Latest Fieldnotes

I had to wait in the car today for a rare (for this area) snowstorm to pass before I could walk to the fort. The light dusting showed the ditch and bank clearly from afar. What is more obvious is that the barrows clearly dominate the skyline for miles around. The fort builders obviously lived in harmony with these relics from an earlier age. The three tumuli in the top look as though they have been robbed in the past, the usual depression in the top, but next door there is a peculiar circular depression with a small bank about 10 M across. Is this the remains of a Bowl barrow or could it be a dew pond? Near the E entrance there is a new (?) circular pond. Near the two entrances are scattered about 13 other barrows. Geophys has found nearly 70 hut platforms on the site. After the blizard had gone the sky cleared and the views were spectacular, I could see Beacon Hill, another fort just outside Newbury and with better eyesight perhaps the barrows on St. Catherines Down on the I.O.W!
Must come here again when the wind chill is not -10 and explore the whole National Nature Reserve.

This large hill fort is situated on a spur of chalk downland just to the E of the River Meon and was probably built as a tribal centre for the valley. It covers an area of about 14 acres with the ramparts following the contours of the hill. The ditch and bank are well preserved and have two entrances E and W where the bank is also higher and incurved. The ground falls steeply on all sides except the E.

Within the fort are three large barrows and a possible Bowl barrow. A long barrow is situated at the bottom of the hill to the SW. The fort has never been excavated but is probably Iron Age.

The views are magnificent covering most of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Disabled: Dedicated parking, gently sloping access on grass and tracks to centre of site.

Visited September 2001: We were originally heading for Bryn Celli Ddu, but when we got there it still had Foot and Mouth signs up on the roadside warning not to go near it. We decided to see whether Bodowyr was accessible. William fell asleep in the car as we wound our way along the lanes between the two sites.

It wasn’t all that tricky to find Bodowyr, given that we only had a crappy road atlas with us. When we arrived we parked up right by the footpath, and decided to leave him in the car to snooze. The walk to the site is short, and relatively flat (no surprise there really, it is Anglesey). Bodowyr does look strange in it’s iron cage, but it was sunny, and we enjoyed just chilling out by the stones. I remember that it was good having some child free time to talk to each other (no offence meant Will).

Had a nice surprise today when I unexpectedly found myself passing this site on the way to a meeting... unfortunately didn’t have my camera on me, so just had to quickly write down the location so I could identify it later. Will go equipped next time I promise :-)

Originally there must have been fantastic views across the Firth from here, now blighted a bit by the closeness to the road.

Except of course for the fact that it is in the perfect position to sometimes give a nice vibe to a passing traveller.

Hurrah!

.o0O0o.

Visited 25th January 2003: Peterborough is a maze of dual carriageway. Without a map it took me while to find the road that runs near these stones. If you’re approaching on the A47(T) (guess what, it’s a dual carriageway) you can only get at the junction if you’re travelling west. Look out for a signpost for Castor, Ailsworth, Marholm and Golf Course. At the top of the slip road you need to turn left, then immediately left again down a little access road, so you’re heading east again. There’s a Nene Park information board on the corner. Keep on down this road and resist the temptation of parking until you the next information board (with some blurb about the stones on it).

There’s no public access to the stones, but you can get very close to them (or hop the fence). They are at the top of the field between the road and the River Nene (not right next to the river), but they’re a bit obscured by foliage if you’re standing on the road. From the information board walk west until you see a small crumbling concrete water main sign on your left (at least I think that’s what it is). The stones are directly adjacent to this sign, on the other side of the fence.

I’m a bit suspicious about the antiquity of the stones themselves. They’re both very square in cross section, and apparently there’s a theory that they date back to the Middle Ages. If they’re Bronze Age, they don’t look like anything else I’ve seen. Worth a visit if you’re stuck in Cambridgeshire and longing for some olde lumps of stone.

Just like to say this is in the running for my favourite circle.
Cute and perfectly formed (perhaps too perfect?)
And it has nice memories for me.
And I found the cist.

.o0O0o.

Been to Dumfries lots of times but hadn’t been here before! Very overcast day but clouds somehow comforting. Stopped for lunch here, very quiet spot but quite near a major road. Not many decent hills overlook the site.
A couple of the stones are fairly big, but some are about the same size as the sheep!

BTW I could only count 11.

.o0O0o.

Yup, I’ve spent an hour or 2 looking for this on more than one occasion, with similarly little success. I’d love to know if there’s owt there and, if not, what WAS there....

Regarding Kammer’s comments re parking, I’d suggest following the sign to the Kit’s Coty Brasserie (drop down off the A229, past the pub then immediate right (back to the A229) then immediate right again). Small car park on the crest. Walk the rest of the road, then cross the road at the junction and follow the steps down straight to Kit’s Coty. No good for the Countless Stones though, unless you enjoy a walk.

This was a repeat visit after my New Year’s Day trip which resulted in corrupted photos (see my entry for the Chestnuts. I think I must be fated as, having checked 3 sets of batteries the previous night, 2 sets were dead when I got there! Changing camera batteries in the rain is not a pleasant experience...

Anyway, the stones seemed very sad, sitting alone on the edge of the field, caged as they are. There was a lot more site damage compared to my visit on the 1st. Lots of chalked graffitti – childishly scrawled pentagrams probably reflecting the mental age of the idiots who do this kind of thing. Some flowers (memorial wreaths) had been left outside the railings – easily moved, but they seemed very fresh so I left them as they were. The worst damage was at the ‘back’, against one of the uprights where it looked as if someone had tried to dig a small pit against the base of the stone.

I suppose, trying to be reasonable, this damage is minor compared to the 19c names and dates carved into the stones, and to the much more major damage of having had the full burial mound removed which left the uncovered stones as they can be seen today. For all that, I wish these idiots would just leave them as they are, to be enjoyed.

SK 044128

The site is on the southern edge of Cannock Chase, and is reached by unclassified roads, which are well signposted (brown heritage signs).

Ample parking (25 or so spaces), but a popular spot with walkers and can get busy at weekends.

The highest point on Cannock chase (801 ft/244m above sea level) according to the guides 3.4 hectares.

The bank is extant and can be walked around the full circumference. The original (and largest) entrance is to the east. Parts of the bank and ditch are still impressive (up to 4m).

Internally: trees have been cleared, there are stone foundations (NW sector), but these are from a later period and ridges and furrows (SE sector) probably from ploughing, but I expect these are also from a later period. The ground rises upwards from the south to the northwest.

Externally: impressive series of banks and ditches, from the carpark heading in a anti-clockwise direction (E) we counted at least three banks, whereas Dyer (Discovering Prehistoric England) could make out five. As you make your way around to the north only the main bank and ditch remain, continuing back to the carpark (W) two banks and ditches are clearly visible.

We visited late january and the entrance from the carpark was waterlogged, I would imagine in spring/summer the ferns will be a problem. Also prepare yourself for the view of Rugeley Power Station’s cooling towers.

The carpark is just beyond the Park Gate Inn which serves food.

Had no trouble finding these. Left the car in layby opposite the “Rocky valley gallery” and followed footpath signs down the valley crossed over a footbridge across a fast running stream. The carving were just behind the ruins of the old mills about 100 metres after the bridge. Also guided by strips of cloths and other rubbish hanging from the trees around the site. This spoilt an otherwise idlic setting.

Hanging of cloth is quite common at certain holy wells in Cornwall but I was surprised to see it here. There is no tradition on of healing wells or trees at this site perhaps visitors were influenced by displays of cloth on trees at the the nearby Witchcraft museum in Boscastle.

The sign at the site claims that the carvings Bronze-age but there is heavy debate that the carvings could have been carved by a “bored miller”. Perhaps they are ancient but more that one historian has pointed out the that work seems to have been carried out with a tool similiar to the ones used by millwright.

No other carvings of this type are found in Cornwall.

A site full of a mystery and well worth a visit. (Don’t let the miller theory put you off).

There are many dykes and defensive earthworks in this area, see the individual images for their map references as it covers a fairly large area.

Unfortunately the forestry commission saw fit to plant on top of the dykes themseleve, but they are still very easy to identfy . Judging by the amount of tumulii in the area, I would expect that there were originally much more fotifications than currently remain.

This hillfort views Humbleton hillfort to the north-west.

Beside The Kettles fort there is a rock outcrop called the King’s Chair, which got it’s name from a local legend that a Scottish king once sat here during a battle between the Scots and English in the valley below. There are no records of this battle... although there was one near Humbleton.

The valley beneath was a once-busy passageway including a spring called the Pin Well, which got it’s name from the local tradition of visiting the well on Fair days, throwing in pins and making a wish.

.o0O0o.

St Cuthbert’s Cave 11-1-2003

Took a brisk walk up here from the car park, lovely place, a dingly-dell with a wonderful feel. Set in a wooded copse, this place serves as a burial site for the old landowner, who’s family then donated it to the National Trust. It’s actually quite an impressive size. A bit used and abused now sadly, with lots of graffiti of various sorts, including one a bit tasty of a cool little yellow drude in a cave-painty stylee. No older rock art visible sadly.

Behind the cave on top of the hill there is a fantastic viewpoint with more rock features, and some wonderful natural weathering, including plenty of examples of why and how lichen protects sandstone from wind damage! View spans right over local landscape taking in Doddington Moor and the Cheviots, and back to Holy Island.
One the way back down, passed three young local types going up there to camp, presumably in the cave. You’re not telling me they didn’t do that 3,000 years ago!

.o0O0o.

Chysauster Settlement – 27.12.2002

Approaching from the North, Chysauster was signposted from the road, just North of Newmills (approx SW458344), but it’s not a brown tourist sign. This lane to Chysauster is extremely narrow and includes numerous totally blind corners – probably the most dangerous lane I travelled on in a week in Cornwall.

A car park is situated at approx SW470347, complete with sparkling new toilet block. It’s a short walk up to the entrance kiosk, 2 fields away. It’s then another short walk up to the main settlement. I’m a bit confused as to their opening policy. In 2002 it was advertised as open from 10am – 6pm between 24 Mar & 30 Sept and then 10am – 5pm in October. At other times of the year it seems to just be sort of open anyway. When there is someone there to take money its is £1.80 for adults, 90p for kids, £1.40 for Concessions and free for English Heritage members. The Head Custodian is available on 07831 757934.

The village itself is excellent but I could imagine it might be a bit impersonal on a touristy hot summers day. Thankfully not even the amazing ineptitude of English Heritage can ruin the spirit of this fascinating settlement.

What is English Heritage trying to do to this place? Do they expect this place to become a huge tourist trap despite the fact that there is only room for about 7 cars to park and the narrow lanes are pretty dangerous? The website says it will take 2 coaches, so I guess they are more confident than me about a coach getting through the lanes into the small car park! Why fill in the fogou with earth and stick big bars across its entrance “for safety reasons”. And why stick a garish wooden shed and picnic table high up on the South East edge of the site? And why erect an info board that says “ the village appears to have been built in the Roman period between the 1st and 3rd Centuries AD”, totally denying its Pre-Roman reality. Cornish expert Craig Weatherhill says, “It has been suggested by some that courtyard houses were native imitations of Roman dwellings, but it is clear that Chysuaster was built before the Romans ever came to Britain, perhaps as early as 100BC. There is no sign of any Roman influence….”.

Presumably the treatment of this fascinating settlement has got worse in recent years. In Weatherhill’s 1981 book ‘Belerion: Ancient Sites of Land’s End’ (Cornwall Books) he describes the site as “beautifully maintained by the Dept of the Environment”. By the time of the 1997/2000 updates to his other book ‘Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall and Scilly’ he comments that “recently ‘English’ Heritage, the supposed custodians of the site, made the outrageous decision to infill the fogou rather than effect repairs to an unstable roofing stone, despite assurance to the contrary. The passage can no longer be seen but the face of the outer roofing slab is visible”. The fogou now has a nasty set of railings over its entrance.

Don’t miss the sexy walled pathway on the North side of the field (i.e. as far away from the entrance hut as possible), which leads up to the houses.

Maen Llia feels right, but it worries me that this may be a natural boulder that just happens to be upstanding in an attractive location.

Extremely impressive fortification. Dun Aonghasa is semi circular as it backs on to a naseauatingly high cliff. There are several concentric walls and a chevaux de fris (sp?), an area of upstanding stones to prevent one from riding one’s horse toward the fort. Shame about the victorian butresses. The ground within the enclosure slopes towards the cliff.

Don’t miss this. In my opinion, the finest cairn I have ever seen. It’s a real hidden gem – no guidebook makes anything of it and it’s not coloured blue on the OS map like it’s neighbours.

Access is difficult – approaching from the small road to the west, there is first an open field, then field boundary that must be crossed. This is most easily achived by balancing on the concrete drinking trough. When I visited, there were tall thistles, grasses, teasels and other such things blocking access.

The mound is very long and impressive, although it does not stand out very much in the landscape. The entrance to the chamber is small, hidden and at the far end of the long mound. The chamber occupies only the extreme end of the mound. The entrance passage is very low and is silted up – be prepared to lie on your chest in the mud and compress your rib cage.

Once inside, your labours will be richly rewarded. The roof is intact, and is finely corbelled. More importantly, it is extremely high. I felt certain that the inside of the chamber was higher than the mound itself. Although the entrance passage does slope downwards slightly, this is a psychological product of the impressive nature of the chamber.

Amazing.

[Note: it is possible I have confused this with its neighbour slightly to the north and east]

Bizarrely (or correctly?) restored, this cairn feels like it was built five years ago. There are many mounds near Quoyness that are not much smaller than the cairn itself. There is the postential for much work in the surrounding area. An interesting cairn, but not worth the difficulty of reaching it. It is possible to visit without an overnight stop.

This site is well worth the extreme difficulty of reaching it (three ferrys and an open boat with an outboard motor mimimum). Ferry 1: to mainland Orkney, Ferry 2: Kirkwall – Westray, Ferry 3: Westray – Papa Westray, Small Boat: Papa Westray (Papay) – Holm of Papay. Enquire at the Youth Hostel/Co-op for boat trip (a few pounds).

Site is very visable from Papa Westray – looks like a submarine due to upstanding concrete entrance through roof. Roof has been restored with concrete and glass bricks. Muddy floor is covered in plastic sheets, which is useful but ugly.

Worth visiting for the sheer number of antechambers (14 or so from memory). “Eyebrow carvings” are less impressive in reality than in photos.

There is also another, round chambered cairn at the north of the Holm, which is less well preserved (ground plan only) but easily found, and worth visiting.

Incidently, there is a natural rock bridge in the cliffs on the south end of the holm.

Extremely difficult to visit, although setting is very attractive as it sits on a very obvious glacial limit (can’t remember which glaciation). Not much to see as the site consists of a very large enclosure and is obscured by encroaching forest. Many “private keep out” signs etc. Contents of car were robbed whilst visiting.

A hillfort in a valley? Mad. Trees to the NW are worth exploring as the ditch is much wider and deeper in one place – a possible quarry?

This circle is extremely small, and is very hard to find. We spent two hours trying to locate it by compass on a clear day, only to stumble upon it as we walked back. Hardly taller than the heather in which it sits.

The site is 4 hours walking from my house, so I visit it often. To best access it, park in the large layby to the south of the A57 (Glossop to Sheffield road). Walk west down the A57 to Cutthroat Bridge, and climb over the barbed-wire encrusted gate with the keep out notices. Follow the track through the pines, and when they finish, scramble up the edge to your left (east). walk south along the edge and you can’t miss it. I’ve been here many times, and have never been challenged.

The site can also be reached easily by dropping off Stanage Edge at the summit and “trespassing” diagnally across the moor. It is boggy, and beware grouse shooters!