Haven’t been here for seven years, the stones are as lovely as ever, the shorter stone is still half white with what I presume is lichen, and it has a small notch in its western edge, it aligns with a young ladies bedroom on the road a hundred yards away, it could, you don’t know.
The taller stone does have some white lichen but not much, it does have a quartzy shine to its side, and it does have a good shape.
The tree is still there and looming large over the stoney pair, I like trees, I once stopped visiting stones for a while and took up visiting heritage and remarkable trees, one thing trees have over stones? they’re alive.
But most radical and astounding of all, the god awful fence has gone, it was all the way round the stones and the tree, it was too close to the stones, sure you could climb over but that’s not point, it was ugly and in the way. But now it’s gone and it looks like it was never there, I wonder what prompted them to remove it. Other sites that could benifit from a good defencing, Bodowyr, Lligwy, Kits Koty, come on every one get your fences off.
re Bodowyr, when i was there there were cows in the field so I think the fence is probably a good idea!
Plus if on your way to the dolmen you turn around and see a big angry bull or 40 stampeding cows headed in yr direction and it's too far to get back to the gate you can leap over the fence and be safe from a trampling.
Also you have a nice view of the hills from the safety of the metal fencing during the 3 hours it'll take them to lose interest and slowly start wandering off.
Sounds like your speaking from experience.
Still don't like fences.
I don't like fences either, particularily when they're too close to the stones they're encircling, eg at Torhouskie, but I see his point re cattle, as a result of the incident recounted in my fieldnotes for the neighbouring stone row. Still shaken up by that, I instinctively did the right thing, not that there was any other choice, but that was w a y too close, and they weren't frisky bullocks just trying it on. Anyone reading this who thinks, when entering a field with cows 'aw sod 'em', think again. No, I don't have a dog.
Whilst not wanting to provoke another long debate about what to with oncoming cattle, I'll just say I've never been charged as such, cows have ran over to me, and I've quickly got on the right side of a gate, or stood on the very thing I've come to see. You just have to exercise some common sense, think before you enter the field, always have a notional escape plan, and don't act scared.
I'm not scared of cattle in the slightest, I will walk right through a herd, talking to them all the time, it's served me well for over twenty years. Only twice have I not been able to get past them to the stones, I just went back another time, or entered the field from another direction.
Sod 'em.
my main point about the fence was to protect the dolmen from the cooos!
else with a bit of arse rubbing (and who doesn't like that eh?) it might get a bit fecked up or even collapse. (eastenders drum roll pls)*
the thing about it being safety from a stampede was sort of jokey, but i suppose it would work quite nicely.
i'm always a bit wary of cows in fields but more so when they have young in with them. usually not a problem, but there was one time they chased after me and a mate and luckily we were near the gate and managed to escape.
*I hate eastenders with a passion and haven't seen it for a good 10 years.
Eastenders is evil and completely banned in my house.
I got the jokey side, and i'm partially in agreement, but I hate fences so much, I hate being hemmed in, there must be another way, perhaps a farm hand with a big stick, or a gun, to shoot any cow that touches stone, they'll learn in the end.
'one of these days' should be continually played at every ancient site in the country. hopefully that will keep the cows away and only attract people with good taste to the monuments.
'atom heart mother' may attract the cows though. tricky one.
all this cow chat has reminded me of the 'cadbury cows' on green st. always like seeing that sign!
I'm extremely gratified to see the Floyd mentioned on here, but how about dressing prison inmates up in Ronald Mcdonald get up and arming them with nowt more than air freshener. keeps the cows away, possibly, and if it all goes pear shaped for the crim, tough.
Yes and yes. It's the obvious solution and has been staring us all in the face.
Our ancient heritage will never have been safer.
If we run out of RM outfits then hamburglar will do, at a push.
For a second there I thought RM was going to stand for Royal Mail. Once in always in.