Monk’s Holes

I set out on an exploratory trek taking me through Monk’s Wood, the largest area of Ancient Woodland, in Cambridgeshire, the least wooded county in the country. I came out on the other side, looking for something significant as the barrow is marked on OS maps, and also the map of the woodland, but could see nothing.

On the other side I set across a pathway between the fields, seeing very little. I saw a hare and took that as a sign – so followed it. The hare waited and then I saw I was following two, shortly before disturbing a large deer. The three creatures ran into the opposite woodland as a buzzard cried overhead.

They weren’t obvious signs, and I could see nothing. As I walked back taking numerous pictures and checking maps and my gps location I made a final turn and there it was.

The Heritage gateway describes the site as being a Bronze Age bowl barrow (2500BC – 701BC) though after ploughing, the impression is certainly more of a Pond Barrow, as illustrated by Nicholas Thomas (Guide to Prehistoric England, 1960).

Faint marks can be seen from aerial photography, though on the ground it is more difficult as the terrain has numerous dips, and hills. Once found though, it is very obviously uniform and hopefully the photograph provided shows this as the crop rises slightly, dips into a bowl then rises again on the other side.

I didn’t go into the crop to investigate further, there seemed little to be gained from the damage that would be caused. Other than the Heritage Gateway details, there seems to be very little information about this site.

Photos taken, i turned back into the berry, fungus and hazel rich woodlands and began to make my way home.