thesweetcheat

Carn les Boel seen across Nanjizal. The fort occupies the rocky end of the headland, Higher Bosistow round barrow is on the high ground to the left.

The coast path runs right through the kerb cairn, causing terrible damage to the mound.

Kerb slabs in the foreground, ruined cairn beyond.

The centre of the kerb cairn, with what might be the remains of a central chamber or cist.

The eastern of the three barrows we found, with remains of slab kerb. Carn les Boel cliff fort can be seen on the horizon, far right.

The central barrow.

The central barrow, with two boulders on the edges of the mound.

The central of the three barrows we found (adjacent to the western one).

The western of the barrows we found.

Stonework on top of the western barrow.

The western barrow, looking towards Longships and Armed Knight, with Land’s End over on the far right.

The western of the three barrows we found.

From the northwest.

The view landwards, with the inner rampart prominent in the middle ground.

The interior of the fort is pretty rocky, culminating in this granite knoll.

Looking north from the inner rampart towards Dolor Point and the lovely village of Coverack.

The amazing stone-revetted inner rampart.

Inside the outer rampart.

The outer rampart.

The prominent rocky headland of Chynhalls Point, seen from Black Head to the south. Lowland Point beyond, looking like something in the Caribbean.

From The Gaider to the east. Bass Point, towards the southern tip of the Lizard, can be seen beyond.

Showing the impressive scale of the single rampart (after 2000 years of battering from wind and water).

Cliffs protect the western side of the fort. They’re not sheer, but would still present a daunting prospect to anyone trying to land uninvited.

The interior of the fort is a good-sized space, lacking the rocky outcrops that make many Cornish cliff forts look less than habitable.

At the eastern end of the rampart, looking towards Pedn Boar.

Looking along the silted up outer ditch.

The landward, outer face of the single rampart.

The cliff fort from Poldowrian to the west, with Pedn Boar beyond. The single massive rampart is readily visible.

Trink Hill from the NE. The barrow is on the highest part, Twelve O’Clock Rock (see folklore) can be seen prominently on the left (southeast) slopes of the hill.

Interestingly wavy-edged slab of granite on the barrow, quite large too.

Looking SW across the barrow. The tor enclosure/hill fort of Trencrom can be seen in the middle distance, with Tregonning Hill (another hillfort) directly behind. Mounts Bay over to the right, the Lizard stretches away to the horizon.

Midsummer’s Day, Trink Hill barrow. Looking NW towards St Ives Bay and Godrevy.

Overgrown Trink Hill barrow, looking NE. Trendrine Hill and Rosewall Hill (both with cairns) can be seen far right.

The speculative High Stone from the ferry. If it (or another stone in this vicinity) ever stood, it would have been a prominent landmark for boats coming to the islands.

Gugh, with St Agnes beyond on the right. The hilltops of the island are dotted with multiple cairns.

Probable remains of a kerb on the best preserved cairn.

The best of the Peninnis Head cairns.

Deep rock basins in the upper surface of the granite of the speculative High Stone. If the stone was upright in the 1750s, these must have been caused prior to its erection, when it was lying flat. I’m not convinced that this monster stone ever stood.

The “base” of the speculative High Stone. I can’t see this ever having stood upright, the erosion creating an overhang is consistent with it having been in this position always.

This is the stone Vivien and Robert Seaney have identified as possibly being William Borlase’s “High Stone”. The picture in Meyn Mamvro No. 84 from this same angle shows it as rather longer and slimmer though, maybe that photo has been stretched?

Giant’s Castle from the SW, as we paused to allow an aircraft to take off without running us over.

Immediately below the NE flank of the cliff fort is this rocky gully, called Tom Butt’s Bed, forming part of the natural defences of the site.

Weathered granite of Stone A, marking the SE point of Borlase’s plan of the “stone circle”.

Two more of the large stones depicted by Borlase in his engraving of Salakee Down “stone circle”. Stone A (left) is at the SE of the site, Stone E (foreground) is within the southern arc in Borlase’s plan. Porth Hellick Point and Newfoundland Point beyond.

Another view of probable Stone C, with the Great Stone beyond. This would be looking approximately towards the Autumn equinox sunset.

Recumbent stone inside the area of the “stone circle” depicted by William Borlase in 1754. This would probably be Stone C in his engraving of the circle.

The “Great stone” drawn by William Borlase and shown on the western arc of the circle he depicted on Salakee Down.