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June 10, 2026
Overcome once again by the beyond-scenic splendour of Cadair Idris’s Tyrrau Mawr – or Craig Las, if you prefer – The Citizen Cairn happened to spy a curious cairn-like structure far below, nestled upon the peak’s spendid northeastern shoulder.... hitherto unknown to me. Sure enough, Coflein records:
“Cairn, 5m diameter around a massive boulder, on a high shoulder at 455m on Tyriau Mawr. The monument comprises the remains of a round cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 bc -800 bc) and situated within rough grazing on the NE-facing flank of Craig-las. The stone-built cairn is circular on plan and measures 6m in diameter and up to 1.2m in height. There is a fine exposed cist in the centre of the cairn, measuring 0.8m in length by 0.45m transversely and 0 6m in depth. The cairn has been constructed around a large angular boulder, against which the cist has been built. An unusual cairn built around a large angular boulder that has been utilised to form a cist along one side with thick upright slabs and a thin fallen slab – probably a cover slab. The cairn material is subangular and scattered around, probably because it was removed during robbing. The cist is 0.80 x 0.45 x 0.60m deep. The cairn lies in a small hollow on a shelf high up on the side of Tyrrau Mawr, remote and inaccessible and would not have been visible except from the top of Tyrrau Mawr ridge. (Smith, 2001)”
Hmmm. So, here we have a funerary cairn placed where only those on high could see it – whether in the physical, or metaphysical realm? Intriguing.
I admit that I briefly considered a visit. However, that would’ve meant road-bashing all the way back to Hafotty-fach. Now, as much as I am in thrall to my prehistory, the sheer wonder of the uplands still takes precedent every time. I shall endeavour to return next year and approach from below. But don’t hold me to that.
Well, waddya know? So just WHO was supposed to be able to view this cairn back in the day, then?
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
I spy... with my little eyes... possibly the most obscure cairn I’ve ever had the privilege to see. Perched high up on the north-eastern shoulder of Tyrrau Mawr (Craig Las), Cadair Idris.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
June 9, 2026
After a good look at some mounds near the Kinerach cist I followed the grassy track heading north east towards the much disturbed but reasonably well known Carn Ban.
Sadly towards the end of the 18th century much of the cairn material was removed to make nearby walls, houses and possibly some met a stone grinder which enabled roads to be constructed.
What remains is a cairn nearly 18m wide, I spied at least 5 cists and there could well be more – difficult to locate because of all of the ferns, bracken, gorse – basically the ‘jabby stuff’. It is a pity, a good clean-up might reveal a lot more.
Photos from the ‘Antiquities Of Gigha’ show the much robbed site, some cists and a stone that once stood – it maybe still does.
Could be impressive!
Visited 04/08/2025.
June 8, 2026
THE WHITE HORSE MUMMERS PRESENT
A Summer Solstice Special
The Ghosts of Midsummer Arise: A Merry Mayhem In Three Acts
June 21st 7.00 p.m The White Horse pub Chilham (Free)
ACT I – Meet at the White Horse 7.00 p.m. (walk to Julliberries Grave @20 minutes)
ACT II – The Ghosts of Midsummer Arise (a performance at Julliberries Grave)
ACT III – Revelry, Music, Dance and More at the White Horse pub Chilham
Join Us and Join-Inn (fancy dress, instruments, loud singing, welcome)
The walk includes crossing a busy road and a short steep path –
for more details contact [email protected]
A flyer for this event can be found here: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MNjdAWVYySVrPCufyeDtzI88lj2LuKX4?usp=sharing
Bronze Age artefacts found in an ancient burial mound in Leeds offer a “fascinating” insight into how people were laid to rest, experts say.
Cremated remains and fragments of an urn were among items found during archaeological investigations on a housing project at Pitty Close Farm in Drighlington.
A quick look on Google street view and you can actually spot the stone quite easily from the road. This was from 2021.
Image credit: Google maps
June 7, 2026
shot of the devils-bit scabious that was abundant around Boscawen-Ûn in September 2025
Image credit: picture taken by me
In the book ‘The Quest for Arthur’s Britain’ edited by Arthurian researcher Geoffrey Ashe, he mentions a hillfort near Padstow as a contender for Kelliwic. Kelliwic is king Arthur’s main stronghold in the early Welsh tale Culhwich and Olwen, this stronghold is regarded as in Cornwall. The named site predates the Arthur’s Stronghold of Camelot and may be translated as ‘forest grove’. This is the nearest fort to Padstow so is a likely contender, the book is quite old as it still discusses Tintagel as being the site of a Celtic monastery which is now established as incorrect.
Meiklehill Wood, near Newton, Letterfourie.—“remains of Stone Circle” is the description on the O.M. at this site. Only one Stone remains.
It is close to a sharp angle of the wood, at its extreme south end and on its west side, and distant from Core Stanes 1 mile in the direction of W.S.W. The height above sea-level is 500 feet.
The Stone (fig. 23) is an inconspicuous, low, and broad block of light grey quartziferous sandstone, pentagonal in contour, the sides measuring (south) 2 feet 10 inches, (north-west) 2 feet 6 inches, (north) 2 feet 1 inch, (north-east) 2 feet 5 inches, and (south-east) 1 foot 8 inches, thus giving a girth of 11 feet 6 inches. Above the ground, its height is only 1 foot 7 inches, and its -longest diameter across the top 3 feet. The view of this Stone is from the south-east. No one in the vicinity was within reach to give any information concerning the removal of the other Stones; but the presence of a drill-hole, made by a mason’s “juniper,” to a depth of several inches near the centre of the Stone, is highly suggestive of the fate which befell them.
REPORT ON STONE CIRCLES SURVEYED IN THE NORTH-EAST OF SCOT-
LAND, CHIEFLY IN BANFFSHIRE, WITH MEASURED PLANS AND
DRAWINGS; OBTAINED UNDER THE GUNNING FELLOWSHIP.
BY FRED. R. COLES, ASSISTANT KEEPER OF THE MUSEUM.
journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas/article/view/7081
June 5, 2026
The unsolved mystery of how the altar stone of Stonehenge arrived in Wiltshire could finally be partly explained by new research.
The monolith is believed to have originated in the Orcadian Basin of north-east Scotland, but how it ended up in Salisbury remained unknown.
On retracing my steps downhill from the cairn at Cnoc Nan Gobhar, I headed east towards Carn Ban hoping to find a cist or two along the way. I’d spied a few fern covered mounds from the top of Gobhar, slightly to the north of the path.
Luck and more curiosity (after searching several of these fern covered hillocks) was on my side and I found a cist situated at NR6634553636. The top covering stone measures at over 1.5m in length, two side slabs hold it up or stop it from being pushed over, the end slabs can also be seen. Seems weird that this might have been dislodged by agricultural purposes. However, it has done better than another nearby cist – it has vanished altogether.
It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to learn if there are any more sites are hidden beneath the vegetation. A job for another day.
Visited 04/08/2025.
Three Bronze Age arm rings have been discovered by metal detectorists at a site where a new electricity substation could be built, with archaeologists describing the find as “spectacular”.
June 4, 2026
This site contains the only continental Ring-Barrow with a clearly defined inner mound bank and fosse that I know of. It is dated to ~2600bc and was built by members of the Beaker people, the same people who would invade Ireland and Britain in short succession after this barrow was built. It’s my theory that barrows like this are directly ancestral to the barrows that would later dot the Irish and British countrysides!
You can clearly see how later Irish and British barrows evolved from barrows like this.
Image credit: Wikipedia
An aerial photograph of the barrows.
Image credit: N/A
Another shot of the ring barrow
Image credit: N/A
A shot of the ring barrow, remarkably similar to many Irish barrows I’ve seen.
Image credit: N/A
A shot of the ring and mound barrow
Image credit: Wikipedia
June 3, 2026
Now apparently this sizeable kerb cairn doesn’t appear to be listed and I stumbled upon it quite by accident and curiosity. Wanting to see Jura/Islay and various forts/duns on the mainland, to the east, I climbed the Cnoc Nan Gobhar – hill of goats, same as the nearby standing stone. Cross the road, there is a gate/path and up the hill slightly to the north. Reasonably easy climb. I was also hoping to spy the Kinerach cist to the east. I didn’t but I did spy several fern covered mounds, one of which housed the well hidden cist.
The cairn is at least 10m wide, over 1m tall, most of the kerbs have remained in place and a lot of cairn material remains in place possibly covering a small chamber or cist.
A decent cairn, situated fairly close to two of the island’s better known cairns.
04/08/2025.
June 2, 2026
June 1, 2026
From Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society:
“At Slanemore (Slemain Mide) about 5km west of Mullingar is a cemetery of six barrows or burial mounds of the later prehistoric period. Three impressive stepped tumuli are strikingly positioned on the hilltop while three other less prominent barrows, are located lower on either side of the road. Slane More was the location of an encampment of the Ulster forces in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, and it marks the site of an important battle between Ulster and Leinster in the annals AD498”
From Paul Gosling on researchgate (researchgate.net/figure/Photograph-dated-c-1920-of-the-barrow-group-on-the-summit-of-Slanemore-Hill-Co_fig6_325011589) in reference to the black and white image:
“Photograph dated c. 1920 of the barrow group on the summit of Slanemore Hill, Co. Westmeath, 6.5km north-west of Mullingar (Source: Shaw 1921, pl. xxii). The view is from the north and shows three of the five barrows on the hill-from right to left these are RMP WM018-078002, WM018-078001 and WM018-078. In TBC I, Mac Roth, the messenger of Medb and Ailill, describes the arrival of the Ulaid forces here as follows: ‘There came on to the hill at Slemain Mide … a great company, fierce, powerful, proud. I think that it numbered three thousand. At once they cast off their garments and dug up a turfy mound as a seat for their leader’ (lines 3589-3592 and p. 221). ”