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Green Low

Ring Cairn

Fieldnotes

The plan was ephemeral at best, it was to watch the sunrise over Mam Tor from Lords seat barrow to the west. It would have worked too if it wasn't for those pesky clouds, so the plan changed slightly and Green low became my first site of the day.
Parking was had at the large lay by at the junction of the Pennine bridleway and the long road from Chapel en le Frith to Mam tor, it is a good road.

It took about fifteen minutes to get from car to stones, at a brisk walk to keep the cold biting wind to a minimum, after the first copse of trees on the left the earthwork became visible in front and to the right, but it isn't immediately definitely a cairn circle. But the bridleway takes us straight to it more or less just turn right off the path at a left turn, then up a bit.

Even when your stood right before it , it's still not obviously a ring cairn, as has been said, it is rather hengiform, and a whiff of sea breeze from Dorset isn't out of the question, robbed embanked stone circle is also a real possibility. Whatever it's status, it is there, it's easily spotted on Google earth, as is it's lesser sibling to the east and also another ring above the two and in between them.
It sits on an east facing hill slope, some stones can be seen poking through the grass on the ring, and on the inner ring. The inner ring isn't exactly ring shaped, it's not in the center of the outer ring. It is a strange one, "after four thousand years look so good you will not", Yoda would probably say, I cant disagree. All of the different variant forms of cairn, henge and stone circle could all look like each other or nothing like each other, pah , it's impossible to tell from just looking at it, Time Teeeeam. Then again no, just Stewart Ainsworth, John Gater, don't want no diggers here.

After wrapping my scarf round my face, god it's cold, there's still snow in places, I go for the now almost obligatory wander round the site from a distance, first I head west, half heartedly looking for the other lesser ring cairn , ive not much to go on I cant even remember where it is i'm supposed to be looking. From the fields edge the ring cairn is almost invisible, just a slight rise in the land, I head over into the trees north west of the site, peeking through the trees , although i'm now twenty feet higher than before its completely gone. More height is gained and the trees left behind, now I can see it, it's far away though, but a bit of camera zoom brings it close. Now back down hill over the all but dry stream Bolehill Clough??? and I begin to get east of the circle and it gets more prominent. Not knowing it at the time, I'm now passing by another ringy feature visible on Google earth but not on the ground, is it another ring cairn or part of an as yet undiscovered settlement. I can see an ever so slight rise in the land over to me left so I sidle over and, it turns out to be other ring cairn. It is much smaller than the other greater ring cairn, and much more ground level. It is lesser in every way than its near nieghbour.

I try mostly in vain to photograph the little ring, it's green on green and very much the shy one. I say a goodbye and go back towards the big ring, it's here on this low hill across the beck??? that one gets the best view of it, a really big stone has been dropped into the sea of grass and ripples ensue outwards.
The fog is now, not so thick, the clouds not so overwhelming so I decide it's time for a climb up to the Lords seat. I'm leaving now.
postman Posted by postman
5th March 2013ce
Edited 5th March 2013ce

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