Latest Fieldnotes

[visited 24/12/02] This is a wonderfully located Cairn Circle on a hilltop not far from the sea. A really peaceful place to while away a couple of hours in quiet contemplation. It is apparently the remains of a chambered round barrow and is a jagged looking circle in a small bank. Wellies are advisable if its been raining as mud rules for most of the walk to the site.

On the way there you walk past a disused quarry with some very interesting looking large rocks lying in front of it. Quarry debris, field clearance or the remains of another monument? you decide :)

[visited 24/12/02] Originally a Logan stone, this is a large natural rock outcrop that is impossible to miss. I came here after a long day out and it really is a delight. I for one wouldn?t have rocked it, as when you stand underneath it now it towers up as if it might fall at any moment.

The Puckstone is visible as a mound to the North and the large mound very close by to the west is artificial.

[visited 24/12/02] Apparently there is a standing stone on top of the possibly natural mound. I located a couple of possibles amongst the bracken, but I may have missed the actual Puckstone due to the bracken. The Agglestone is very obvious to the South.

[Visited 24/12/02] Finally after hearing about 3 destroyed or re-arranged stone rows in Dorset, I got to visit one still in its original setting and (I presume) intact. Its situated in marsh land and surprisingly hard to find.

The stones are smaller than any of the stones used in the existing Dorset circles, the tallest being 2ft high and presumably the shortest being buried under the marsh. They are of a comparable size to some of Hampton Down circle’s stones, which is itself thought to be made from the remains of at least one stone row.

Using Peter Knight’s Ancient stones as a guide, I found 4 of the 6 stones in the arrangement; 1,2,3 & 6. Stone’s 2 & 6 have OS marks on them. Stone 2 is probably the easiest to find, at around SZ025853; head northwest away from the road along the path to Redhorn Quay (marked on OS map) and the stone is off to the right. Having found this stone (good luck), move about another 100 metres to the Northwest and locate The Fishing Barrow to the south east. Its a clump of trees near the center of the dip in the hills, visible against the sky. The main row goes in a line towards that barrow from Stone 2, unfortunately its no longer visible from Stone 2 itself so you’ll have to extrapolate.

Two other stones are stone 6 on the other side of the road on the edge of the high ground to the south east, the other end of the row pointing to the Fishing barrow from 2. Also stone 1 is to be found about 1 ft high further along the path to Redhorn Quay from stone 2, slightly further away from the path.

[visited 24/12/02] This is a weirdly shaped standing stone in the middle of a valley in the middle of purbeck. A word of caution, wear wellies to get to this site as in winter the path from the nearest carpark (just to the south), is very very muddy. To get to the stone, park in the car park, walk north along the road to the footpath and set off down the hill. Go through the exceedingly muddy, steep path to the field at the bottom and head east. The harpstone is on the other side of the field past the three trees.

I really enjoyed visiting this site and look back to coming here in summer with a picnic. The stone is unfortunately the other side of a barbed wire fence, which is bypassable but only with care. Its a very strange shape (hence the name) and has what seemed to be its broken off tip resting against its base.

This site is is one of Dorset’s finest Megalithic monuments and well worth a visit.

Visited 29th December 2002: We made the long slog up to West Kennet this afternoon, despite the muddy river that used to be a footpath. The National Trust have put a sign up at the car park warning people about the state of the path and suggesting that appropriate footwear should be worn. I’m guessing that high heeled boots aren’t recommended, but I saw someone struggle to the top despite wearing a chunky pair (all power to them).

When we entered the barrow, and moved down to the chamber at the end I was mightily pissed off to find a plastic tarpaulin on the floor, covered in mud and spent tea lights. The wall of the chamber was also littered with tea lights, and the accompanying soot and wax. There were a couple of biodegradable offerings in the chamber as well, but they both had poisonous berries on them, and I had to keep asking William not to pick them up (or to put them down, depending on how far he’d got). Unfortunately we couldn’t do much clearing up (with the prospect of getting the two boys back down the mud slide to the car). It made me sad to see the place looking like that.

What’s the story with this sort of behaviour? Are the people who do this really Pagans? If they are, how the hell do they justify causing so much damage to a place that is sacred and/or of unique archaeological importance? How stupid can you be? It gives a bad name to the majority of people who use the site for spiritual purposes without leaving it in a mess.

Despite all this, I’m glad we took the boys to see West Kennett. Next time, we take bin bags!

Originally heading to Boscawen un circle, the weather changed to heavy rain so I opted to come to the well, wonderful place, very powerful and evocative, less the garbage which is strewn across the poor hawthorn tree!, still though I sat within the well, trance comes easy here..

The well itself flooded due to the recent heavy rains, and the surrounding area rather muddy, but neverless a beautiful place..I stayed for a couple of hours...it got dark and the well came alive!, as does the rest of Penwith!!..

I gave healing to the poor tree..after I had removed “all” the rubbish from its branches!...again it could breathe easy!..

This pair of stones sit in the middle of a field, half way between the track to Muirheadstone farm on the left, and Staredam cottage on the right. They don’t appear ever to have formed part of a circle, being as they are orientated SW-NE, and about 5m apart. The NE stone is particularly interesting, as it has an inscribed cross on it, supposedly carved by a passing missionary.

Visited on 25-04-2002. Signposted off the main route through the town of Aviemore, easy to find.
The surrounding hills are visible, and it’s still possible to imagine what it used to look like before the houses and tourists moved in. Yes, it’s had an estate built around it, but I imagine it’d be great having this as a neighbour.

Visited on 28-04-2002, and it was tipping it down! Lovely site though.

Nothing to add to Winterjc’s or Nick’s comments, except that you could break an ankle in that damn heather.

If you carry on along the lane instead of going to Crofthead farm house, you can get to the stones from here. Not so wet, no burns to cross.
The two large recumbents are large. One has cup markings on it. Up the field are the two standing stones, and as Winterjc says, you can see as far as the Lomond Hills.

Just as you go under the motorway, on the B4245 to Magor, on the right is a field gate. From here you can see the stone about 150mtrs along the fence. The stone is thin and triangular about 6ft high. This is another strange place where sounds are not intrusive even though the motorway is so near. Make it your next call after Heston Brake.

When asking the way at Inver Roy, a kind gentle man told us of this stone. He said it was a chalice stone, and in the dark days of religious persecution Roman Catholic folk came here in secret to celebrate Mass. It is a stone not a rock and may have been of some significance at an earlier time. It is rock art but also christianised. Well worth looking for.

August 2001
As gyrus mentioned, Candle Hill is degraded with the rubbish dump nearby but enough of the site remains to give an impression of the former grandeur of the circle. It is so remote and yet so connected to the larger ritual picture of the area. Yes, the stones have all fallen (except one) but there is still an aura there – I love it.

Visited Avebury 22.12.02 – peaceful on West Kennet Avenue with bursts of incredible winter sunshine.

Lot of people in the village talking about “mushrooms”.

Visited West Kennet Long Barrow 22.12.02 – monument filled with candles & nightlights, majority of which placed directly beside or beneath megaliths. The prolonged heat from these candles will probably damage/fissure these ancient stones. A capstone was reported cracked recently, I understand? Bottle of red wine going the rounds...

I spoke to the people at the barrow, about the danger to the monument, one of which promised to ‘do something’. The others melted away into the interior of the barrow (about a dozen loosely connected people), seemed unwilling to discuss the matter [embarassed?]. Most of these guys appeared to have come from Stonehenge (solstice) from what I could discern from the conversation.

The guy (from Belgium) who’d promised to check on the nightlights soon left the barrow – as I was leaving, in fact. He didn’t talk about the nightlights. I again explained the danger that fire poses to ancient stones; it was difficult to tell whether he could take what I was saying on board, although he spoke perfect English, French & Flemish.

After a while I let him continue on his way alone; I, wishing to visit the Swallowhead.

Afterwards, at the layby, I encountered about half a dozen people making their way towards the barrow. I wished them well but asked if they were to encounter candles at the monument, to please make sure none were harming the stones in any way – by directly heating them. The response seemed positive/bemused: a middle aged lady became quite defensive about her ‘never using candles anyway!‘

I will write to EH about adding a multilingual note to their WKLB information board, about the danger fire presents to ancient stones.

m6

Always go and find someone from the farm before visiting....

Tiny hillfort (because of it’s size it is thought to be more of a refuge) enclosing only 3 quarters of an acre. Good bank, ditch and counterscarp. A small section is missing in the SE. Rooke described an entrance visible in the SE in the 18th Century, but there are no traces today.

If you follow the ‘Limestone Way’ around the farm. There looks to be the remains of what might’ve been an outer bank. Over 2m high in places.

Having been a regular visitor to Avebury over the last 10 years I was dying to bring my boyfriend down to experience what is one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited. We came down on the eve of the Winter Solstice and visited the Red Lion. The atmosphere was electric with many people singing, playing instruments and being generally happy. the next morning we were back around 7am to welcome yule and sunrise with the pagans. It took around 1/2 hour for the festivities to end, the finale being a dance in a circle, running fast and holding hands. Not being very well I decided to skip the dance, but the boyfriend was caught up in the circle and decided it was a very spiritual experience! He was smiling all day long.
We had a magical weekend and the atmosphere of Avebury made us fall in love again every time we looked at each other.

First visit. Really nice place with a mellow vibe.I spotted the spiral on one of the stones. Despite the obvious cramming of the site, it felt right. As we were walking off we were followed a cute lovely little bird in the trees. Quite enchanting!

When we stopped here on yule morn, i didnt expect to be impressed as the close prox of the large noisy road, so when i got the the top the henge bank and looked on my first words were “F***in hell” the sight of the flat surface and the surrounding henge and the stone in the middle blew me away. I LOVED this place, even with the road it is an athmospheric place, i had visions of how it may have been used, tourchlights burning, singing, processions, rites and rituals who knows but a great place, one of the best for me. Made me go WOW! A special place.

Came up on the Winter solstice after Castlerigg, after getting lost(again) on the country roads arrived and ambled straight over the long meg hereself, her spirals seemed more pronounced than the last time I visited.

Long Meg and Her Daughters (or lovers?) is a great place considering the damage that the ignorant have attempted in the past. The sky here always seems and feel vast when I’m here.

Spent the winter solstice sunrise here, whilst expected cloud prevented us viewing the sun, the atmos was great, the mist gave an allmost Arthurian feel to the site. I have visited this site a number of times( first as a a child) and i still think it is an amazing site in a simply wonderful setting. Said hi to Pebblethief as she was there, about 10 or so people there, include a man quietly walking round the circle blessing a baby and a Druidish type in the centre silently observing the solstice. Love it.

SO 240 178
Grwyne valley near Llangenny, approachable in either direction on unclassified roads from Crickhowell and Glangrwyney.

Park in the carpark for the Dragon Head Inn at Llangenny*. On the opposite side of the road there is a public footpath marker which leads to a stile and gate. Enter the field and look ahead on your right. The stone is situated toward the field boundary on a slight rise.

The stone is approx four feet high and stands straight, oblong with a flat top, wider face towards the river.

Cadw guide for the area states that ‘While not all of these stones are definitely ancient, they can plausibly be seen as route or territorial markers of some sort’.

*Ask permission – see ‘Comment’ from landlord! TMA Ed.

OS 161 SO 211192
From Crickhowell, take A40 towards Brecon, take the right for the Manor Hotel (large white building up on the hill). There is a single parking space, site is practically on the road.
‘The Illustrated History and Biography of Brecknockshire’ Poole, E, 1886, mentions the destruction of the ‘finest cromlech in Breckonshire’ by Sir Richard Hoare and others in 1804. Dr Nicholas said of the capstone which was removed ‘...magnificent..., fourteen feet long and eighteen inches thick, with an average breadth of nearly seven feet, standing on four supporters’.
All that remains is a single chamber (minus the capstone mentioned above) and parts of its entrance chamber.
The extent of the site is marked out with miserable concrete markers, which reveal it as a chambered long cairn of the Severn-Cotswald type, with a horned fore-court (imagine Belas Knap). One of the horns is now under the A40.
What remains reveals a polygonal chamber and that the entrance passage to it has a bend, another two chambers discovered in the 1978 excavation (because of road widening) are also indicated by markers.
An unfortunate site, the proximity of the main road sealed its fate, although now fully excavated and in the care of Cadw, the busy road makes it rather forlorn, but easily accessible.
The 1804 destruction of the capstone resulted in neglible finds: ‘charcoal and a few bones’ (Cadw guide).

OS 161 SO 232168
From Crickhowell, take A40 towards Abergavenny. 1.4 miles from town centre. Clearly visible from road.
It would appear that Cwrt y Gollen Army Cadet camp is now closed.
Park at the now closed entrance to the camp: large white metal gates, with a white fence on either side, behind the gate is the guard house, on the opposite side of the camp drive is the Growing Stone.
Since Julian’s visit, the four-sided fencing around the stone has mostly been removed (the plaque hasn’t been re-attached to the stone either).
The area now has a feeling of dereliction (the empty guard house is ‘to let’) giving a sensation that the Growing Stone abides whilst the usage of the land around it is about to change once more.
An impressive stone, over 4m high, imagine a thickened blade with a blunted tip. Cadw guide for the area states that it is made of red sandstone.