Latest Fieldnotes

This is a marvellous site, didn’t have long enough to work out the overall layout and ‘what was what’ but definately got a village feel. The passage way and domed ‘room’ were awsome. Some nesting birds cacked Deb who momentarilty thought they were bats. Two possible routes are given, one long one short, both are easily accessible compared to most (ie no hill or bracken).

Notes from the stones, 31 Aug 00

Harold’s Stones or The Three Stones stand just south of the village of Trellech. While it’s common for towns in Wales to have two spellings (or two different names) to relflect the two common languages used there, on the six mile road from Monmouth to Trellech we saw the roadsigns spelling the town’s name four different ways! Local historians say there are eighteen spellings. The Modern Antiquarian says the name means ‘three stones’, but ‘tre/tri’ means ‘place of’ as well as ‘three’ (as in Treherbert, etc). Either way, the village is clearly named after the standing stones.

The stones are in ascending order of height and stand in a line about 5 metres apart, very close together for an alignment. The small one is a ‘normal’ standing stone – it stands perpendicular to the ground and has a wide edge and a narrow edge. The narrow edge faces the other two.

The other two are squared, having no obvious edge-face and flat-face. As I stand here with my back against the smallest one, the middle one is leaning out to the right at an angle of about 75 or 80 degrees, and the far one leans to the left at about 60 degrees. It doesn’t feel like especially boggy ground or a field that gets waterlogged much (it stands above the adjacent road), so it seems doubtful that the stones have tipped, and quite possible that they were placed at these crazy angles.

The base of the almost laughably phallic tall stone doesn’t lean at the same angle as the rest of the stone; even if this first metre and a half were at 90 degrees, the main part of the stone ould still be leaning at 70 degrees or so. This one has clearly been designed to be leaning, which suggests that the middle one was too.

The puddingstone they’re made of is pebbles held together with a natural cement. The amount of pebbles in each stone varies; The small one looks like sandstone with the occasional pebble, there are far more in the middle stone. The tall one has so many that it looks like a 1970s council pebbledashing job.

It’s been suggested that the stones are aligned with the winter solstice on the holy mountain of The Skirrid.

The church in Trellech is also a curious place. There’s a sundial at the back by the vestry (an indoor sundial?!) whose base is a lot older than the sundial part on top. Three sides of the base are carved. One side has the three stones and the legend ‘Maior Saxis hic fuit victor Harald’. A second side is carved with a circular dip representing The Virtuous Well, an ancient holy well just east of the village. On a third side is carved a rounded lump and ‘magna mole’, representing Tump Terret, 300 metres south of the church along the ancient trackway that is still a public footpath. Coming from the stones, it’s just over the road and behind the cattleshed of the farm. The Modern Antiquarian says it is a ‘likely prehistoric mound’, but given its dimensions, I’m inclined to agree with local historians that it is a Norman motte.

Even the embroidered prayer cushions in the church are interesting – featured designs include a Celtic cross, and on another the Three Stones.

The red stone cross in the churchyard is also extraordinary. The church itself dates from the 13th (or possibly early 14th) century, but there was a wooden church on the site since at least the 7th century. Church historians confidently speculate that the stone cross predates even the oldest church building here, and write, ‘romantics may picture priests of the Celtic church (continuous in this area right from Roman times) ringing their handbells to summon the faithful to open-air worship inside the holy enclosure’. Beside the base of the cross is an ancient altar carved with Celtic crosses.

The base of the cross is five concentric layers of stone blocks ascending in a pyramid. The cross and the base stones contain white rocks, like the standing stones. Clearly this place was still of great religious significance, because the Christians made it such a constant focal point.

Notes from the stone, 30 Aug 00

The rocking stone does indeed still rock, although you have to stand on top and bob up and down to make it happen. The stone is heavily carved with initials and names. The bench I’m sat on has a plaque in front of it quoting from the Book of Psalms saying how great the Christian God is.
The ‘fine rushing stream’ of the Modern Antiquarian’s gazeteer is now some slightly damp rock, but the poetic power and pagan significance of the presence of a stream next to such a remarkable stone that looks out over a place where two rivers meet and valleys run off in four directions is great. It is not difficult to mentally erase the dual carriageway whoosing below and the town and see the tremendous natural magificence of this place.

And there’s more to this place than the Rocking Stone. Pontypridd Common, which the stone is on, has numerous stones the same kind of size, shape and colour as the rocking stone, huge table/altar-like boulders that really draw the eye and grab the imagination.

Some 200 metres away, following the path northwards along the edge of the hillside towards an obelisk monument, you come to a football pitch sized area of mown grass. Just at the start of this on your right is a stone circle about 15 metres across. When this dates from I’ve no idea; circles are still being built in Wales, and indeed there’s a recent one around the rocking stone. But the stones at this circle feel somewhat older; there are stones missing, and lichens growing on those that remain. They stand only half way up my shin at the largest, and several look broken off.

In the centre is an open cist about a metre deep and two metres long. It’s slightly tapered to the south, with a rounded boulder at the north end of pinkish grey granite-type stone.

This doesn’t feel like a recent thing to me; recent stone circles are in good condition, and wouldn’t be made with missing stones, damaged stones and an opened cist. In fact although I know of many modern stone circles, I’ve never heard of anyone making a small simple cist. This place doesn’t have enough posing to it to be really modern. Anyone know any facts about this circle?

Notes from the stones, 26 August 00

Maen Mawr is a really unusual standing stone, having no ‘edge-on’ aspect, the sides being of pretty much equal size. It’s also not much taller than it is wide, reminding me of pictures of Calanais stones before the peat was cut away. The odd dimensions also apply when it’s compared to the circle; this outlier is bigger than all the circle stones combined! (’Maen Mawr’ is Welsh for ‘Big Stone’).

The OS map marks this as a ‘stone circle and avenue’. There are the tiny stones of the circle with the enormous almost cuboid lump of Maen Mawr beside it; beyond Maen Mawr there are two tiny stones like the ones that form the circle. This is stretching the definition of ‘avenue’ somewhat. There are grey boulders that suggest an avenue, but there are similar stones all around.

The standing stones in the circle are the smallest I’ve ever seen, some not even above ground level (presumably eroded/broken off, although they can’t have been very big to start with). The tallest only come up to my knees. The ground is very boggy, and one stone stands so wobbily in the ground that I’m sure it could be just lifted out.

One stone is clearly very recently added in the circle; it stands at the north western side, and is very thin (5cm or so), no weathering or lichens, and lozenge shaped.

This is a really magical place, on a flat plateau halfway up the side of the valley. Looking around me now I can’t see anywhere else in the valley with a level spot like this. The view looks down amzingly to the south, layer upon layer of hills for what on a clear day must be 15 miles. It is an extraordinary site, giving a sense of being isolated in the centre of the landscape.

According to the OS map there’s a single standing stone about half a mile north, but we didn’t check it out.

DIRECTIONS
Maen Mawr can be reached without an OS map. From Abercraf/Abercrave take the A4067 north. Three or four miles north you see a pub called Tafarn Y Garreg (literally ‘Stones Inn’) on your right (with its car park on your left). Take the left hand road towards Trecastell/Trecastle opposite the pub. After two miles-ish the river runs right next to you on the left and you see a dark lump on the level promontary halfway up the valley on your left; that’s Maen Mawr. The river’s easily crossed right now (although it gets faster and wider in the winter so you’ll need wellies).

Notes from the stone, 26 Aug 00

Visible on the skyline for quite some distance when approached from the South, Maen Llia is an imposing and isolated stone.

Despite it being, as Julian Cope’s poem would have it, miles from anywhere, there’s a stile over the fence and a well-worn path to the stone, which has been slightly vandalised by people carving their names into it (one appears to be dated 1860).

The stone stands facing the valley sides and its edges align with the valley. Although the predominant stone of the area is grey, Maen Llia is a deep wine-red, and very pitted and pock marked. The stone is huge – some four metres tall – and surrounded on three sides by upward slopes; getting it from wherever such rare stone was found to here was a mighty task.

The top is gently rounded and comes to a point. One side of the point is very straight indeed. I don’t know how to tell if it’s tooled or not, but either way it’s an odd shape.

The sense of position is really weird; as you look down the valley toward Ystradfellte there are impressive layers of hills, but that is true of pretty much anywhere round here. If the stone were 500m north there’d be the same view down the valley, but it’d also look down another valley too. The stone was clearly not positioned with a wish for the most impressive position on the landscape.

To the northeast of Maen Llia there’s a notably anomalous mound on the landscape that goes halfway up to the horizon, not overly dramatic but unusual for the shape of the land round here. It’s kind of like a squashed Silbury (but is too big to be the work of humans). To extend the comparison with Silbury, the mound here also has a Roman road running directly beside it, Sarn Helen. This implies that the hill may have had some significance.

Stoney Littleton Long Barrow is a quiet, peaceful site. It is now open and all the ‘renovation’ work has been completed. I’d say they’ve done a fair job, although there are a few metal bracing joists visible.
Take a torch when you visit this site.......it’s VERY dark inside.......especially when it is sunny outside.......it takes some time for your eyes to readjust to the dark.

I visited the Kingston Russell stone circle on a sunny Saturday, on a walk to include the Grey mare and her Colts, just down the bridle path.

The Kingston Russell circle isn’t in the Antiquarian, but it should be. Overlooking the village of Abbotsbury and the English Channel across beautiful West Dorset, the location is superb.
There are 18 stones, all now lying flat, still in a clear circle, in a hilltop location, in farmland. All but 2 are sedimentary rock, full of pebbles and shells, the other 2, on the side farthest away from the sea appear to be Granite. Better even than the circle, but unremarked upon on the English Heritage sign (broken) is a clear and complete ditch around the outside of the stones, a clear henge, now only a few inches deep, but surviving for now.

I took Lydis, my 5 yr old daughter, her first circle, she was interested and impressed. I told her it was reputed to be 4000 yrs old, before Christ. So is that before God then she asked?

I had lived 20 minutes drive from this site until I was 18 and never knew it was here before today, it is complete and beautiful and Dorset. Talking to my father later in the day, he has lived in Weymouth all his life, he said it used to be considered a Roman Temple. It definitely isn’t that.

If you had to drag a bunch of megaliths up a hill and dig a ditch. for any reason, spiritual or secular, there wouldn’t be many better places to do it, the views, under the local landmark of Hardy’s monument and absolutely beautiful, are reason enough to visit, but it’s a great circle as well. It’s easily signposted on a bridle path and worth the walk.

Those Neolithic construction workers had incredible views when they ate their sandwiches.

On saturday 2nd sept., we visited the Grey Mare and her Colts, having walked from the nearby Kingston Russel stone circle, which is just up the bridle path and worth a view. The location is wonderful, on the hills overlooking the south Dorset coastline and Portland below you. In a field, up against the hedgerow is a longbarrow, looking complete, if small, with beautiful uprights and small stones visable all around the edge.
Unmarked, unregarded, it’s a gem. I lived 20 minuites from this site until I was 18 and never knew about this place until I read the Antiquarian.
It’s easy to access with an OS map and you’ll find yourself somewhere beautiful.

Although only four stones remain, (it’s more of a stone square!), this site is well worth a visit. The stones are all over 5 feet tall, and as ever have a great setting. Obviously focused on Robin Hoods Stride, the 360 view is still pretty cool, and if you have a look round the surrounding fields, you can find a couple of stones, which look suspiciously like part of the original circle. Well worth the walk up from Youlgreave, as part of a 14 mile hike which included the Nine Ladies, on foot is definitely the best way to view these circles. You get some idea of how the ancients would have approached these stones, and the wonder they inspire.

A bleak day in Cornwall, was revived as the clouds cleared momentarily as we walked to the stones. The site is well sign-posted from the Minnions and only a short walk. It was getting late and still windy and bleak, more importantly, beer and food were needed so didn’t stay long.

Joe Strummer’s inspiration for the 101’ ers ? Did he ever squat here ? Well sign-posted and certainly worth the short walk. We all scrambled through, inspired by an earlier visit to the seal sanctuary, Laura did her impression of a stranded seal with ‘Guy-Fawking’ of the legs and needed dragging through. Served her right though the muddy puddle was not avoided.
Should have done more homework, couldn’t find the scribed stone, the bracken was too thick and the possible stones too numerous.

Driving north from Penzance the quoite became visible on the skyline to the left after a number of bends we parked and had to ask an American for directions. It was over the fence on the right hand side of the road about 30 yards away. Took the postcard photos and on to Men-an-Tol

Having opted for the A30/obscure style route, the bracken was overgrown, it was about 600yds (fork left for the stones). Family not impressed, though I don’t know why, at least it wasn’t up another bloody hill ! I suppose sodden feet and lacerated ankles might have had something to with it.

Passing on our return from Cornwall to Hampshire with memories of wet and bleak trecks to various sites this was a sunny site and happy place. Most importantly for anyone with flagging family dragging along behind, this is one of those that fall into the category of easy to find; park; and it’s behind the first fence over one style. Family friendly neolithics !

Also known to the locals as ‘The Sugarloaf’ and ‘Tit Hill’ this magnificent mount is rightly pointed out as important by Julian. The drive from West Ayton along the Derwent river through the Forge Valley to Langdale End was beautiful and would have made a splendid walk if we had had the time. Howden reveals itself just as you turn the corner into the ‘village’ and is a breathtaking sight. This is indeed a proto Silbury. We parked by the river and walked to the small church/chapel, sited magnificently at the foot of the hill with good views one way. Julian points out the relationship of this flattened but raised site as similar to the standing stones at Blakey Topping and we have to agree. Again, as at the nearby Rudston Monolith, the monument of the hill is completely obscured. You cannot see the Rudston stone from inside its Church (a matter of feet away) and likewise the Christians do not have to see the hill in their worship from this church as it is obscured completely by judiciously planted trees. This place has a atmosphere that is sacred and we tarried awhile before walking up to the great Howden Hill. Opposite the Moorcock Inn (where food and good beer may be enjoyed in a folksy atmosphere devoid of the middle class pretensions that despoil so many country hostelries these days) is Howden Farm. It is important that visitors ask permission to ascend the hill here as it is not normally given due to beer sodden hairy arsed new age ‘seekers’ who have peed off the locals by partying, shouting and littering the hill (which is private property) with beer bottles and worse. The landowner was a bit frosty at first but charming as soon as she realised we were serious seekers. She gave permission to ascend the hill and imparted the information that it ‘has many names’ (pointing to its importance) including the two given at the beginning of this piece. We ascended via the public footpath that runs up the hill but stops short of the summit. Here a sign informs the public that this is private property, we pressed on and were rewarded with magnificent views as good as I have seen anywhere. Blakey Topping was visible rising out of the Crosscliffe that obscures its feet. The surrounding landscape is like something out of Lord of the Rings, a Rivendell in Yorkshire. The spine of the hill has an earthwork ridge that we processed along before settling at the hollow on the summit. The Tolkien resonances struck me again as this seat of power worked its strange magic upon us. Howden is still in use by the locals, the landowner informed me that they had lit a beacon on the hill and set fireworks off at the millennium, it must have been quite a sight. Keep this one to yourselves.

These six remaining stones (out of a possible 22 according to Burl) are indeed a place of solitude. I had spared my family the trek and left them at our holiday caravan while I pressed on first to Madron Holy Well – a strange and mysterious place – via Lanyon Quoit (ironically while I was there my wife watched the Channel Four ñTime Teamî TV programme that delved into a nearby fougou). I too approached across the moorland from the Men-an-Tol via the Men Scryfa inscribed stone to the left of the track (the inscription is 6th century and dedicated to the Raven). This whole area is covered in sites and the circle itself is surrounded by cairns barrows and standing stones. Importantly the natural rock outcrop of Carn Galver is very prominent (and striking) within the landscape. Ding Dong Mine is visible from most sites, this relatively recent relic is a modern continuation of a prehistoric mine. The significance of the mineral deposits in the area are a likely indicator of its Neolithic importance. The local granite stones of the circle are worked with their smooth faces inward as at the nearby Boscawen-Un and Merry Maidens and it is suggested that a cut down stone just to the north west marks the setting mid summer sun viewed from the north-east of the circle. An outlying stone used to exist 400 meters to the west. The Nine Maidens are ruined and robbed but evocative and sky-born to my senses. Alone upon this landscape I could not help feel close to the infinite, I lay with my spine fused to one of the comfortably leaning stones and stared upwards into nothing but blue sky as if resting on a shaman’s relining chair and was transported within and without. My reverie was disturbed by a skylarkÍs singing and I returned home happy. A lovely place in sunshine.

I visited this site shortly after purchasing TMA and I really loved the site. The valley itself is quite beautiful to look at from up here, except for some noise pollution from below the site. The stones themselves are fanastic. The central rocking stone itself, however, has carved names and words on the top, which was saddening. Walking along the “serpent” (a collection of snake-shaped stones forming a pathway to the main circle) I came across the eyes of the serpent, one of which was sadly graffitied with C18 slogans, this was really upsetting so I walked back along to the other side of the serpent to find a Christian prayer on a plague by the stones, I wished they had not put there, since its a Heathen temple. A man strongly connected to the building of the later stones was Dr. William Price, a man I really recommend to anyone exploring our religious roots. All in all, it is a nice place, I recommend it. I just wished they had not desercrated it so.

This fogou no longer needs a map to locate, standing in the grounds of Trelowarren and incorporated in their ‘Woodland Walk’ (just pick up a leaflet at the Nursery). It is none the less magnificent for this though.

The entrance is now restored and provides a wonderful entry to the fogou. The creep to the left is accessed by a small entrance but inside is tall and leads to a large stone at the end that had been recently used as an altar for offerings. The main creep is tiny with an entrance that requires you to get on hands and knees to access the small chamber beyond.

We spent some time here. I am still perturbed by the photo of me in the creep in which a leaflet sticking out of my pocket looks as though I have a skull in my hand.

A wonderful place.

We walked on past the Men-an Tol waitng for the steady stream of people to die down. Up onto the moors to find the Nine Maidens. As Julian says in TMA they are haphazard and incomplete but stand and lie on a windswept ridge from which you can see forever. A great place to find some isolation.

Fantastic. After you have negotiated the farm gates and the cattle that is. Small but clear entrance leading down with a tiny entrance to the creep. Absence of a torch (or so we thought – Nic had one in her bag but didn’t realise!) stopped us slithering in. Could have sat in here for hours.

The farmers were very helpful and friendly. Said they had lots of visitors and didn’t mind at all that people tramped through their workspace to get to the fogou. They’d like you to try to avoid milking times though.

Situated high upon a lonely Yorkshire moor upon a bleak limestone pavement surrounded by heather this place presents an experience of devastationƒ a virtual moonscape surrounded by the remnants of military activity. Here 6 enigmatic stones stand forlorn, 5 fallen, besmirched and contaminated by modern activity, not least the attentions of modern seekers who have rammed and hammered coins into the cracks of the stones where they rust and stain with the corruption of a modern spiritual emptiness that sees money (of all things) as an offering to be foisted upon this place. Stones have been placed to reinvent the ñcircleî (which is possibly a pair of ruined fourposters). Never have I seen such a sad site. As I look towards the Esk Valley – as magnificent a view as I have ever beheld – my spirits are still low. To the right stands Flat Howe like a brooding boil upon the horizon and behind me the peaky prominence of Brekon Howe. So desolate do we feel, so distracted by modern intrusion in such a monumental setting we miss the fact that the Low Bridestones are a matter of yards away and thus do not walk the extra plods to visit them. Let this place be a warning to those of us who popularise these liminal spaces, the narratives we bring with us will close down as well as open the doors of our perceptions. We have a duty towards these places that is beyond us and with us.

Just off the A171 to Whitby is an obscure but beautifully situated set of standing stones and ambiguous tumuli (hard to see on the ground, but visible from the cliffs of the magnificent Robin HoodÍs Bay below). Surrounded by purple heather and the occasional psliocybe semilanceata mushroom, the stones stare blindly into the bay. The views are marvellous with evocatively shaped hills on the horizon. The stones are still in use with offerings of toys and money upon them but not too many to spoil their ambient antiquity. As at Rudston earlier in the week, the weather changed from grey to brilliant sunshine as we admired the views from the site and we set off to Whitby with our spirits soaring.

This lovely spot is the first place I ever visited to seek out rock art. I was inspired to do so after attending a conference where Stan Beckinsall was the main speaker. As mention previously the site runs across and around a golf course and has views across the ancient landscape of the Till valley. On the far side of Dod Law is a cave that I only saw as I was leaving so I can’t tell you whats there. Well worth a visit, good carvings in a beautiful landscape.

After many years of wanting and waiting I finally managed to visit Rudston with my family this August. We arrived at lunch time coming from Burton Agnes over the Rudston Beacon with fine views over the countryside down to Filey and Cayton Bays. I always look for a hawk these days when approaching new sites as there is usually one to greet me, a habit started about six or seven years ago after visiting Stoney Littleton Barrow. Sure enough a Kestrel hovered over the car as we approached the village. Seeing as Rudston is the tallest standing stone in Britain it is surprisingly well camouflaged by the Christians being almost completely obscured by trees and the church itself which stands within the monolithÍs sacred ground. You could miss it easily if you did not walk around to the back of the church where it suddenly hits you with its magnificence as you turn the corner. A rudestone indeed, grey, pockmarked and toweringly important. The shallow finger holes in the stone are familiar, why do so many stones have them? I touch the monolith and imagine with my eyes closed offerings and libations to the stone, flowers and oils anointing the centre of this now nearly destroyed Neolithic landscape. My dreaming was disturbed by the distant peal of thunder and the storm moved in over the area as we sheltered in the very peaceful church. In the corner of the graveyard is one further small squat stone next to some very old smashed stone coffins. This stone although only three feet or so high itself is remarkable in its covering of lichens. One side was completely white as though washed with lime, the other green and hoary. This stone was very aliveƒ.We left with spirits uplifted and a break in the weather from dull and rainy to bright hot sunshine.

Stunnings views from Chapel Hill, and great sandwiches from the village, cheap baggettes, someone should tell them what they are charging in the city !

There was a couple having a right barney up top who negotiated around the summit, avoiding us and each other with arms crossed and pouty stares out to sea. Hope they made it up. We have happy memories they’ll probably never go anyhere near Abbotsbury or Dorset again (she wanted to go home regardless of how they’d paid for the Hotel – earwigging’s great)