Men Scryfa – 27.12.2002
Easy to reach if you’re visiting either the Nine Maidens or Men-an-tol. Although there is no official public footpath to the stone marked on the map, there is a stile into the field at its South West corner, and a well-trodden path to this curious inscribed stone. There seems to be no other obvious way out of the field, so best to retrace your steps back to the stile.
Men-an-tol – 27.12.2002
Despite it getting late and have to brave the aftermath of last nights torrential rain which resulted in mud baths and streams were footpaths should be, I just had to see Men-an-tol. It’s just one of those ‘must see’ sites that you’ve seen a million times in books and on postcards. It is actually signposted from the main track close to it, and it proved to be as strange and enigmatic as I expected. I can well believe that in the summer truckloads of people come to look at the site because this is one of the most famous ancient sites in England.
I had come up via Carn Galver and the Nine Maidens. I think it’s fair to say that the other way is probably the easier and more normal route, especially without a map. Men-an-Tol is actually signposted from the main Trevowhan to Madron road (at approx SW418347), and has a lay-by to accommodate about 4 cars.
Lanyon Quoit ? 27.12.2002
As this is right next to the main road and in the care of the National Trust I expected a huge neon signs above it and a pay and display car park. But actually it is very subtle and very low key (and very fitting), with just a make shift lay-by next to it and small plaque set in the field wall near a stone stile that leads into the field. The plaque reads “Lanyon Quoit – Given to the National Trust by Sir Edward Bolitho of Tiengwainion in 1952”. After the enormity of Trethevy Quoit this looks positively tiny, like it?s from the model village at Polperro, or Legoland in Windsor. Strange.
Mulfra Quoit – 27.12.2002
The Eastside of Mulfra Hill was seriously overgrown when I tried to visit. I couldn’t find the Public Footpath marked on the map (from the road, at approx 454356) that should lead up to the Quoit, nor any other path up the hill. The brambles and undergrowth were ferocious. Bummer. I’ll try again another day and maybe another path…don’t know when…..some sunny day…..(I feel a song coming on).
After Mulfra I got hideously lost amongst the roads. I really feel like I’m losing my mind, going up and down the same roads. Is someone trying to tell me something?
Access Park in lay-by at bottom of hill.
3 steps up through gate then level, rough grass.
Two barrows, once part of a larger group, in the village of Littleton nr. Winchester. The Disc Barrow is remarkably well preserved with finely defined ditch and bank. It is about 55M. diameter, crest to crest. Next door to the smaller Bowl Barrow is a Sarsen Stone, found in the early 20th C. in a farmers field nearby and moved here in the 1950s
Visited 11th January 2003: There’s no public footpath to Pentre Ynys, but you can see the stone from the road.
When we visited, the gate to the field it sits in was wide open and there were no crops or livestock to avoid, so we decided to take closer look. I parked in the gateway opposite, and we were just at the stone when the farmer turned up at the gateway in an enormous tractor. Our car was stopping him from turning into the field, so feeling embarrassed (for parking badly and for going into the field without permission) I pegged it back to move the car. As it turned out the farmer was fine about us looking at the stone, and was just keen to get on with his muck spreading.
The stone itself looks a bit lost in the middle of the field. The surrounding ground has been quite badly eroded by cattle, and the stone has bird shit all over it (excuse my French), so it lacks glamour.
There’s another stone relatively nearby, but less accessible, called the Rhyd y Fwyalchen Stone (SN42942412). This stands to the south, on the other side of Nant Felys (like Pentre Ynys it’s marked on the Landranger). I’d imagine that the two stones are directly connected to each other and/or the river that runs between them.
Visited 11th January 2003: Parc Garreg Lwyd is still standing, but only just. It leans alarmingly to the south. The stone is on private land with no public access across it, but you can get a good view of the stone from the road.
There’s enough space to park a car adjacent to the stone, but there’s a surprising amount of traffic running along here, so we didn’t stop for long. Parc Garreg Lwyd is marked on the Landranger, so it’s easy to find.
The Pipers – 23.12.2002
These huge stones can be seen from the B3315 road. No official public footpaths close by. Presumably on the land of Boleigh Farm.
HOW TO GET THERE
From Berwick Upon Tweed Head towards the A1 (Southwards) Before you reach the A1, turn left towards the village of Scremerston. Immediately turn left again and follow the road round. At Borewell Farm (offering farm shop etc) take another left. cross the railway and continue along the road until it falls away into disrepair. park up below the “pill box” and walk through the nature reserve part of the dunes. you will come to a fence, climb it and follow the path down to the beach. It is pretty rough and steep going, but soon you will be on a sandy beach. Keep close to the dunes and look out for rocks that are submerged at high tide. These are the ones you need to examine.
Apologies if the grid reference is not 100% correct.
If you have any problems finding it – give me a shout!
Moey
ART IMITATES LIFE
This area was something that caught me by surprise. On the beach at Cocklawburn near Berwick-Upon-Tweed Lie some excellent rock formations that look similar to cup and ring marks.
I used to walk my dogs here a lot and had never noticed them beforee, but one day I was walking with my head down and say one of the ring formations. I couldn’t believe it – didn’t know if they were natural or man made.
I looked around and there were loads of them. Some qute large, but many were huddled together on rocky outcrops like so many limpets hanging on for dear life. Many are flat to the surface of the sand, but others are vertical on the rocks.
I formulated a theory about sandstone and volcanic rock fusing, but this doesn’t seem to be quite right.
Through the wonders of the community that is Head Heritage, I got talking to Fitzcoraldo about rock art, I sent him the pics and he showed them to the resident geologists on his oil rig. I hope Fitz doesn’t mind me reprinting his reply, but this is the current thinking on the formations.
“I have a name for your bizarre rock formation and can tell you that your half baked theory was only a quarter baked.
I’ve consulted the afternoon shift geologists and the consensus seems to be that they are a phenomena called MUD VOLCANOES, in fossil form of course.
Apparently you get mud volcanoes in areas like large river deltas, where you get a large amount of sediment deposited quickly, this mud is then overlain by slower deposited sands which compress the mud causing it to flow upwards inna volcano stylee. So there you go.”
The Shrewsbury Tumulus, the sole survivor of 6 siblings... Nestles comfortably between roads and houses. Enclosed by a wiry metal fence, it nevertheless retains a certain power over it’s surroundings, subtly deforming the tarmac.
The closeness of the modern trappings gives this mound an especially eternal quality.
It seems all the ancient sites In this city have been moved, contained or otherwise diminished – an acknowledgement of their potency perhaps...
Despite being opened in the past, what it ever contained (or still may contain) no one knows...
Visited August 2002. As you approach Cleeve Cloud from Cheltenham the sheer size of the escarpment is amazing. The ridge rises sheer from the Severn Valley floor up to over 300 metres (the highest part of the Cotswold Hills). This is why I have defined it as a sacred hill, there seems to be real reverence for it in the landscape. The sense of peace you have whilst walking round and taking in the view and the landscape is almost to see the world as the ancients saw it. The modern world can try to interfere, note the numbly positioned golf club nearby, but on Cleeve Cloud I felt the atmosphere of a different time.
Visited Winter 1999 (I think): The climb up to Dinas isn’t quite as bad as it looks, but you’d be hard pressed to get a pushchair up there. Approaching from the south you can park at the gate just to the north of the bridge (SN741827) and there’s a public footpath that goes east, then north, passing to the east of the hillfort. Obviously there’s no point in sticking to this path because you’ll miss the views to the west, and any chance of identifying the ramparts of the fort itself.
Up at the top the views are spectacular, especially to the west and east (towards Pumlumon Fawr). The climb is worth it just for the feeling of splendid isolation, and knowing that you’re slap bang in the middle of an excellent cluster of upland Bronze Age sites.
Visited 29th December 2002: We cleverly ignored the directions to the site in the Modern Antiquarian, and for a short while I thought we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near the stones. Then I remembered the book, and it turned out to be easy.
There were winter crops in the field surrounding the stones, and there’s no public footpath, so we couldn’t get very close. I’m dying to take a better look, so we’ll be back in 2003 for another try.
[visited 10/1/03] Very ploughed out and not much to see to be honest. In a county deprived of much prehistory, these need to be acknowledged but probably just one for the obsessives...
Only six barrows remain of the presumably seven that once stood here on a low ridge. Of those remaining, one is so denuded it is barely visible, two have been dug into and the other three have been ploughed low.
Its no longer the nicest of locations either; any views that once existed are gone, hidden by the trees...
[visited 10/1/03] Head into Thetford from the direction of the A1075 and you should go straight past this amazing earthwork. I took the road just before it and parked on the road just past it. This site is visually very rich though I believe most of the visible earthworks are Norman. The huge mound is very reminicent of Silbury Hill, though nowhere near as large. Plus this mound is surrounded by buildings and ramparts.
Watch out for the excessive mud in January as it makes climbing the Motte an “interesting” addition to the day.
[visited 12/01/03] Situated on the edge of the A146 just before the Stockton sign as you come from Norwich. This is a sad little stone, missed no doubt by 99 percent of the people hurtling past on a reasonably busy A road.
I noticed there was the remains of an iron nail or something attached to the top of the stone, so it may have been moved from its original location or it may not be a genuine ancient stone at all.
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And I also see from the photos a huge gash in the side. Was this stone moved from a field?
Took some finding this one, and I’m not satisfied. It’s marked on the map as being sandwiched between some houses. Actuallly going up there, it turns out that it’s deep in enemy territory, “GolfLand”. To the east lies the mighty Sunningdale Golf Club, but our quarry is in what is known as “Sunningdale Ladies Golf Club”.
About 100ft wide, this is more like a pitch and putt. To have so much money, but yet be content with being treated like a child, it’s beyond me. Anyway.
There’s no obvious sign of any barrow where it’s marked on the map. I knocked on the clubhouse door, was ignored by two lunching Ladies, had a chat with the kitchen staff, until the Club Secretary arrived. He’s only been in his job for a week, but we spent a happy half hour walking the edges of the course, looking at the map, looking at the terrain, until we gave up. We had our suspicions about the edge of a bunker, but nothing firm. He suggested that it might be in the grounds of one of the houses on the eastern side of the course, and as long as the house wasn’t occupied by an arab family, I’d probably be alright peeking over (the alternative would result in me probably being shot. Apparently).
Couldn’t find it, so I cycled off to Ascot to see the Heatherwood Hospital barrow. Much more entertaining ...
Me and my apprentice dodman set off in search of hut circles. I had read somewhere that there were circles just above Baysdale on Kildale/Warren Moor.
We parked up at Hob Hole and marched up the road to the bridleway opposite to the Sloethorn Park road. The weather was terrible and the path was a mud monsters paradise.
The are lots of rocks and boulders strewn along the hillside that leads down to the beck. We investigated quite a few of these and found quite a few possible cups most of which were fairly weathered. You have to be careful around here because the rocks are iron rich, the iron forms nodules in the rocks which weather-out leaving a ‘pseudo cup’.
The was one distinctive rock that we came across that I’m pretty sure has a genuine single cup. The rock is in a significant spot about 20 metres downhill from the path and directly opposite to the junction of the Great Hograh Beck Valley and Baysdale. The rock itself is larger than most of it’s neighbours and has a large weather-polished upper surface. The cup is right in the middle of this surface. I examined the rock for pseudo-cups and found none. There is also some graffitti on the rock dated 1948. There are other possible cups on rocks opposite to the junction of the little Hograh Beck and Baysdale.
You may say “one cup mark, so what?” but considering that there are huge stretches of the UK that are completely devoid of any rock art , one small North Yorks site, is significant.
We failed to find the hut circles as we spent too much time looking at the rocks in the valley. We’ve saved them for another day, preferably in summer.
25/03/03
Update.
I was back in Baysdale yesterday and found another ‘cup’ but following a discussion with a local gamekeeper I am now less convinced that this is rock art and more convinced that these marks could be bullet holes. Apparently the armed forces used standing stones for target practice during WW2. The bullet hole theory was also put forward by Graeme C on his excellent website.
Don’t let this put you off visiting Baysdale, it’s a lovely spot. There are some rather unsatisfactory hut circles at NZ628078 and although I’m not a big fan of grouse butts, if you up there check out the lovely grouse carving in the butt.
Visited 11/01/03
This stone stood 4ft high and had chains and metal rings visable in living memory . Now the stone is sinking into the field and stands no more than 2 1/2 ft above the surface and no trace of the chains or rings can be seen. This stone has been dismissed as a glacial erratic but it still has a case as the remains of stone circle have been long ago distoryed are still lined up at the edge of the field .
12 jan 2003
Took the route from stannon circle and thought that the Louden circle would appear before us as we reached the crest of the hill.....wrong!
The circle would easily be missed if wasn’t for the map we had with us. There seems to be about 4 what you could call standing stones (stumps) and the rest are more or less stones on the ground.
Had trouble tracing the shape also. Just to confuse things stones seem to stick out of the ground all over the place many are obviously cairns there are also some stone banks that aren’t marked on OS maps. Unfortunately didnt have time to travel down to Fernacre which would have been an circle within easy reach if we had time (maybe another day)
What you found is the Bodrifty settlement and also the reconstruction of the “Beehive Hut” at Bodrifty Farm. You can find my posts on the sites attached to the Wheal Buller Menhir site.
Fernacre Stone Circle – 26.12.2002
From Louden Hill Stone Circle, Fernacre Circle is a pleasant 1½ km walk East. However, on a clear day Fernacre Stone Circle can be seen from quite a distance, and that distance doesn’t seem to get much shorter despite vigorous walking!
Once I finally got to Fernacre it just re-enforced what a fascinating area this is – 3 stone circles, Rough Tor, settlements, huts, cairns, a cist....the lot! I counted 59 stones, again rather more than Craig Weatherhill in ‘Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall and Scilly’ – Cornwall Books – 1985, revised 1997 & 2000) and The Modern Antiquarian who both count 52, but rather less than Aubrey Burl in his ‘Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany’ (1995), who counts “over 70”. There also seems to be quite a strong ditch/dyke about 40 metres South West of this lovely circle.
As I was leaving the circle I heard a very strange noise, like a moan. With no one else around this entire area this was rather spooky. Logic says it was either a ‘moo’ carried by the wind from one of the cows about 600 metres away, or my shoe squelching as I turned to leave the circle. But sometimes it would be nice to think that for some things in life there are no logical explanations.......
Louden Hill Cist and Cairns – 26.12.2002
Between the Louden Hill and Fernacre Stone Circles there are some interesting cairns to the South of the track. One is totally exposed with the remnants of a cist (map ref approx SX138797) and several standing and recumbent stones around it. After exploring this I walked West and found a cairn about 100 metres away. Then I walked about 7 metres further to the West to some more stones, turned around and found that all of these were aligned to a stone in the background. Within a few degrees this alignment was exactly East-West. Interesting?
