thelonious

25/03/2015 – Starting from Craven Arms train station we did the Three Woods Walk (in reverse and with a quick bob up View Edge) to visit Norton Camp. Link to the route below. If you have the time, it’s a great way to visit the hillfort and take in the surrounding area including both hills mentioned in Rhiannon’s folklore post. A story about giants always makes a visit better in my eyes.

Norton Camp is well worth a visit. One side looks over the ramparts, down a very steep 100 meters or so drop down to the valley below. A great natural defence. The rest of the hillfort is protected by a double rampart and ditch and they are massive. Must have been some place back in its day. You can walk round the outside of the ramparts (did I mention they were massive?) but the interior is a private field. The hill top is covered in trees and that makes for a lovely walk through. Best of all is that the stones and rocks used to build the ramparts of Norton Camp Iron Age hillfort contain shell fossils everywhere. What was once at the bottom of the sea, ends up in a fort rampart on top of a hill millions of years later, I like that.

24/03/2015 – Starting from Church Stretton, we took the lanes then fields north east to the start of the steep climb up Caer Caradoc Hill. Took the route straight up via Three Fingers Rock with its impressive view down to the village and beyond. The ramparts cover a fair amount of the top of the hill, with each step along them offering even better views. We had lovely weather at the start and after a brew at the top made our way to have a nosey at The Lawley. Looping back over Hope Bowdler Hill, after the sunny weather up Caer Caradoc, it started to snow. I love the ever changing weather. This really is a fine hill and fort, well worth going to. Top site.

22/03/2015 – Don’t really want to write individual fieldnotes for the various sites we visited today as other people have already written such lovely things about the places round here. I thought I’d just write about the place that in a way surprised me the most. Looking beforehand at the photos, I wasn’t expecting too much. In isolation, it just looked like a few concrete blocks in a field but can any site round here really be taken in isolation?

We started our walk at Silbury Hill and then onto Swallowhead Springs, West Kennett Long Barrow, River Kennet, The Sanctuary then back along West Kennett Avenue to Avebury stone circle and finishing at Adam and Eve. As megalithic walks go, I think this is the best I’ve ever done (just don’t tell them stones up at Stenness I said that).

My head was a little dizzy with happiness by the time we reached The Sanctuary. After a quick walk round the site, we just plonked ourselves down on the grass for a drink and a sandwich. From where we were sitting, the view over the post marks to the wider landscape beyond was lovely. The weather was nice with the early Spring sun having a little warmth in it now. It was a fine place to stop and rest and take in all we had seen in the morning before heading back to Avebury.

21/03/2015 – Early morning start from Aberdeen. After travelling by taxi, plane, coach, bus and Shanks’s pony we made it to Windmill Hill. We had decided to make the trip south to see Avebury a few months back and the excitement of finally being here was a little overwhelming. After reading the many fieldnotes on TMA about the various sites around Avebury I knew I wanted to see the landscape for the first time by walking over Windmill Hill. We got off the 49 (great bus) at Winterbourne and made our way west then south to make the short climb to the top of Windmill Hill. The top has a lot of interest but my eyes went straight to Silbury Hill . Familiar from photos, but seeing it for the first time was something quite special. We stood for ages just trying to take it all in. Just such a lovely landscape and the weather was kind to us. Finally we made our way round the top looking at the enclosure and many barrows. What a great site, location and view! Heading south we made our way down to enter Avebury stone circle for our first time. A wonderful day.

21/02/2015 – Nice walk from Haymarket station on Saturday to Corstorphine Hill. We took the track off Corstorphine Road just east of the Zoo. Not every day you pass a field of Zebras on the way to look at some cup marked rocks. It’s a fine hill.

27/09/2014 – Last site we visited on a brilliant week in Shetland. Interesting site in the middle of Lerwick. Couldn’t find the carved footprints mentioned on the info board. If you visit, it’s also worth popping into the Shetland museum nearby – lovely place, full of old stuff nicely presented.

23/09/2014 – A coastal path leads from Jarlshof to Sumburgh Head. Site of an Iron Age fort. Nice Stevenson Lighthouse sits on the possible site of a now long gone broch. Worth a visit just for the view.

23/09/2014 – After a lovely morning on St Ninian’s Isle we made our way south to Jarlshof. I hadn’t been that excited about it beforehand but within a few minutes of being there Jarlshof soon worked a little magic on us. The site has so much history it’s hard to get your head round whilst there. The timeline is amazing of all the buildings for such a relatively small site. The audio guide is great and very helpful. Being allowed to enter the buildings and walk round was a big bonus. If anything on Shetland is a must visit, for me this is it. I was so excited by the end I flipped into proper tourist mode and bought a Jarlshof tea towel in the gift shop on the way out.

22/09/2014 – After visiting Trowie Knowe Chambered Cairn and Beorgs of Housetter Standing Stones we decided to have a go at finding this chambered cairn. Not the easiest site to get to. Grid ref on Canmore (HU 3603 8544) is pretty spot on. The cairn is situated near the top of a rocky slope, on about the 100m contour line (70 meters above the cairn and stones below). Stick to the grassy bits as you climb, left of the cairn as you look up and it’s not too bad. This small heel shaped cairn is lovely. Made up of pink granite with a great facade and chamber. We sat by the cairn for ages just gazing out at the grand view. Worth the effort and one of the highlights of our trip.

21/09/2014 – Still a little excited by the boat trip to Mousa we decided to have a walk along the coast SE from Sandsayre pier to Burraland broch. Easy walking along a track for about one and a half miles. The views out to sea and of course Mousa are very good. Nice walk if you like sea birds. Diving gannets and nosey bonxies seem to fill the air above the Mousa Sound. The broch has a great position at the end of a little headland. Still a decent amount of wall left but a lot of stone has collapsed into the middle. A nice walk to a nice broch, there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

21/09/2014 – Sunday afternoon boat trip to Mousa. The boat left Sandsayre pier (small visitor centre and toilets) for the short and luckily calm crossing to Mousa. You get about two and a half hours on the island which is plenty as there is a nice signposted walk of about one hour, leaving plenty of time to explore the broch. We walked clockwise so got to the broch towards the end of the loop. I liked this as I had a better idea of the time left before the boat back to the Mainland. After seeing so many brochs in ruined states, seeing Mousa broch up close in all it’s glory is quite something. A bit like a ancient cooling tower to be honest from the back. Looking up from inside and climbing the steps to the top was great. I liked the stones used, a million different colours and shades.

21/09/2014 – Waiting for the afternoon boat to Mousa we had a few hours spare so a quick look on the OS map showed this chambered cairn which looked promising as it was close by and even if there was not much there the view out to sea should be good. Parking in the layby at the turn off from the main road to Sandwick, we took the track heading up the hill, south of the cairn. Once enough height was gained we had a short stroll over to the cairn. It’s worth approaching the site from the slopes above via the White Stane (large quartz boulder) as the first view we got of the chambered cairn with the sea behind was breathtaking. It sits on top of a small knoll, looking out east to a vast sea and sky. The cairn is in a ruined state but still plenty of stones to look at where the chamber is. On the south side there looks to be a curved path/wall leading up to the cairn on top. Very interesting place and the views to Mousa and along the coast of Mainland Shetland are fantastic. Top site.

22/09/2014 – When I saw Ravenfeather’s photos and read the fieldnotes a few months back, I knew if I got a chance to go to Shetland this was one of the sites I would love to visit. This small and perfect heel shaped chambered chain is just lovely. As good as I had hoped and should be a must visit for anyone going to Shetland. I wish the sun had shone but it was still great just to be there. Top site and a very happy thelonious that day.

24/09/2014 – Visited after Scord of Brouster at the end of a long day out. The sun had done a runner and I was tired, so was not much in the mood to look around. The Neolithic house soon cheered me up a little, great bonus on the way to Stanydale Temple. I liked the windbreak on the front of the house. Then just a short walk on to Stanydale Temple. The building is impressive. I think I liked the outside walls more then inside the ‘temple’. The concave facade is fantastic and reminded me of a few of the chambered cairns I have seen this week. Great site with lots to see. I need to go back when it’s sunny and I’m more awake.

24/09/2014 – I agree with Carl, this site is well worth a visit. Looking down from the info board the site doesn’t look much but strolling around the Neolithic farm I felt a nice vibe. Very interesting houses surrounded by walled fields. The location is fantastic as well.

24/09/2014 – Hill can be climbed from a few directions. We started from Huxter, following the coastal path west, past the Loch of Huxter Broch and then climbing the hill to the cairn via Ramna Vord. Access is good with stiles where needed to cross fences and walls. The cairn on the summit of Sandness Hill is nice. Low with a good sized footprint. The view from the top is excellent. The other tops SW of the summit have a few cairns on them that could be a fair age as well. Good cairn and a good walk.

24/09/2014 – From the parking area at Huxter follow the signs to the watermills. These norse watermills are well worth a visit. From here it’s only a short distance to the broch. The broch is not in great condition and has been adapted into a sheep fold at some point in the past. Its location is lovely though, next to Loch of Huxter and great views out to sea. Couple of Whooper swans on there loch whilst we were there which was nice to see.

22/09/2014 – The summit of Ronas Hill, the highest point on Shetland, is home to a quite fantastic chambered cairn. Starting from Collafirth Hill, the walk to the summit of Ronas Hill takes about an hour not including the stops to look at the amazing view all round. It was misty this morning on the hill but the early morning sun shone through now and then. The hill is covered in the most brilliant pink granite boulders. The chambered cairn at the summit is made from these boulders and the pink colour of the cairn is striking in the sunlight. Still in good condition with its passage and chamber intact. It’s a hands and knees job to get down the short passage but the chamber is a nice size. The sun lit up the passage from the SE for a time whilst we were there. This one is a must visit. The walk alone is great on the hill but the cairn and its location in the landscape is just brilliant.

20/09/2014 – A really fine standing stone. Visible from all around, it stands in peaceful loneliness on a small rise. I was very taken with it.

09/08/2014 – Just a short walk from Dundreich cairn, Jeffries Corse cairn is said to have been large at one time but the grassed covered cairn is now about 4ft in height. Not much to see but the view is very good from it.

09/08/2014 – A visit to Blackhope Scar combined with the two cairns of Dundreich and Jeffries Corse make for a fine walk in this area. We parked north at Gladhouse Reservoir and headed along the track beside River South Esk. Up the track at The Kipps and followed fence line to Blackhope Scar. Then using the wind turbine tracks on Bowbeat Hill we made our way to the cairn on Dundreich. The cairn is grassed over and only a couple of feet high now. Worth going just for the view across to the Pentland Hills. A lovely location for a cairn. Worth mentioning is Northshield Rings to the west. I didn’t visit them but from the hill they did look pretty impressive.

08/08/2014 – We approached this settlement/fort from Scald Law to the north. Easy access and nice view of the site from the hill. Oval fort with ring-ditch houses inside. Nice site. Canmore (link below) has more details and some nice ariel photos.

11/08/2014 – I visited White Meldon a few years back and had been wanting to get back to have a look at Black Meldon fort since. Started from the road that runs between the Meldons. Short but steepish climb to the top. Nice stones of the wall remain and a cairn (old?) on top. Well worth a visit. Weather today was pretty wild on top with the wind and rain.

11/07/2014 – Sometimes places just get you when you visit. This was one of those for me. The stones that remain from those that made up the chamber are just great. The location of the cairn, overlooking Loch Fleet and the coastline is fantastic. The sun and the big blue sky made the whole place look and feel brilliant. We came from the cairn to the NW but it can be accessed from the road SE, tricky parking though. Well worth a visit.

11/07/2014 – We had a few days off work and the call to go North was too strong to resist, especially after looking at Gladman’s recent trip photos. We have stopped many times for a cup of coffee and a leg stretch at The Mound, the crossing over River Fleet as in runs into Loch Fleet, on our way up North. It’s such a fine location with good parking, picnic tables and great views. Brilliant place to watch osprey fishing, if you are lucky, in the summer months. I’ve been wanting for a while to climb the little hill, Creag An Amalaidh, here but we have never had had enough time before. We were staying close by for a few days so decided to finally get round to having a walk here. Added bonus was the hill also had a cairn to the SW and a chambered cairn within walking distance to the SE.

We chose to climb up from the east, just next to Cambusmore Lodge. A little steep in parts but not bad going to the summit, keeping the crags to our left as we climbed. The summit is topped by the Princess Cairn. Canmore list this as CAIRN, FORT (POSSIBLE). The cairn looked quite small and not mega old to my untrained eyes. Also I couldn’t make out any details of a fort. Just a lot of what looked like old peat cuttings. View from the top is well worth going for though.

Heading SW downhill, we made our way to Creag An Amalaidh cairn. The cairn when first viewed from above looks fantastic in the landscape. Getting ever bigger as we approached from above it. 70ft in length, the cairn is pretty big with good sized stones. Quite disturbed but still has a good shape. I really liked this one a lot. Great way to start off our little trip. After having a nosey about for a while we made our way SE to Cnoc Odhar chambered cairn.

13/07/2014 – Like a few of the cairns round here Bailenacuile is situated next to a watercourse (Allt nan Eun). Easy access from the road nearby and a waymarked trail passes by up the ‘Fairy Glen’. Not the best time of year to visit as the bracken was terrible. So bad that we didn’t even notice a cairn (60ft in diameter) just west of the chambered cairn! Hard to say what condition this is in because of the bracken but the passage can still be made out. Not the best cairn round here but still worth a visit.

13/07/2014 – Achaidh chambered cairn (also known as Cairn Of The Red Dog) is similar to Kyleoag chambered cairn and a visit to both makes for a nice walk. Achaidh is easily accessed via the track from the west and also waymarked tracks from Spinningdale. The cairn is a good one. Pretty big with visible chamber and a great lintel over the passage into it. Good location with lovely views. Look out for Rivra cairn just to the SW of it as well.

13/07/2014 – Kyleoag chambered cairn is, for me, the pick of the cairns in this area just north of Spinningdale. A visit here combined with any of the other cairns nearby makes for a lovely walk but if short of time there are a few passing places a car can be parked near the cairn. A signposted path leads from the road to climb uphill by a stream to the site. As we approached from the south the first sight of the cairn was impressive through the trees. Great chamber with lintel over the passageway and a small cell towards the back. It really is a fantastic site and well worth a visit.

13/07/2014 – First of four chambered cairns we visited on a lovely walk near Spinningdale. This was the one I wanted to visit the most due to its location on the hill overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Starting from Spinningdale we took the track going west up to the summit of A’Chraisg. From the top the cairn can be seen a further 500m or so west. A little bash through the heather and we reached the cairn. Canmore states that it measures 55ft in diameter and about 6ft in height. Well worth the walk up the hill and whoever built it picked a fantastic location for this one.

12/07/2014 – Easy access from the parking area to the SW. This chambered cairn is in a lovely wood and protected by a fantastic esker just to the north. Very overgrown but the size can be made out and the odd stone. Great upright slab containing quartz is visible. I like this one a lot and the walk through the wood containing many hut circles is lovely. Don’t be put off by the undergrowth.

12/07/2014 – I know these are ten a penny but I love hut circles. The main draw to this wood is the chambered cairn but these hut circles are everywhere here and well worth keeping an eye out for on the walk to the cairn.

14/07/2014 – This cairn is just a short walk east from the broch in the same wood. It is a fair-size at over 30m long. Not much to actually see of the stones as it is completely overgrown. Still the vibe is great in the clearing and we had a nice time strolling around the cairn.

14/07/2014 – It’s sites like this that make me wonder about how few people go to these places. The wood has a good car park and waymarked walks. The broch is marked and it has a nice notice board near it. But the gate leading to the broch was near impossible to open and so few people must visit that the path was overgrown with trees. A little sad as it’s a nice site with a lovely view north over Loch Fleet. Very overgrown but worth a look.

11/07/2014 – Getting to this cairn looked pretty easy on the map via the old railway line from either Embo or Dornoch. Once there though, getting from the path to the cairn was hard work with barded wire fences to cross. Maybe better access from the west. Reading canmore this cairn, situated next to a stream, sounded pretty good but it’s so overgrown it was hard to see anything through the gorse and broom. Nice walk though.

25/06/2014 – For me Glen Banchor has it all. Big hills, little hills, gentle walks up the glen or just plock yourself down by the river and watch the world go by. Easy access from Newtonmore. A road leads from the village to a car parking spot in the glen. It’s a lovely quiet stroll along the side of river, passing by hut circles and deserted townships to reach this cairn at the west of the glen. The cairn is grassed over and not much to look at but it’s in a great location. Clear line of sight down the River Calder to the east and also Strath an Eilich to the South. Well worth a visit just for the peace and quiet of the place.

24/06/2014 – After a nice visit to the dun on Creag Odhar we headed west to Tulach hill about one mile away to have a look at the dun there. The dun is situated on a small knoll near the summit of the hill. Rock-cut ditch on three of the sides. Fourth side is very steep sloped. Great entrance causeway on the SE side. Again like Creag Odhar, the view is very good from here. Visits to both these two duns make for a nice day out.

24/06/2014 – There is a good path (marked on the OS map) from the A9 north of Creag Odhar to get easy access to the hill. We parked in a layby on the A9 just past the where the path meets the road (there are laybys both ways near here). Nice climb through open woodland and then a short stroll east to Creag Ohar. The Dun is oval in shape with stones showing here and there in the overgrown wall. The location and view down the River Garry is really nice and the big hills like Beinn a’ghlo etc show well. Worth a visit as it’s a nice walk with plenty of other sites in the area as well.

23/06/2014 – This cairn is in the grounds of Newtonmore’s Highland Folk Museum. It’s not the most exciting to look at to be honest. Grassy mound with a few stones dotted about and a depression on top where a kiln has been built into it. Reading Canmore (link below) the cairn does sound like it could have been a good one back in the day. Still the museum is well worth looking round and it’s free.

23/06/2014 – This hillfort had been high on my to visit list for a while now. Finally got a chance to visit and it really is as good as I had hoped it would be. We took the same route as broch the badger and after a lovely walk up the hill on a sunny day we got to the fort. Fantastic walls and a great rugged interior. We sat and had our sandwiches on the wall, just gazing at the landscape below. If you like duns this is a must visit.

12/04/2014 – About 300m NE of the cupmarked outcrop, this boulder is clear of the trees and has a nice view all round. Good number of cupmarks. I liked this one.

12/04/2014 – Nice rock outcrop with at least fourteen cupmarks on upper surface according to Canmore. We made out about seven in the gloom. It’s a nice rock but what an effort to find it. Hidden right in the middle of a wood. Hard work and would be tricky without a GPS.

05/04/2014 – Fort situated on summit of Mortlich hill overlooking Deeside. I couldn’t make out any features of the fort as the heather is quite deep on the top. Still it’s a nice walk with easy access from Aboyne Loch.

14/03/2014 – Hadn’t really planned to visit here today but we were close by and the sun was trying to break through the clouds so I thought we would say hello to the stones. Parked opposite the track to Old Wester Echt. We walked north and then down the track to New Wester Echt. The circle is in the field south of the farm. Three stones remain of what was probably an impressive circle when complete. They are all pretty tall and quite different to each other which I liked. Good view north to Bennachie and south over the long gone recumbent. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

13/03/2014 – Parked next to the church in Leslie and walked up the road to just past Braehead farm. Easy access to the field and a short climb uphill to the circle. Just the recumbent left but what a stone. I loved the grooves around it. Great view and location. Well worth a visit.

13/03/2014 – The last few days have been sunny whilst I was stuck in work. I’ve got a couple of days off now and of course the clouds have moved in, often seems to be the way. Still at least the rain held off. There is a tea room (Old Post Office) at Chapel of Garioch we have been meaning to visit so I thought we better have a walk first to justify the cake eating.

We parked opposite the church in Tullynessle, south of Corrie Cairn. Walked north up the road to just past the houses at Roadside and then climbed up the field to the circle. No access problems.

First time here and I was really taken with it. Just the recumbent and one other stone left but the footprint of the cairn is good. Location wise, it is fantastic. Nice little cup marks on top of the recumbent as well. The place must have been quite a sight to see when the circle was complete. I think this is one of my favourite RSC sites I have been to, just for it’s place in the landscape.

Back to the car the same way then on to the tea room via Braehead stone circle for my cake, yum :)

31/12/2013 – Last day of the year and I fancied a bit of a mad adventure to end on so I turned again to the fieldnotes of drewbhoy for inspiration and picked this cairn to try and find. It turned out as tricky as it looked. Starting from the same place as Drew,we headed north first, then looped west to climb Millstone Hill and back east through the woods to find the cairn. Trees are well spaced, so no problem there but under foot it’s pretty hard going. Got there in the end. Cairn is very overgrown and not that exciting. The stone with Ogham inscription is worth the trip on it’s own though. I really liked it. Back to the car via the ring cairn, which was again hard work and a bit tricky to find. Nice way to finish the year and made it back before the rain started, which is always a good thing.

29/12/2013 – I read about this possible stone circle in a recently published book, “Minerals and Ancient Monuments in Royal Deeside” by Ian Cameron. It’s a good area for a walk so I thought I’d go have a look for it. Situated quite high on the hill, so it’s a bit of a pull up but no problems access wise. The possible circle comprises of two large boulders and a small stone. I don’t know what to make of the site really. It’s a great location for a circle and the vibe standing in the middle was good. I would be interested in other people’s thoughts if they visit (Drew, Les etc?). The smaller stone is said to have possible cupmarks but I had no luck in seeing anything.

Worth mentioning the author, Ian Cameron, who writes about this circle and its link to the hill Lochnagar, SW of the circle. In a section about Corrybeg, he writes that from the circle, the sun is seen to set in the middle ridge of Lochnagar on the shortest day of the year. Lochnagar acting as a distant recumbent setting and so the various recumbent stone circles in the north east of Scotland are all recreating the skyline of Lochnagar! Make of that what you will. It’s a lovely little book and reads well.

Corrybeg cairn can be found a further 100m up the hill

29/12/2013 – Fine weather today so we headed inland to have a look for this cairn at Corrybeg. It’s on the OS 1st edition map but not the modern OS and Aberdeenshire SMR listed it as destroyed, so I didn’t expect much. Good access via uphill track from Abergairn. Upon getting to the spot we were pleased to find the cairn still there. Situated near the 430m contour on the hill, on a slight rise, in a lightly wooded area, the cairn is very overgrown with heather. Quite a good footprint but not very high. Near the centre there appears to be the remains of a possible cist. The whole cairn is surrounded by some really decent kerb stones. The area and view is quite outstanding round here. A great day out.

17/11/2013 – Mulloch, I said I’d never go back yet here I was standing next to the cairn again. It’s a great cairn but the view from it is even better. Morven just looks fantastic and glazing over Loch Kinord to the far hills is wonderful. Well worth the effort and it is an effort! One word – broom. It’s everywhere. We came from the SW last time but today was from the NE. There is a vague path if you can find it. We left the top to head SW down the hill. I was really pleased to see a lot of the broom had been burnt back on this side of the hill. Only problem now is that it had given a chance for the gorse to grow. A painful descent but some things are worth a little pain and this cairn is one of them.

17/11/2013 – Not the most exciting cairn and very tricky to find in the undergrowth. But saying that, there’s a few good walks to be had around here. We started at the picnic spot on the A93 next to the airfield. A lovely loop over Criag Ferrar to Blue Cairn then up over Craig Dhu to Scar Hill, dropping down directly west to the Scar Hill cairn and then south west to this kerb cairn. We continued on past Mulloch cairn to the track west that leads to St James. A path on the old Deeside railway line took us back to the start. About 7 miles in total, 5 miles of which is just ambling through open woodland with no real track to follow. We visited 5 cairns, a couple of hill tops and a trigpoint – my sort of day out (a coffee shop at the end would have made it perfect!). The kerb cairn is quite hidden in the trees and broom. The grid ref (NJ 4723 0082) takes you to within about 20 meters but it still took a while to find. Some nice kerb stones can be seen. The centre is dug out where the cist used to be. Worth going just for the walk.