Latest Fieldnotes

I went to Knap Hill during one of my numerous trips to the Avebury area. This time I was with my dear 65 year old Mum. This was her first visit to the area and my first visit to Knap Hill.

Approaching Knap Hill was an exciting experience for me as it seemed to stand so majestically in the distance, I had a feeling of excitement within me and could wait to climb it and experience what Julian had... The way the wind blows etc.!

The weather was clear and beautiful and although the wind was blowing it didn’t matter to me or mum. I jumped out of the car and started to run as fast as my legs would carry me I ran and ran and ran and reaching the bottom of Knap Hill saw me taking huge steps as far apart my legs would go in order for me to reach the top and survey the land.

THE TOP at last and what an experience!!!!!! Beautiful isn’t the word........ Stunning would be closer to it!!!

Adams Grave looked so lonely but incredibly masterful and special from the to top of Knap Hill although we decided not to climb to Adams Grave I enjoyed the view!

We spent a good 20 mins atop Knap Hill, taking in the beauty and getting our faces blown off. I would recommend that you visit this place and climb up. Enjoy Adams Grave from a different view........ I will be going back to Knap Hill in March with some other friends! See you then!

The Goatstones are are on a wild and rocky hillside called Ravensheugh crags just a few miles north of Hadrian’s wall. We thought we were lost until the weird rocky face of the Crags appeared in the windscreen and we all went “Woh! This is it!“.
The Goatstones are a tiny four-poster circle, so dinky it could fit in your living room. One of the stones is peppered with cup-marks. The whole of the escarpent of Ravensheugh Crags is another Mother’s Jam of weird erratics and rock formations poking through the heather. Its hard to say if some of them are man made or not, but it makes an impression.
Aubrey Burl derives ‘Goatstones” from the saxon ‘Gyet stanes’ meaning ‘wayside stones’, though in my opinion if any Saxons were making their way across this eerie landscape they were seriously lost.

Incredibly bleak (and wet!) when I visited last month. You can’t miss the big old mother hill looming above you though, it draws you in like a magnet. A pair of wellies is essential at this time of year as we waded through muddy farmtracks knee-deep in cow-cacca and barely avoided falling into a few bog holes.
An eerie place once you get up to the top plateau, massive iron age ramparts and rather bizarely, two WW11 style pill boxes (were the Nazis planning to invade Northumberland?). We got a good view of the (slightly worn) carvings lit up by mellow winter sunset over the Cheviots.

I thought I might acquaint you all with some of, what appear to be, the least popular sites so far, since no-one has written about them, in the order I visited them...so there’s more to follow.

THE HOAR STONE – Visited 20/12/00
It took a great deal of effort, a little luck and Copey’s description of it’s location to find this one without an OS Map, on a cold December day , with frozen snow on the ground. Five minutes walking around in a circle amongst the trees and bushes, after parking our car in what we thought might be the spot, I (and my mate Rich) stumbled across this nine foot monster stone, just yards from where we set out (this was after we climbed what appeared to be a small water tank that we mistook for a barrow!!).
We duly congratulated ourselves and took our obligatory photograph – surely we can’t be the only saddoes who try to recreate the actual shots from the book...or perhaps we are!!

We visited the Druidstone having seen it identified on landranger map 171 as a standing stone. After walking several footpaths in the general area of Druidstone road, Cardiff, to no avail we called at a local property. The householder told us incorrectly that the stone was a boundary stone and removed in the 1950’s. Undaunted we asked a couple of hikers who amazingly were looking for the same stone, and were also lost.

Eventually we did discover the stone in the grounds of Druidstone house. This is a private property and so access had to be agreed with residents.

Although impressive in size, being some 8 feet high and 4-5 feet in diameter we felt very dissapointed with the site. The stone is very neglected. It stands outside a ramshackle shed, in unkempt woodland and is adjacent to a number of properties on the private estate.

Directions:-On reaching Cardiff head for St Mellons on the B4487 turning off towards Began and Michaelstone y Fedw just before you reach St Mellons. After crossing a dual carriageway take the next right (Druidstone Road) The stone is located NE of Cardiff at Druidstone House.

Could the smallest of the 2 dolmens be a mistake?
From the pictures I’ve seen it impressed me of the size, if all the stones that covered it have been removed, it must once have been quite impressive an object to look at and be near.
I wonder if the children at the nearby primary school have any clue what exactly lies to the rear, and if so do they apreciate its importance as the people who built it did and do they play there?

I’ve been here a number of times, it’s one of my favourite places. The views are terrific. It’s best to avoid driving down the muddy track, the walk is only 200 yards or so. There is a RoW onto Stapeley Hill which is worth the walk.

This is on the OS Map. The circle is on the huge plateau that towers above the village of Beeley. After walking along the track through the woods, above the noisy waterfalls, you join the moorland track that follows the edge of the plateau. After a short walk, head right across the heath for a few hundred yards and look out for the low stones of this tiny but beautiful circle, with a disturbed cairn in the middle. The best of the stones is a very phallic number indeed, it even has a foreskin.

Between the circle and the track there seems to me to be evidence of ancient settlement, field walls, and there are cairns all around the plateau.

This is a place filled with peace and tranquility, and surrounded by some of the best beauty spots in the Peak District.

Now this is one for the memory... a trek up a boggy, featureless hillside in wind and drizzle put a bit of a cloud over this visit. Just when we were getting REALLY jizzed with the whole thing, Mulfra is there. The huge capstone pointing crazily upwards, and the view ... just sit on the hill, back to the quoit and drink in the view. There is everything from prehistory to now visible here, and it’s just soooooooo beautiful up there. And then the sun came out ! The lands end peninsular is just mindblowing.

Hully Hill – one of the strangest places I’ve been without a doubt. A spit from the airport, the ring road, motorway, housing estate – you name it, it’s near it. The local bored kids seem to have taken to defacing it too, even the sign is bleached white and unreadable. It just doesn’t seem real, and to be honest didn’t do a lot for me – but I want to go back again and see. Some sites take a few visits to hit you, before you see through their 20th C trappings. Maybe.

Just got back from Moretonhampstead and four hours trudging almost friutlessly around a hill-side.

For a start the official map of Datrmoor had an official path marked that wasn’t actually there!!! This led to much head-scratching and map-turning and re-treading of steps as we tried to work out exactly where we had parked and where we were in relation to the marked sites.

The map suggested the hill-side contained a Stone Circle, a number of Cairns and a Cairn Circle. What with the map and path fiasco and the general gorse and bracken covering it proved pretty difficult to find anything. What we did find suggested that the map was slightly wrong.
On top of the hill what at first appeared to be a stone circle with it’s centre covered in gorse (note, not in the position that the map suggested), on further investigation (to me at least) seemed to be the remains of a long barrow (hence...Giant’s Grave. Kerching!) If this was what the Giant’s Grave referred to then I’m slightly confused as to why no-one seems to have picked up on this. There was a v.large stone that could have been the blocking stone, one very defined, one partially defined earth bank running back from this stone eventually tapering to a point (not very high but clearly visible) and a number of other stones that could have formed the forecourt. There were also two pronounced ditches in the structure that would suggest chambers. I have taken pictures.

Around this general area were stones that looked like they could once have formed a circle, but this could not be clearly made out because of the gorse. There was also a circular impression in the ground about ten metres in front of the Giant’s Grave that looked shaped but had no other features associated with it (looked far too big to be a cairn).

The Stone Circle proved elusive. In the area where the map suggests it sits there is a large scattering of loose stones and it became far too easy to make circles out everywhere. Nothing stood out, but maybe we just missed it, maybe it had gone. There was an interesting feature in the area where the stone circle was supposed to be. It looked like a cairn that had been broken into with stones all around the rim, but the hole in the middle was vast and deep – looked like someone had dynamited it!, or a bomb had hit it.

Ultimately, the day was fruitless. Although I would be interested in a second opinion on the Long-barrow hypothesis. I think next time I go a whole day will need to be spent as this seems to be a much neglected hill on the borders of a much more famous area (oh and the map reading skills need to be improved a great deal!)

One of the most intersting and easily visited sites in Britain , the DevilÍs Arrows sit adjacent the A1 at Burrowbridge next to the river Ure. The three towering monoliths (originally four it seems) stride across the countryside like stiff legged golems, pockmarked and incised. I dropped in on my way from Leicester to Sunderland to pay my respects. They reminded me of Rudstone in many ways, the grooved tops (which can be also seen at the much smaller Nine Stones in Derbyshire) are always referred to as naturally weathered by the centuries but I have never been convinced of this speculation. The grooves seem far to regular. It would be churlish not to opine that these would have made spectacular conduits for liquid libations to fertilise the stone/earth. Milk poured over the top of these stones would vein them with seminal white and would bring their cold dumbness to life. Putting such romantic speculations aside, I phoned my wife Helen whom, sat at her desk, was delighted to be transported vicariously to this magic spot. The stones are said to come from nearby Knaresborough, a place worthy of a visit with its ancient sacred cavesÍ connections with Saints and Seeresses and a rock cut chapel where one can float in the trancendency of the sacred. Ahh... I must do this more often.

If you are out and about in Derbyshire then I can recommend a visit to Barbrook Moor. Not only is there the circle shown in the Modern Antiquarian but on the moor itself are two more stone circles (No’s 2 and 3), loads of burial cairns and small ring-cairns and just down the path from Barbrook 1 is a row of (I think) 9 quite large stones. I love going to this place as I always stumble accross something new eveytime I go there.

Whilst touring the UK before the existance of TMA, using various maps and books, my wife and I were in Cornwall looking at all things ancient/old. I knew of the Merry maidens and hoped to see them. We stopped the car to take a photo of a very old Celtic/Christian cross. As I was taking the photo, i had this feeling, like when you know someone is looking at you and you look up and they are. Anyway I slowly looked up and right in front of me was the Merry Maidens. I swear i had not see them at all before that, even though I was right next to them. It was a fantastic feeling. It was like they were saying “Hey. over here. don’t get back in the car. This is what you’ve come to see”
The merry Maidens are BEAUTIFUL and remain a sentimental favourite because they found me before I went looking for them.

After a rain free visit to Mambury Rings we were not so lucky with the weather at Maiden Castle. By the time we got there it was Raining. Those of you that have been to the site will know that it is very expossed and open to the elements. We all disembarked from the coach and for the next hour and a half we walked around the site on a guided tour. This is one of the best Iron Age hillforts I have been to. The views of the surrounding landscape are very impresssive.. It is evident that this was a very important landscape during prehistoric times for on the horison one can make out many prehistoric barrows. If anybody has never been to an Iron Age hillfort then Maiden Castle is well worth a visit. From experience I reccommend that one does not go here when it is Raining for as I found out today you get rather wet very quickly

Richard Hayward 24.11.00

Today I  had the pleasure of going to Dorchester on an archaeological fieldtrip. First stop was the Dorset county museum, Which is well worth a visit. There are some great finds including two recently purchased Bronze Age gold torcs. (on display Fridays only) The next stop was Mambury Rings. Tucked away in the centre of Dorchester this site is very impresive even though much of the sourounding landscape has been built upon. The entrance and much of the henge is still in a good state of preservation.
As we arrived in Dorchester it was raining but thankfully the rain had stopped by the time we reached the site. Next stop Maiden Castle

Richard Hayward 24.11.00

Visit Hembury in the Winter when the bracken is low and you can get a sense of the contours.
Keep a look out for stones,in particular quartz surrounded by flint.
Enjoy!

After driving round the area for a while we eventually found the field in which this cute circle stands.

The approach to the circle was fantastic, in that we saw the circle perched on top of the hill and slowly, slowly as we waded through the waist deep crops, the beauty of the circle was revealed.

Once we arrived at the stones, the landscape in which it is set is breathtaking – especially the Cheviot Hills which undulate in the distance.

The whole experience was amazing – awakening – uplifting!!

The mast is the TV relay site for the Aire & Wharfe valley.
Just an alignment of the old religion and the new religion.

I visited the stones in October expecting the worst. Fortunately the stones seem to be in a good condition and natural weathering should clear up the damage over the next few years. The surrounding vegetation has suffered really badly, but again given a few more years and all should be well again.

Lovely walk up, some wind though!blowing a hoolie.
Me and tess hiked up through the bleak rubble strewn moor. then a meadow full of lovely friendly sheep and a beautiful circle. Tess dropped into a Travis Bickle conversation with one black dog-like-sheep.
Top circle, big landscape, perfect end- of- the- day circle.
Love and Life

Great favourite of mine. As me and Tess climbed the embankment and dropped into the bowl Tess gave out a “wow, didn’t expect this!”
Sums it up really.
Plans afoot to dynamite the christian pastiche into rubble, any takers?
Love and Life

Lovely little site. Me and tess approached from the road when all of a sudden we hears a screech and up fly two bloody big birds of prey /buzzards.....wow.Hard to believe that this is not a field clearance, its just too messy. If this site is insitu it must have been layed out by the dodgy cowboy dodman brother of Long Megs architect. Sounds like my kind of drude.
love and Life

Me and Tess on a megalithic odessy, found our way up to the moor and there they were. A sweet little circle perfectly formed, lovely moorland and a screaming shepherd, (I thought they whistled and ting, this dude was screaming at his dog, then the sheep all trooped down in a Mackenzie Thorpe stylee. Spent fireworks littered the site must’ve been a good party but they could have picked their shit up. Sweet circle.

In my previous entry for the Five Barrows site at Brook on the Isle of Wight I mentioned this site, and explained that it forms the remains of a long barrow. Well, I just paid a visit this afternoon, and it reaffirmed the greatness of this site.

Lying due south of the mighty mother hill that is Mottistone down and within Brightstone Forest, the site is composed of a large sandstone megalith approx. 5m tall and a second recumbent stone at its foot forming the former entrance to the monument. A surprising amount of the barrow remains, making it easy to trace its outline, plus the tomb itself remains defined on the ground. The barrow also appears to be aligned to the summer solstice sunrise. Adding to the splendour of the location is the nearby iron age hill fort atop a small hill a few hundred metres SE of the Longstone. The largest round barrow on the island, the Black Barrow is approximately 1km due east of the Longstone, plus there are several other smaller burial mounds nearby.

The Longstone has always been something of a local landmark and gets quite a lot of visitors due to its fantanstic location within the forest here and also for the top vibes of the area in general. It’s certainly great to have such a place more or less on my doorstep.