Idwal

Found it! Quite why I couldn’t find it before, I’ve no idea. The stone is 27 paces at a bearing of 120 deg. from the modern granite pillar inscribed with the number 7 (a waymarker for the Llanfairfechan Upland Walk). The markings can be clearly seen along one edge and on the surface of the stone. Somehow, perhaps because of the short lengths of the markings, I find the antiquity of this stone less convincing than that of the other arrow stones in the vicinity.

The stone marked with concentric squares is another 12 paces downhill at a bearing of 20 deg. from the arrow stone. It lies in a direct line with the signpost at the path junction and the granite pillar

Having spent a fruitless hour looking in the area 200 yards to the east of the sheep pen as described by Bezant Lowe, I gave up and walked away disconsolately. Then lo and behold about 150 yards away I suddenly walked over exactly what I had been looking for all that time. I’m sure I only noticed it because I was grumpily walking along staring at my feet!

It turns out to be about 150 yards SE of the sheep pen right at the NE side of the Afon Ddu. It is 3 yards to the south of a granite pillar with the number 5 inscribed on it, which I have since discovered is a waymarker for the Llanfairfechan Upland Walk marked out by Conwy council.

The markings on the stone are beautifully clear.

The grid reference for this site seems a bit inaccurate. I found the 2 smaller stones, each 45 – 50 cm high and 3 paces apart, at GPS reading SK 28255 71378 with the larger stone, 115 cm high, 100 paces away at SK 28225 71454.

There are lots of stones in this area and it is tempting to believe that many others have also been erected. When standing at the larger stone another possible alignment suggests itself looking east to a stone 45 paces away at SK 28265 71450 and a third stone another 20 paces further at SK 28281 71446. The former is leaning over a bit with its top 75 cm from the ground and the latter is 60 cm high.

Three lovely stones in a really remote location – it must have been great to rediscover them!

GPS reading SK 28250 70868. The best directions I can suggest are to start at the wall junction at SK 2783 7072 and walk in a straight line towards the very obvious mast on Puddingpie Hill – in dry conditions in February it took me 500 paces until the stones suddenly appeared in a grassy/reedy area just beyond a small patch of heather.

When I visited in February I thought I could make out a level platform about 6 paces across with 6 very low stones visible on the rim. The area is covered by a mixture of grass and heather and the whole thing is very unconvincing!

I found what appears to be a ring of rubble under the heather at SK 28527 67706 on my GPS. I think Stubob’s photo and description of a much more obvious site refer to what John Barnatt (1990) calls Beeley Moor South (Beeley Moor South 1).

Yes, sorting out the ringcairns here is a very confusing business. I found a site clearly matching the diagram and description of Beeley Moor South (Beeley Moor South 1) in John Barnatt’s 1990 “The Henges, Stone Circles and Ringcairns of the Peak District” at SK 28537 67694 on my GPS. I think Stubob’s photo and fieldnotes refer to Beeley North (South 2).

I got to the circle from Loadpot Hill to the south – it’s no easier to find from that direction! The OS map shows it at about the position listed on the scheduling notice on MAGIC i.e. NY4571 1908 but I agree with fitzcoraldo’s GPS data i.e. about 150 yards to the NNW. This might not sound much but it could make all the difference tryng to find these recumbent stones in the tussocky grass.

The scheduling notice describes it as a slightly oval arrangement of approximately 81 fallen stones with an external diameter of 20m by 17m. Taking these figures and fitzcoraldo’s estimate that the stones define 60% of the circle leaves only about 45cm of the circle for each stone. Therefore if they were all originally standing, they must have been touching or overlapping.

The whole place felt pretty weird to me – a strange jumble of stones in what could have once been a circular arrangement in a pretty dull place. Why did they bother?

What a briliant stone! – a dead ringer for a squatting toad when seen from the side. It’s 1.2m high, 1.1m wide, 0.5m thick and has small packing stones at the base. It lies about 30 yards to the east of the Cistercian Way in an open field, a 5 minute walk from the minor road at SD363776.

The National Monument Record describes it as possibly the remains of a circle of stones such as a walled enclosure. This is based on a confusing reference from 1872. There is certainly nothing else visible now.

The Ordnance Survey have just replied. They are also confused by the symbol on the map and agree that it is in the wrong place. At the next revision they will put an appropriate symbol at SK 2833 7728. Quite what that symbol will be is anyone’s guess – I have counted 8 different symbols for stone circles on the OL24 sheet alone.

From Barbrook I, find a track a few yards beyond the cairn to the NE and then follow it approx NNW for just over 200 metres.

Don’t be thrown as I was by the funny symbol (5 dots in a pentagon) which appears just to the right of the words “Stone Circle” on the OS Explorer map. I assumed it was an obscure symbol for a stone circle but in fact the circle is somewhat further south and I haven’t got a clue what the symbol really means!

The circle can be found by walking 200m on a bearing of 230 degrees from the path junction. Don’t try looking for the reservoir for help – it has been drained and will not be refilled.

I was up there this week and must say that it was a real joy. The footpath from the end of the tarmaced road at SK120705 is now clearly signposted and there is no longer any sight and certainly no smell of the former landfill site! The tomb itself was looking majestic and well cared for by the landowner and the national park – lets dream of the same happening elsewhere!!

This site is more interesting than Hafod y Garreg but that’s not saying much! However there is a clear row of stones on the north-west side that have been set upright and which leads to a cairn to the south-west.

The description in the visit report from RCAHMW is useful: “It comprises approx. 120 small stones set into the turf and aligned generally in rows N.E.-S.W. incompletely covering an area of about 20 M. square. The N.W. most row of stones seems to point towards a mutilated cairn c. 8 M. to the S.W. The stones occur singly and are in every case but one, a boulder 0.6 M. by 0.4 M. and 0.9 M. high, of a generally uniform size. Distances between the stones vary between 0.5 M. and 1.8 M. A clear pattern of regularity is deiscernible although the pattern is incomplete and obscured by turf.”

No photos sorry – camera problem!

What stones there are lie in the eastern corner of the field, rather further east than shown on the OS 1:25,000 map. Don’t try to use the wood to the west of the track to get your bearings – it has been cut down!

The stones are very small and it is very difficult to make out any clear pattern. In fact if I hadn’t got copies of the visit reports from the RCAHMW I would have dismissed them as just stones in the ground!!

It was raining, there was a bull in the field and next morning the back came off my camera ruining the mediocre photos I had taken. All in all a visit to forget and I have still got no idea what the rows are all about.

The Coflein description sounds interesting:
“Remains of a cairn defined by a circular ring or kerb of upright edge stones and a central burial cist lined by stone slabs. The cairn is accompanied by two simple round barrows, possibly satellite cairns, both 3m in diameter and 0.3m high.”

Unfortunately I couldn’t identify anything amidst the mass of stones that lie around!

The description in Coflein reads:
“Two cairns set in close proximity on the slope of the Cefn Penagored ridge. Both cairns are about 6m in diameter but are of different forms. The upper cairn has a clearly defined structure marked by a prominent ring of large stones, some over a metre in length. The lower cairn is dedined by an earth and stone bank which includes a large quantity of white quartz. Ther is a small stone lined cist at its centre.”

I couldn’t find anything in the thick gorse!

Immediately to the north-east of the path by the footpath sign. GPS reading SJ 0469 3346. Three very low banks with lots of stones are visible.

Coflein gives the following description: “Three eccentrically concentric stony rings, each c.2.0m thick, 20m overall diameter, the innermost circle, c.6.0m overall diameter. Part of what is designated the ‘Cwm Tywyll ritual complex’”

There is also a round cairn of 6m diameter immediately on the other side of the path. GPS reading SJ 0466 3344.

Both are on a plateau with superb 360 degree views.

On open sloping ground 40m to the south of Nant Cwm Tywyll. GPS reading SJ 0475 3353. 75cm high, 35cm wide, 30cm deep. Ideal for sitting on while drinking a cup of coffee but only room for one!

The stone is 3m to the east of the fence corner. GPS reading SJ 0274 3432. 1.40m high, 0.95m wide, 0.55m deep. It is pointed with a step on the east side. The long axis runs SE-NW. It stands on the edge of a ridge with super views from the north to the west and on to the southeast. I guess it was a route marker up to the Cefn Penagored ridge above.

These 5 stones all lie on the ridge which leads from Cwm Pennant up to Pen-y-Garnedd at SJ 0410 3092 where there is a round barrow (cairn). All are listed by the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust as being from the bronze age. It seems likely that they marked the route up to Pen-y-Garnedd which would also be a good route to get over to the stone circle and row at Rhos y Beddau in the Disgynfa valley.

Some of the stones are pretty small but they are all quite slim and have been set upright in the earth. I can’t see any logic to the directions in which they have been set. The ground is grassy with almost no other exposed stones visible.

This stone looks like a beached whale. It is clearly visible in the middle of the field on gently sloping ground in a slight hollow. GPS reading SJ 0332 3329. 1m high, 1.5m wide, 0.65m deep with long axis 80-260 degrees

Yr Aran Standing Stone I – leaning over in a hollow on sloping ground. GPS reading SJ 0355 3314. 45cm wide, 15cm deep, at least 60cm long but leaning over so that the tip is only 35cm above the ground. The long axis runs 120-300 degrees

Yr Aran Marker Stone II

In a hollow to the west side of the ridge on sloping ground. GPS reading SJ 0357 3312. 55cm high, 50cm wide, 13cm deep with long axis running N-S

Yr Aran Marker Stone I

A tiny stone on the east side of the ridge, well clear of the bracken. GPS reading SJ 0372 3278. 40cm wide, 12 cm deep, at least 40cm tall of which 20cm is visible. The long axis runs 120-300 degrees.

Ok, so what are they?

The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust lists the 3 arrow stones as being prehistoric but Coflein classifies them as of unknown period.

H.S. (Bill) Chapman has sent me a copy of his interesting article in 3rd Stone Oct-Dec 1998 entitled “’Arrow stones’ and related phenomena: North Wales examples of prehistoric art”. It lists 15 possible sites and draws parallels with markings found elsewhere.

The term arrow stone comes from the idea that the grooves were caused by the sharpening of arrows. This seems implausible but quite what they symbolise, if anything, is unclear. I hope to post some further ideas in the near future.

This stone is just 3 paces south of the track and so has suffered the indignity of lots of modern inials being carved into its surface. GPS reading SH 6924 7100.

There are incisions up to 20cm long, 3mm wide and 2mm deep. Lichen on the east side may be hiding more.

The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust list the stone as coming from the medieval period but to me it seems to have similar character to the Llanfairfechan Arrow Stones just across the county boundary in Conwy which are classified as prehistoric.

The stone is immediately to the south of the track. GPS reading SH 6926 7223.

It is 1.75m long, 0.55m wide, 0.55m deep and is leaning over at a marked angle. It is not listed by either Coflein or the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust – I will contact the latter to ask why not.

This took a bit of finding in rather boggy moorland but was well worth the effort. It is 35 paces south of the wall from the last tree (a hawthorn), which in turn is 35 paces down from the gate in the wall running along the north side of the field. GPS reading SH 6957 7315.

The stone is flat and almost level with the ground, 2.25m long E-W and 0.9m wide N-S. In parts the surface has an odd, almost cement-like, textrure – perhaps it has been smoothed. The incisions are up to 20cm long and 8mm deep.

Coflein describes it as “an arrow stone located on open moorland with more than 100 incisions on its surface.”

I could find nothing at this location although both Coflein and the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust list an arrow stone at SH 6937 7228.

I also couldn’t find the stone from the Roman period which the GAT list at SH 6936 7231 and which Coflein describes as: “Incised stone at the head of Alan Glan Sais near the Roman road. The surface of a flat rock 3ft 8ins by 2ft 5ins bears a design consisting of three concentric squares, the centre of each of the four sides of this design being cut and measures about 9ins square.”

This stone lies 10 paces west of the path junction or perhaps more obviously, 30 paces NW of the NW leg of the pylon. The incisions are up to 20 cm long and 2 cm deep.

Coflein describes it as “an arrow stone on the west side of the track near ffridd newydd. It is a natural boulder measuring 2m by 1m and on the upper surface of the stone are groups of parallel cuts from 10-18cm long.”

The stone is 20 paces north of the track roughly half-way between the corner of the wall to the west and the start of the rectangular enclosure to the east. GPS reading SH 6801 7207. It lies low to the ground and is 2.75m long N-S and up to 1.0 m wide E-W.

There are a group of markings on the SE side of the stone, including a wigwam shape. The incisions are up to 12 cm long, 2.5 mm wide and 2 mm deep. This area of the stone looks as though it could have been smoothed and there are 4 or 5 little holes that look a bit like punch marks. The initials R.R.P. are directly above the wigwam shape. There could also be other incisions on the other side of the stone but they are less clear.

The incisions in the main area are shallower but clearer than those on other so-called arrow stones in the area. The Gwynedd Archaological Trust class it as a medieval inscribed stone and I suspect that it is not older than that. The RCAHW Caernarvonshire inventory from 1956 describe it as “an earthfast stone about 8ft by 3ft with a small group of grooves on its upper surface” and both sources give the grid ref as SH 6800 7206. My GPS reading is a bit different from that but the description matches and so I think I’ve got the same stone.

Here is a route covering all the sites listed for Eyam Moor. It is just over 5 Km and earlier this week took me just under 2 hours in good weather. It could take substantially longer in poor visibility, especially without the use of a GPS to locate Wet Withens, and of course when you spend time looking at things!

Starting at the bend in Sir William Hill Road at SK 224780, take the path running NE. It runs alonside a wall for 500 m and then after the wall turns off to the E, the path continues NE across the moor. In another 500 m you will see down below you to your right a right-angled corner in the wall 200 m away. Head straight down through the heather to Eyam Moor III stone circle (SK 2320 7881) which is just to the NW of the corner and can be seen as a green bilberry mound.

Next head N to the end of the delapidated wall and follow it for about 100 m until you reach 2 gate posts through which runs the footpath down to Leam. To find Eyam Moor II stone circle (SK 2316 7897) go 30 m SW along the footpath back towards your starting point to a large rock in the middle of the path. There is now a raised circular bank of about 10 m diameter immediately to the left of the path which marks the site of the circle.

To get to Wet Withens (SK 2254 7900), return to the gate posts and follow a compass bearing due W through the heather for 650 m. Locating it in the heather can be extremely difficult. The most noticeable features to look out for are the pile of rocks in Eyam Moor Barrow 30 m N of the circle and the tallest stone at the NE of the circle (lots of photos on the site).

Navigation but not the going underfoot now gets easier. Head SW towards the mast near the top of Sir William Hill that hopefully will be clearly visible. Knee high heather is intermixed with waist deep bracken but after about 800 m you come to a wall running across the moor. Climb over the barbed wire in a gap in the wall and follow the path to the NW on the other side. In about 500 m the tops of the trees in Gotherage Plantation can just be seen to your left and 2 tall stones looking like gateposts appear in the wall. Now head W along a gap in the heather for about 100 m and find the Stanage Cup-Marked Stone (SK 2152 7870). The Stanage (Ring) Cairn with another cup-marked stone is clearly visible 40 m to the S (SK 21540 78663).

A footpath can be found about 10 m to the W. Follow it S to Sir William Hill Road and then go E to return to your starting point. Be prepared to get back with very wet legs if it has been raining but look forward to lots of bilberries if you get the season right – they wre still plenty this week!

The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust replied to me today but could find no reference to this stone in their fieldnotes. They will add it to their database to check at a later date.

There are 8 stones in all scattered over a distance of 1.5 Km, lying on either side of Fonlief Hir, a prehistoric trackway that runs up to the ring cairns on the slopes of Moel Goedog.

5 stones, scheduled as ancient monuments, appear on Coflein. From SW to NE these are listed as Fonlief Hir Stone B (Carreg), Stone A (Moel-y-Sensigl), Stone E (Fonlief Hir), Stone C and Stone D. Continuing NE are 2 more stones listed by the Gwynedd Archaeoligical Trust as Moel Goedog Stones 2 and 1. To the east of Stone 2 is a further stone which I have called Moel Goedog Stone 3.

All 8 stones appear on the Megalithic Portal. Fonlief Hir Stones A-E are called Moel Goedog 7,8,1,2 and 6 and Moel Goedog Stones 1-3 are called Moel Goedog 5,3 and 4. The stone listed as Moel Goedog, Merthyr Farm seems to be a duplicate of the stone called Moel Goedog 1, some of the information posted on the latter being incorrect. I will try to contact the author to get it corrected.

The cairn lies to the E of the track and is not visible from Moel Goedog West. The ring is ca 6m wide and contains ca 15 stones, most of which are short and fat.

The cairn lies to the W of the track. There is a wonderful panorama across Tremadog Bay. The ring is ca 6m wide with ca 11 upright and 7 fallen stones. The tallest stone at the WNW is 0.85m high, 0.7m wide and 0.15m deep.

Moel Goedog East cannot be seen from the cairn.

It lies immediately to the SE of the track through a derelict fence. 1.1m high, 0.77m wide and 0.55m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60938 32288.

The stone is immediately to the NW of the track. It is 1.3m high, 1.0m wide and 0.8m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60857 32191.

The stone lies SE of the track and the fence and about 60m from Moel Goedog stone 2. It is 1.0m high, 1.0m wide and 0.77m deep and tapers to the top. GPS position SH 60858 32176

It is not listed on CARN under the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust records. I will try to contact them to find out why not.

It stands just to the NW of the track leading to Moel Goedog.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 0.9m high by 0.6m by 0.5m at the base. It is situated between two tracks, near the junction.”

It stands to the W of the road, just S of where the track braches off to Moel Goedog.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 1m high by 0.5m by 0.18m, leaning slightly to the W.”

It lies to the SE of the road just N of the entrance to Merthyr Farm.

Coflein description (Fonlief Hir stone E): ‘Standing stone about 0.8m high. It measures 0.34 by 0.3m at the base, but is wedge-shaped in profile. there is a raised stony area around the base of the stone, spreading out for some 2m on the W and E and 1m on the N and S.”

It lies to the NW of the road just N of the cattle-grid and the fence running off to the NW.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 2.2m high, 0.9m wide and 0.4m thick at the base. An earthfast stone is visible on the W side.”

It lies to the SE of the road 100m S of the road junction.

Coflein description: “Standing stone 1.8m high by 0.6m by 0.3m at the base.Erosion round the base has exposed a number of stones, although none of them obviously used as packing stones.”

I drove from Llwyngwril up to the end of the tarmacced road at SH598101. It was then a 15 minute walk NE up the track and S along the footpath to the stones.

The location is superb. The stones are on a flat area of land on the side of the hillside with a magnificant of the whole of the Lleyn peninsula across Cardigan Bay. Both stones seem to be looking NW virtually directly at the shapely peak of Carn Fadryn on the Lleyn. Would the sun set directly into it at the summer solstice? Unfortunately, I was there 2 weeks too early to find out!

The S stone is 1.65m high, 1.3m wide and 0.65m deep with an approximately triangular cross-section, the long flat side being at the NW.

The N stone lies about 8m away to the NNE. It is 1.17m high, 1.02m wide and 0.56m deep with an approximayely semi-circular cross-section, the long flat side being at the SE.

Drove up to the end of the tarmacced lane at SH641192 and then had a 15 minute walk N along the track at the edge of the forest, NW along a footpath through the forest and then S and E along forest tracks.

The stone 1.4m high, 0.46 m wide and 0.35m deep stands at the S side of the track. It is really well disguised amongst the trees around it and at first glance looks just like a tree stump with its covering of moss and vertical bands of grey and brown looking like bark.

I tried unsuccessfully to find the glacial erratic with the supposed sword imprint listed as Cerrig y Cledd (North) in the Megalithic Portal. I could see no sign of it in the relatively thin forest up to 100m north of the stone but did not venture into the denser forest further north.

We visited the site on 24th June 2005. The stone lies ca. 100m. north of the “Ormaig Walk” as described in the Isle of Ulva visitors’ guide. We didn’t climb the fence to get closer.

The Canmore database gives the following description from a visit in 1972:
“A recumbent stone, formerly erect measuring 2.6m in length and 2.7m in girth at the base, which is triangular in shape. The sides of the stone are almost straight and what has been the top is pointed.”
The Ordnance Survey field surveyor found in August 1995 that it had been put upright.

We visited the site in April 2000 and were totally perplexed by the layout of the stones. I’m not at all convinced that they represent a field system but cannot offer a better explanation. I contacted the National Monument Record at English Heritage about the site. They quoted the Elgee article but also sent me notes and a site plan from a survey carried out by the Scarborough and District Archaeological Society in June 1966.

They recorded measurements on 116 stones and assigned them to 5 possible rows. The stones averaged 17.1 in. in height (range 6 to 54 in.), 16.4 in. in width (range 6 to 33 in.) and 9.3 in. in depth (range 4 to 40 in.)

Leaving the car at the right-angled bend in Sir William Hill road (SK224780), it took 20 minutes to find the cairn. Follow the path alongside the wall until Gotherage Plantation comes into view on the left. Windago’s 2 upright stones act as clear markers for where to head west.

I was surprised how big the cup marks are: ca. 2 inch wide and 2 inch deep. I was expecting something similar to Schalensteine in north Germany where the cups are half the width and much shallower, similar in fact to the Holymoorside stone.