thesweetcheat

Three Barrows – western barrow. How many thousands of motorists pass these without a second glance?

Three Barrows – western barrow.

Sunshine on Three Barrows (or are there four?).

Looking across the enormous (c.40m diameter) pond barrow.

Enormous pond barrow at approx SU047678, with Cherhill Down rising beyond.

Sizable bowl barrow in group of three, between a very large disc barrow and an even bigger pond barrow.

Section of huge disc barrow at southwest of group of three barrows centred on SU047678. Looking west towards Morgan’s Hill and Furze Knoll.

Group of four barrows at the northwest of the cemetery.

Burrowing is potentially causing serious damage to the larger barrows.

The easternmost of the superb group of four at the northwest of the cemetery.

The largest bowl barrow in the North Down cemetery. Anywhere other than this close to Avebury, these barrows would be justly famous. Here, they are barely afforded a glance by the motorists speeding to the stones.

Barrow in the group of four at the northwest of the cemetery, the base disturbed by animal burrowing.

Western barrow in the group of four at the northwest of the cemetery.

The group of four barrows at the northwest of North Down/Baltic Farm.

Plan showing the layout and extent of permissive access to the two groups.

NB: There is no access between the two groups at the south, you have to return to the track (unless you want to climb a lot of barbed wire fences unnecessarily).

Oldbury ramparts, seen from Morgan’s Hill to the SW.

Bishops Cannings 3, looking west. Beyond, Wansdyke heads off down the hill.

The mutilated Bishops Cannings 3, looking east towards the top of Morgan’s Hill.

Bishops Cannings 3, the northern of the trio of barrows on the west of Morgan’s Hill. It’s suffered more than the others: “... dug out [and] now only a crescentic bank 1.3m. high remains” (Pastscape).

Bishops Cannings 1, showing the proximity of the much later Wansdyke (right).

The fine Bishops Cannings 1 round barrow.

Bishops Cannings 1 round barrow.

Bishops Cannings 1 round barrow, the finest of the three barrows on the western side of Morgan’s Hill.

King’s Play Hill from Morgan’s Hill to the ENE, another hill crowned with barrows.

The northern flank of Bishops Cannings 2 round barrow.

Despite the quarrying immediately behind the barrow, and the animal burrows into the mound, Bishops Cannings 2 remains a decent size.

Looking west across the top of Bishops Cannings 2 round barrow.

Bishops Cannings 2 round barrow, the southwest of the group of three on the western side of Morgan’s Hill. Looking WSW towards King’s Play Hill.

Bishops Cannings 34(?) is a prominent “bump” above the massive Wansdyke earthwork. Looking ESE towards Wiltshire’s highest hills, Tan Hill and Milk Hill.

Bishops Cannings 34(?) is positioned right on the lip of the escaprment, now on top of the later Wansdyke earthwork. Looking approx. east towards Avebury/Silbury.

Bishops Cannings 34(?) round barrow, showing the flank not damaged by the construction of Wansdyke.

Approaching what I think must be the Bishops Cannings 34 round barrow along Wansdyke. It could be easily (dis)missed as part of the later earthwork, but as Pastscape says “a mound 0.7m. high either overlaid by, or abutting, Wansdyke”.

Looking ESE across the round barrow (possibly 34a). Wansdyke is on the far left.

Barrow next to Wansdyke, possibly 34a. Furze Knoll flint mine is in the clump of trees just over the hilltop.

Round barrow (possibly 34a) next to the top of Wansdyke, which drops away from the extreme right of shot.

Bishops Cannings 27 round barrow in the foreground, looking NE to Cherhill. There is a seriously impressive barrow cemetery in between.

Bishops Cannings 27, looking NNW with the impressive earthwork of Wansdyke to the left.

Bishops Cannings 27, the southeastern barrow in the group. Looking east towards Avebury – the top of Silbury can be seen from this barrow.

Zoom on the westernmost barrow in the group, Bishops Cannings 29.

Baltic Farm barrows from Wansdyke to the southwest.

The cairn’s prominence is more apparent now that the surrounding trees have been felled.

The cairn is being badly treated. Not something you want to see at a prehistoric monument.

The ravaged top of the barrow. The lighter objects are empty beer cars and plastic.

The finest cairn on the whole Senghenydd ridge, until you see the mess inside.

Approaching the big round cairn from the north.

Looking across the ring cairn from the ENE.

Looking across the northern arc, the bank running across the picture from the bottom left corner.

The ring cairn at the Bryn is not the easiest to find, being in an area of cleared forestry. The north-eastern arc of the stone bank defining the ring is the brighter green feature running from bottom left across to middle right.

Looking west from the ring, there are plentiful other prehistoric monuments nearby: the Twyn-hwyel cairn (near the three masts, left skyline), Carneddi Llwydion (near the pylon, centre) and Cwmeldeg cairns (far right).