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Fieldnotes
| Ooh I did enjoy this place very much. It's such a pleasant walk across the field, and then there it appears, with its tidy and inauthentic herringboned stones at the front, looking like a little thatched cottage sunken into the ground or something. But when you see how big the capstone is - I couldn't help smiling. It's amazing. No one else has mentioned this, so it must just be me being weird, but there was only one obvious course of action to me. I had to leap up on the top and lie down immediately. The stone is like a gigantic golden mattress, it really is, albeit a bit on the hard side. But lying there you'll realise it is at the perfect angle for gazing at the sky, it's gently sloping and very comfortable. I watched the clouds float past. It was a bit like being anchored at the centre with everything moving round. ?Or is that just my overactive imagination. And of course you'd get all the benefits of the Ancestral Wisdom seeping up through the stone. Imagine what it would be like to look at the stars from here, just marvellous. It was a bit cold this afternoon to be honest, but when the soon-to-be-setting sun peaked out from the clouds - and it happened to be directly at the right angle for the capstone - the stone turned such a beautifully warm colour. It's slightly galling that you can see the disguised top of the brickwork pillar in the top of the capstone. It's not so bad as from the side. But where did the missing side of the burial chamber go? And I was interested to see the curved stone chosen to define the front entrance 'portal' too. I didn't stay half as long as I'd have liked. But even so my imagination had been further carried away by the time I got back to the first of the kissing gates. It had a rather interesting multi-note squeak which I couldn't help thinking reminded me of the Authentic Prehistoric Music :)playing in the gallery at the museum in Cardiff, where I'd been earlier. If tma had an mp3 facility for gate noises, I'd have been tempted to record it. The site is well signposted from the main road in St Nicholas, it has a proper hard parking spot, and the path (although undulating) is very smooth. No mud today, Postman. There are two kissing gates though, which I don't think can be avoided. The sign says it's open from 10-4 but I didn't feel too naughty being a bit later. Perhaps it's to discourage stargazers and those wanting to do a bit of dreaming like in the folklore. I tidied up the usual tea light cases as you can imagine. |
Posted by Rhiannon12th March 2010ce Edited 13th March 2010ce
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Comments (3) |
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Your enthusiasm's infectious, Rhiannon.......You make me want to go back to the big old beastie. Soon. And everyone should try a bit of proper 'star gazing' once in a while, if only to keep some sense of proportion in their lives - something you can only really do without the light pollution of surburbia, I suppose. A good antidote to gazing at the airbrushed muppets we call 'stars' on TV. |
Posted by GLADMAN12th March 2010ce |
| How kind. It was very nice though. It's a good point, there might well be a lot of light pollution from Cardiff there. That would be sad, I do hope not. At least the slab faces in the opposite direction (I think). |
Posted by Rhiannon 12th March 2010ce |
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Rhiannon, You have beautifully described your visit. I wish it had been me, there and then. If I was in your shoes I would definitely revisit on a clear, moon-less night to stare at the stars, and let the ancientness wash over me. All the best, TE. |
Posted by The Eternal14th March 2010ce |
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