Latest Fieldnotes

Heard about the Rollrights sometime ago & always wanted to pay a visit. Finally got the chance following a weekend away in Bourton-on-the-Water last weekend arriving 15/11/02. Got to see them on Sunday and was suitably impressed, although the stones were a lot smaller than I expected having been used to visiting Avebury many times.

Had the circle to ourselves (myself, fiancee & 2 friends) apart from a lone photographer getting an atmospheric shot thru a hole in one of the stones! It was a damp bright morning with a touch of mist over the surrounding fields which gave an eerie interesting feel to the circle.

Would like to visit again & do one of the walks in the area.

I would recommend a visit to anyone touring the Cotswolds.

Visited August 1997: I was impressed by Skara Brae, but I still can’t help comparing it to the Knap of Howar on Papa Westray. Skara Brae is definitely more complex, better preserved, bigger and more accessible than the Knap of Howar, but it’s also blighted by lots of tourists and (albeit on a small scale) the dreaded visitor’s centre syndrome.

You are directed around a specific route at Skara Brae. This doesn’t take you into any of the houses, so you are always looking down into them (a bit artificial given that there was a roof there once). At the Knap of Howar you can walk into the houses and take a seat. The Knap of Howar is the oldest known inhabited structure in northern Europe, and you can have a picnic in it, while at Skara Brae you get to see some bits through protective glass (I can see that this is necessary, but it still spoils things a bit).

I’m glad we went to Skara Brae, because it is something very special. Worth it if only for the Maes Howe T-shirt I bought in the shop (just kidding).

[visited 15/11/02] This is a great place to visit so long as you arn’t claustrophobic. I would recommend trying to find a quiet time to visit the caves as then you could be lucky enough (like us) to get a guide to yourself.

Whilst no definate evidence has been found, due presumably to continual reuse of the caves, it is likely that these caves had prehistoric use. Ignoring the very dubious stories of blood sacrifices that the guides like to tell, there are several dene holes (surface shafts) similar to those at Grimes Graves. These have radiating shafts but are unfortunately unvisitable. You can also see lumps of flint poking from the walls and in an area where prehistory is at a premium, I’ll take what I can get.

The caves are very quiet and rather spooky (as the guides like to emphasise) and well worth a visit.

This 4-poster lie within the same small wooded area as the Bandirran Circles. Access is from the B953 Abernyte to Balbeggie road, over a stile into the wooded area, then head roughly north-west until near the un-numbered road to Collace. This whole area is overlooked by the remains of a hill fort on nearby Dunsinane Hill, just to the east of the sites. There is allegedly a northern 4-poster (or the remains thereof) approximately 100 metres away from the southern one I have photographed, but I have not uncovered it as yet.

End Low is still very large and stands around 2m tall. A large crater in the middle is where Bateman dug to find the grave, which was nearly 2m below the old ground level. He found a crouched skeleton and bronze and flint daggers.

The central pit when I was up there contained four decomposing cows.

I was driving from Muthill to Crief up the A822 and saw this in a field on the right abou half a mile from Crief Bridge.I parked up the Balloch Mill road and set off across the rather busy main road.It is not so easy to get into the field but with care you can do it without too many bruises.This stone is massive and could be lined up with the Dalchiria stones but maybe that is a long shot.I don’t know what it is about stones near roads but they seem to push away the traffic noise,I sat with my back against it for a while but the wind changed and the sewage works fumes decended so I left.

There is a spirit hole – not for malt – in the rear slab, stuck my creaking joints through but no luck. Think I’ll stick to the malt.

Fab to see Casterton on the map! What really makes the site for me is the mysterious stone avenue that runs along the trackway below the circle itself. It is truly from another world . . . definitely worth a visit . . . walk all the way up to the cairn at the top for some breathtaking views of the Lune Valley. NB I’ve now discovered that the ‘stone avenue’ is in fact the Casterton Sheepfolds Walk – the mystery is solved – for me at least – a great work Mr Goldsworthy.

House? Robbed or Ring Cairn? No-ones sure.
There maybe an entrance in the SW, kerb stones to the left of this and opposite in the NE corner. Also to the right of the entrance is what looks like a small cairn built into the bank. 3 upright slabs are under the stones and are thought possibly to be the remains of a cist.

The landowner is never pleased to see you.

I was over this way the other day, but no-one home in the Manse. Left a note, and the minister phoned me later. I will be getting in touch with him again soon and will post the photos from the visit.

Visited here yesterday. Nice stone, shame about the ridiculous sundial perched on it. Aligned roughly E-W and around 8 foot tall.

Visited this yesterday in the pouring rain. The track is definitely only suitable for 4x4, as there’s a real risk to sumps on some of the track. Also it was awash in mud...

Two stones of quartzose schist, about 8-10 inches apart. In a rough line NE-SW, no markings visible, but nicely patterned rocks.

Fairly easy to find (can be seen from the A9, in the distance). Turn off left just after the Luncarty junction, on to a farm track. Bear left towards Pitlandie then left again towards Cramflat. There’s a convenient space to park on the corner so you’re not blocking the road!

The stone’s just under 6 feet tall, with no visible markings on it. Oriented NNE-SSW.

Visited 28 06 1994

Tintagel 1994 meant my 30st birthday, and much more besides that. I’m an Arthurian buff (though not necessarily a believer) and to be here at Arthur’s supposed birthplace on my birthday meant a lot.
The village is too touristic to stay long (only if you want your Arthurian stuff, it’s THE place to be and spend your money dearly).
Best run along to the coast and the Norman castle, and of course the peninsula beyond.
This is where the (in)famous ARTOGNOU stone was discvered, a fake to some (of course, ALL referring to Arthur must be..), proof to others (nonsense, it’s a different name), very nice old stuff to me. This was a true Dark Ages site, possibly a monastery, but more likely a palace of sorts, owned by a powerful lord with control over shipping and possibly even across the Channell. Maybe not Arthur, but Arthurian for sure!

Revisited today – on the northwest face, in the centre is what appears to be a cupmark – didn’t notice that last time I was here but that was a while ago. It’s not a recent addition – I think I mustn’t have been wearing my glasses last visit! I’ve appended a photograph which shows it reasonably clearly.

Visited 23 07 1994

What I still remember of the visit, now more than 8 years ago, is the vastness and the strong wind from the sea. The fort is the largest one in Britain, and it is hard not to see this as a large city. No wonder the Romans fought hard to take this one, it must have had a large influence on the south coast and across the Channell. Now, all that is gone and we don’t know hardly anything at all about the Celtic kingdom which once existed here. The region never regained it’s strenght.

Visited 24th July 2002: We went to Flag Fen without realising that the Sea Henge timbers were in storage there. I’m certain that the experience was nowhere near as magical as visiting the site in it’s original location, but I still got over excited by the experience.

Of course, the battery ran out on the digital camera, so I had a go with the SLR. The results aren’t fantastic, but I thought I’d post them up anyway. It was good to see the timbers (I missed out on seeing them in situ) but sad to see them in the wrong place.

Visited November 1998: We went to see the giant on our honeymoon. At the time Lou was already pregnant (no, it’s wasn’t a shotgun wedding) so we decided fertility rites needn’t be pursued.

When my Dad drove past this site with his prudish mother and father my Grandma allegedly commented on the size of the giant’s club. This wasn’t intended as an innuendo (if you’d ever met her you’d know she was no Kenneth Williams), but as a pathetic distraction technique, intended to draw her son’s attention away from the enormous penis on the hillside. Needless to say this didn’t stop Dad from spotting the giant’s most distinctive attribute.

Visited 1992 and 1994

Though now ruled by cattle, once fit for a king. This Iron Age hillfort was re-occupied and refortified on a large scale during the Late Roman or sub-Roman period. No doubt about that part. As to the builder, without any written evidence we will be kept guessing. Ambrosius Aurelianus? Possibly, but can’t be sure where to locate him. Arthur? No contemporary evidence available. Whoever it was, it has been proposed by experts that the massive workforce neede to strenghten Cadbury’s defences can be compared to the workforce of both Wansdyke and Bokely Dyke, earthwork that are very close by.

My solution: if not Arthur, than surely a different person with the same name :-)

This is one to look for after the Sherrifmuir stone row and the fruitless serch for another circle said to be near the road by the mast.Be careful clambering over the wall which also has wire on the top-more bruises.
This really does look like a boat,if it did stand it would be a good 9ft high.

I call this Wester Lix because forestery track where you can park has this name.You have to walk back up the A85 about 100mtrs,on the left set in the wire fence is a small wooden “stile”-difficult to find but persevere-go straight in and soon you will see a glow.As you get nearer you can see the rock shining in the gloom.The folks who planted the firs left a small clearing around the rock and it does literally glow as you can see in the pics.The markings are well defined but not clear in my pics.This is a must on the way to Killen.

According to Pete G (a local),

“The pillar with the head is a carving by local artist Jane (Can’t remember her last name) she used to live north of Avebury and had them in her garden but recently moved over to West Kennet.”

About ‘Little Avebury’ he has this to report:

“This a natural drift of sarcens in the valley floor. On top of Thorne hill is Langdean circle. There is much debate if it is a true stone circle. Meaden (’Secret of the Avebury Stones’) claims it is while Burl (’Prehistoric Avebury’) thinks it is a ruined round house. I have been there before a few times and tend to think it is a circle with a cove in the middle. The smaller circle nearby is a collection of field clearance stones.”

On the way to Croft Moraig I stopped to stretch my legs by the entrance to a golf course,I strolled through the magnificent gate house and saw what I thought were the tops of standing stones in the long grass.I stamped down the grass and took the two pics.Take a look next time you are in this area,remember this is Scotland and you can roam – as long as you do no damage or set up camp.

Tigh Na Ruaich ” The house on the bank ” rather appropriate.This is a must if you are on your way to Pitlochry.just keep going to the end of the road,no problems viewing and don’t mind the dog.

In the isolated Lleyn peninsula we can find a real ancient Iron Age hillfort connected to the Vortigern legends. Below the superb viewpoints from Yr Eifl (anglicised to ‘the Rivals’, but in Welsh ‘the Fork’) lies one of the most spectacular hillforts, Tre’r Ceiri. On a rocky heather-covered plateau below the eastern peak some 150 huts, that might have supported up tp 500 people, can still be seen clearly.

Locally known as the ‘Town of the Giants’, the walls are still more than 4 metres high in places – no wonder how it received its name.The hight of the walls might very well be caused by its isolation and position 457 metres above sea level, which has prevented all too much stones being looted, as was the case for so very many similar hillforts.

Many of these stones have curious holes in them, varying in size but never large ones. These holes are no mystery, they were drilled to show where the walls had been subject to a conservation project. A ten year long conservation project was carried out on Tre’r Ceiri by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust and Gwynedd Council. The drystone walls were becoming extremely fragile and erosion by the increasing numbers of visitors was causing an alarming amount of damage. The collapses in the walls were causing the masonry to loose its structural integrity. The
collapses were rebuilt in the original building style and the edges of the conserved/rebuilt masonry were marked with small drill holes.