Drift Stones

Also known as:
Higher Drift and The Sisters or Triganeeris Stones.
Nearest town:
Newlyn (3km ENE)
OS reference:
SW437283
OS sheet:
203
Latitude:
50° 5' 55.48 N
Longitude:
5° 35' 3.71 W
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Drift Stones

Ravenfeather
Ravenfeather Mar 7, 2014
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Visited 7th March 2014

Ladies and gentleman of the Modern Antiquarian, if I could only offer you one tip for the future, wearing wellingtons would be it.

They were certainly needed here, the field a churned up quagmire of deep muddy furrows, but with our trusty vulcanised footwear we didn’t have to worry. We’d driven past the Drift stones several times so far this week, peeking over the top of the field as we sped past like the coy temptresses they are, and with the return of blue skies and sunny weather today was the day to make their acquaintance.

There is a small car park next to the crossroads in Drift, where we left the car before walking up the A30 (thankfully fairly quite at this time in the year) before reaching the gate to the field containing the stones. I’m a little disconcerted to see half the field swathed in polythene and obviously planted with crops, but a clear path along deeply churned tractor tracks allows us to get to the stones.

They are a fine pair, the southerly stone still providing a shelter for veritable escargatoire of snails, probably distant descendants of those mentioned by Sweetcheat a few years ago. I like the way the church tower at St Buryan can be framed directly between the stones, but it’s hard to get a clearer view of the other aspects from the stones due to the proximity of the hedgerows.

The mud sucks at my boots as I walk around the stones enjoying the sunshine, but cautious not to step on the polythene or sink up to my knees in sludge, there’s nowhere really to just chill out at the stones so once the requisite photo’s have been taken its onwards to hunt out more stones.

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Drift Stones

postman
postman Aug 23, 2013
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I've never been here before, I think, Its always nice to see something new. Cant imagine why I didn't come here before, perhaps I was trying to not over stone my new girlfriend, with bags of hind sight I shouldn't have bothered.

When Alken and me were at the Giants grave in Cumbria he likened them to these here stones at Drift, he was right, not so much the stones them selves but their surroundings and spacing is just like them.

The good and tall stones are in a field full of Wheat? but long lanes weave through it taking me circuitously to the stones. Close to the road again, abundant parking spaces, nice lichens, good views south and west.

Perhaps not the best place to linger for hours.

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Drift Stones

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 29, 2010
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The bus drops me off at Drift crossroads and I have a not very enjoyable 200yds or so along the verge of the A30 itself. My objective is the pair of stones to the southwest, sometimes called The Sisters, which I've seen from the bus before but never visited. They stand in a cultivated field immediately adjacent to the A30. I'm fortunate with the timing of my visit, as the crop has obviously been recently harvested, leaving the stones clear of obstruction. Their location is on sloping ground, above and to the west of a little valley that eventually reaches the sea at Lamorna Cove, which is coincidentally my final destination for the days walk. This sloping ground allows views across the farmland to the east and round to the southwest, where St Buryan church tower is clearly visible.

These are two impressive stones, both over 2m tall. The southeast stone is the pointier of the two, with a natural crevice running diagonally across its southeast face and providing a home for snails out of the fierce sun. The northwest stone is patched with the yellow lichen that adorns many of the Brecon Beacons' stones. I'm really pleased to have finally visited this excellent pair, despite the less than ideal road-walk to get to them.

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Drift Stones

goffik
goffik Jun 23, 2003
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Thought we'd drop by these beauties on the way to The Merry Maidens on a damp and foggy day in May...

Found them nice and easy, but once in the field, suddenly became unsure whether or not we were allowed to be there! So we took a couple of pics and legged it. Very nice, though – was a bit overgrown and very foggy and muddy when we were there, but it all adds to the effect, I think.

Might find out about access, and stay a little longer next time if poss...

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Drift Stones

paul1970
paul1970 May 3, 2003
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Called in at these wonderful stones after a 'cleaning up ' trip to boscawen un(messy bastards left allsorts of crap, torn t-shirt, masses of paper, uprooted bluebells!!) THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANY OF THIS!!!..anyway back to the stones.It was dark as i jumped over the gate, the wind blowing through the almost 'knee high' grass, alike a gateway these stones stand proud, the sparks coming off the stones as i touched them were warm to touch, as were the stones as a whole, i would of savoured the moment a while longer, yet the thought of cold lager overtook my thoughts!, ill come back here and really lose myself to these beauties...

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Drift Stones

pure joy
pure joy Jan 6, 2003
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Higher Drift Stones – 23.12.2002

I asked at Higher Drift Farm (just the other side of the road – map ref SW435285). The farmer there said that it was on the next farmer's land (Jeffrey) and that he couldn't imagine Jeffrey having any worries about letting me look at the stones. Judging from the map, the next farm is quite a long way away (probably Tresvennack Farm).

These two enigmatic stones stand close to the A30, just West of Drift. One is 230cm (H) x 70 (W) x 80 (D). This one has a long crack across it. The other is 190cm (H) x 115 (W, at the base) x 50 (D).

The stones are also known as 'The Sisters', 'The Two Sisters', or 'The Triganeeris Stones'. They were investigated by W.C.Borlase in 1871 when a 6ft long earth-cut grave was found well off centre between the stones. However, no actual finds were made.

Some people link the Higher Drift stones to the nearby Blind Fiddler and tell a traditionally simplistic tale of two sisters struck into stone for not obeying the Sabbath.

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Drift Stones

G
Gazza Jul 5, 2000
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One of a now-rare number of pairs of stones in Britain. There were formerly loads of pairs in Penwith alone, but nowadays few remain – farmers are minded to pull one down and leave the other as a cattle rubbing post, thus destroying 4000 years of history for a short-term gain. The usual consequence of this is the cattle rub round the stone, and eventually erode the base, it falls, and gets dragged away. No such problems for the Drift Stones, so named as they are near the hamlet of Higher Drift. They stand at 2.5 and 3 metres in a field often in crop under polythene just to the south of the main A30 to Land's End. They have been excavated in the past, and I think a burial was found between them. Not much of a head's place really, as the noisy road is just over the hedge, but a rewarding site just the same.

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