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Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art
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What an absolutely grand spot! Cup-marked stones all over the place. My eternal thanks go to Fitzcoraldo for showing me this place.
A copy of Beckensall and Laurie's 'Prehistoric Rock Art of County Durham, Swaledale and Wensleydale' is very helpful. The sketched map, cross referenced with the diagrams, means that if you find one, you can find loads. It does appear that there's a map amiss in the book though. Stones 3-13 are represented on the 'West and South west' map, as are stones 19-32. 33-81 are shown on the 'Barningham- South' map, but 14-18 aren't shown. Which is a shame, as from the diagrams in the book, they are some of the more complex in the area, with multiple rings, arcs and pennanulars.
After a nip up to Eel Hill to find the big cup, then to Osmond's gill and the circle near Howe Tallon, the marked stones of the South side were in shadow, and harder to spot, but the whopping cup of stone 48 decided to reveal itself. The hut circles in this area are quite clear, more so than the enigmatic burnt mounds further down the slope.
It would be a right pain in the neck if the bracken were in full flush, but in the winter, with some nice direct sunlight, the stones are easy to spot at a distance. There are many, many more unmarked than marked though. The shelves with the marked stones, sited as they are either side of the wonderfully atmospheric Osmonds Gill, are extensive markers for what was, and still is a very special place.
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Posted by Hob
27th November 2004ce
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