Latest Fieldnotes

I’m lucky enough to be able to say Arbor Low is one of my local sites.

There used to be a holed stone at Arbor Low, an 8ft long thin stone with a perferct largish circle through the middle. The first mention of it I can find is when in the 1920’s it was used as a threshold between 2 gateposts. At the start of the 1930’s when access was improved to the henge the stone was put upright and used as a gatepost. The hole was then at ground level.

Between then and the mid 90’s the stone moved around wall sides near the farm until vanishing sometime in the last 10-12yrs.

Some old guys in the local one night told me that the stone is a garden ornament somewhere around Bakewell........but then,that could just be old guys in the local.....

Pea Low is one of the Peaks best preserved barrows, and it is enormous around 45mx40m and still over 3m high.
It is thought it may contain chambers but none have been found, Bateman and Carrington half heartedly excavated here several times in the 1840’s. The outcome of their work showed that the barrow had been re-used much later for Roman burials.

The views from the barrow are excellent through 360’.

Theres a small car park in Alstonefield, you can see Pea Low on a nearby hill only a short walk away.

On a large boulder just below the summit of Ladybower Tor are two very worn carvings. One is a double ringed oval the other a swastika in a 30cm ring ( the swastika is about half the size ).

I’ve never managed to get a photo worth posting because they are both so worn; Which also makes them a bit of a pain to find.

The Northern most, known rock art in The Peak.

By the turn off for Tissington on the A515 Buxton – Ashbourne road.

Boars Low is a bit battered from when it was tree covered, but is still quite impressive in its height. It was dug in the 1840’s when a human cremation was found.

The limestone knoll of Wigber Low has a long rich history. Stretching back to the Neolithic where it appears the knoll was used as a camp that saw return visits....
Flint flakes and tools along with several hand axes and parts of others.
The axes found were from three sources; Graig Lwyd in N. Wales, Langdale Pikes Cumbria and Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire.

The next phase saw the construction of an excarnation platform in the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age.
Followed sometime later by the cairn visible today.

Then in the 7th Century, several high status burials were placed within the cairn; spears, knives and brooches accompanying them.

Excellent long range views...the domed hills of Wolfscote, Narrowdale and Gratton clearly visible to the NW.
While the familiar sight of Minninglow Hill and the Green Low ridge occupy the N/NE horizon.

On the way up to Kilmartin I vowed not to get distracted and stop off, just get to the B&B and wait till Sunday to explore the sites... this place stopped me in my tracks! It still had me spellbound the next day – the central stone’s carvings in clear definition. I sat waiting for the sun to move and bring new detail to the stone, a totally captivating experience.

Visited 24th November 2002: This is a really enigmatic site, in a beautiful location. There are ten stones remaining, and an identifiable hole where an eleventh once stood. Even though this site is now thought to be the remains of a ring cairn, it doesn’t neatly fit the bill. Six of the stones form a semi circle (this is the bit that looks like a ring cairn), and three more stand in a row (like a tail to the ring) to the east. Slightly to the north of this tail is a big quartz boulder. All in all it ends up looking like a question mark in plan, which is very appropriate!

Apparently the farmer who owns the field has reported two or more fallen stones coming to light nearby in ploughing. Also worth looking out for (difficult to miss really) are the remains of a large cairn about 20 meters to the west of the Arthog stones.

I don’t get the impression that many people visit the Arthog Standing Stones, which is a shame because they’re rather splendid. I’d certainly recommend a detour if you’re in the area.

The walk to the Arthog Standing Stones is pleasant, but a bit convoluted. From the road (SH648138) head west through the white metal gate and along the track. Keep going to the point where a pretty little stone footbridge crosses the river. Cross here, and once over on the other side of the river keep heading east (diverging from the well trodden path to Pant-Phylip). Continue along the north bank of the river following a muddy rutted track. Where the track crosses back across the river at a ford, the footpath heads north through a gate (held shut with bailing twine). Go through this gate and follow the perimeter of the field north (this is pretty steep). The field perimeter curves around to the east (great views to the west), and if you keep going you’ll arrive at the stones which are in the far corner of the field.

About two and a half miles up the road from the Pitcur Souterrain opposite the High Keillor Farm entrance is this standing stone.It wasn’t ‘till I got close did I see the symbols.The stone is just over the fence and is quite easy to see.

Visited November 24th 2002: After Bryn Seward we headed off to find Waun Oer. The stones are easy to miss as you approach them because of a tall dry stone wall running between them and the road. Luckily we spotted one of the stones through a gateway. Even better there was no gate in the gateway, so apart from the mud there was nothing stopping me from strolling in to the field to take a closer look.

This row is much more complete than Bryn Seward, with five stones remaining, two of which are fallen. I must admit that I’m a bit confused looking back over my photos, because I can only see four stones in them. Perhaps one of them had wondered off!

The most distinctive stone is a big fallen one, with unusual elongated markings on it. There’s a nearby boulder with similar markings, and this was cited in the Cadw records as evidence that both sets of markings are probably naturally formed. In the case of the stone in the row, the patterns may have been artificially enhanced. The fallen stone also has a cup mark on it near it’s pointed end, a little over an inch in diameter. Unfortunately I only discovered this after my visit.

Interestingly, the Cadw surveyor drew comparisons between Waun Oer and the West Kennett Avenue (in his notes he put ‘don’t laugh’ in brackets). In the same way that the Kennet stones are often identified as either male or female in shape, this chap reckoned that the Waun Oer stones also fall into two distinct types. I’ll have to go back and check this out, as well as searching out the cup mark.

Visited 24th November 2002: Bryn Seward was the penultimate site on our trip around the Llynau Cregennen area. We approached from the east, and I’ve never been on a more gated road in my life. With Alfie’s baby seat in the front, I had no choice but to open and close all the gates myself (there were loads of them!). I managed to cut my hand on one of them, so beware sharp edges on the gates if you visit Bryn Seward.

The light was fading, so we passed through the forestry, leaving Bedd y Brenin for another day. As the forestry opens up, there’s the first stone on the right hand side of the road (see photos 1 & 2). The views beyond towards the Mawddach Estuary and Abermaw (Barmouth) are amazing, with the Llyn Peninsular stretching off to the west. You can see why these stones and this sacred route run along this hillside.

The second stone is just before the gate after the forestry (you really can’t miss it). This was my favourite, because it’s really quite thin in cross section, but it’s face is very triangular. Standing next to the stock fence it looks really darned good. There’s a possible third ‘fallen’ stone just west of this on the other side of the fence, but I was so unimpressed by it that I didn’t photograph it (I’m not convinced it’s really part of the row).

Just beyond the thin triangular stone is the ambiguous half buried boulder. Since our visit I’ve read a Cadw description of the row, and apparently the stones used to be incorporated into a low dry stone wall. This wall has now collapsed and spread, which accounts for the debris along the side of the road, and the ambiguity of some of the stones.

After Bryn Seward it we headed off along more gated road, towards Waun Oer.

If you stand on the remains of the mound and face toward the ruined chamber there’s a tiny sleeping goddess hill away away on the far horizon. We almost missed this but it went on to inspire the spaceship choir-a-thon ‘Distant Ma She Dig Maen Pebyll’.

Originally this circle stood in New Scone until excavated in 1961 prior to the housing development it is now in the midst of. Seven stones, diameter of the circle about 16-17 feet, graded with the largest stones on the W-SW arc. An urn containing a token cremation was found in the centre during excavation.

I was out that way today. It’s pretty easy to find. If you’re heading east along the road, keep going till you see a metal barrier on the south side of the road – barring access to the wood. Cross to the north side, head east about 30m and it will be just at your feet!

[Holme Beach 10/12/02] So I came up here with a friend to see if any of the other structures were visible. And in some words, not really. However reading through pages about the place inc. photos, I see we were about half a mile west of where it was found.. doh.

All was not lost as we did see some large chunks of timber, looking as weathered as the seahenge timbers. They were seemingly carved in a way that made them look like stones from a stonecircle, but I may just have been overly hoping.

A word of warning, its very very cold on this beach in December when the wind picks up.

I returned to Ringham Low to look again for the exposed chambers, hoping that the rotting animal bodies had gone.
The farmer was most dis-chuffed to find me looking for them, the remains of the Low are next to a path, but he doesn’t allow visitors. In fact from what I could gather he backed filled the chambers to “keep nobbers like me well away”

Visited 10th December 2002: The weather was bitterly cold. I had a pleasant stroll up through the Nant yr Arian forestry before realising I wasn’t on the right footpath at all (thanks to my old OS map which didn’t have the upper lake marked on it). I had to cut across country to correct my mistake.

The footpath I should have been on starts at the Llwernog Trout Farm entrance east of the Nant yr Arian Forestry Cenre (SN72458130). It’s really a bridlepath, following a farmer’s track from the A44, past the Trout Farm buildings, and across the earthen dam that forms the lower of the two lakes. The track briefly heads northwest before hooking to the northeast and up onto Blaen Llwernog (the hill that the stones get their name from).

The footpath was easy to follow while there were faint ruts along it, but when it passed to the west of Blaen Llwernog’s summit the ruts petered out. I guessed my way from there, heading northwest. A forestry plantation came into sight, then I spotted an elegant little Mam hill outlined against the trees. I had a feeling this was the direction to head in, and sure enough I ended up at a gate in the corner of the field. Here the footpath crosses the boundary fence. On the other side of the gate, before the forestry plantation, are the stones. They sit to the right of the footpath on slightly elevated piece of ground.

Perhaps I should have started this essay by saying, these two stones are not very big. It’s a long walk to see stones as tiny as these, so if you want something megalithic rather than minilithic, don’t come here. Fortunately I already knew this before I started out, and I was really pleased to find the site. The walk up was cold and windy, but exceptionally beautiful, and the surrounding hills looked fantastic. At the stones the forestry spoils the views towards Pumlumon Fawr, which I suspect were an important element to whoever erected them. On the bright side, the trees formed an excellent windbreak, so I stopped to have lunch leaning against a stock fence before heading back to the car.

Leave the A928 just before Kirriemuir and take the un-numbered road leading west. About a mile and a half along this you will see Lendrick Lodge on your right (north of the road). If you park here carefully, then there’s a gate into the field south of the road, where the stone lies.

The lady who lives in the Lodge is very informative. She told me a bit about the stone. Apparently a good few years ago the farmer at Linross was one of these ‘progressive’ types. The stone was removed and dumped in a corner of the field. A short while later, a man with a clipboard turns up at her door, asking ‘didn’t there used to be a stone in that field’, so she told him the story. Two weeks later the stone was back in its original position.... One up for the man with the clipboard!

[visited 9/12/02] One or Two longbarrows? Dyer says 2 but having seen what’s available I’d opt for just the one. There is, what Dyer calls an oval longbarrow next to the road, which I thought looked like a ploughed round barrow. It was however pegged out, so will be there when someone who knows visits.. The defn. LB is very overgrown and is quite short compared to the Wessex variety.

Not much else to see here, other than the mounds, but worth the visit to see ancient history. There is a large round barrow nearby in the wood to the south, but you can’t get to it without tresspassing...

-- Update --
Apparently the one I was dubious about produced Windmill Hill style pottery, so is presumably Neolithic and hence “Long”.

[visited 9/12/02] Possibly the dullest hillfort in the world, despite the fantastic roadname. Peering through the hedge from the road you can just see a bank & ditch circling away from you.

This fort has been so ploughed that it can’t be more than 3 metres top of bank to bottom of ditch & probbly more like 1.5 metres... Oh and you can’t walk on it cos it has crops all over it.

Unless you happen to be “passing”, don’t bother.

[visited 9/12/02] Probably the second most visibly impressive monument in Norfolk (after Grimes graves) and defn. the most impressive I visited on a long day out. It’s a fine Iron Age hillfort with large ramparts, 2 banks and a ditch mostly.

Probably best visited on a warm summers day as in December, its a mite bit chilly..

[visited 9/12/02] Brr, its fking freezing up here in the depths of a Norfolk winter. According to ma guidebook, there are at least 4 large barrows here plus lots of “mini-barrows” making this the largest barrow cemetary in Norfolk.

I managed just two of the barrows, Gallows Hill & Halfpenny Hill. Both very respectably sized bowl barrows, covered in bracken. Halfpenny Hill is defn. the most impressive though Gallows Hill is easier to find and has 360 degree views from the top including the sea.

HH is at TG077422 & GH is at TG080425. The mini-barrows are (I think) in Taylors wood at TG069421

Try and visit this site after the bracken dies for maximal satisfaction.

[visited 9/12/02] A perishingly cold december day couldn’t temper the joy I had visiting this site. Really not much to see on the ground, just a depression with a low bank around it. It also has the pleasure of a fck off huge pylon right next to it..

But it’s a henge, in Norfolk. And its even on the Norwich A-Z, Alan Partridge would be proud...

This one lies just of the A926, a busy little road and it can be awkward parking nearby. The stone’s about 5-1/2 feet tall, and flares out a bit near the top – rather like the Bonhard stone, I think. A bit of field clearance built up round it, and a few scrape marks from farm machinery. No significant markings, though.

The outlier has some cup marks on it, low down on the SE edge. They appear to form a rough diamond shape, visible in a couple of the pictures I have posted.

Visited 8th December 2002: For the full harrowing tale of our visit, take a look at my field notes for Cerrig Caerau, which stands only a few hundred yards away from Lled Croen yr Ych.

Chris and I made a very hasty visit to Lled Croen yr Ych, with Alfie strapped to me (thankfully oblivious to the extreme cold because he was under my coat). The others stayed at Cerrig Caerau sheltering behind the largest stone. There’s a fence running between the two circles, with a conveniently placed stile (only slightly broken) so that you can get between the sites.

This circle is a smaller than it’s neighbour, with small squat stones (each less than a cubic metre in size). Some of the stones are unusual shapes, with one small wedge like stone on the side of the circle nearest to Cerrig Caerau. None of the stones are standing, but in contrast to Cerrig Caerau, I’m not convinced that they ever were standing. They’re more like little boulders than standing stones.

If I had to guess, I’d say that Cerrig Caerau is the older of the two circles because it has the look of a pale imitation. In comparison, to it’s neighbour Lled Croen yr Ych is slightly drab and feels less well thought out. A latecomer perhaps, but an enigmatic one, given it’s close proximity to Cerrig Caerau.

Having derided it, I have to admit that Lled Croen yr Ych isn’t without a charm of its own, and if it weren’t right next door to a more eminent circle (on local standards) then I guess I’d look at it in a different light. I would really like to visit both these circles again in the summer.