Latest Fieldnotes

Visited it on 24/11/01 – some signs of activity in the form of pennies left in crevices of stones (left my own as an offering as well). Cursory search revealed most of the stones mentioned in Peter Knight’s book still present.

This was, a few years ago now, my virgin site!What a great one to start at methinks.On a howler of a stormy day, after visiting the nearby Archaeolink centre, I craved to venture further back in time.The extreme weather suited the site:it felt “IN YOUR FACE!“. Alive.....

Visited The 9 on sept 11th (hmm....).While patient wife and baby Liberty waited back at the Little Chef.Nearly got killed by roadraged truckers on route back to the stones...serious autogeddon!Met lovely old couple looking for the site, who’d wisely parked at the nearby barn. Rushed visit, but still was a relaxed feel to these sleepy old stones under the trees.

I visited this site with a friend in late 1999 on a cold, damp, very overcast Saturday late afternoon, when we were both hungover. I want to say something about the panoramic nature of this place, but I can’t. I want to say something of the inside of the cairn, but we visited out of season and it was locked up.
When I’ve visited Cairnpapple under better conditions I’ll replace this posting.
Sometimes these sites can be so uplifting, and then sometimes so crushing. The mood, the mud, the heavy clouds in the sky, and in my head, all conspired to send us home.

When I visited this site about two years ago somebody had burnt “I love you” into the grass in large capital letters, filling the inner circle. This has now grown over, though I am very curious if a modern antiquarian follower did this.....any takers?!

I’d driven past this place hundreds of times before I knew it existed.
OK, it’s got It’s own motorway interchange, airport and MacDonalds for our convenience, but something remains of the original feel of this place, I’m sure.
You can see Arthur’s seat and castle rock in the city distance.
I visited this site with a friend in August 1999. This site is on low ground, most of the horizon has been taken and it has the feel of a landscaped park. The remaining stones are still impressive.
I’ve seen worse examples of disrespect and Hully Hill is still well worth the visit.
And I forgot about that big stone at the other side of the roundabout – it’s impossible to figure out the reasons for the siting of this stone by just being there now, but it’s good to see this stone surviving.

Wandered up the Ridgeway having been and sat on White Horse Hill in the afternoon sun, end of September ‘97. Nobody else about ‘cept for a lone mountain biker and us two. Wayland’s Smithy was a very welcome goal after such an enjoyable trudge. Trix did his usual archaeological assessment and took lots of photos...I oohed and aahed at the tranquility, the low golden light of early Autumn and was pleased to be here at last. They say that if you pay the Smith with silver he’ll re-shoe your horse. Well, I don’t know about that, but I hid a 5p piece amongst the stones and the next week I got bought a new set of tyres!

First time we approached this place at dusk I nearly drove off the road at the sheer enormity of actually being in the middle of a stone circle...! Found the local pub very accommodating and hospitable then travelled back a few miles to a campsite. Pitched the Vango in the dark then after a good kip returned to Avebury the next day. Trix and I were on our Grand Tour of Wessex et al and found the whole area deeply moving and intense, especially as most of the touristy types were only gawping at the stones near the pub and completely missing out the Avenue..which was great cos then we had it all to ourselves! Next time we’d travelled all night from York and arrived at Avebury very bleary eyed and not all there, at 8am. The sun was just up, the mist was like a very fine, gauzy curtain and (bugger) I left my camera in the van!

This broad 15 foot stone has a presence and a strength in the area of low lying land between the Ochil Hills to the north, and the Abbey Craig to the South.
It sits in the grounds of the University of Stirling (in the old Airthrey Castle estate-the Castle is just 300m to the north), at the side of some newly seeded rugby pitches, with a golf course nearby.
The stone’s existence was threatened recently (see misc. section) but survives now, still strong, between the golfers on it’s immediate west and the rugger bugger’s touchlines on the east.
The Abbey Craig, 500m to the south and Dumyat Hill (Ochils) 2.5km to the north east, seem to be important to the siting of this stone.

I took a break from a long drive home, to visit this site exactly 2 years ago in November 1999.
As I drove up to the stones, the vastness of this site hit me with a delicious excitement.
I was on a tight schedule unfortunately so I could only stay less than half an hour.
I walked around and around and in the circle, sitting on and touching the stones. I felt this place had an incredible spirituality and I so wanted to stay. You could spend the whole day here.
And after reading in the Modern Antiquarian about the attempts to destroy this place, being there, with the track going through the giant circle, the nearby farm, the sky, the earth and those trees adding thier own twist, this place does so much more than just survive.
Also a little thing which I almost forgot – there was a fine carpet of millions of these little spider web things covering the grass over the whole site and when I was facing the setting sun, this view, with the stones all around, was incredible.

Long and spooky drive up to the site through woods. Guess that’s what happens if you go at dusk, but the moonlight made it all look very atmospheric. The shape reminded me a little of Wayland’s Smithy with pointier uprights. A place to go and think.

As with so many of these tiny sites, none of the locals we asked had any idea where it was , or even that it was there at all! Managed to locate it eventually, by process of elimination (ie. there aren’t that many roads going out of Creetown) but when we found it..WOW! What a beautiful, peaceful place. As already mentioned, it isn’t easy to get to, especially as recent problems in the countryside may have made farmers with cloven-hoofed livestock a bit edgy, but we went ages before the outbreak and as far as I know, it didn’t get across that far anyway. Ho hum. The picture in Mr Cope’s book is quite deceptive, making it look a lot bigger, but the real thing is small and perfectly formed...could have stayed all day...nothing but birds crying above...no traffic noises, being so high up above the village and main road.

Big beautiful steam pudding shaped Silbury wearing a frosting of snow. On a cold November day we stood in awe of this mighty mound. The slushy sounds of the traffic povided a soundtrack to our wondering. Why the fuck........

Me and Carolyn and a cold windy day, wound our way up the footpath to the Longbarrow with the glorious Silbury always over our shoulders.
When we arrived we had the place to ourselves. Wow beautiful! Supprisingly enough it wasn’t cold inside, the whole place gave off an air of calm warmth.
We then witnessed a snow storm gradually make its way from the downs, across Silbury and up to us, coating the world in a powdery hail. We decended from the hill into a different landscape from the one we accended from. Lovely, magical.

I visited here for the first time on my 30th Birthday (end of October 2001). I have been to avebury area at least once a year since my 21st and it has become a bit of a pilgrimage but, until buying the Modern Antiquarian, I had never even known of the existence of this amazing dolmen – thanks Julien.

The short walk from the A4 was hazardous due to deep puddles (well – lakes almost) to negotiate whilst holding on to my partners arm (she never has been able to trust her own sense of balance) and I was desperately hoping for better surroundings for the Dolmen – I had pictures to take for a forthcoming Exhibition.

The weather was perfect – large storm clouds drifiting across a bright blue sky with typical long autumnal shadows and things seemed to get better and better as we rounded the corner in the path by the barn – the puddles dissapeared and the soft roll of the downs came into view.

As soon as the Dolmen was visible, I was speachless (unusual for me). I could not have wished or hoped for a more perfect setting for such a magical place. I spent about 20 minutes walking round, looking in and just absorbing this beautiful place. My partner sat on the large sarsens in the undergrowth at the edge of the newly ploughed field (part of the original structure or just field clearance? – the former and latter I expect) while I spent well over an hour setting up and photographing – desperately trying to capture the atmosphere and mood of the time and place.

The field was strewn with flint litter and I found several waste flakes while walking the short distance between the fence and Dolmen – one to remember for field walking if the farmer is in agreement.

Unfortunately I used poorly cleaned equipment to develop the negatives and have all but ruined my shots (perhaps the site punishing me for daring to begin to think I could do it justice with such modernity and technology) – I dont care though because I have found the most impressive place to visit in the Avebury environs and will spend many a peaceful birthday there in the years to come.

We (my partner , my 2 boys and myself) visited Fortingall on the recommendation of one of the guides at the Kenmore Crannog Centre last August 2000.
We parked and set up the stove in the car park next to the hotel and cooked lunch (today, (19/11/01), we had rice cakes and baked beans with curry powder – not a meal we have a lot – and Al. remarked that this was the same lunch we had at Fortingall – I’d only posted this message yesterday and I replied that I should tell you all what we had for lunch at Fortingall – Al. told me not to be so stupid).
After lunch we visited the kirk and the yew tree and then took a walk to the 3 little stone circles down the road.

What a beautiful little site!

This village really did leave an impression on us all (well the adults anyway).

Cammo Stone
Wednesday 14/11/01
It’s strange isn’t it? You spend years living in the same city and there are hidden gems you just never find unless something like an antiquarian quest leads you! Cammo Park is one of those gems. The road here branches off one of the main dual carriageways of west Edinburgh and immediately you could be in the country on the single track road. On the way here you pass a fantastic tower that wouldn’t look out of place in a faerie tale. I have very vague recollections of being at the tower years ago, but it could have been a dream- this is a very dream like landscape of darkened paths through woods, old walled gardens etc. I didn’t even know this standing stone existed until I bought the new Explorer map. It’s not mentioned in the ‘Standing Stones of the Lothians’ or other books I’ve read. It’s possible that it’s connected to the Newbridge complex and may be associated with the nearby Cat Stane which is now inaccessible as it stands just metres form the main runway at Edinburgh Airport. The small wood that this stone is in is very peaceful, the trees acting to block out most of the traffic noise. It fell warm here too and there’s sunlight filtering through the leaves just now. The stone is a biggy! It’s about 5 foot tall and about 4 foot wide. It’s fairly rounded unlike the Gogar Stone. On the west side is a dirty big rusty iron crook which, according to the guidebook, was probably put there in the 1800’s. Such a peaceful setting it’s easy to think I’m in the middle of nowhere. I went down to look at the small visitor centre and picked up a leaflet for the nearby Corstorphine Hill (which is visible from the Cammo Stone)- and in it there’s pics of cup marked rocks which were only rediscovered recently. One thing leads on to another, the journey continuesÉ

Directions;
Heading west out of Edinburgh towards the airport, take the A902 Maybury Road from either the A90 or A8. Take Craigs Road heading west and then immediately turn right onto Cammo Walk. Pass the Tower until reaching a small car park. The stone is up near the remains of the large estate house. There’s a small visitor centre which sells guidebooks etc.

Gogar Stone (AKA Easter Norton)
Wednesday 14/11/01
Well- here I am standing next to this stone in the middle of a cultivated field which feels a bit odd! I stopped off at Easter Norton farm and spoke to the very cheery and helpful folks there. The woman I spoke to said “aye- the stones just across the field- it’s meant to be in some sort of line with some other places around here”- indeedy- it’s been suggested this is a possible outlier of the Newbridge complex, however, I’m unsure whether this would have been visible from there as this stone lies not on the crest of this field, but down the hill a bit. Anyway- the farmer said it would be fine to walk across the field, but turns out it doesn’t belong to him! Fair enough- I’m here and that’s the main thing. Just to the south of this stone lies the M8, and the main Edinburgh/Glasgow railway, but it’s the Pentland Hills which dominate over all. The stone is quite small, only about 4 foot high. It’s almost square in plan with the sides aligned approximately NE/SW. The south face has a concave curved profile and the top is sloped- a beautiful and purposely shaped stone. My hands are now freezing up- methinks time for gloves, photos and contemplation trying to ignore the nearby farm machinery, motorway, railway and airport!

Directions;
Head west out of Edinburgh along the A8 Glasgow Road. To get a good view of the stone (instead of walking across cultivated fields!) take the second left after the Gyle roundabout towards Ratho (Freelands Road). Pass Gogar Stone house and take the first right. The stone stands in the field to the right about halfway between the junction and the railway bridge.

What a position to see out the rest of time, and to remind all those left of their mortality. It seems building graveyards on top of hills is not a new idea. [See my notes on Arbor Low also.]

I returned to Arbor Low & Gibb Hill for the 1st time in 4 years. After standing on Gib Hill in 1997 I spent 9 months shortly after recovering from a bad accident (smashed leg) and was told by many people that this fate was due to visiting this burial mound and standing on top of it. So you see I was a little nervous. I think this site must be one of the jewels of England together with Silbury, Avebury & of course Stonehenge. It will probably never be appreciated by the masses until the stones are re-erected. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all they are all in position but have simply fallen over over the years. What a sight if they were restored.

The circle no longer resembles the picture in the MA. It has been restored very well and you would never believe it had been tampered with. I think everyone should remember these trees are very young and hold no significance to the circle. In fact the position of the Handle Stone some 100 mts away would suggest that the view would have been clear between the two when the circle was originally erected.

Barbrook One is a perfectly formed circle in a wonderful setting.It shouldn’t be missed.I also noticed what looked like the remains of another stone circle actually running through the path leading up to BB1 from the south.Visited the 2nd circle which is to the east of the reservoir.It took some finding as the stones are small and the grass was long.Quite a large circle of 21 stones i counted.Others may disagree on my calculation.

Visited 16/11/01.

This place is very hard to reach. I had to scale the barbed wire fence and climb up the steep incline then disturb approx. 100 sheep who went running off in to the distance. I was expecting the farmer to turn up with a shotgun any minute. It was worth it to see the nicely formed circle but most of all the spectacular view from Hordron Edge of Mam Tor, Win Hill and Kinder Scout. You can understand the significance of these hills to this circle. Can anyone advise a better way of reaching these stones for when I wish to revisit?

5/10/02

Tried limestone’s route and didn’t succeed. Good views but not of the circle. Ended up at Stanage Edge with no way of getting down to the circle. I will try a different route in the future.

I visited this site (and Balbirnie) with a friend, last autumn at dusk, just as the lamp-posts which surround the henge were switched on. The houses have taken most of the horizon and most of the everything from this site – the street has been built so close to the edge of the henge.
Defying all are the remaining stones.
The complex and very ancient nature of this site is now hard to appreciate as is any kind of feeling.
Glenrothes has not been good to it’s ancient heritage and what happened here should make us vigilant.

Important in all the sites in this web site is the landscape that these monuments are set in. The particular points in the land where these sites are, were chosen, I’m sure, and not by chance. The whole monument was dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at the present site in 1970, (stones, burial cists and all), to fit in with the neat planning of the new-town road network. As if out of conscience for what happened to this site (and Balfarg), the planners have built a standing stone theme roundabout nearby.
I find this all a bit strange, and I didn’t have a good feeling after visiting this place.