 Previous 50 | Showing 51-56 of 56 posts. Most recent first
I've parked in the carpark at the eastern end of Burrator reservoir as directed and set off down the main path with the plantation on my right. After passing a picnic area with a ruined house there's a path to the left up through the bracken emerging out on to the moor and a steady climb up to the top of Down Tor. The views are fantastic, Sheeps Tor away to the southwest, and the sky's a mix of bright blue and high, fluffy clouds, some darker ones threatening the forecast rain which mercifully doesn't come. I expect to see the circle and row from the top of the tor but then remember the sweetcheat's note and put my disappointment on hold, cresting the next rise and there it is, majestically isolated in this epic landscape.
I'm not big on the tecnicalities of these sites, it's all about atmosphere for me and this place has it in shedloads. The big stone at the end of the row abutting the circle really is a big beast and looks to have been dressed on its south-facing side, so smoothly does it present itself to the circle. I walk to the end of the row and back, a permanent smile fixed on my face and get twenty minutes to myself before someone else hoves into view so I decide to leave it to him, exchanging appreciation as I pass. He echoes Greywether's comment about it being sufficiently remote to deter visits from most of those parked back at the reservoir, but I pass six more people heading towards it as I climb back up Down Tor. The views remain stunning and I face the prospect of the long drive back to London with spirits lifted.
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A warning to those like myself who have difficulty in interpreting OS maps or are basically a bit thick about following directions. In the heading this site is said to be also known as 'Piskie House'. On the OS map the name 'Piskie House' appears next to Sheepstor itself whereas the circle is described simply as 'cairn circles'. This misled me into thinking that what I was looking for was right next to Sheepstor despite the contrary visual evidence of the photos posted and what others have said in their fieldnotes. I wasted a good hour fruitlessly searching for it in the wrong place, having walked within about 30 yards of it at one point whilst looking in the opposite direction. I can't find it being named 'Piskie House' in any other book I've got. Burl makes it clear that refers to 'a long narrow cave concealed under a granite overhang'.
Anyway, I found it in the end and can happily echo all that others have said about this site.
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One of the more curious megalithic sites I've visited but well worth a detour to see if (as I happened to be last week) you're in the Loire Valley, specifically in the vicinity of Saumur. It's very easy to find, no tramping around the countryside with an OS map,all you need is a good road map of the area. It's in the suburb of Bagneux, a left turn just off the D960, the main road going south out of town towards Montreuil-Bellay, well signposted. Truth to tell, the bar/restaurant in the garden of which it's situated struck me as a bit rundown with only one old local perched on a stool as I walked in. I had expected to pay an entrance fee to see the monument but as there was no-one behind the bar I stepped through the plastic curtain leading to the garden and there it was, a big rectangular structure sitting in the shade of the surrounding trees. It's had some restoration work with concrete blocks added to support the entrance but they're hidden behind one of the 'porch' slabs and don't detract from its aura. There's no need to stoop as you go in and I could stand to my full height. The car parked by the side would have spoiled my photos but it was moved by the proprietaire after she had demanded 4 Euros from me and I had bought a drink which seemed the proper thing to do, the Kronenbourg slipping down very pleasantly as I took my pictures. It's genuinely impressive in its incongruously eccentric location, the big capstones resting evenly on the walls. There's some homemade information boards and a book of old prints/postcards showing how it once stood in open countryside which makes its survival in such good condition in its present setting all the more remarkable. Well worth 15/20 minutes of your time if you're in the area and fancy an alternative to a chateau.
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Well, three years on there's no improvement; this struck me as one of the loneliest circles I've visited despite being only a few yards from the main road. I also managed to miss it at first (following my usual pattern) but with careful scrutiny was able to make out a path that was just trodden enough to guide me through the undergrowth as well as indicating that it does receive some visits. I was surprised to find it so overgrown when on the ferry coming over there was a cartoon-type map of the island with a symbol of three monoliths marking its spot hence I expected a sign and a cleared location. I'm not saying I wanted it surrounded by a neat little fence a la Torrylin or Auchgallon but surely it wouldn't take much effort for the local authority or Scotish Heritage or whoever to cut back the bracken on a regular basis so we could see what's left of the circle as its makers intended. I'm glad I went but left feeling a little sorry for it.
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Whilst not criticising the directions given by previous contributors, as someone who nearly always manages to misread even the simplest of OS maps and doesn't go in for GPS-type devices, I thought that I could share my experience of visiting this wonderful circle last Saturday in the hope that future searchers might be aided in locating it. Even though I've driven all the way from London to visit the sites on Lewis and Orkney, somehow arriving at this site after trekking across what seemed like three or four miles of moorland struck me as a much greater endeavour. Ok, the weather was blissful and the ground underfoot mostly dry, but there were still some tricky sections requiring careful navigation around boggy patches where the path seemed to disappear.
The main thing for me was locating a suitable starting-point for the walk. A local recommended parking in a layby near the entrance to Olditch Farm halfway between two bridle-paths both of which lead up to the moor. A note about the layby; it's on the left as you drive up from the south to Sticklepath but you could go by without seeing it; you have to reverse into it ('you turn in on yourself' the local had helpfully observed).
The southerly bridlepath (ie the one behind you as you park which we came back on) leads up to a point not far from Cosdon Hill stone rows from which the path then goes all the way to the circle, with necessary diversions round the boggiest bits. Even though it had been dry recently, sections of the initial path up to the moor were still very wet whereas the northerly bridlepath was much drier and it brings you out on to a path which leads up to the top of Cosdon Hill from which you can go straight down to the circle (in theory; we missed the top, following some other walkers, and ended up going down the side of the hill to the stone rows and thence to the circle). Both bridlepaths involve steady uphill climbs, not too strenuous but
with stops and diversions it was about two/two and a half hours each way, echoing what others have said.
The first sighting, coming over the shoulder of Little Hound Tor ( after another unplanned diversion off the path to avoid some bogs) and seeing the outlier first, was a genuinely exhilarating moment and if like me you're a bit misanthropic about sharing your visits to sites like this with others (apart from your own companions) then you're unlikely to be too worried about intruders at this place.
Magical, everything I wanted and more.
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Previous 50 | Showing 51-56 of 56 posts. Most recent first
I blame Traffic. What did 'Rollright Stones' mean? Once I found out I wanted to know more but apart from the obvious sites, including the Rollrights themselves, I didn't know anything about all the others. Then along came Mr Cope and his wonderful book and I haven't looked back since. My eldest daughter getting a place at Edinburgh University 2 years ago opened a gateway to the Highlands and Islands, visits to her being combined with trips to places I'd thought were just too far away. I'm the world's worst OS map-reader but really enjoy finding these magical places, preferably solo at first though I love nothing more than introducing them to friends and family.
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