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Symonds Yat - 24.4.2004
The OS map shows three parallel lines of defences on the south side of the Symonds Yat Rock, and an extra bank at the west end. This would have attempted to cut the whole of Huntsham Hill off from the mainland, with the River Wye surrounding it on three sides.
They are situated on the west side of the road (B4432), just to the south of the entrance to the car park for people with disabilities. Three lines of banks and ditches are clearly visible (but not large), with the northern one being the largest. This one seems to straddle the road as well. This is not actually the high ground in the area, and the defences are slight, so this seems to be a relatively low-key attempt at any sort of 'defence'.
The nearby Yat Rock is a major viewpoint in the area and is well worth a visit. Another excellent viewpoint exists just off the east side of the road, opposite the banks and ditches.
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The Long Stone (Staunton) - 25.4.2004
This is a very impressive chunky stone, marred only by being so close to the road and thus taking on a bit of a novelty factor. It is quite literally 2 metres from the edge of the road, on the north side.
It must be more than 7ft tall because my 6' 5" friend stood next to it and quite a lot of it went over his head. I'd say it must be close-ish to 8ft tall.
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Harold's Stones - 25.4.2004
First things first - these are ENORMOUS! After several trips in Cornwall (and other places) searching out the minor league stones and barrows, I'd almost forgotten what things like this looked like.
None of the posts on here actually said how big they are, and the only other report I had read also didn't mention the height, and the pic I saw made them look distinctly human size. I hadn't read the page in the TMA book before going - oops. However it actually made it better by not knowing what to expect. The largest stone (the cock stone as Jane says - or the 'Cock Rock' I reckon!) is actually about 14 ft tall and dwarfed us all.
The middle stone is strangely circular and looks a bit like a missile ready to fire. The third stone then looks a little out of place, as it is the smallest and most upright, is less rough and crumbly, and is more of a shape that you would find in a stone circle.
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I didn't actually visit the stone today, but did see it from a distance as it is visible from all the minor roads around (the best view is from Old Forge on the other side of the River Wye).
From a distance this stone looks like a thick beast with a rutted head. When I later saw pictures of it (see link below) this was dramatically confirmed.
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King Arthur's Cave - 24.4.2004
I don't think I'll try to explain much about how to get here because we came via a walk along the river and a detour up to the stunning views off the Seven Sisters Rocks. Personally I'd say that the easiest way is probably from a mini layby at SO548157, a hundred metres or so before you get to the bigger car park (circa SO548158) that is at the edge of the entrance to the Biblins Camp Site. From this layby head south down a track, past the old quarry on your left, and then you will come across several sets of caves on your left (opposite a lovely grassy field on your right). The caves range from large ones to tiny holes and possible rock shelters. Given a lack of information over which one exactly is 'King Arthur's Cave', I can't say for certain if the most impressive one is King Arthur's Cave or not. Oh well; they were all pretty atmospheric anyway.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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Extract from English Heritage's record of scheduled monuments, via the MAGIC site.
Please Note - this link takes you directly to a PDF document. You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
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My real name is Martin, but there is already a Martin vigorously posting on this fantastic web site so I decided to use 'Pure Joy'; which was the title of the Teardrop Explodes and Julian Cope fanzine that I set up in 1988 and ran until 1991/2. Strangely my interest in ancient sites pre-dates the knowledge that Julian was also into them. However Julian's book has certainly led me to visit more, and plan holidays and pit-stops around places to visit! Studying History (and International Relations) at Uni and coming from the West Country led to a healthy fascination with ancient sites and the countryside.
I was born in 1970 in Colerne, a historic village between Bath and Chippenham (mentioned in the Domesday Book) and have spent time in Bath, Reading, Manchester, West Africa, and Ethiopia. I'm currently living near London, but itching to live in the countryside, preferably Cornwall, or Africa. Reality check! little money and inertia creep.
Most of my working life has been in the voluntary sector, usually by supporting voluntary and community groups with advice and information. I enjoy doing quite a bit of voluntary work with our Credit Union, and as an elected Council member of the National Trust.
I'm no photography expert but I like to take photos (nearly always black and white) of places I visit. Some of the earlier ones looked good but it was only with a £25 point and shoot camera that was amazing unreliable. I've now got an old Pentax SLR, but at the moment I refuse to use filters and special effects. You get what you see.
Up side of ancient site = the sense of history, the countryside, the walk, the sense of adventure, the tranquillity, and the weird things that sometimes happen.
Downside = the loneliness, territorial cows, and the cravings to get back to the countryside
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