thesweetcheat

Great damage was done to the fort by the decision to route the Great Western Railway right through. The remains of the fort straddle either side of the tracks.

The eastern flank of the fort, running alongside the Hayle estuary. Prior to the artificial straightening and clearing of the river’s course, the estuary is likely to have extended practically to the edge of the fort.

Looking out from the northeastern corner of the fort, the reason for it’s location is apparent. Ignore the buildings and the artificial quaysides, it commands a view of the mouth of the navigable River Hayle.

Landscaping can’t wholly disguise the lines of multi-vallate northern defences.

Steep drop marks the original natural defences of the north side, now landscaped and hemmed in by the road.

Landscaped slopes of the northern ramparts.

The hillfort occupies the crown of the hill, centre skyline. On the eastern slopes – on the right in the image – are two Iron Age rounds.

Ditch of the Iron Age round to the northeast of the hillfort.

The inner face of the bank of the Iron Age round to the northeast of the hillfort.

The bank of the Iron Age round to the northeast of the hillfort.

The outer rampart, covered in bracken, slopes downhill from centre left. Looking northeast towards Carn Brea and Carnmenellis.

The inner rampart from the north.

The Germoe parish war memorial surmounts the rampart. The views towards Mounts Bay and West Penwith are extensive – St Michael’s Mount can be seen in the middle distance, far right of shot.

The inevitable shelter built from the stones of the rampart.

Looking down on the outer rampart from the inner. The hill in the background is Godolphin Hill.

Exposed stonework of the inner rampart on the west side of the fort.

The bank and ditch at the south of the fort.

Mossy kerbstone on the west of the cairn.

Midsummer foxgloves, bracken and a sprinkling of gorse cover the cairn and obscure the kerb. A winter visit would probably be a better bet, but it’s prettier now.

Kerb on the eastern side of the cairn. Castle Pencaire centre skyline, with the hills of West Penwith emerging from the rain on the far left skyline.

Looking northeast across the cairn. The prominent hill on the centre skyline is Carnmenellis, topped with a substantial Bronze Age cairn.

An exposed quartz vein forms one of the faces of the large granite block inside the cairn.

Substantial granite block inside the perimeter of the cairn.

The southern arc of the cairn, kerb stone in the foreground, quartz-veined block inside the kerb over to the left.

Looking across the edge of the kerb towards Castle Pencaire hillfort.

The barrow would be approx. centre skyline.

Nope, me neither.

There isn’t any obvious sign that the barrow is avoided when the field is ploughed and planted, but clearly June isn’t the time to visit.

Towards the chamber.

A cool spot on a hot June day.

Rummaging in the grass it’s easy to see the bank is stone-built, not that that’s any indicator of age.

Bank centre, possible ditch on the left.

There is a bank, with possible ditch, most prominent on the west of the site. In this photo it runs across from bottom right to centre left (the tree is growing from it).

The possible enclosure from the chambered long barrow.

Lines in the landscape.

The two stones to the south of the chambered tomb.

It would certainly make a convincing capstone.