I revisited Tinkinswood having heard of the work carried out during the summer. The quarry area as you approach is now clearly marked and accessable which is brilliant. You can clearly see debris in many of the adjoining fields and the size of some of the stones show the size of this project. The newly installed wind up information point was working and infact very informative.
The chamber itself is imposing as it always has been but I do detest that pylon and those overhead cables!
This is my first visit to a Long barrow with access inside. What a great experience. The silence was defening. You can really feel the pressure inside from the weight bearing down on top of you from the structure above. Needless to say I loved it. I only went in approximately 10 feet but the passageway seemed to extend on forever. I felt a bit like Alice in wonderland staring back out of the rabbit hole!
As already stated previously, the lane down to the car park is very tight and especially wet this time of year. Wellies are a must as the footpath up the hill is also very wet and muddy and some older clothes will be coming on my next trip to get further inside the chamber!
I also took a few photos, with the farmers permission, of the WW2 pillbox in the field opposite the car park. A strange location for such a thing out here in the sticks which got me thinking whether in a few thousand years will there be people visiting these sites of historical interest?
The setting for this site is really quite breath taking! I visited on the 4th of December 2012, The view of the surrounding valley at dusk as I arrived was awe inspiring. The stones themselves are very interesting and the ease of accessability is a massive bonus (literally six feet from the small car park). I sat here, as you do, contemplating until the sun finally passed behind the mountains opposite.
I have visited the site several times this year as it is fairly local and a real hidden gem. Access to the site is excellent, with parking opposite the gate and a very short walk up a slight incline. I love the place!