GLADMAN

Out of range when gazing across from Carn Wen a couple of years back now, last year’s visit to the wondrous ‘circle upon Bryn y Gorlan made this a must-see this time around. Well, I ain’t getting any younger – and these Mid Walian sites really do take some attitude to reach for the not-so-young. Tell me about it.

OK, the initial ascent from the road head at Allt Ty-Llwyd to the south may be upon a firm-then-grassy track... but then the map depicts Cors y Crug between said track and Crug Siarls itself. Yeah, consider: when the OS see fit to name a bog it is usually with bloody good reason! As it is, a lack of recent rainfall, corresponding to perceived conditions underfoot, tempts me to cut the corner of my intended wide swing around to the north. Sure enough, the bog isn’t much in evidence... but the industrial strength Mid Walian ‘tufty’ grass very, very much is. Floundering in the heat compounded by extreme exertion, I’m cursing my poor judgement at being suckered in like a muppet tourist, when I suddenly strike a quad bike track doubling back to cross the hill’s south-western flank. That’ll do. My intention all along, naturally.

Ascending to the summit, I’m still none the wiser regarding the position of this elusive stone circle even when accorded the aerial viewpoint. Suffice to say, the ring sits upon the lower western flank alongside an associated small(ish) cairn. Look for a wooden post immediately to the left (south-ish) for your cue. Should you choose to come, of course.

Coflein reckons the monument is definitely a stone circle:

“A small stone circle, consisting of 14 stones, the largest of which is 0.50 metres square, and positioned on its southern side. All the stones are set upright into the ground. Much of the site is obscured by reed growth.” [R.P. Sambrook, Trysor, 20 March 2012]

The eastern arc is heavily overgrown with the aforementioned reeds, but, crucially, remains in situ. The orthostats are also pretty large for a Mid Walian ‘circle. Yeah, so here we have a relatively intact stone circle with a vibe so intense as to sink a thousand punters within its protective bog. Truly, a classic location. Just refrain from cutting any corners if it has been raining, you hear?

Now, The Citizen Cairn must declare upfront that this is not the sort of site I would normally seek out... set within the grounds of an idyllic hotel and considered a ‘romantic’ venue for wedding parties to pose for snaps after ‘the event’. Yeah, “Oh, this one’s me and Britney about to fall to our deaths... doesn’t she, like, look, like lush, innit?” Yeah, OK, one has to pay an entrance fee and enter through a locked gate as – to judge by the not-so-modern graffiti carved into the sandstone – have many, many before me.... but I have to say this is actually a rather fabulous place.

Consider: not only are the sandstone crags (the ‘High Rocks’) impressive in stature; they are also the site of a number of later Mesolithic shelters which one can explore, albeit a bit boggy underfoot in places. Furthermore, the crags, themselves, form the northwestern flank of a multi-phase Iron Age hillfort perched above. As it was, I couldn’t make out a great deal of the ‘landward’ defences of the promontory, but nevertheless, this is a thought-provoking, aesthetically appealing place.

The sandstone crags are interconnected by a high-level ‘aerial walkway’, a rather unique feature... although if you’re bringing children along ensure you enforce the same restrictions as for hill walks: needless to say, a slip could have potentially fatal consequences. Just like for our Gaz and Britney.

Well, I was a bit at a loss as to what ‘designation’ to apply to this one – isn’t it curious how we humans always have the need to define things? – seeing as that shameful qualifier ‘Destroyed’ seems most inappropriate here.

To attempt to clarify/explain: it would seem – or at least appear highly likely to me – that once upon a time, the natural feature that is Barrow Hill was crowned by an earthen barrow covering a cist. Kent’s HER informs us that: “As the result of denudation of a burial mound of marsh turf, the outline of a  collapsed oblong cist of Kentish ragstone was visible on Higham Marshes. It was excavated in 1880 by Mr E.L.Arnold and found to contain a crouched skeleton (very crushed) accompanied by 79 beads which lay as if they had originally been around the neck. the beads were Porosphaera globularis (a fossil sponge common in the Upper Chalk and taking a globular form), ranging from 7 to 26 mm. in diameter and naturally perforated. The mound stood on a gravelly hillock which probably stood out of the water when all the surrounding district was swamp”.

Now, although there appears to be no conclusive proof that Barrow Hill was the location of said cist, the fact that: 1) Barrow Hill is the only such feature (as described) in the locality; 2) The locals saw fit to name the place ‘Barrow Hill’... suggests it is a pretty good bet.

So, should one focus upon the destroyed round barrow that once was... or the natural feature that simply HAD to be the site for it back then? Sacred Hill seems fair enough, don’t you think?

The HER record is here:
heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=416875&resourceID=19191

Historic England reckons Stumblebury is a:

“... bowl barrow situated on the crest of a ridge facing south-west in an area of undulating chalk downland. The barrow has a mound 20m in diameter and 1m high surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. Having become partially infilled over the years, the ditch is now only visible as a slight depression to the south-west of the mound; the remainder survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The barrow was recorded as ‘Stumleburgh’ in a land grant of 1289”

However... upon visiting said hilltop 28/5/23, I reluctantly came away without any definite identification, such is the disturbed, overgrown nature of the (apparently ‘private’...yawn) woodland to the south of The North Downs Way. Hence no image. Incidentally, I have to say the almost psychotic surfeit of Private/Keep Out etc etc signs in the locale of Otford does the locals no credit whatsoever.... couldn’t wait to get away.

This large Bronze Age funerary monument forms yet another piece of the (very) extensive Pumlumon jigsaw, set upon a 1,493 feet high hilltop overlooking Llyn Craig-y-pistyll, some 4.5 miles west(ish) of Pen Pumlumon-Fawr.

Now The Citizen Cairn had thought he’d seen all Pumlumon has to offer over the years... so it just goes to show that: 1) experience doesn’t necessarily stop one from acting like a muppet... thinking you know it all, right?; 2) the plethora of Pumlumon’s prehistoric riches would appear to know no bounds; 3) just because nothing is shown upon the map... doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing more to find.

But of course, tangible prehistoric reminders such Pen Craig y Pistyll’s cairn are but an excuse – albeit an immensely rewarding one for their own sake – to get out and about upon unfamiliar (or, indeed, familiar) hills and take in that wild vibe. Here, as it happens, the initial impression upon arrival at the start of the walk is not exactly salubrious: the stark, ruined miner’s barracks of the former Bwlchglas Lead Mine most certainly NOT a sight for sore eyes. Persevere, however, since a short, steep climb sees the traveller soon arrive at a well-made byway heading for Bwlch yr Adwy. These tracks are not my thing, however, so an ascent of the hillside to the immediate south beckons... and thus Pen Craig y Pistyll.

It would be rude not to make the continuation across the bwlch to view another round barrow at SN71978691 before sweeping westward back to the start. Just saying. Now being an English Gentleman – and having no wish to consciously offend – that is exactly what I did

Crowning the (unnamed?) hill immediately overlooking Bwlch yr Adwy to the north, this deceptively substantial, grassy monument complements beautifully the cairn crowning Pen Craig-y-Pistyll to the south-west.... and boasts equally excellent views looking east towards the main Pumlumon ridge and west for Cardigan Bay.

Stating the obvious, I guess... but incorporate both within a high-level horseshoe walk starting from Bwlch-glas and you not only avoid the idiot trail bikers playing ‘broom brooms’ down below, but will enjoy some pretty exquisite views into the bargain.

With time very much at a premium – following an extended hang at the fine oval ‘long’ barrow within nearby Shrub’s Wood – this remained an ‘over the hedge’ view... once the extent of the fine views to be had here became apparent. Very much worth a return at some point to do the site justice.

Historic England reckons:

“The monument, a bowl barrow located on the crest of the Downs with extensive views to the south and west, includes an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. The profile or the mound suggests that it has been spread slightly by agricultural activity, but the barrow mound nevertheless survives to a height of 1.6m above the surrounding land and measures 21m in diameter. The surrounding ditch has been infilled by the soil eroded and spread from the mound so that it is no longer visible. The diameter of the mound and ditch together is 26m.”

Incidentally, travellers who – upon finding themselves in the area – may have cause to wonder what the ‘Tumulus’ marked upon the map within not overly distant Juniper Wood (TR06926 47020) is like.... should note this is in fact an Anglo-Saxon/Viking era round barrow – or ‘hlaew’, to use the correct terminology.

Needless to say, well worth the effort, but a little outside the remit of TMA....

3/4 of a mile to the northeast of the fine long barrow beside Jackets Field, this round barrow is well worth adding to the day’s itinerary... if only to enjoy the tranquil woodland clearing setting. Heavily overgrown – and featuring an exquisite mantle of bluebells – during my late Spring visit, the small central cairn erected upon the monument might have suggested a round cairn anywhere but here upon the North Downs.

Also note the ‘Mound’ shown upon the 1:25K map at TR034502: seeing as the long barrow is also annotated as such – and the circumference has been demarcated/protected by woodland matter – what odds this also represents the remains of a round barrow?

Historic England notes the following:

“...The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a clay-capped, chalk hill forming part of the Kent Downs. The barrow has a roughly circular mound 16m in diameter and 1m high surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. The ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide.”