same level as I was standing – again this could have been an illusion, but it was quite an interesting one.

I thought it was a strange place really – it was so empty but it must once have been a busy focus of activity. It was quite lonely really. From the top it is very much a Hill, but that’s certainly not how it looked to me before I ventured up here. I suppose I’ll be better equipped to pick the site out from other vantage points now? Even when I came down it didn’t look like it felt, or how it was. It’s quite Disguised.

Anyway, well worth it. I felt quite smug and comfy as I walked back that I’d been up there. Come back to Avebury, you should go up there too.

Visited 15th April 2003: When I visited this site I thought it was Carn Ferched, but now I’m more inclined to think it’s actually a standing stone called Maenllwyd y Rhos.

The site is relatively easy to find if you’re on the ridgeway path that runs along the Preseli range. There’s a large boulder by the footpath opposite the cairn, so if you’re not sure look out for this, then head north and you’ll get to it. It’s clearly visible from the footpath, so this technique should only be necessary in poor weather conditions.

I was surprised to find such large kerb stones in what I thought be a cairn, so I checked and double checked that I was in the right place. At the time I was suspicious of my own navigation because the Landranger map, which marks Carn Ferched, puts it further west than this site. I also had some grid references for Carn Ferched which I’d put in my GPS from Prehistoric Preseli by N.P. Figgis which didn’t match the site I was looking at.

It’s only a month later that I’ve realised that these stones are probably not Carn Ferched at all. My grid references exactly match a Cambria Archaeology record for Maenllwyd y Rhos (SN 15441 32906), which is listed as a possible standing stone. What little information I can find on Carn Ferched suggests it is a barrow like site, which certainly doesn’t describe the stones that I saw.

Whatever it actually is, I visited this site twice, once on the way to Bedd Arthur and once on our return. Same day, but very different light conditions. Well worth the tiny detour if you’re heading this way to Bedd Arthur, Carn Meini etc. Possibly a bit trickier to find coming from the direction of Moel Drygarn.

I visited Rombald’s Moor as a result of finding this web-site. I saw lots of stuff up there but could not nail down Ashlar’s Chair, and the pancake stone. I saw the stone that Chris calls the Goth Stone. Not having a camera on me, I did not remember it until now. I have never seen anything like it before. I was surprised by the amount of 18th and 19th century carved graffiti up there.

I’m still not convinced about this site, but I thought I’d give it another look. Just to the northwest of a track that runs along the west of Backstone Beck and jumbled in amongst drystone walling I counted 9 upright slender slabs that looked more like the kind of thing you buy from a garden centre to create a stone circle in your garden. Having just got hold of a copy of Paul Bennett’s “Circles, Standing Stones and Legendary Rocks of West Yorkshire” he seems pretty sure that it is in fact a double circle with embankment but points out that the overgrown nature of the site and the walling make an accurate determination of it difficult – well I won’t argue with that! He also mentions the isosceles triangle formed by Backstone, The Twelve Apostles and The Grubstones as well as proposing an alignment between The Swastika Stone, Backstone and the Idol Stone (which I haven’t had chance to check out yet), the remains of a possible stone maze and a fallen monolith – I’ll be having a root around for those next time.

Having the benefit of little heather due to burning, there appears to be many suspicious standing stones here. Being new to the game of looking for stone circles, I first spotted standing stones to the left, just before the bridlepath bends to the left. There is also what looked to me like a circle with several large stones to the left after the bridge. I then walked down the little footpath and found what I thought was the circle to the left, right on the edge of the copse. I am still not convinced that I saw what actually is the circle. Perhaps someone else can help.

Absolutely superb setting on a day like today (sunny and windy). Very difficult to get to, I was put off by the angry sign just down the road from the lay-by. Further down the road I duly clambered across the river, over the fence and up the steep escarpment. This was the best circle I have seen for ambience and setting, the view is fabulous.

Visited these on May 10th 2003, a bit rainy and we had a bit of trouble with the directions at first even though there was a sign and everything, it’s simple when you know how. There were other visitors – a couple reading in a car enjoying the stones, and a family turned up as we left.

It is an enjoyable view from the stones and has that familiar feel that you get at other sites, is it almost a Deja Vu thing? Who knows, who cares, nice wine this...

It rained a bit but cleared wonderfully later on, wish I had stayed a couple of hours now, what a waste.

Anyway, it is another good site, and worth visiting Hay on Wye afterwards (the town of books).

If you follow the track that leads west from the Haystack rock and then swing round to the south you pass the partly reconstructed Backstone Beck Enclosure. Between the arc of drystone walling and the path, and northwest of the hut are 3 carved rocks nestling in the heather and almost in a northwest line.. The last time I was here I completely failed to find them, even though I must have walked within a couple of feet of one of them – this time as I approached from the south and had a better idea where they were I had more luck. Stone 1 is at SE12824619 and measures 180x130cm with around 45 cups, a couple of unfinished rings or arcs and several grooves – it lies just to the east of the path. Stone 2 is a little further southeast at SE12844617, it has about a dozen cups, 2 of which are quite deep, and measures 170x130cm. Stone 3 is the one I really wanted to find and when I located it a little further south at SE12834615 I couldn’t help letting out a Marc Riley stylee “Oh Yeessshh”. The stone is known as the Second Idol Stone and it’s easy to see why – a 130x80cm low stone with 24 cups and 5 deep grooves. Nine of the cups are zoned within a groove at the northeastern end and a further 6 run in a line between the edge of that groove and another that runs nearly the entire length of the stone. This rock is very similar to the Idol Stone 500 metres to the southeast – I wonder if they were carved by the same person?

Ashtead Common Earthwork – 11.5.2003

The obvious place to start is the Epsom Common car park at TQ183611, which is clearly shown on the OS map but isn’t signposted from the road. I then took a path south where you will come to a ‘path junction’ with three choices. Take the one to the south-west towards a large Corporation Of London sign / info board, which marks the start of Ashtead Common. The Corporation Of London owns and manages 200 hectares of Ashtead Common, which was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1995. The bridleway then skirts the privately owned Newton Wood and a lovely herd of Jersey cows were grazing the farmland to the North. Someone has rightly questioned one of the Newton Wood signs that say ‘Private – No Right of Way’ by adding ‘why not?’ on it – it seems strange that this wood is private when all around is open access. Soon you’ll come to another info board, which marked the start of my epic attempt to find the earthwork and two other things that looked like barrows on the OS map.

The common is pretty dense woodland and very confusing. There are a lot more paths than are marked on the map and although I think I found everything I was trying to find I honestly couldn’t say accurately how I found them or how to get to them! After taking the path south from the info board at TQ178606 to try to find the earthworks, and finding it difficult to find, I would actually suggest that an easier way might be to take the path from TQ176605, which should lead directly to the edge of the earthwork and close to the two possible barrows.

I’m pretty sure I found the earthwork (which incidentally is a scheduled Ancient Monument) in the jumble of paths and woodland. Well I certainly found a large area of land at the brow of the hill with irregular banks and ditches around it. I would love to know more about it. Incidentally a notice at one of the info boards previously mentioned said that they would be clearing trees on an around the earthwork in September 2003 – call 01372 279083 for more info.

There are two ‘star’ symbols on the OS map just north of the earthwork that usually signify barrows, but the usual word ‘tumuli’ isn’t present. Anyway I did find two things that look like barrows but I’m hesitant to post details up because when I got home I couldn’t find any reference on the internet and I found a large scale map of the common on the Corporation Of London website, which makes no mention of the barrows, but does place the site of a Roman Villa in the area…..hmmm?

Anyway, a very lovely walk in a beautiful, if dis-orientating, place!

Horsell Common Barrows – 11.5.2003

If you are approaching this from the south, drive slowly over the charming canal bridge (with bright white pillars and jet black railings) just after the railway bridge because the only car park in the area is immediately on your right after the canal bridge and is not signposted (it’s just opposite ‘Britannia Wharf’). I missed it and had to drive up to the large roundabout and return – there was no parking off the road elsewhere.

I think the easterly barrow is just to the right of the car park entrance. I parked, looked ahead and there was this large mound complete with classic hollowed top, trees and litter! It’s hard to tell the size of it due to the trees and brambles, but I’d guess about 20 m diameter and 1- 1.5m high.

The westerly barrow is reached by crossing the road and following a path for about 200 metres through woodland until you come to a clearing and the enormous bowl barrow is slap bang in front of you (the path actually goes up and over it). It’s a pretty dramatic setting, in this clearing surrounded by pine and birch trees.

I reckon it’s about 35-40 m in diameter and 1.5-2 m high. It is an excellent example of a bowl barrow, especially so close to London; the outer ditch and bank can clearly be seen all the way around, rising to a maximum of about 60cm high for the bank and about 30cm deep for the ditch. When I visited the bracken had been totally burnt off. I’d guess it wasn’t deliberate environmental management because the trees to the west (mainly young silver birch’s) were also burnt, as were some of the trees to the east (i.e. back towards the main road)

Pyrford Stone – 11.5.2003

Yep, the grid ref is spot on Rhiannon. However the grass verge where the stone lies is actually directly opposite Upshott Lane. And yes that verge is part of the ridiculously Big Brother-ish entrance to ‘Pyrford Court’, littered with signs saying ‘Private Property – No Turning – No Parking’ and warned you of CCTV cameras. To put it politely, fuck that! No Turning? Umm, why? What harm does that do? And do they fail to see the irony of what the stone’s plaque says about it being “on this corner since time immemorial”?

The stone is tiny (85cm x 40cm) and eerily smooth with a sharp-ish edge on its east side. It is extremely small to be a possible ancient standing stone, however the top is flat as if maybe it was larger before and had been broken?

The plaque reads “This boundary stone dates from before the Norman Conquest and is possibly a prehistoric standing stone. Situated on this corner since time immemorial, it was moved to its present position during road widening. This plaque was donated by local residents in 1976”

Wisley Common Bowl Barrow – 11.5.2003

From the Wisley Common Bell Barrow, the barrow is just 300 m west. Walk back up the woodland road for 100 m towards where it bends sharply and there is a metal barrier. Either walk straight ahead, up a woodland track, where the mound can be seen on the edge of the clearing to your right, or pass past the metal barrier, walk 40 metres up the sandy path and look across the clearing, where you will see the mound 100 metres or so to the west.

The barrow is called a ‘mound’ on the map, but the info on English Heritage’s record of scheduled monuments (see link below) says it is a bowl barrow. The mound is not particularly high but from the top you can clearly see that there is nothing else like it in the vicinity. The mound is mainly covered in woodland ferns (tinder dry when I was there) but several trees are scattered around it towards the outside of the mound, especially at the south and west edges.

Just to the west of the mound there is an interesting circle / ditch on the ground about 10m in diameter. It is totally clear of vegetation, unlike everything around it and looks strangely like a small bell barrow without the middle barrow part.

Wisley Common Barrow – 11.5.2003

The easiest way to get to the Cockcrow Hill area of Wisley Common, where the barrow and mound are, is to start at the car park / visitors centre for Wisley and Oakham Commons (840 acres in all!) at TQ079587. The visitor’s centre consists of toilets, a small shop and a little local info (nothing about the ancient sites though). You can’t turn in towards the car park if you are coming from the south-west (i.e. if driving towards London) – you have to go up the M25 junction and return.

Just to the right of the visitors centre, take a path (marked ‘Horse Riders’) up and over Curries Clump, which is strewn with condom wrappers and tissues. I guess this area is a perfect woodland cruising spot or something, being so close to the junction of the A3/M25? As you come down the clump the footbridge over the huge A3 is on your left. As you get to the other side you are now in Wisley Common, where some maps and info are pined up on a board and say that both the mound and barrow are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

The easiest way to get to the barrow is to follow the woodland road around to its end, close to the A3. The huge barrow is then on your left, about 40 metres in diameter and 5 – 6m high I’d guess. There are lots of smaller mounds around the area, but I presume it’s this big beastie that is the barrow.

This is a wonderful setting consisting of a cairn circle and a stone row.

The circle itself is around 13m in diameter and has 11 stones. It was re-erected in 1909 and some of the stones may not be original.

The row is 530m long and consists of a double line of stones although some have been lost making it a single row in parts.

Excavation of stone rows on Dartmoor has shown that they were normally built in woodland clearings that had previously been used for agriculture.

Although the trees surrounding Fernworthy are part of a modern plantation and not native species, it may well be that this row is more representative of how they may have looked originally.

Just around the corner from the village church, this was idyllic on a sunny Sunday morning. Villagers were cutting the lawn and gossiping over the hedge, giving a wonderful picture of rural village life.

The stone sits next to a memorial oak on a small green at a junction off the main High Street through the village. The information sign could do with a good clean (see photo), and the stone looks as if it’s had a bit knocked off the top. It looks for all the world like a piece of modern sculpture in its shape. Interesting texture and well worth seeing if you’re in the area.

Popped along to take a look at this today, and also its continuation in St Albans, Beech Bottom Dyke.

It’s an impressive defensive ditch, but I’d be inclined to just walk along to the end and attack at that point!

Of course, it’s very overgrown now, with bluebells in abundance, as well as the usual detritus of 21st century living: broken cycles, botles, syringes etc. Apart from that, it’d be a nice short woodland walk alongside the housing estate.

This earthwork is in a poor condition, and very overgrown but there is a walkway along the top from which the depth of the original dyke can be appreciated. The sides are very sheer in places, and seem to drop away to a depth of around 50-60 feet.

The earthwork is thought to have originally joined up with the Devil’s Dyke to create a defensive earthwork running from the River Lea to the River Ver.

I found the best viewpoint was from the alleyway running between the houses on Beech Road, near the junction with Marshall Avenue.

You can’t miss this large rock as it stands next to a main track and is 5.5 metres long, 3 metres wide and stands nearly 2 meters tall. It can also be seen from some distance from many points around the area and is useful as a navigation aid on the northeastern part of the moor. I had visited this rock before and noticed a few cups and a worn ring but other than that had not given it much consideration, this time I gave it a closer look as I had read that it had many more cups and it turned out to be a revelation. I counted at least 60 cups and there could well be more as the southern face is heavily eroded and it is difficult to tell what’s man made and what’s natural. Some of the cups form a line along the ridge that separates the north and south faces and there are 5 rings along the top and I counted a further 4 on the north face. There is also a cup with a gutter and penanular that has been carved along a natural crack almost giving it the appearance of a human form or an ankh as well as a line of deep cups that follow a fold in the rock and whose purpose must surely be just decorative?
Just to the west is a small rock with 3 cups on a vertical surface that faces the Haystack.

SE12964639 I was a bit disappointed with this stone – with such an evocative name as The Planets and with a dozen cups and 9 rings as well as linking grooves it promised to be interesting rock. In reality, in turned out to be badly worn with the rings and grooves shallow and difficult to make out, although it didn’t help that it was a dull day. It measures about 180x160cm and stands on a small outcrop of rock north of the track that leads past the Haystack rock and just before the land drops away towards the Cow and Calf rocks and carpark 500 metres to the northeast. There are also a few rocks close by that have possible cups – they could just be natural though.