This small circle near Oddendale is of a similar size to the nearby Iron Hill cairn circle. When we visited five mad sheep were resident in the field which is fenced off and the gate padlocked. It seemed best just to observe from over the fence as those sheep looked just wrong, one came right up to the fence and wanted attention, another grunted wierdly in the background. Quite sad really.
IronMan
The Three Brothers have been described as hard to find, well let me put that straight now! They are easy to find, only a five minute walk up from a small lay-by just before Leighton Hall and they are clearly intervisible now that the surrounding trees have been thinned out.
Nestled in a very private spot, Capel Garmon has a beautiful air of tranquility. The hum of farm equipment in the distance doesn’t detract from this place. The Gorsedd stone, as described in TMA, is just one part of a complex of hidden spots which must all have had there part within this sacred landscape.
A beautiful place. From the path below the circle isn’t at all visible. However from the entrance the view to the valley beyond is very clear, making this an excellent spot.
On our visit (24/3/2) as we approached the site, a couple were on their way down. Both looked a bit flushed and were just finishing their cigarettes. They giggled as we passed. If you’re reading this:
We know what you were doing! :-)
A tranquil little spot at the centre of the village. Worth a visit en route to or from Capel Garmon. The churchyard itself is worth further investigation – there are three huge, presumably very old, yew trees, two of which it is possible to climb inside, which is nice.
Rev. J R Luck of Stonyhurst College excavated the lower mound in 1894 revealing a cinerary urn dated to around 1250BCE containing the cremated remains of a body. Also found were a young man’s skull and a flint knife, a boy’s skull and a child’s skull.
During WWII J.R.R. Tolkien stayed at Stonyhurst College, which lies within easy walking distance. His son was a boarder there and Tolkien, to escape the blitz, spent many months there in order to concentrate on his writings. It is said that some of his inspiration for the Shire comes from the Ribble Valley.
There are two barrows – one low and spread out and another more impressive hillock in the adjacent field. The barrows lie very close to a confluence of rivers – the Ribble, the Calder and the Hodder. This is surely the reason for these mounds location. The Ribble is associated with the river goddess Belisma and Calderstones, the name of an ex-mental hospital about a mile away, suggests that there was may have been more sites in this area.
Just opposite the larger barrow, the rivers Hodder and Calder join to become the Ribble.
On the track leading to the Druid’s Circle the remains of this circle comprise of four low stones. The field is very close to the farm and is private. It’s best to peer over the wall, have a look and then carry on – there’s not much to see. Directly opposite the farmhouse, in the field next to the circle is a large ‘playing-card’ stone which is worthy of attention and isn’t at all out of the way.
The rubble remains of a huge cairn made all the more moody on this visit by the wind, rain and sheep skull decoration somebody had chosen to leave.
A low and broad circle, hard to spot amid the grass. If this were anywhere else it would be for the fanatical only but as part of the whole Tal-Y-Fan experience it is a must.
We took an alternate route to the ones suggested in the books. We drove from Rowen to the Rhiw Youth Hostel. From here we walked to the Bwlch-y-Ddeufan stones taking in the other monuments on the way. Walking this way, and the same way back there is never more than 10 minutes between sites. Perfect.
Here the stones are in competition with the ridiculous pylons. They win hands down.
The highlight of an excellent set of monuments below the top of Tal-Y-Fan.
The huge ‘playing card’ stone in the field next to the circle and directly opposite the farm house.
This ‘circle’ is a ring cairn lying 150 metres or so up the track from the Druid’s Circle. The site is a confusing jumble of stones but is worth checking out.
