Vicster

This circle is so unbelievably circular, that it seems too good to be true. I stood in its centre and rotated 360 degrees (whilst Alfie the terrier ran round and round it!) and was amazed by the sheer ROUNDNESS of it!

A lovely site and we were completely alone, possibly due to the fact that it was a FREEZING cold day, blustery and grey, but all the more exhilarating for it.

This place is surrounded by stone – not only the standing stones in fields near by but huge pieces of stone which make up the field boundaries. I wish I understood more about landscape archaeology so I could fully appreciate some of the landscapes I spend my time gazing at!

From here, it is just a mere hop, skip and a jump into the field diagonally opposite (if you look down the road) to Gun Rith Menhir, which you can actually see from this field. Also, don’t miss the lovely hole stone in the gateway just up the road.

I was just so pleased to have finally seen a fogou!!! Ever since watching The Modern Antiquarian and guffawing at Julian getting all mystic at Boleigh Fogou, I have harboured a desire to see one myself and Carn Euny is a cracker!

Yes, the roads up here are quite tortuous but it is well signed (as long as your driver isn’t doing 45mph on hair-pin bends as mine was!) and we were lucky enough not to meet any other traffic on the way up there. However, due to some rather crafty cows in the first field, who were stood in front of the sign which pointed us to the site, we ended up 2 fields away and had to jump over walls and barbed wire fence to get in.

What an amazing place! It was cold, grey and very blustery but we spent ages just milling around and the fogou istelf was just fabulous – I tried to video it but it was so dark inside, the picture is almost black – all you can hear is my voice squeaking with excitement!

You get a real feel for how this place was once alive, something that isn;t always true of other sites.

Didn’t see the glowing moss though – maybe because it was so overcast that there wasn’t any light to reflect?

And check out the amazing house and gardens at the parking area – pretty fantastic place to live!

Oooh, I really liked this stone. I always think there is something so powerful about a lone stone and this one doesn’t disappoint.

It’s easy to find; from the main Shap Road, take the turning to Shap Abbey and then the left turning towards Thornship. It is a narrow road, with passing places and, if you keep looking to your left, you will catch glimpses of the stone. As the road bends to the right, there is a pathway with room for one car to park (without blocking access for walkers, tractors etc). The stone is in the field on the left of the path.

I have never seen anybody else at the stone, although I have seen walkers on the roadside and the last time I visited, on a warm, sunny day, I sat for a good hour, leaning against the stone and just sighing....it’s worth checking out the fallen stones in the next field too and trying to imagine just how magnificent this area must have looked when the avenues were still standing in all of their glory.

This is one of those times when I wish I had read the fieldnotes of others before visiting!

I set off up the right-hand path, believing this would offer the best route (or so my dodgy reading of the OS map led me to believe).

Ended up walking for AGES thinking “where the bleedin’ hell is it?“. Mind you, I got to see some amazing scenery and it was a warm and sunny day...

Follow the directions given by the others below and you shouldn’t go wrong... and be prepared for the fact that it is low-lying and not overly visible until you are almost on top of it.

Didn’t anybody else see the faces in one of the stones??? We only saw them after we looked at the photos on the digital camera and it was pretty freaky – depending on your interpretation, there was a grumpy old man or a malevolent old hag....Vicky screamed and ran around the field when she saw it!!!!

Shap scared me today! A beautiful spring day, sun shining and just a little mist on the hills, should have made for perfect trip but the downright weirdy nature of this place had me slightly disturbed....

It’s easy to find, on the A6 from Kendal into Shap, the stones are on the right hand side of the road, lying alongside the railway line. There is a parking place just as you enter the village and then it’s a 10 minute walk back to the site, lovely if the road isn’t too busy. On the way, you pass a lovely stream with an odd little woodland....as I was marvelling at the beauty of it all, I noticed a tree with dead animals hanging from it – told you this place was weird. I counted 2 rats and a rabbit before I was too freaked out and walked on by. I saw a number of stones along this stretch which must’ve made up the avenue, 2 which seem to have been made into a gate at some point....it was all very strange – the place seemed to be desolate and abandoned.

The Kemp Howe stones themselves are beauties and as I sat on one of the centre ones, with my back to the rumbling quarry, looking out towards Wet Sleddle and the South Cumbrian hills I could almost forget the horrors of what had befallen this site. Cars whizzed by, a few people looking over and obviously wondering what the woman in the pink top was doing sitting on a stone next to the railway line.......

This is the only place where I have watched a sheep dance on top of a stone with an audience of her peers looking on. Quite bizarre! She pirouetted for a good 10 minutes.....

I can only echo the feelings of others who have added their own thoughts – this huge circle has an air of abandonment about it. Still, an impressive size and a good start to a weekend of stone searching around the Solway Firth.....but somehow, I left feeling slightly disappointed. Maybe that says more about me than it does about the cirlce?

Just got back from a trip out to this site and am as perplexed as the other contributers here.

If this was indeed a circle, which seems more than likely given the postion of the remaining stones then it would have been huge. It reminded me of the 12 Apostles in Dumfries, which shares the same air of abandonment whilst still having the power to awe.

Mark said he liked the fact that someone had built a summerhouse on the cairn; that the cairn still remains after so many thousands of years and yet the summerhouse is now just a handful of red bricks seemed to amuse him.

A worthwhile trip; the views from the the top of the site are incredible and I like the fact that I’m just not really sure what it is I’ve been looking at! The whole time we were there, 2 buzzards flew overhead and the sun was shining over the bay, whilst we could see a snow storm coming in over the hills towards the Lune Valley – pretty impressive stuff.

If you wander up past Cairnholy 1&2 and take a right past the old barn with no roof, there is a gate ahead. In the field are a number of what I refer to as “sheep cairns”, the remains of dead sheep with a pile of rocks and boulders on top of them. Fron the gate you can see three smallish ones and then another 2 larger ones, further to the left.

The 3rd small one to the left has a largish stone placed near the top and clearly has cup and ring marks on it. Someone has also made out the outline of a fish, although I couldn’t see it – perhaps you need a day when the sun is casting some shadow to identify it?

No idea where the stone came from originally though....

This is a corker but happens to be on the opposite side of the road to the location marked on my map, which is a little confusing. Even OS can make mistakes, eh Julian?!?

The fields surrounding the stone are cairn-central and we counted a fair few before we noticed this stone through a gateway. Had to wade through very muddy fields (it was October though) to get to it but all worth the effort. The cairn in the field opposite is well worth a gander too!

An improbably warm late October day meant we could sit at the centre of the circle for more than an hour, sleeves rolled up and just take it all in. The views are magnificent and even with the road so close by, only the odd intrusion of 21st century life challenged the sense of timelessness.

‘tis lovely to sit and look across at the stone row in the field opposite – I’m sure all part of a bigger site at one time. They appear interlinked but the road dissects them and it’s difficult to visualise. Also walked down the road to the cairn but little left to see (unless we were looking in the wrong place?) I had read that a single standing stone is also linked to the site, south of the circle, but we didn’t find it. Never-the-less, this was enough to make us both very happy indeed.

On my oldish (1970s?) OS map of this area, 2 circles are shown either side of Englishman’s Burn. We found Glenquickan but couldn’t find the 2nd, although a friendly walker we happened upon assured us that he had come across it some years earlier. Strangely enough, when I looked at the most up-to-date map, no trace of that 2nd circle to be found....

Anyway, loved this site and found it almost too perfect to be true. It felt like a Disney circle, almost perfectly round, with lovely stones surrounding a large central stone. From the roadside, you can just make out the central stone, which appears to be a singular standing stone – makes it all the more impressive as you approach and see the circle come into view.

Set in the most beautiful of landscapes (if you can ignore the masts and satellite dishes on the hill above.....) and the most amazing toadstools I have ever seen – all they needed was a pixie sat astride!!

This is about as perfect as it gets. Spent Saturday (30/10) afternoon and evening playing around the sites; watched the sun set over Wigtown Bay from Cairnholy 1 and Saturday night sat on the capstone of Cairnholy 2, bathed in moonlight, watching the most amazing nightsky. We were blessed with the warmest October day and the clearest nightsky I’ve seen for a longtime.

For those who like their comforts close to hand, Cairnholy Farmhouse offer B&B and I would thoroughly recommend it. Yes, the farm buildings intrude upon the 2nd cairn, but the couple who run the B&B are friendly and enthusiastic (as it Harry, the boxer dog!) and cook a mean evening meal, if you don’t want to stray too far from the stones.....www.cairnholy.co.uk for details.

In one of the adjoining fields, the local farmer had cobbled together a number of small “sheep cairns” – the remains of dead sheep, covered over with stones. On one of the smaller ones, a large stone with cup and rings marks is just visible.

We got a bit confused trying to find these intially.

The road we thought we needed to drive up said “private roadway no entry” so we drove by and realised that we had missed it! If you carry on until you see Arran Aromatics on your right you can take the unmade road directly opposite (think there was sign for a cement or gravel factory?) and carry on down here. Turn right when you hit the tarmaced road and the stones are on either side of the road behind the HUGE hedges.

We went last week and the corn was really high in the field on the left where 2 of the stones stand – it made for an amazing picture, with the stones rising out the amber waves of grain. There are gateways all along the hedge and each one gives a unique perspective of the stones...lovely.

The stone which stands on it’s own in the 2nd field looks somewhat neglected and sad. Maybe they should plant corn around it too, to add to the ambience?

Look out for this one! As you drive North through Brodick it sits right on the very edge of the road on the right hand side. If you hit the museum you’ve gone too far, but I doubt you’ll miss it – it’s pretty huge!

A lovely added bonus as we were heading back towards the fery after an afternoon spent on Machrie Moor.

Last time my friend visited, someone had “sacrificed” a chicken on one of the stones and left its innards all over the place.

Now, just what the F**k is that all about?

Fortunately, the stones were free of chicken guts last week when we visited!

Ooohh, we got really wet!!! but then the sun came out and it was incredibly warm and sunny....and then it rained again!! Be prepared for these moors, the weather, like the landscape, changes constantly.

I am pleased we saw these amazing stones in the misty and wet atmosphere though – the setting seems just right for such extremes of nature. Maybe that’s why our ancestors felt it necessary to provide such extreme monuments?

Too much to take in on one visit. we parked at the little gateway across the road from the signpost and made our way out across the moor. on the way we saw what seemed to be 2 out-lying stones, one on either side of the path and a partially destroyed cairn with a broken cist embedded in the earth on one side of the path. already excited by this I really couldn’t take in the scale of it all once we hit the “big” stones.

The plan is to return next year now that I have had familiarised myself with it all a little – and pray for more sunshine!

We went out on a walk with a local countryside ranger last week and he told us of an American woman who had asked to visit the 5 smaller stones in the field alone with him. When they got there she said that this site should never be excavated but she wouldn’t tell him why. She was absolutely adamant about his and he said he sensed a fear in her – he was sure that whatever reasons she had for such a request where absloutely valid to her mind.

The sense was that the stones had been placed there to “contain” something – whether real or otherwordly, I really don’t know but I had never really thought of this before. I can’t remember whether this was explicit in what she said, or just suggested but it did make us stop and think – and come up with even more “what if"s and “why"s

(It certainly made for an interesting debate around a couple of bottles of wine later that evening....)

So, we sat there and wondered at what lies beneath and started to feel a sense of trepidation! The mind can play tricks on you in such a place.....in the end we decided to sit within the “circle”, our backs to the 2 larger stones and felt a sort of calm fall over us.

Still would like to know what had spooked her so much, though!

Couldn’t see the Boar no matter how hard we looked, but my foot did fit the footmark which was quite exciting. We climbed up the hill at around 7pm and we were the only people up there – it was amazing being able to see the whole glen at 360 degrees. The end of a perfect day in a most perfect place. You really do get a sense of an unchanged landscape – the history echoes all around.

And just in case you are like me and think that it looks like a long walk up to the top – we ran up in 10 minutes and it’s really quite easy!

Drove past these about 6 times last week, on the road to and from Glen Lyon. Decided we would leave it until the final day to explore and this proved wise.....not only was the sun shining and the skies blue, but the farmer had kindly cut the field, so instead of having to wade through knee high grass, I had an incredibly easy time of it!

Parked at the Church and walked across to the field. It was quite sad in a way, to see the Stones so battered and neglected but the site is quite a little beauty! Although the field had been cut, the Stones were partially hidden by the grasses and nettles growing in between. Didn’t spend as much time here as I would’ve liked as we were on the long journey home.

Just spent the week in Perthsire and a visit here was on the agenda. We first paid a visit to the Scottish Crannog Centre, which was great – would advise a trip if you are in the area.

When we arrived at the Stones, the skies were turning grey and rain was in the air. We didn’t spend long as the field was full of sheep and it wasn’t the most welcoming of weather!

Didn’t notice a sign or any info – but that may be because I didn’t look properly! Not usually one to give in to the elements but today got the better of me.

Approaching the Stones from Kenmore, they look fabulous as you first see them above the road. I shall return and make better use of my itme......

This is a bit of a cheat really, as we didn’t actually make it to West Lanyon Quiot. We had been at Lanyon at the end of a loooong day (with “stone virgins” in tow, not quite as enthusiastic as we were when it comes to walking across even more fields to look at old stones!) and were about to head back to Perranporth when we decided it was worth just having a “quick look” for this site.

We left the others in the cars and head towards the field opposite from Lanyon (cross the road and head to the far corner where there is a farm gate). Stood on the gateway and tried to work out where it may be and the pull was just too strong, so over the gate and into the field. At the far end of the field were some pretty big stones, built into a wall, so we headed over and as we climbed up it, we spotted West Lanyon, about 3 fields away.

It looked lovely, the capstone fallen but still impressive. Unfortunately 2 of the fields had bullocks in them and the combination distance + bullocks + tired friends waiting in the cars = abandoned trip! Hopefully, I will be back down to Cornwall in the not-too-distant future and will get to see this site up close....

Our first site of the day and with a bunch of “stone virgins” in tow, it proved to be an amazing start to the day.

The landscape around here is just amazing and as you head up towards Chun Quiot, you pass burial mounds and are surrounded by a sense of history and scenery that is breathtakingly beautiful.

The walk up to the Quiot is (depending on weather) a fairly easy one, although we did hit a few boggy patches on route. If you park by the farm and walk straight up the hill, you will see footpaths cut through the gorse and should come across the site easily enough.

Once we spotted it, we started running towards it; Ros described it as “cute” and I have to admit that it really is! Never had the opportunity to describe a site as “cute” before and probably never will again!

From the Quiot I spotted what appeared to be a couple of stones, which we presumed must be linked to Chun Castle. Bit confused by Julian’s description in the book of this site being both Bronze AND Iron Age though!!!!!

Walked up to Chun Castle and was blown away by it. Had expected it to be little more than a few scattered stones but the circular foundation of the outer wall and banks are pretty clear to see and the 2 large stones which must’ve formed a gateway remain upright and proud. From here, the Quiot looked even more spectacular and as we headed back down for another look at the site, I felt as if the day couldn’t possibly get any better.

Ahhhhh, what a beauty! Our first encounter during a week in Cornwall last summer couldn’t have been bettered. Although sign-posted (and following the directions in the book), we still managed to get lost but after asking a friendly local (who took the time to correct my pronunciation!) we finally got here. small amount of parking is provided and then it’s over the fence and there it is!

This really is a beautiful site but I was shocked to see it so close to a solitary house...like Mayburgh Henge the site is within spitting distance of a dwelling and I wondered whether it would be a curse or a delight living so close by! Depends on whether you want people hanging around outside your house each and every solstice!

I wanted to stay longer, the site had such a feel to it and the fact that one of the stones has fallen inward seems to add to the whole place. Fab!

I just wish that all those who take time to visit Meg would come here too! A mere 10 minutes drive (take the Shap A6 turning at the roundabout into Eamont Bridge and the first right at the pub. It is signed posted for Arthur’s Round Table and Mayburgh) and you come across the most amazing place. I come up here as often as I can, just because it is the most beautiful of places (if you can ignore the motorway that is!)

I have never seen another person on all my visits and have always just wallowed in the beauty of this site. I try to visualise how it would’ve looked before the other stones were removed – and look over at Arthur’s Round Table and make the connection between the 2 sites. Quite difficult as you have to sort of squint the houses out of view!

I urge you all to visit – I went up there again last week and it was frosty and bitterly cold – and all the more amazing than ever.

This one is a bugger to find even if you don’t follow the directions provided by Mr Cope. No need to repeat what has been said below by others, but I will say this – as you walk up the path keep looking to your right and JUMP (if short, as I am) until you see it.

I managed to go on a day when the nettles on the side of the path were so high that I had to risk all limbs to even get close.....but it was worth it.

Spent 2 hours looking for this and still didn’t find it! Please could somone give CLEAR directions of how to get there!

This is such a beautiful area and I’m quite happy to come back and look for it again!

From others fieldnotes, I see that I am not the only one who has tried but failed to find this site. I couldn’t even find it on an OS map....so maybe it just isn’t to be....did enjoy the Sheepfold sculptures though

This was a strange find. Turning off the main road, we came across a small sign for the stones and had to walk up past a couple of houses to reach the site – it felt like we were walking through someones front garden!

Even stranger is the flimsy little fence (which wobbled dangerously when I leaned over to try a take a picture) which surrounds these two remote stones. The views from this position are incredible but it felt like we were trespassing onto someone’s private little site and we didn’t stay long. The fence made me feel uncomfortable and like we weren’t really encouraged to explore further. A shame because they were beautiful and unusual.

After the slightly “over the top” nature of Lewis and its many sites, coming across this stone on Harris was refreshing and exciting. We actually drove straight by this site, so unobtrusive it appears and yet right by the road...

The backdrop of sea, sand and cliffs was perfect (with the highland cattle close by for a truly Scottish moment!)

The lichen almost covered the stone on both sides – a testimony to the endurance of the site. Despite the rain, I was quite happy to just stand there, taking in the landscape and the elements... I would strongly advise any travellers who make it over to Lewis to visit the Callanish sites, to also make the journey south to Harris. You will find incredible landscapes and a couple of sites that are well worth the visit – and with no other tourists for miles around!

Ooooh, I really liked this site! We had spent the previous day at various sites of stone circles, so to come across this monster menhir was quite refreshing....I think of all the sites on Lewis, this was my favourite, just for the pure majesty of it. We were followed up the path by an aged labrador who seemed happy for us to be in his territory, and the backdrop of the sea and the sky was just awesome.

After the complexity of Callinish and its sister sites, the single huge monlith seemed understated and yet even more impressive.

Shame someone has seen fit to open a haulage site right next to the stone though!

After spending the last three days tramping around Harris & Lewis, I have to say that this is one of my favourite sites. We had abandoned our trip to Callinish after bad weather and loud Norwegians had kind of ruined the moment, but came across this site in better weather a happier mood!

It was worth getting VERY wet feet for, and the site just filled me with the kind of joy I had been hoping to get from my trip to Callinish. We were the ony people there, no others cars even came by whilst we were up on the hill, depsite being on the edge of a main road and it was blustery and wild.

I would urge visitors to Lewis to look around at the other sites the Island has to offer rather than just sticking to the tourist routes...you may just discover a beauty like this one!

Finally got here – it always seemed like one of those things I’d “get to do one day” and now I finally have!
Today was the day – unfortunately, it was absolutely bucketing it down and the stones were in the presence of some VERY LOUD Norwegians, so after about 10 mins, we aborted the trip and will be returning tomorrow....hopefully better weather and less obtrusive people will make the return journey more pleasant!!
That said, it was still the most stunning of places and well worth the 2 day journey, the 5.30am ferry and the very wet feet to witness it!!

Found this yesterday after spending a couple of hours tramping on Hadrian’s Wall – thought I would go for something pre-Roman for an hour! Couldn’t cut across the field from the gate, due to it being full of attack cows(!), so we walked round, clambered over a wall and trudged up a hill, to get to it. It was the most amazing day – big sky, sun shining and wind blowing.

I really loved this site but had no knowledge of it having been part of a bigger circle. It seemed perfect as it was, so will choose to believe it was intended to be just 2 stones, mirroring the opposite hill!

Spent a good hour looking for this site and never found it – wish I’d read the previous entry first as it gives great directions! Another time maybe????

Sad to see some negative/unhappy memories of this site on here. Have just come back from a week in Cornwall and was totally blown over by this site. Maybe we were lucky – it was windy but bright on Bodmin, very few people around and just a lot of sheep, who didn’t seemed in the least bit worried by our intrusion.

What a fantastic landscape – I actually think the abandoned tin mines added to the bleak and desolate feel of the place. We headed over to the Cheesewring and felt like it was never going to get any nearer. Its worth a scrabble up the rocks though, for the views are spectacular and you see the landscape more clearly.

One of my favourite sites; the combination of the cirlces, the natural altar of the Cheeswring and the barrow just make it incredble.

Returned here at Easter and guess what – it was raining again!! Still, adds to the atmosphere, I guess...

I was lucky enought to come across a course at Lancaster University that ran for 2 days in April – Neolithic Stones and Circles – and a field trip to Bleasdale was how we spent the Friday afternoon. It was interesting to revisit the site with an archaelogist in tow.

I would encourage anyone interested to contact the Dept of Continuing Education at Lancaster University – the course usually runs every year and I found it stimulating and interesting. You will get into arguments with peo-ple over the whys and wherefores of it all but it was a good fun couple of days.

We left Long Meg and set off to find Little Meg. Unlike others, we could see the stones from the gateway – the field was just sprouting its crop and the pathway was flat and open. We walked around it (doesn’t take long!) and wondered about the “hows and the whys” before sitting and embracing the warmth and the sun which had reappeared. It felt about 10 degrees warmer than Long Meg had just 10 minutes earlier. It took me ages to even find traces of any of the spirals on the stones but they still felt and looked wonderful

As we started back, we noticed our car (parked on the other side of the fence) had been surrounded by HUGE black and white fresians, who were sniffing and licking it. We watched and laughed as they stared over the fence at us, rubbing themselves against my little car, before being herded down the road for milking. When we reached the car, it was covered in cow spit and it kind of felt like the perfect ending to the most incredible day!

Finally made it to Long Meg last weekend after several aborted attempts over the last 2 years. I am so pleased we waited until now though as everything seemed just right.

As we approached we both started to feel a tingle of excitment, wondering whether the site would live up to our expectations and then suddenly, we were almost in the middle of it! The vastness and the sudden realisation that you are about to drive straight through the middle of it is amazing! Unusally, we were the only 2 people there and we just went quiet at the beauty and size of it. Then we started jumping up and down with excitement and had to calm oursleves before exploring further. The trees are magnificent, the surrounding views with the clouds heavy with rain yet sat in a blue sky, incredible. We walked around the cirlce and it seemed to get bigger and bigger. The smiles on our faces were doing the same!

We sat there, in the cold wind and just talked about finally being there, watching the rain filled clouds moving closer and then the most beautiful rainbow appeared – magical! the rain never actually arrived, but moved away and we really felt like we had witnessed nature putting on a private show for us in the most beautiful “theatre” imaginable.

Went in search of this place one wet and wild October day. As with others who came before me, finally found it only to realise you had to get permission to gain access. Tried the numbers but no reply, so we decided to go on and had our excuses ready should anyone stop us!

It’s situation was perfect, lying in a copse in a tiny piece of woodland which had been retained in the middle of a field. It was pouring with rain, windy and wild and felt wonderful.

Well worth the trudge through the muddy field!