Chris Collyer

If you are taking a walk from the Hurlers to the Cheesewring, take a right turn about half way and investigate this barrow.
While the other two sites will probably be swarming with visitors, it seems no-one ever comes here which is a shame (or a good thing, depending on your point of view), as this is where the Rillaton cup- a corrugated gold beaker- was found. The cup was discovered in 1818 when the stone grave to the east of the barrow was opened, along with a skeleton and bronze dagger.
There is also a rather large hole in the top of the mound, probably caused by treasure hunters looking for more burial ‘goodies‘

One of the four cursus (cursii?) that cross the Rudston area, the southern end of Beacon cursus is just about visible as a crop mark next to the Roman road (Woldgate) that runs from Kilham to Bridlington. The same road passes over Beacon mound, a short distance to the west.
While there is not much to see on the ground, the views are interesting, the sea lies to the east, there are extensive views to the south, and the church tower to the north at Rudston now blocks the view of the monolith.
It’s worth taking some time here to stand an the start (or is it end) of the cursus and ponder just what the ancients were doing here, its obviously an important area. Just what ceremonies were taking place here? What WERE they thinking?

Edit:
I visited again in Autumn 2003 to see if the end of the cursus was any more visible in the freshly harvested field – it wasn’t. There is a very slight raised bank that can only really be seen by walking backwards and forwards but totally vanishes on photographs. There is however a good aerial shot in Anne Woodward’s book ‘British Barrows, a matter of Life and Death’ ISBN 0 7524 1468 2

I had real problems finding this strange monument, I drove up and down the main road before finding the tiny side road that twists and turns up the hillside. Then took the wrong track and spent a long time crawling over the steep slopes in less than favourable weather. It occured to me that if I slipped and tumbled down the hill I might not be found for days!
I had just about given up on finding the stones and headed back across the crest of the hill only to find myself walking straight through the middle of the circle – I really must learn to map-read better :)

Wow – you can see why they built this little beauty here. The stones are perched on the hillside overlooking the quaint Manorbier bay and on a sunny summer day this is an excellent place to lay back on top of the cap-stone, chill out and take in the views. If you need directions, ask the chap who takes the cash at the car-park.

Not a lot to see at this one, the stones are in the middle of a field, I can’t remember the reason why I couldn’t get over the fence that surrounds the area – maybe it was barbed or electrified or something. Nice area though.

Visited this place one evening, nobody around, no sound but the distant bleating of lambs on a far hillside.
Absolute magic.

This one is on private land in the Plas Newydd country Park. I paid to get in but couldn’t get close enough to the stones to get a decent picture. On the way out I realised I could have got a better view from the free car-park. Oh well, we live and learn. A longer lens woulda been useful though...

As Julian points out, this is a difficult one to find even with an OS map, but if you are in the area it’s well worth searching out. A nice little dolmen that looks like somebody just left in in a field and forgot about it, the only thing that spoils the ‘out in the middle of nowhere’ ambience is a nearby boarding kennel. Just down the road is Caer Leb a Romano-Celtic (?) setlement.

On Rombalds moor normal OS grid refs make little sense -this is GPS territory! My recording is SE1282146763. Without GPS the easiest way to get to the Hanging Stones carvings is to head out of the carpark, walk past the Cow and Calf rocks, take a right turn and follow the track to the old quarry. Clamber around on flat outcrops of rock and you should come across this strange series of cups, rings, lines, a 3 armed spiral and the main central feature. This consists of a central cup, concentric rings, with possible cups, ans a strange squigly outline. Is it some kind of map?
Just to mess the place up, some idiot has carved a celtic knotwork pattern into the rock just a few feet away. OK, so they’ve done a nice job, but this ain’t the place for it...