Latest Fieldnotes

Wednesday 15/8/01, 1pm.
This is mebbe only the second or third time I’ve actually stopped in this circle, but have driven through it umpteen times on my way west from Blairgowrie. I always expect, when driving through this circle, to suddenly feel the car lifting of the ground as we travel supernautically through here! Another ring in a very curious location (see also Faskally). Six large stones make up this ring and according to Piggot in “Scotland Before History” thestones on the north side of the road have been moved (undoubtedly to make way fro the road). Was the B947 to Dunkeld always a trackway through this circle that has been built upon over the centuries? A dangerous circle to explore due to the traffic speeding to and from Blairgowrie, but an amazing setting nonetheless.

Also known as Callanish VIII, Gerald Ponting (Margaret Curtis’ first husband) names this site as Cleitir (Cletcher).

As you can see from the photos, this is a fantastic setting, and has such a ‘pull’ that I found it very hard to leave.

When you get to Lewis ensure that you get a copy of ‘The Stones around Callanish’ By Gerald & Margaret Ponting (Curtis). It’s got all the detail you need on the so-called minor sites. If you look across the strait from the site you should see a lone standing stone to the left of the road-this was moved during road construction and was re-erected my Margaret and Ron Curtis, as was one of the menhir at the main site. Ron has actually left his initials near its base!

An essential visit.

This has to be the most fabulous cairn in Orkney! Yes, it’s dwarved by the might and elegance of Maes Howe, but it beats them all on atmosphere for my money.
The tomb is set up a farm track, well signposted, about half a mile out of Finstown (if coming from Brogar). There’s a gentle slope to climb, and the monument sits pertly nestling inot the hillside. Historic Scotland provide a torch beside the entry, and the tomb wasn’t locked (day or night).
Creeping inside for the first time is a bit of an act of faith...esp if your torch is low on batteries! There is a low, narrow entrance of maybe 5.5 metres, which was wet and made one mess of my jeans. Inside the tomb is beautifully restored and entirely dark – no artificial roof with light panels here. The main chamber is a good height – maybe 61/2 -7 feet and there are 3 chambers opening off. Each of these is also of good height, allowing you to stand erect inside but the entry to each is narrow and not for those of a claustrophobic disposition. The chamber facing the entrance has a double chamber inside.
The construction of the tomb is beautifully done with small flagstones and if you switch your torch off inside you could easily be back the 5000 years to it’s building. The symbolic crawling back inside the mother was particularly strong in here – I could have stayed for hours! So good we visited it 3 times over our week on the island. A must!

Heading from the great mothership of Maes Howe towards Stromness, take a R (signed) shortly before the junction that leads to Stromness and park at the house. You reach this beautifully formed “mini-maes howe” down a fenced path – it appears to be open round the clock , as we visited late evening. The entrance chamber has been cut away, but inside are the stalls and the gravel covered floor. Much of the walls is incomplete, and there is not the fine stonework seen at “big sister” or at Cuween.

Take a R off the A90 onto farm track just after the Portlethen junction. Park at the abandoned farmstead and head over the fields to the stones, which are obvious on the gently sloping hillside. The first circle you come to is Auld Bourtreebush – a ruined but rugged circle. The stones are large and of reddish quartz – fascinating feelings of desolation and despair hit me walking around the stones. Heading on E the circle of Auchquhorthies is easily visible, and reached by walking along the field edges plus a bit of barbed wire crossing. The stones are again of a good size and surrounded by what appears to be a ring of smaller stones. Our visit to this site was cut short as the cows which were stubbornly surrounding the stones, and making no sign of being frightened by us, got a lot more assertive when their bull arrived – unfortunately the adjacent field through which we had to leave also contained a bull (whom we hadn’t noticed on our approach) and some nifty footwork was required! As we beat our escape the 2 bulls bellowed at each other – but whether in emnity or rejoicing at repelling the human invaders, I dunno...

This is an oddity! On the way out to Midmar, Sunhoney etc, take a L turn down to this site. The “restoration” is initially offputting, detracting from the sense of antiquity, but spending time soaking in the landscape around and contemplating the smooth, curvy stones themselves pays dividends. The boy, however, was not impressed (no recumbent!) and we headed off...

We scurried to this site in the face of an approaching storm. If you’re heading from Dunnideer then you park before the small road heading S and walk a hundred yards or so down that road. The stones are in a horse field on your L. The remaining stones (flankers & recumbent only) rear up at an angle like crazy teeth in a giant’s skull. The sheer size of the recumbent is truly astonishing – my boy who had been attracted to recumbents all thru this trip had to accept defeat when trying to climb up onto this one! To imagine the circle intact! sends shivers up my spine.

This is very near to Old Keig and makes a special ending to a day out. The circle is easy to locate – assuming you have an OS map that is- simply park on the forest track at the first “crossroads” and head north into the field, going along the wall west – then keep going straight ahead thru the trees til you come upon the circle. A wonderful place – the stones of an impressive size and a huge recumbent which is almost cylindrical in shape. The trees/bushes/other foliage all around add to the magical feel – you almost expect to see fauns and satyrs coming out of the trees. Birdsong, nature at her most tranquil...I sat near the kist for a while and played a bit of Pink Lady Lemonade by AMT – heaven!!

Heading north 6 miles out of Aboyne brings you to this site – turn L into a parking area beside the stones. There’s a quarry behind the stones which has encroached very near the circle itself – there was info about a restoration project at the site, so perhaps the balance will be addressed! Most of the uprights are toppled (and some disappeared into the quarry), leaving an impressive recumbent and her flankers, nicely bracketing Benachie in the distance. This is a difficult site to get a “feel” for with the desolation/destruction around, but it’s got a lot to offer if you take the time to absorb what’s around you...

Sunhoney – a most apt name as the place seems to drip with the essence of summer. We visited midmorning in July, taking the farm road (R) for Sunhoney Farm. Park at the further away farmhouse – friendly inhabitants suggested the best route to take. Head up the lane and along the side of the cornfield. The stones stand in the midst of a small copse of trees and are just delightful – a wide grin split my face when we first entered the ring. There are nine good sized standing stones plus the rather “recumbent” recumbent which has toppled forward, revealing cupmarkings on it’s rear face. So near to farmland you could be a thousand years away. Lovely!

Went up here for sunset last night (24/aug/2001). Absolutely breathtaking, not least because the awesome gradient of the hill.

The Ridgeway runs along the bottom of the hill, but the real action takes place further up, if you dare ascend (or park at the top). Densely thick woodland, paths twist and turn off in every direction, some leading to burial mounds, some to large bushes of stinging things. Forget getting a signal on your phone or gps, you’re on your own up here.

Just before sunset, I burst out into a clearing. This view stretches on for miles, bathed in a golden light. The sun sank, I sweated like a pig, flying ants swarmed and I was in the middle of thick woodland on an incredibly steep hill. The Gps reckoned the actual cross was about 300m away to the NE, but there was no way I was going to make that and back before sunset.

Tumbled down the hill down what looked like a path, but probably wasn’t --- found some strange things facing out towards the sunset that looked like burial mounds lodged into the hillside (but probably weren’t) – like the ones in Malta, back into even more woods, steeper hill,clinging onto the battered fence-cum-bannister, out onto more twisting turn paths ... a path dug into the earth like it was a trench ready for a cable ... this path has been walked for *thousands* of years

creepy creepy ... paths go up and down, dunno which way to go, the compass says go this way, but it’s all dense wood, can’t go that way, don’t want to go up again, my heart can’t stand it

hit a path that goes down, thank you, where am I ... GPS technology marvellous with a clear sky, no use in woods. Bloke with a dog, at least I’m still in 2001 ...

road ahead --- open air, check the gps to find where I am ... wallop, it’s the *exact* same way as I came in ... cars 2 minutes away

woah

never made the cross, knackered, smelly. Get yourself up there ... it’s all rather strange. I think you’ll like it ...

RG

Used to live near Merrivale and often return to visit this magical spot...
Has anyone else come across the large circular stone (a bit like a mill wheel) that sits atop three small stones? It looks for all the world like some kind of crazy altar... It is on amongst the main group of hut circles near the stone row. I have never been able to find anyone who can tell me what it might be.

Anyone any clue?

On the map, this site looks dead easy to find. Driving west from Mintlaw there’s a large parking site at a quarry which looks the obvious route. Cut over the hillside, through virtually impenetrable firtrees, gorse,etc and you find...you’re lost. Many scratches later go back to the car, drive on taking the next Left – you drive down almost to a farmstead. On your left is a small walled lane going towards a copse of trees. Park there, go up the lane and into the woods. A path marked by stones leads you to the other side of the trees whereupon you come across the wonderful , magical circle of Aikeybrae. There are 5 largish uprights and a giant, phallic looking recumbent. This place conjures an atmosphere of serenity and spellbinding – I’d love to visit late at night & see the site by moonlight.

My small tribe likes to drum and dance on a full moon and this is an ideal spot. A steep hill with a sort of enclosed plateau with amazing views over the northern plain of the isle. The night we last went up we saw a moon bow as the full moon was behind us and it was drizzling. a truly magical place.

I don’t know if this circle has a name. Margaret Curtis didn’t either – so maybe it doesn’t! Well worth a visit – take the B8011 heading from Callanish and drive towards the island of Bernera – linked now by a bridge. Park immediately after crossing the bridge and the circle is on your left, just up from the roadside.

The stones are impressive, 4 large standing and it appears that the southern edge of the circle has fallen into the sea due to coastal erosion. The stones are of the same gneiss that the Main Callanish complex is constructed of, but have assumed fantastic shapes with whorls and spirals suggesting an almost human form. In the centre is an odd arrangement of stones which forms a natural seat – rumoured to be a birthing chair. Indeed, if you sit in the “chair” with your feet up on the facing stone there would be no more natural position for birthing.

About 500 yards away to the other side of the road are a series of cupmarked rocks along the water’s edge. Continue along the road for another few miles and you come to a lovely little beach, where pictis houses were discovered in the late 1970’s

Go and see this circle – but do it on a dry day!
The site is reached by taking the B8011 about 1 mile before Callanish village (from Stornoway) It is easily visible on the righthand side of the road, on a rigde. There’s room for roadside parking – access is over a swampy verge and barbed-wire fence, then up the hillside.
There are 5 large stones in a sunken circle of very marshy peat – I guess caused by animals using the stones to scratch on. The stones are half covered with lichen, giving a bearded appearance which is most unusual. There’s a rugged, untamed feel about this place – remote and hardcore. As with the other Callanish sites, the orientation is towards Sleeping Beauty and there are lunar alignments.

This has to be the most blatantly sexual circle! Essentially a ring of stones, some missing, some fallen, surround an enormous phallus addressing the triple goddess with Sleeping Beauty providing the backdrop. As with the other Callanish circles (and there are 21 others discovered at present) the positioning towards Sleeping Beauty is paramount, and like the main Callanish site, this one has lunar alignment.
However it’s the sexuality of these stones that impresses. The phallus is replete with glans and whorls of quartz stream from the “eye” in a representation of semen. The Goddess is represented as maiden by the smooth white stone on the left, as mother by the reddish central stone, which has unmistakable breasts and as wise woman by the right stone, tall and more impenetrable.
Staying in the Smiths’ house, which is all of 300 yards away from this site, is the perfect location to visit at all hours of the day or night...
Location is dead easy, right beside the main road (on the left) as you come into Callanish village (before the cattle grid!)

Wouldn’t this place be a great place to do your rock’n’roll! What a space! ! Go to other white horses near by Devizes way and compare the geological similarities. Like a big bowl of vibrational energies. As for the hill fort – what were they guarding? Treasure? Food? hmm -perhaps they weren’t really guarding anything after all. And the chalk mound where St George slew the dragon. hmm internal dragons? Looks a little like Silbury doesn’t it.

Fang Circle is unique amongst the Callanish sites (ie those that take their basis from “sleeping beauty”) in that it is sites at her “feet”, looking up towards her belly. The name appears to be a corruption of [sheep] fank and indeed, a fank is what the circle has been converted into.

To reach the site, take the main road from Stornoway to Harris, pass through the strung out village of Baile Ailein and take a left turn down a narrow track. Continue for approx 5 miles until arriving at a farmstead on the right – you can park at the farm. The circle is then about half a mile along the loch shore, partly built into the walls of a disused sheep fank. At least 5 stones are identifiable, 2 standing free of the surrounding stonework.

The setting is one of the most peaceful in Lewis – we were fortunate to visit on a calm, bright morning. The waters of the nearby loch were still as glass and reflected Sleeping Beauty as she rose above. This is indeed a place for worship, reeking as it does of ancient atmosphere.

aaaah! the nine ladies of stanton moor – so peaceful so subdued so wonderful, its quite a long walk from the road from some directions but once there take your time and chill!!!!!!

my companion for the trip was my mother who had only ever seen Stonehenge in terms of a site.

whilst walking there she was complaining but on the return she had returned!

another magical moment

I’ve visited Derbyshire a number of times over the past three years and have always been struck by the vastness of the landscapes around Arbor Low but failed to actually take the courage and visit. I’ve always considered that it would be a bit like seeing Stonehenge for the first time, you are looking out for it and then suddenly there it is and due to the vastness of the landscape around you think ‘is that it!’. That was my reason for not visiting as I was so drawn to the landscape that the site and stones themselves would seem so insignificant in there recumbent, recumbent state.

This summer though I happened to be passing and thought hey! its about time I checked into Arbor Low.

The sign off the main road is very clear, however you need to turn again as soon as you come off the main road otherwise you will end up in the sleepy villages.

Once parked, there is a small pull off, there is a long track upwards that leads to a farm yard, where you pay 50p. There is a small weatherbeaten sign and information board just before the farm. If the occupier is at home then there are opportunites for a cup of tea and a cake. You follow up through the farm yard and turn left and suddenly............

wow!!! you are transformed, the stones might be all recumbent and subdued but stand there and take it all in and the beauty to behold is magical!

It’s great when you find somewhere by accident. I was out with the Gibbonnettes, barrow hunting.

I knew that there was a couple of barrows at the top of a hill outside Princes Risbrough, and it was just about the only place open (this was during F&M time)

We parked up, and had a good scramble around the hill and in the woods ... noticing what appeared to be a bit of quarrying on the hill, but not paying too much attention to it ..

We skirted around the bottom of the hill, and looped back up. There’s a lovely walk in the woods, and it opens out to a *stunning* view towards Oxford. With a barrow at the top of the hill.

Perhaps eager to avoid the barrow for as long as humanely possible, the Gibbonnettes roved down the front of the hill towards a big wooden log fence, saying “hey, what’s this?”

Still preoccupied with the rather sorry state of the barrow on top, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to them (shame upon me), but they persisted, so I had a look ...

the whole side of the hill was cut away into huge cross. This thing is *massive*. Huge. Enormous ...

I just couldn’t comprehend it ... I’ve read books, driven past Princes Risbrough more than once, know people who’ve walked the Chilterns, but never, ever heard of this, or anything about it.

Fantastic place, go and have a look

RG

We stopped by here just before dusk. Driving down from Crickhowell, it’s in the gate area of an abandoned army base on your left hand side.

There’s a big sign saying “MOD Property: No Tresspassing, No Photography”.

Walk past this, and it’s on the left hand side of the driveway, about 15 meters down. It’s not really visible from the road, as it looks a bit like a tree stump from a distance.

Get a bit closer, and a magnificent shard of rock is bursting out of the ground, straining at the earth and your perceptions of normality.

Headed off into the Beacons on first night working in Swansea. Almost got fooled by millenium stones in show caves on way. By the time we got to the stones it was lashing it down and quite misty. John couldn’t risk the slippy rocks with his bad knee and Nicky wimped out with floppy shoes. Charles got to the stones and was very impressed, they don’t have these sort of places in Taiwan. Ben enjoyed it too but then it was his birthday, he was up for anything. Good meal in the ‘Ancient Briton’ but no real ale on ,probably because of creeping threat of F&M and lack of visitors. V. Friendly though considering we’re townies. Those stones are quite small aren’t they. Maen Mawr though has a certain majesty and the setting is awsome. Had a bit of a feel of Castlerigg from a setting point of view.

What the Romans started, Powys County Council roads department finished

There’s lots of little wooden stakes patterned around, like at Woodhenge.