This is the nearest circle to where I live, just outside Holne. Its not the most impressive site I have seen but then again I am used to the ones in Scotland. Worth a visit though. I even found a few liberty cap mushrooms here and someone had left a tape measure in the circle! The stones are fairly small and some of them look like they have been hacked off to half their original size. Oh and some of them are missing too.
The Church House Inn at Holne is worth a visit.
Tarren Deusant. (the crop of rock of three* saints.)
This has to be the most spookiest place in Britain. Tucked away down a dark valley and known and still used by a handful of people. The visions of ancient ritual are still accsesible here and the aura of the place remains untouched. Well worth a visit. AKA the druids alter stone.
there is certainly an air of mystery and intrigue in the air as you approach the place. PS One of the best mushroom sites around.
[*Two saints. A 1696 document mentions that there were two carvings at that time. – TMA Ed.]
First time at stanton drew. windy place. not as tourist friendly as the likes of your avebury etc, but hey, espesh dig the bouncing lambs in the farmers paddock ting by the entrance.
Great thing about Rollright is the way you never get the same vibe twice. Spent 40 minutes driving from motor city, walked in and walked out.
Next week total beauty with shoeless earthkidz sunshiney-love thing.
Bit of a tip – do check out the Samhain celebrations.....and stay till the end.
Res-pec.
Avebury....wonderful place, me and mine are booked in for a weekend in february at t’lion. Hope it snows.
Came here with Martin and Norie in late 2000. After walking through the woods past Dumgoyach Hill, we sat and watched the comings and goings of a gardener at Duntreath Castle and the ramblers at the summit of Dumgoyne Hill, through the binoculars. This alignment (of which only one stone remains standing)is set on top of a shallow raise in the green Strathblane, between the Kilpatrick Hills to the west and the Campsies to the east. I didn’t feel at all well that day, but typically did not tell anyone.
We went on a family holiday in about 1978 or ‘79 in Tulliallan, near Drogheda, and during the holiday we visited Newgrange.
I remember thinking that day that the surrounding wall looked a bit like the Battle of Bannockburn memorial rotunda which is an odd modernist, 60’s stylised thing which is a few hundred yards from where we lived at the time.
I definitely remember squatting down with my Dad who was trying to explain something about the sunlight coming through a passage on a certain special day.
I want to come back here and try to see past all the touristy stuff.
I lived in Stanton Harcourt between 1993 and 1997 and now live in the next village (Eynsham) and although I knew the Quoits were there, I never saw them until October 2002 where I was treated to acarefully re-constructed building site.
It’ll be great when they are re-erected and reopened for public scrutiny, however, one Stanton Harcourt resident reported to me that there may be some opposition from certain (small minded!) villagers as they fear that displaying them again might attract ‘undesirable-types’ to the village.
Sitting alone, silently, gracefully, in splendid isolation at the top of a field, its a miracle this one wasn’t pulled down and ploughed up centuries ago. But she wasn’t.
What a grand place this will be to return to in the summer for a picnic with a loved one. Big skies, tall grass, great open sort of vibes off this. Tricky finding it. You need a map. She is marked, just as Julian says, but there’s no signposts and you can’t really see her from the bottom of the field. Have faith and keep walking. This peaceful and stately treasure is just waiting to be discovered.
WOW! What a great place to find, tucked away just off the A44 at Enstone. (Coming up from Oxford, just turn left after the ugly garage as you hit Enstone, towards Spelsbury and it’s on the corner of the next crossroads – about 100 ms off the main A44)
This is a HUGE monumental beastie – quite hard to photograph as it’s tucked away amongst some trees and is very, very big.
A very masculine place but comforting, too, like being swept up into the arms of a strong man. Some real swirls of magic coming off it. Sit on the broken stones nearby and take in that mossy green vibe. It’s dank, it’s dark, it’s brooding and big. You’ll love it.
Although only 2ft tall this is worth a look because standing stones are rare in this part of the country. There used to be 3 stones here but only one remains
A tree covered Ironage hillfort, it has 2 banks, with a ditch in between, and another bank and ditch to the SE and W
The fortifications enclose Cholesbury Church
A very enigmatic earthwork, which curves around the river Lea forming a semicircular area just over 7ha. No entrances or extrenal features are known. But stone age pottery and flint arrow heads have been found. Finds are in the Luton Museum
Five Knolls Round Barrows is an ancient burial place dating from the New Stone Age/ Late Bronze Age. It is actually a group of 7 round barrows. Consisting of 2 bowl barrows, 3 bell barrows, and 2 pond barrows.
Over 90 skeltons have been found here, about 30 of these had there hands tied. Finds are in Luton museum.
Ivinghoe Beacon is a late Bronze Age – early Iron Age hill fort which has been settled since the 7th-8th century BC. There are numerous barrows around the site.
One in particular is quite impressive as it is rather large and there appears to be a raised causeway linking it and the top of the beacon.
This is a good place to watch the sunrise on the Summer Solstice, as the sun aligns itself with the above barrow.
Parking is good and it is well maintained.
Poor nine ladies. visited last week and was disappointed by how the site is treated. Stones broken. People thinking they are to be used like a picnic bench (’hey if you sit on this one it like vibrates!’ was the cry of one idiot). Beer cans, burnt out tea candle tins. I stayed about 5 minutes having just come from the magnificent Arbor Low. Thankfully there are many other peaceful spiritual places in the peak that require a bit more than a stoned shuffle from a car to see. I havent heard anything about the quarrying proposal recently. Can anyone enlighten me? Seems they have been quarried already. Pagan rituals....PAH! Self indulgent and deluded bullshit is what I see from most of the people that visit this place.
There are two tracks to threestone burn, the one we chose had us park at South Middleton and walk the three miles to the circle over bridleways and pathways.
To the left and right on the route there is a cairn and a remains of a fort. Looking backward on the way, you can see across to Old Bewick.
To reach the Circle you must walk through the garden of Threestone Burn House, so tread politely (no dogs seen or heard) cross the stream and follow the path towards the woods, the circle is on the left as you reach the woodland.
Overgrown in its surroundings, Burle states one of the stones is 5ft 6, but I dispute that. The northern end of the circle is closest to being intact, other stones are fallen or removed.
The modern landscape is blocked by plantations, but its proximity to Cheviot & Harthope suggest worship of the mother landscape.
Access is denied until June 2002 due to woodland operations
Up on the moor, turning off the Wooler to Chatton road at a 90º corner head up the single track road until you cross the first cattle grid. Park here and the rocks are on your right about 100yards away.
Stone markers have been left to show which rcoks are inscribed.
Our Neolithic friends had plenty of canvas to work on, but some of the largest & flattest rocks are untouched.
Looking at the views, maybe this is because of the carvings alignment with the surroundings. There are new trees nearby, but if you look to the South-West you can see the twin hills of Harthope and Cheviot.
A Sacred Landscape.
Field Notes From The Tomb of the Eagles 5th September 2000
We arrived in Orkney on 3rd September 2000 with the idea that we would tour around and had pitched camp initially at the campsite at Stromness which was on the headland overlooking the harbour at this stage we had a vague plan to camp at different places as the week wore on.
Every morning as we paid for another night at the Stromness campsite the woman who ran the site would ask where it was we were off to that day Stennes, Maes Howe etc, until one day we said that we were going to visit The Tomb of the Eagles. This led to the following conversation which if you have seen the Comic Strip’s Five Go Mad in Dorset ran along the lines of the exchange Robbie Coltrane as the old gypsy/ old woman etc warning the Famous Five not to go anywhere Kneecap Hill (a strange place full of mysterious comings and goings etc)
It went something like this
Campsite warden (in mysterious knowing all but giving nothing away Scottish tone)“So your are going to the Tomb of the Eagles are you? Aye that’s a place you will never forget you will still be talking about it many years from now”
Joolio Geordio “ Why what is it like?”
Campsite warden “ I cannot tell you but you will never find me going all of the way out there but it will be an experience that you will never forget aye you and your friend!!”
I have to admit that in the true Scooby Doo tradition that this got the alarm bells going somewhat – what was out there that was so scary?
Julian described the Tomb of the Eagles as an outstanding place a perfect place “Visit the Tomb of the Eagles it’s a killer.”
So with curiosity and trepidation we drove down there past the Churchill Barrier and the hulks of wrecked ships to the Tomb of the Eagles. And what did we find?
Firstly an excellent and informative presentation on the history of the tomb at the museum at Isbister Farm handling some of the relics found there. Then a walk to the Iron Age House where Ronald Simison who had discovered the tomb, again gave an excellent talk on the history of the house.
And then we were off to the Tomb itself the walk to this is worth the admission fee alone, along the coast skirting high cliffs and the weather was perfect “on a clear day you can see forever”
The tomb itself sits not far from the cliff edge facing the sea Julian was right a perfect place. To get into it you have to lie on a wooden trolley (like those used by Charles Bronson in the Great Escape) and pull yourself through the tunnel using the rope.
And what did we find? Come on that would be like giving away the ending to The Mousetrap! If you haven’t been there already then you really need to go. If you have already been then go again.
Incidentally for those of you that are interested the reason for the Campsite Warden’s mysterious warning was that two long lost relatives returning from Australia had tried to enter the tomb and not being as slimline as they once were had become wedged in the tunnel. I take it that this was a hint for me to go on a diet!!
Joolio
Maelmin is situated in the middle of the Milfield plain, part of the Till Valley. Today, it is a reconstruction of the Milfield North Henge. In the past it has been many things, Including a Royal Town.
Interesting to see beside the modern plantation, but step back and imagine how it must have looked, with the backdrop of the Cheviots – an awesome site.
The henge is 33 metres in Diameter with 21 outer posts and a ring of 30 inner postswith ditches and banks.
A reconstruction, with a short “timeline walk” but worth seeing. No dogs though which is disappointing for me. You can get info in the village of Milfield at the cafe
At the other side of the man-made Loch Airthrey from the Airthrey Stone (about 800m W of it) stands the Pathfoot Stone.
This 11 ft giant sits on top of an embankment at the side of Hermitage Road close to the Stirling University student blocks. When you stand at the bottom of the embankment, the stone imposes itself over you with trees behind it. It really has a huge presence.
Despite it being a bit patched up with concrete and the surrounding university building and landscaping(see misc.), its a great place to just come, sit, chill out, people watch and have your lunch, as I’ve done a few times before.
I’ve been up here once before , in November 2000. I walked up through the old copper mine wood from Bridge of Allan. The old copper mines possibly made this whole place a place of added power during the bronze age.
The cairn sits at the edge green 11 of the Bridge of Allan golf course. It is a lot smaller than it used to be according to Faechem’s Prehistoric Scotland – a lot of the stones were removed for the usual dyke building. I think there were some goodies found by the victorian robbers, although I’ll update this when I get Faechem’s book from the library again.
The view sitting on the cairn is amazing – the hills rise up slowly from the other side of Strathallan and then further away to the NW the higher highland mountains are THERE. The Forth Valley and Stirling town are spread out down to the west.
I made my way back down to Bridge of Allan, following the old cattle droving road.
I’ll be back here with a camera.
03/02/02 And back I came. Well worth the climb from Bridge of Allan.
Finally, we reach The Cop. Deep in the cougar-infested woods on the Bledlow Ridge, on the eastern spur, opposite the Bledlow Cross, a small mound, deep in trees.
Now hugely overgrown, this must have been a magnificent place to be buried (along with the other barrows in this small group) – the Chilterns fall away (the Ridgeway marking the boundary) to reveal an enormous plain, a view for eternity, still takes my breath away every time I see it.
Trees, nettles and rabbits occupy this site now ...
About 2 years ago my daughter and I visited the circle on Hordron Edge as part of a circular walk, and had some difficulty accessing it from the nearest road. I went for the high jump and she opted for a bit of limbo dancing. From the circle we returned to the car at Sheepwash Bank (large car park) with little difficulty.
So, park at Sheepwash Bank (238838), walk along the road fist north west, then west, then south and turn right on to path on to Bamford Moor. Follow this path roughly north west with the stream on your right and the magnificent Stanage Edge behind it. this part of the edge runs north west anyway so it acts as your compass. Soon you reach the watershed and begin to descend Jarvis Clough, where Hordron Edge becomes apparent to your right and running off to the north.
All this sounds a lot but on a nice day it’s no problem, and there are many other sites of interest in this area.
Visited Wayland’s Smithy on my 30th birthday, and must say I didn’t feel quite so old! And what a birthday party with such esteemed company. Mrs Ironman & I enjoyed a bit of birthday cake there and managed to get a whole hour of undisturbed peace. The highlight of an otherwise hectic day spent travelling from Bristol to London and back again!
