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The Fish StoneStanding Stone / Menhir
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| No need for guerilla tactics here. Permission can be obtained from the Glan Usk estate offices, just the other side of the river. Then it's just a short walk along the river bank. Well worth the effort. |
Posted by cerrig 18th December 2010ce |
| I found this hard to find. I couldn't see it through the trees at the top of the (steep) bank and so I decided to climb down to the flat area next to the river. It was then a simple case of following the river until I located the stone. The hard bit then was climbing back up the slope!! Take care. |
Posted by CARL 17th March 2010ce |
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Its a long walk from either west or east along the river, with maybe permission to be sought. So I did what any good postman would do and walked across the lawn, by that I mean I parked on the small road to the north of the stone ( theres only one place to park)and made my own quiet way down with only one old fence in the way it was just a ten minute walk, but quietly. Amazing stone this one, Wales isnt really that into tall stones, there are some to be sure but most are about man height, So its awsome to find one thats about three mens height. It is fishy looking as is the stone at Battle away to the east, http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/4248/battle.html but Eric wasnt having any of that it's so very obviously a bird, with wings folded of course. |
Posted by postman14th April 2009ce Edited 25th August 2012ce |
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A short walk through the woods following the line of the river Usk brings you to the Fish stone... in theory! Actually the path through woods is 30 feet up a steep slope and the stone stands in the grassy inaccessible valley below. Being a confident walker, Moth decided to head off down the slope and seek it out, trespassing merrily. I didn't! I could see the stone tantalisingly close below, but there was no way I was going to be able to reach it. It's crackingly tall – perhaps 18 feet or more and intriguingly fish shaped, with distinct fins projecting from its narrowest sides. This post appears as part of the weblog entry South Wales Getaway
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Posted by Jane29th December 2005ce Edited 30th December 2005ce |
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Visiting the Fishstone this morning I was delighted at the size of the beast. Eighteen feet, to the inch, is stands solemnly beside the River Usk, with an air of bemused calm. Like a stunned salmon one gains the impression this stone is merely recovering its senses before leaping back into the cold, clear waters nearby. The warm red, almost salmon pink sandstone adds to the fish similarity, and also makes touching the stone a welcoming tactile experience. The slight angle it finds itself leaning lends to it an air of dynamic movement, like a crouching hare, alive, sensitive to its environs and watching, watching, watching... The site is friendly and clean, and small offerings were placed in cracks and cubby holes of the stone. The early morning sun had stripped the grass of dew, but the rear of the stone still shone in the cooling shade. The dynamics of the location are interesting, as is the relation to the other stones in the locale. Local folkore twists many tales around these, but I note that not one contains the usual 'punishment' for dancing on the sabbath so beloved of the Cornish sites. These stones have been loved, and this is reflected in the folk memory that permeates the area. This is a site you could visit at dead of night, in winter, and still feel protected. Access is by appointment only. In the wet this would be a bog - walk for about half-three quarteres of a mile beside the river. |
Posted by Dominic_Brayne14th August 2003ce Edited 6th August 2004ce |
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The fish stone is 5.5m high, and is probably the tallest standing stone in Wales (certainly Powys). It must get fed up stuck on the bank - so every Midsummer's Eve it leaps into the river for a swim. There must be some splash. In 'The Secret Country' Janet and Colin Bord describe John Williams' experience at the stone. The "experienced dowser from Abergavenny" felt a spiralling force building up in his body as he touched the stone, whereupon he was thrown backwards off it (and no doubt landed unceremoniously on his bottom). |
Posted by Rhiannon8th May 2002ce Edited 6th August 2004ce |
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