postman

We could see the Cheesewring from over by the Hurlers, but the last time was the same too, I could see it, I start to walk towards it, looked up and its gone, there one moment gone the next. I turned back and scurried off back to the car.
But not this time, we could see it, so we started to walk towards it, looked up and it was gone, again. long drawn out siiiiigh.
But we kept on going, pushing aside any thoughts of wandering the moor forever more, (Ahem), my daughter was waiting in the car for us, she doesn’t see many stones anymore, shes thirteen now and very settled in her role as moody teenager, hopefully we’d be back soon.

I did not know the Cheesewring is right next to a dirty great quarry, no idea at all. Nor did I know the rock stack was so big, a giants construction if ever there was one. And whats with the corner supports ? apparently helping to prop up the higher layers, surely not ?
A brilliant place to sit and watch the mists rolling across the moor, probably best seen on a nice summers day, but any weather will do if you’ve come more than 200 miles.

A bit of spare quididge and we were off to the zoo, “which one are we going that necessitates a 2.30 am get up call ” the kids asked, or words to that effect.
” Nooooooookey ?”
“Its in Cornwall” I replied overlooking the obvious grammar mistake.

Almost five hours later, and Eric, Mia the young Jack Russell and Myself were striking out across the moor, into yet more mist and drizzle, every time I come here the weather is right crap. Upon seeing the whole site emerge out of the nether world Eric muttered something to himself then said to me there’s alot of them isn’t there ?

That’s one of the good things about the Hurlers, ( another is it’s proximity to the road) there’s so many stones left you can easily see the outline of all three stone circles. The fallen stones are long, some are trying to snuggle there way under the turf, even the broken stumps are not completely devoid of interest, they define some of the more worn out arcs of the circles.
The central circle of the three has a central stone standing in it, there is a long fallen stone between the central and the northern circle, and another possible fallen stone half way between the northern circle and the Cheeswring.
Also not to be forgotten are the Pipers off to the side by the southern circle, and the Minions mound should also be seen by the houses back yard.
But I didn’t know about it until I got back, darn now i’ll have to go back, darn indeed.

I’ve been to Bryn Cader Faner three times and I always approach from the south west. But this time we tried to come at it via the Y Gyrn cairns, from the west. At this time of year this turned out to be somewhat problematical, snowy and icy roads curtailed progress and I had to park right over by the main road, the A496, adding a couple of miles of tedious road walking.
We tried to avoid the road walking on the way there by taking a footpath over a hill and then back down again, then a bridge over a river. All very pretty, but, it’s still not what we came to see. Then the footpaths become a tad indistinct, small streams have to be jumped, even the boggy pooy holes didn’t have the decency to freeze, and the snow drifts were really something else, in places at least four feet deep.
Later rather than sooner we get to a place where the way ahead is more obvious, not any easier but more obvious. The big rocky summit of Y Gyrn towers above us, we decide not to venture over to Maes Y Caerau but carry on under the steep cliffs, fortunately some intrepid explorer had been out here before us so we just followed in his footsteps. At one time my legs sunk in a drift up to the hilt but still never touched the floor. It was hard going to say the least.

At last we reach the spot where we’ve deduced the trio of cairns reside, but only one is obvious there is a maybe but we’ll have a look at that one after we’ve been to BCF. The third eludes us completely.
The obvious one is a little beauty, large boulders define the cairns edge and just off center a ruined cist is to be seen, the two large edges of the cist have fallen in to meet at the middle.
The positioning of the cairns is interesting, nestled under the cliffs of Y Gyrn with only a narrow view of Tremadog bay, but a wide open view of the 623 meter high Moel Ysgyfarnogd.

After an easier more leisurely walk up to the enigma that is Bryn Cader Faner, we walk back down to these cairns, we still cant see the third but the maybe does indeed turn out to be the one were looking for. It is the ring cairn, the one that i’ve seen pictured elsewhere, but what with all the snow drifting up on it and the gorse bushes growing on it it’s not as easy to make out as the nearby kerb cairn, one for a return visit in better weather and armed with my trusty shears. The daylight is quitting our adventure now so we beat a hasty retreat, passing within sorrowful distance of Maes Caerau.
The way back was easier as we elected to stay on the roads, it was a long and tiring walk and it was pitch black by the time we reached the car.

A good pair of cairns but so very far to walk to.

On the one hand i’m disgusted at myself for taking so long to get up to this hill fort on the Wrekin, but on the other I couldn’t have picked a much better day for it.
I parked at the northern end of the hill near the actual car park, and made my way up where I’d seen a dog walker come from. a bit muddy but frozen ..... but slippy.
On the way up, the dog walkers path turns into a bigger track, big enough to drive on. Five big signs warning me of a military firing range punctuate the steep track. Cripes, i’ll not wander far off course today. Big bangs sound reassuringly far off though.

All too soon some height is gained, the air is cooler, ice and old crunchy snow makes walking slower and more precarious. There are quite a few people up here, Shrewsbury and Telford are close by big towns with lots of people some of whom like to hill walk now and then.
Just before the track gets very steep an information board shows up, does the information board think “ay up another walker, please read me.... please”
I duly oblige and instantly feel more informed, firstly I pass through the Hell gate, then through the Heaven gate, with plenty of ramparts all over the place. Brilliant !!!

Passing through the Hell gate, the mounds either side of it are maybe six feet high. A car then starts up behind me and i’m perplexed as to how he got up here, he shows me by leaving, slowly that’s the key. Gawd you can drive up here ? not in my car I’ll bet. Between the Hell gate and the heaven gate I slink off into the trees to locate some of the ramparts, they are very worn down, little more than terraces now, I follow along one up to the heaven gate, my second favorite fort entrance on the Wrekin.

It has to be said, the ramparts aren’t that well preserved , but the entrances to it all are. Heaven gate is high up, 1300 feet high, rising to a height of five feet either side of you as you pass by. Apparently the gate names derive from perhaps two civil war battles, the Hell gate battle went badly but the Heaven gate one more favorably, for who I don’t know. Cromwell presumably.
Ahead, at the top of the hill is a trig point and Toposcope, these both sit on top of a now cared for, but worn and torn barrow. It isn’t recognisable as such but map says it’s so.
Passing the walker swamped trig point you exit the inner fort by another gate, a gate with no name and not marked on the artists impression on the information board. The hill top isn’t so wide here, vertical rocks guard the south side and a worn rampart on the north side, they both meet up at the south west gate, the last gate and my favorite on the hill. From here Caer Caradoc and the Lawley are very visible to the south west. The fort on the Wrekin is surely meant to be seen mostly from there.

I was always told that the Wrekin is an extinct volcano, but it isn’t so, it was made by volcanic happenings, but it isn’t a volcano, volcanic plugs rather. The rocks above the south west gate are very volcanic in appearance, slippy too, don’t look over the side it’s a long way down. One large rock has broken off the main outcrop leaving a slim gap between them, is this the needle. Don’t know, nor could I find anything that is supposed to be a solar alignment wotsit on such and such a day. Oh well, summer wont be long.
Ive been up here for hours now it is time to go and pick up the kids from school, this morning was so much better than sitting at home watching day time TV wishing I was else where.

Sometimes some places take you by surprise, this one did it to me, I know the local terrain, I knew where would be visible from up the top, but I didn’t know what to expect from the remains of these two hill top enclosures, and the weather had been mostly grey with hints of changeability.
The kids elected to stay in the car, whilst stone mad dad went for one last walk. Less than a mile from car park to fort to the other fort and back, shouldn’t take long. Eric took one look at the steep sided hill and shook his head sternly, “your on your own this time Dad”

So off I went, for most of the upward yomp the car park was in full view, I neglected to put back on my walking boots and the hillside turned out to be a bit slippy in my work trainers. As height is gained the views west and north open out, Rhobell Fawr is dominating the north and far to the north west The Rhinogs begin to peep over the nearer hills. Still higher still and Cader Idris is very prominent to the south south west with huge clouds billowing down over the high ridge. Then to the south west the Mawdadach estuary can be seen happily taking away as much water off the hills as it can carry. Then sweating and breathing hard the top has been attained, before I reach the nearest stretch of tumbled walls I notice there is a lot of pure white quartz scattered all over the hill top, pretty.

Standing upon the spread of wall material on its north western side I note that with my usual alacrity I have climbed the hill via it’s steepest way, there is a footpath edging round its northern way but it’s the very long way, my way though very steep was most direct. I begin the circumambulation of the fort, or is it an enclosure, i’d rather the fort label as a pig pen can be described as an enclosure and this is so much more. At its steepest point the walls have disappeared altogether, but soon the hill is more gentle and the scattered rubble gets higher and wider. Then it gets much more complicated as the walls are so substantial that interior walls can be seen, whether these are truly ancient or more recent I cant tell. From there I make my way to the top, where a tall square cairn has been erected, from the fort walls, pah, and booo!!
Just yards away is the entrance, it is a complicated affair, the inner wall turns outwards at 90 degrees then back on itself at 90 degrees to form a double wall. But these were not the surprises that took my breath away great as they were, the sun I thought had already gone down, but I was mistaken, it still had some way to go before it dipped behind the lower hills below Cader Idris, just south of Pared y Cefn hir. A massive golden glow burst through the clouds and I stood rooted to the spot for how long I don’t know, then I remembered my camera and set about trying to record the moment, for these do not come along often, my camera is mostly obstinate at capturing light and dark at the same time but it seemed to be coping well.
I ran about on the hill top trying to get all the best bits in the best light ive seen in along time, mostly the entrance, then I recalled the other lesser enclosure and realised it would be directly between me and the sun, I jogged off down the hill, trainers giving up all hope of being dry. There it is, damn, I thought, I’m not going to have time to get a good look at that one too, so I made do with a selection of photos on my way past, down and on my way back to the car. Getting down was harder than coming up, more slippy, legs more wobbly, the precipice walk is near here , but not here, but it should be. Eventually I got back to the car, to hoots of derision as to how long it took, ah well you cant have it all, but we’ll always have that sunset.

Not been here for seven years and somehow I only have two pictures of it, mostly I was trying to refind the nearby cairn circle of Waun Hir, unsuccessfully might I add, so I parked the car up the road and spent some time here at this partially collapsed portal dolmen.
From the roadside the capstone looked like a big shark leaping over the wall, toothless mouth wide open. From on this side of the wall you can see the only other two remaining chamber stones, the left hand portal stone and the blocking door stone.
On the other side of the wall, after crossing with care it’s only very loosely made, you can see what could be remains of cairn material trailing behind the capstone. The capstone is a very big specimen indeed, rounded at the back end and more pointy at the front, it seems to point or be aligned on the nearby cairn topped Moelfre.
I struggle to class Moelfre as a sacred hill, there are two standing stones to the south and the west has Waun hir cairn circle (Bah!) and this dolmen, but what if there was once more. Its rounded and stand alone appearance make this a very memorable landmark.

The church is very easy to find, places for up to half a dozen cars, if nothing is going on at the church. I left the kids in the car and went to see this one on my own. The big heavy door was unlocked and the inside was dark, I put on the light but it didn’t make much light, the flash was needed throughout.
The stone is only maybe three feet tall, the spiral carving is at the top. Boy it was quiet in the church, the kind of quiet you only get when the nearest hundred people to you are all dead. I like churches, not in any christian type way, the peace and quiet are absolute, and the feeling that nothing bad ever happens in a church is a good one, why wouldn’t any one like a quiet old church ?

Follow directions for the standing stone, but when you reach the information board by an opening into the forest, enter here, this is the footpath marked on OS maps. Idwal couldn’t find it, A Portaleer needed local help, but it’s really not hard to find at all. It can be seen perfectly well on Google earth, in the corner of where the trees have been felled in an angled kind of way. Any way, follow the path through the dark forest, untill you come acoss some moss covered walls, pass through them making for the edge of the trees and the big white rock will shine at you through the trees. Simples.

Finding it was a simple matter when compared to interpreting it, it isn’t apparently on Coflein, So i’m unsure of it’s date. The information board has it incorporated into an archaeological walk, so there is some hope of it being old. It’s proximity to the standing stone Cerrig y Cledd, the stone of the sword and to Cerrig Arthur stone circle, Arthur being well known for having a sword of some repute, both lend weight to it.

Ive added this site as a carving but it could equally have been a rocky outcrop, rock art, or engraved stone, it’s probably best just to describe it.
The rocks look to have been one large rock at some time, two big chunks have broken off the main rock. One of the broken off rocks has a carved sword on it, where it has broken off the main rock is another carved sword shape, looking for all the world as if the rock broke open and a sword was revealed, Arthurian like. I would really like this to have been ancient, but it all seems too fantastic, perhaps it is an ancient carving, but I doubt that it was used in casting a sword or the finding of some miracle weapon.

Having said that it really should be sought out when visiting the menhir, I was elated and giddy for finding such a potential wonder of a site, my son thought me slightly mad i’m sure.

I’ve wanted to come here for at least a decade, since I first saw it on the map during my first trips round Cader Idris, then in 2011 I got as close as the small car park by the lake and modern standing stone. This time I got there early, with bikes and a bag full of determination.
From the car, head north on the tarmac’d road then turn right up hill to a house that might be called Caegwian, From there a footpath goes north and southeast, go north. Shortly the path joins the pan forestation track, its rough in places but a 4x4 could pass along it. At the top of the track is another information board, it is here that we enter the dark forest to find the sword in the stone (more about this coming soon). From the info board follow the track west then south then east, the stone will appear on the right hand side of the track. The track is very muddy and flooded in places, we got a bit wet and dirty but the bikes were very wet and dirty. Look at my suit!

Since Idwals picture the trees all around and south of the stone have been felled and removed, new trees are growing with in feet of the stone. Cerrig Y Cledd (the stone of the sword) is about five feet tall and looks to be mostly made of quartz. There is no view south so the wonderful vistas around Cader Idris are blocked by a slight rise in the land. However the stone circle of Cerrig Arthur (well known for his sword) would have been visible if not for trees, and the stone would have been perhaps visible on the horizon from there, well, maybe not on the horizon. The sword in the stone glacial erratic is about 250 meters north, well just east of north actually. But don’t try finding it from here through the forest you will get lost, retrace the track and go in by the information board.

A very good stone, worth the effort, and the long wait, probably best visiting after a prolonged dry spell.

There are no stones, no cairns, no rock art here, not even a hill fort, I’ve struggled for years to justify adding this natural feature. Eric and me went here on the solstice so at least iv’e got some pictures to add. But it does have some ancienty connections, it is almost exactly one mile west of Capel Garmon. Between the Glen and the burial chamber is a rocky outcrop called Dinas Mawr, Dinas of course usually meaning a settlement of some sort but there is no hill fort there. At the eastern end of the Glen two rivers meet, The Afon Conwy and the Afon Machno, at the western end of the Glen two rivers meet the now bigger Afon Conwy and the Afon Lledr. Even without the meeting place of three major rivers I believe it would have been one of those proto temples and would have been well known by the builders of Capel Garmon.

My first trip here was with my brother and parents over thirty years ago on one of our annual holidays to North Wales. Then when I passed my driving test you just couldn’t keep me away, I came with my mates, with an ex girlfriend on my own and even at night once, I know the place well. The time before this visit the place had changed somewhat, A car park had been built, a new path to the gorge, with an honesty box, confound these money grabbing newbies, we payed and saw the glen. That was over ten years ago, at that time I felt it lost some of it’s charm, so to review that position a return visit was due.
We parked the car in the car park, room for a dozen cars, and made our way to the new path, passing the honesty box Eric suggested I ignore it, but I just couldn’t, I didn’t have the right change so I chucked in what I had. Half a minute later and an old man chased us down pointing out I hadn’t put in the right amount and he had change should I need it. Confound these newbies. He gave me the right change, and I pointed out that we never used to have to pay all those long years ago and he said Au contraire people have been paying for two hundred years, there used to be a man in a hut down the lane taking pennies off the tourists. Bollocks. Not since the moon landings have I heard such claptrap, I know the hut he means and there was never anyone in it, there was a slot in it for money we presumed but no message of its use, so it was free. As free as the air around and the water running through the gorge. Bloody newbies.

We carried on to the Glen, it was a much longer walk than it used to be, but it was as beautiful as ever, thank god . The water was high, very high, it’s best appreciated in low water and high summer, the sun pouring down through the narrow gap, mayflies bobbing about and dippers dipping and so on and so on. Beautiful.
Back up the slippy slate steps there used to be a place where you could cross through into the next property and follow the gorge along , there was even a place where you could climb down into the gorge and sit on a big rock in the middle, it’s the best place in Wales, but no more, high barbed wire topped fences bar the way. The only place your allowed to now is the entrance to the Glen, and look longingly up the river to the gorges narrowest place.
Confound these newbies.
We left, energised by the rushing river and raw natural beauty, but bitterly disappointed at the curtailing of gorge exploring.
Confound bla bla bla!

How can you talk about these stones without mentioning those blooming pylons, they are there, get over it, move on.
The two big stones stand maybe 60-70 yards apart northwest – southeast of of each other. The north west stone is just over six feet tall and squarish with flat top. The southeast stone is about eight to nine feet tall roundish in section and pointy topped, I struggle to not to bring up male and female associations. Both stones have other numerous smaller stones in close attendance.
I cant recall how many times I’ve been here, but it hasn’t been this misty and damp before. We are wet and cold now so it’s time to dry off and warm up whilst we drive over to Capel Garmon.

Another Barclodiad y Gawres can be seen almost perfectly west of here 25 miles away on Angelsey, but the two are very different monuments.
This Apronful of stones is much smaller with no big chambers or rock art and is also in a very different kind of place, Angelsey’s is right by the sea, you cant even see the sea from here, this Apronful is very much mountain oriented.
The two big stones of Bwlch y Ddeufaen are very close and visible to the north west. Just to the north across the track is one of those natural burial chamber type things.

In the middle of the pile of stones is a hole, a scoop, a depression where supposedly a cist/chamber was once to be found. The cairn is actually much larger than the stones on the surface would suggest, approximately twice as large. I have been here before and posted a couple of images, but strangely no field notes, but I no longer have any pics on my computer so that is partly the reason for my return visit. It is also so close to Cerrig Pryfaid that to not come up here would have been very remiss.

My last field notes for Cerrig Pryfaid ended like this “Oh well winter comes round every year, but I don’t.” But maybe I do. Winter solstice upon us, short of funds and time we headed west for the mountains of Eastern Snowdonia again (as you do) hoping to see the sunrise from this often overlooked but always giving stone circle.
Eric and I arrived still in pitch black and deep mist, we had twenty minutes snooze in the car park and got ready for a walk back down the road. Eric pointed out that we could probably drive back and leave the car blocking the road as no one but us were daft enough to be here at this time and in this crappy weather, I had to concede he was probably right, so we did.
It was still quite dark after climbing over the wall in the appropriate place and the clouds were too low to permit a decent sunrise. Damn and blast !!!
For the first twenty minutes I had to use the flash on my camera, but soon the views began to clear of mist and normal light was resumed.
I remember Tiompan say that the sun rise at the winter solstice rises between the forted hill of Pen y Gaer and its near neighbour Pen y Gadair
The stone I had dubbed the winter solstice stone does point between these two hills, how can one stone point ? its wide at one end and thin at the other, if you wanted to find a stone that points this is the one. But that is not all, the stone I had dubbed the equinox stone forms a line with the winter stone and the gap between hills, the gap between hills is rather a wide one and without the sun I cant say where in the gap the sun would rise. The stones suggest the sunrise would be more closer to Pen y Gadair than Pen y Gaer ( see picture).The winter stone itself is pointing at roughly 132 degrees, that I reckon is good enough for me, for me, I have discovered something I think is new to Cerrig Pryfaid, plenty of people have remarked upon the outliers but no one has put forward a decent explanation, Till now ?
So, another winter goes by, another end of the world averted, (last of the chicken littles I hope, now can we get on with building a future we can look forward to for ourselves) I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I’ll get it one day, the only way I can prove this definitively is to get a bunch of know it alls up there in perfect weather on the winter solstice. One day.

Thesweetcheat and myself have been looking forward to this one for weeks, ever since his rummaging among Cofleins blue spots payed dividends with an unknown stone circle. Gladman’s pictures and ever eloquent field notes brought it to the fore and last Saturday we had our turn at finding this slightly contentious but essential to see stone circle.
As usual I picked Alken up at the railway station at 9 am, but unusually Eric the boy wonder was joining us on this Snowdonia’n expedition.
The weather was behaving itself, we all had our wellies, and our waterproofs, nothing seemed amiss, it should have, but it didn’t.
Parking was sought and attained by llyn Pen Y Gwryd, parking was 2 squid, we donned the bog walking attire, then it hit me, not only had I not brought my camera, I hadn’t even charged the battery, it had totally escaped my mind. Damn and blast, never have I been so remiss in my stone hunting, crap crap crap, I told myself it didn’t matter too much, i’ve got eyes in my head, I’ll just have to try to remember hard what I was seeing.

We started the walk by crossing the small river on a little bridge and followed the river up the very boggy hillside. This waterway also constitutes the boundary between Gwynedd and Conwy. En route upwards I noticed Alken had got left behind, I turned to see what was keeping him, he’s taking a picture of course, I was momentarily brought down, not for the first time today neither.
We reached as high as we needed to reach and followed the river towards Llyn Cwmffynnon, not seeing the circle immediately we squelched and sucked our way over to the rocks with the solitary tree, they always seem to know the way, no really, if you lose your bearings go to the nearest tree, take a minute and you’ll soon be sorted out.
From up on these rocks the surroundings really knock you for six, Glyders Fach and Fawr are large, close and very rocky, but like Gladman says it’s crazy Crib Goch and bumpy Bwlch y Moch that really keeps your eye, Moel Siabod across the valley seems just an after thought.
The tree did indeed have the answer, it was obvious from up there that the circle was back the way we’d come, nearer to the Llyn. So we waded off towards where we’d been directed, then above the heather I saw a stone, then another, and bingo, Eureka, Its here.

The circle isn’t circular, its an oval, an ellipse it is. There are five standing and three fallen. A large earthfast? boulder is approximately in the centre. I watch wistfully as Alken takes his photos, I concentrate on the stones and the surroundings, and Eric starts his motion to go. Quiet boy we’ve just got here.
The stones are quite different in their shape, one is thick and blocky, two fallen stones are sharp and pointy, another is wide and slim and set facing the side of the circle. We note from the compass that an equinox sunset would set behind Crib Goch, and maybe a winter solstice sunset would set between two prominent peaks perhaps Y Lliwedd.
Two walkers with nothing else to do could have set it up its true, but would they have chose this nasty bog to do it in, a nice dryish hill top isn’t far away, would that not have been a better choice. The only conclusion is that it must be ancient, and when they were erected it was dryer, any newness to the stones could be attributed to the constant submergence of the stones. Eric is by now needing food and the toilet, we agree that this is a bonafide stone circle and anything more to be learnt of it will have to wait for another time. We descend on the Gwynedd side of the river which turns out to be dryer, but only just.
Later that day I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow and begin to hatch a plan to return the next day.

We do too, Eric and me take our bikes up to Aber falls again, and then race the failing light back to the stone circle, I marvel at Eric’s single mindedness to reach the circle before dark. Photographing the stones turns out to be harder than Id liked, the camera doesn’t like the dark and some were very blurry, I did learn something new about the place, but its just that i’ll have to come back again in drought conditions or snow and ice.
This stone circle whilst now situated in a bog is perhaps one pf the best placed circles in Wales, it certainly has the best view that i’ve ever seen from a stone circle.

I must have been about ten years old when I first came here, on a field trip with the whole family whilst holidaying in Llandudno. The last time was maybe fifteen years ago, just as I was getting into all things ancient. How many times had I walked blindly past this, looking but not seeing, in my defense there is a great big waterfall not far from it, a big one that kind of grabs your attention. It wasn’t until the Portal alerted me to this well reconstructed round house, with, by gosh, a standing stone incorporated into the hallway, that I knew I’d have to come back, sooner or later. It was never going to be later though.
Alken was coming up for another foray into the wilds of Snowdonia so I mentioned it to him and he was all for it. Sonny boy Eric was with us too, chatterbox extraordinaire, my goodness but hes never quiet is he.

We payed and displayed, 2 pound, for, errmmm quite long, and we were off. It’s quite a long walk up to the waterfall, in days gone by I’ve followed the river up to it, in a gorge walking kind of way. Today though as with most wintry days daylight is in short demand so we took the direct route. There are often many people on the path, but at this later hour it wasn’t bad.
I may have inadvertently said to Eric that we could watch the sun go down from the Druids circle, but as the sun went down and he realised it wasn’t going to happen he got a bit grumpy. But only for a short while.
Today was also the scene for my biggest gaff yet, I had neglected to pack my camera, whilst we were out checking new and interesting places my poor camera was home alone, sitting under the computer. Booooo!
So without my camera, bereft of impetus, feeling a bit useless, I almost didn’t notice Alken pointing out a hut circle. Quite a good one too, Eric climbed the nearest tree, as monkey boy is wont to do, Alken took some photos, but I just watched, darn I miss my camera. Some big stones mark the outline of the earthy bank of this hut circle, you can see the passage into the house as well. Two big stones have made their way indoors, well, its cold out.

Further on and Eric is proving he really doesn’t know the meaning of hush, wittering on and bouncing round like a, well like ten year old. I’m beginning to pay more attention to the stones scattered around, we start seeing the hand of man all the way down the path, from up at the tree line down to the path, and off down towards the river. Once again Alken sees the hut circle that inspired our visit here first, i’m looking up to the left, when its down to the right, just yards from the path. It is exactly the way I saw it on the portal, only better, ‘cause we were there. A thick hut wall circles a large flat area, giving way to the passage into the house. There built into the side wall of the passage is the standing stone, almost six feet of pointy stony goodness. The lower inner half is covered in a bright orange lichen, almost luminous. Again I have to watch impotently whilst someone else takes the photos, it’s only now I realise how much I like taking pictures, a camera in the hand means the world cant be all that bad.
The last two hundred yards to the waterfall and its in full view, and it gets louder and louder. Soon we stand right before its watery magnificence, spraying our faces, smiling broadly Alken wipes his glasses, Eric stands on a big rock and salutes the rawness of it all by double punching the sky. The sun has gone down by now so we beat a hasty but reluctant retreat, as we get back to the car park a small cottage with lights on in the windows looks very very cosy.

I hated not having a camera, so Eric and me came back the day after, spending the last of my birthday petrol, but with bikes, and did it all over again. Smiiiile!

In theory there should be 360 different routes up this or any hill, but in reality there is but two and they converge half way up. These paths can be accessed via Nab Lane off Shrigley lane (between Bollington and Pott Shrigley)and Nab Heady leading to Cocksheadhey Road, the two paths are at the east end of this smirk inducing road.

On the way up the hill Arthur and I took the low path which was both lucky and unlucky because there was an attractive woman and her Labrador taking the high path, my marriage may be failing but I’m still fairly sure meeting nice ladies in the hills is a no no, or is it, hence the lucky/unlucky.
After much huffing and puffing we got to the top, Arthur was by now too knackered to be pulling at the lead, and there it is, Nabs head barrow.
Near the barrow are a few cobbled together bricks of indeterminate usage, sitting upon them, and then standing on them in order to photograph the barrow, I found at least two uses. In between the bricks and the barrow is a small sign instructing us to go back the way we came for the path ends here. I have little choice for my car is back that way, or else I would willfully ignore it and find an alternative route.

The barrow is still quite good despite its proximity to town and village, excepting the how rude trig point plonked on its summit, and excepting the big excavation hole right next to it. Ok, so its not that good, but, it is, quite good despite these detractors, oh and there’s a slight scoop on its top where the trig point is. So..... even though all these things it is still a good barrow worth the walk up here and the views are very good, on a clear day I could see my house. Well nearly.

Good barrow.

What does a skint Tma’er want most for his birthday ? Yep ! A full tank of petrol, nice one dad.
In between school runs I decide to take myself over to the Maiden castle of the north, the second most impressive hill fort i’ve ever seen. Sadly it rained all the way here, but, no matter, I have waterproofing, funny though, it stopped raining as I got them on, it does that quite often. Dressed as an orange fluorescent Jedi Knight I enter the fort by it’s main western entrance and make my way via a myriad of paths to the modern stairway at it’s north western corner, we had a picnic here one summer many years ago, Eric was still in nappies, I always meant to come back but it’s taken almost ten years, bad postie.

Incorrectly I start a circuit of the fort in an anticlockwise manner, mostly because I intend to get up Llwyn Coppice, the hill next door, to get a different view of the fort and I need to see what access is like.
Passing the entrance, New Oswestry stands not far away, compared to the fort it is a sprawling metropolis. Low mist clings to even the lowest hills and I cant make out any distant features at all. Half way round I come to a herd of sheep, one in particular keeps eyeballing me, it is the last to turn tail and scarper further up the ditch, but they don’t go far and I’m chasing them all the way round from the lesser eastern entrance and all the way back to the stairs, which they use with ease, Oi they’re people stairs, I use a Jedi mind trick that only works on the feeble minded and they stick to the bottom of the ditch. After an inspection of the mystery ditches I conclude they must be frog farms and leave the fort walls.

Time for a climb of the nearest and closest hills, to the north is a 151 meter high hill that looks a good vantage point to eye up the western fortifications. It is. An harangued Buzzard flew past being mobbed by Crows, poor thing. Next after a walk down the road containing a waving good morning from a fat fellow with two Labradors. Soon I’m up to the top of llwyn coppice hill, a good lookout point if you can get a view through the trees. And a nice place in itself, autumnal colours abound, and birds streak by, but, the local youth have been here and even the trees have been Graffitied and one poor tree has had a dozen long nails hammered in to a six inch space. God damn no brains, they should all just drop down dead.
Time to go see some stones.

Its time for another visit, this time without snow and Ice, I was able to get much closer with the car this time. In fact so close, that when I parked in front of the gate that gives access to the stones field that I saw a map by the gate and instructions detailing that there is a permissive footpath to the stone. No trespassing needed today or ever again. Good stuff.
Small sheep take no chances with me and run off to the other side of the field, no brave one, no staring, no Baaing, good sheep. The stone is still seven foot tall and still leaning, more or less in the direction of a spring and waterfall to the north west. It is a big hefty chunk of stone similar in appearance, from some angles to Carreg y Big a mile and a half north. Thin wisps of mists can be seen against the dark green of the nearby conifer plantation, but the sun stubbornly stays behind the thick clouds.
A good stone well worth the trouble of navigating the small roads, snow or not on foot or by car, if you’ve just been to the fort at Oswestry there really is little excuse not to come see these two big stones.

My last trip here was in foot deep snow and thick fog, this time it was easy going, the trees were in their last gasp of colour before it’s all over for another year, the fog was still in attendance though. Not too thick mind, the sun tried to shine through it, leaving me, the trees, the stone and the staring sheep in that beautiful natural filtered light, not the light at the end of the tunnel, or the light that brightens the darkest place, just the light that reminds one why its good to be alive.

Without the treacherous icy roads I could get a lot nearer with the car, a five minute road walk and over the same gate as before, up the field and over the rambler improved stile, the stone is fifty yards further up hill, off the path but not out of reach.
Going on for seven feet tall, this is a big thick stone, one that changes shape as you move round it, which isn’t easy as its very close to the fence. In fact its at the junction of three tree lined field fences. Without its covering of snow and ice I could clearly see the quartz veins running through it as reported by Thesweetcheat on his epic retreading of the Offas dyke path (hats off mate). As I sat with my back to the fence, the stone a few yards away, a Post van went up the lane and stopped at the house on the road, I often see these red vans when stone hunting and a wry smile passes by, how I wish I could deliver around here or some other such megalith rich place, I wonder if these other posties realise how much more luckier than I they are.... Probably not.

On a hill above the wooded Afon Clwyd, south of Clocaenog forest, is this dilapidated hillfort. The wife and I parked down the lane from a farm Clegyn Mawr above which is the settlement. Only the entrance and the bank on either side is still recognisable, though with a trained eye, one can follow the earthworks all the way round though they were hidden by summer growth on our visit. The south west edge is undefended due to vertical cliffs, the whole inside area is quite large maybe 150 m across. Though the weather looked a bit threatening we were lucky, and appreciative of the good views all around.

I don’t know what attracted me to this place, I was just randomly street viewing around on Google earth, I saw this massive mound right by the road side and instantly it made the top of the list, from initial discovery to pictures on the internet took about 27 hours, not bad eh ?
I don’t know its Coflein certified name , but I feel certain that the village of Gorsedd itself is named after this massive barrow, from the view on street view I had in mind a kind of road side Marlborough mound, and so it turned out to be.
It must be thirty feet tall if its an inch and it occupies the hill top, naturally, and can be seen opposite a house called Gorsefield. But and it’s a big but, one thing not evident on street view is it’s on private property, in someones front yard, a house called Pen Yr Orsedd. Pah, pesky people.
Theres only a low wall separating the common folk from this throne, so I scaled the embankment and stepped over the wall. Boy this is a big barrow, not slumped or spread in any way, tall and conical just the way I like ‘em. Small ornamental trees have been planted around the mound and in the dappled sunshine this looked a lovely place. A shame its just a garden feature now, but what would you rather have gorse, nettles and cow poo or asking at a house, I won’t/don’t ask, so my sneak peak sufficed, just.
A damn good barrow well worth the trip.

Before arriving here I was at Rhiwiau and Blaen y Cwm, two very large barrows separated by a small stream, naturally if you follow the stream it will get larger and lead to the sea, and it will lead you here to Plas Newydd round barrow.
From way up on the B5382 it looked very interesting, fencing is usually bestowed on the more famous and distinguished of prehistoric works, and after Chances excellent posts I decided that I just had to come back and take a closer look, someday.
Two and a half years it took, Ive got a big list to get through, but it’s better late than never.

I parked off the B road in an access lane into some woods, they are for sale too, so I wouldn’t have got in the way. I had already passed the entrance to the farm some way back, and running low on time (sitting under a tree waiting for the rain to stop) I decided a sneak viewing was the way to go. There was no one around, and keeping trees between myself and the farm, I got there and back without any hinderance.

Despite all the knowledge garnered from excavations and finds from the dig and some good stone chambers with in the mound, it is very sad to see the way this barrow has been treated. The fence is far too close, concrete posts form the corners, sunk into the barrow itself. Sad tutting. The black silage bags do nothing for the aesthetics of the place either. A stile has been thoughtfully provided to gain access to the grassy mound. No stone work can be seen, and nor is it round any more , but distinctly squarish.
The barrow stands about a hundred yards from the Afon Aled just above the flood plain, as many barrows round here do, denoting tribal boundaries or adoring water itself, who knows, not me.

It’s been a long time coming, I added this site the first time I went to Rhiwiau barrow across the river, I think, over two years ago. But I was barrowing in the vicinity so here I am.
The shortest route to this behemoth is past the other whopper to the east. Passing Rhiwiau go down the hill a bit and you should be able to see it low on the skyline. It was raining on my approach so I sat for a while under a tree, one of my most favorite pastimes, unfortunately my map is still there, usually I would have gone back if not for here then for where I’m off to next, luckily my memory is good and I know my way around . Crossing the river watch out for very boggy muddy ground then up hill to the barrow, you are now on public access land so say goodbye to fears of trespassing, if you had any.
Unlike it’s oversized brother this barrow seems to have suffered none of the same depredations, no modern brickwork and still round and shapely. Slightly smaller and covered in heather and mosses this is more like what we’re used to.
South , the hills rise up to the peak known as Moel Bengam, but north the views are long all the way to the coast. A very good barrow well worth the effort, on a nice day it would be good to sit atop for a while

I’ve been up here before, but I was looking for the more north eastern pair, and failed miserably, or so I thought.
Having seen the place with more seasoned eyes, I reckon I did find them or at least one anyway.
This time I concentrated on the very highest pair of barrows, the trig point being on top of one of them I thought it would be easy to find, it wasn’t.
The hill top is rolling and undulating and it isn’t immediately obvious which part was higher than the others, looking for a trig point we’d just go high. I backed into the trees , protecting my eyes, I blundered round in concentric circles and eventually came back out into daylight, it was flippin dark in that forest. After my first attempt I realised the top of the hill was back further the other way so I retraced my footsteps and barged back into the fray. It was hard going but eventually I came out into a light splashed clearing and there it was barrow trig point and all.
Firstly I stood atop the concrete pillar, and found no views at all, just a circle of trees surrounding me. In former times the vistas would have been mind blowing, looking south would reveal the heavily cairned valley that will become Llyn Brenig. Far to the west Snowdonia, and far to the east the heavily forted Clwydian range.
Next I strode off again through the trees looking for the other barrow that the map promised was close by, I even found the appropriate clearing , nice and round, but no barrow. Gone or so slight as to disappear under the copious covering of heather and mosses. I retreat back to the trigged barrow sit atop the concrete point, I whooped a bit and noticed an amazing echo, I howled and shouted and yipped listening to myself shout back. Is this because of the trees or is it an original feature of the place.
This would be such a good place if not for the blasted forestry commision, even if they all came down tomorrow it would still be ruined, i’ve seen the devastation the felling can cause, so this is as good as it gets, in this lifetime.

I have been unable to Coflein certify the site name for these two barrows, they still won’t let me play, I named it after a rather enigmatic oldy worldy name seen on the 1,25000 map. Forgive me if i’m wrong but Carreg y Llech lead me to belive a stone of some sort would be found, but no.
To the west of Treuddyn are these two once large barrows. One a bit more together than the other. A hedge separates the two, but a handy gate is placed in such a way to be able to see both at once. But really there are much better examples not very far away. At least the views down to the sea and up to Nercwys mountain were good.

I have been unable to Coflein certify the site name for this barrow, they still won’t let me play. I named it after the nearby village of Pant.
Sadly this barrow is fairly out of bounds even for the most hardened stone hunter, behind a house but within its “property” . Covered in nettles and the muddy stomping ground for two noisy dogs, I decided to stay out of the rain amongst the trees that cover the bridleway 80 meters north of the barrow, house and dogs. I could have knocked on the door and asked for permission to take a closer look, but it didn’t really look like it would be worth the bother. Moving on.

I have been unable to Coflein certify the site name for these two barrows, they still won’t let me play, perhaps its me, perhaps its them, perhaps its this damn computer. I named it after the nearby farmhouse.
On the busy A525 between Pant to the west and Four Crosses to the east are these two nice fairly large barrows. Almost paradoxically the roadside barrow is twice as big as its higher neighbor. But its position now is constricting to say the least, crammed in the corner of the field besides the road and the driveway to Maes Maelor house. A big likeable barrow stuck in the corner to be forgotten, but not by us.
Across the road is the smaller more reduced grass covered barrow, its location has a better view than its neighbor, looking down the valley, below llantysilio mountain. Clouds, sunshine and being “out” may have made me soft but I think this is a good place.

I’m willing to bet good money that this stone is in the top 100 of Britain’s remotest stones, at the same time as being in the top 100 of Britain’s prettiest places. No, maybe not prettiest, it’s pretty lower down the valley at Hafodygors wen, here it’s wild, rugged and beautiful, with a capitol W.

I cant imagine any one will come here just for this one stone but if you do leave your car at the car park near Llyn Eigiau. Strike out North west towards Clogwyn yr eryr, if you don’t intend to see the stone row up there, turn right onto the footpath that takes you to the dam where the Afon Mellynyn turns into the Afon Dulyn. From the dam the path goes west, either follow it to the long fence line then go up, or when you reach the strong mountain stream Afon Garreg Wen (River white stone) cross it follow it up stream till you find mega sheepfold city one. From there a large outcrop can be seen and the stone is by the fence just below it.

Actually there are two stones, one higher up the hill than the other. The higher up of the two is about four and a half feet tall, covered in, wait for it, white lichen. There are no holes in it for posts of any sort, it does not lend any structural aid to the fence at all, but the fence is tied to it with thick twine. The other stone is about five and a half feet tall on the other side of the fence, this one has no holes and is tied to the fence as well.
It is not quite as white as it’s smaller sibling, but white enough to give it’s name to the river that goes noisily by.
But perhaps also of interest is the outcrop right by the stones, it splits naturally creating ready made standing stones, it’s another one of those menhir factories. One big lone stone stands at it’s eastern end at least ten feet tall, wide, yet thin and very tall. Also I found a stone with a weird smooth area worn on it’s upper surface, another stone with probably natural cup marks, yet another stone has some strange grooves up one side, like a corrugated shape with perfect ninety degree angles, haven’t seen owt like it before, a big Elephants tooth it resembled.

If you did go to the stone row before or want to go now just follow the fence line down the hill over the river and up the other side, this will also take you back to the car park.

One more place to go on the way back to the car, I follow the fence line all the way across the valley crossing the Afon Dulyn in the process, I saw three other people on the way a one and a two. High up on the other hillside I come to the track that TSC and myself walked along to Carnedd Llewelyn back in May and start walking carwards, that is east. First I refind the single standing stone that is situated by a dip in the hill top perhaps pointing towards Pen Llithrig y Wrach, then from there the other stones can be seen. One good tall stone has holes in two sides one all the way through, the fallen stone is perhaps smaller, with another hole in it. The last stone is the smallest and the most northern. It has no holes in it. These three could be a stone row, but the other stone up hill is out of line. It’s all very confusing, they were at one time part of a fence line, but the ancients breath has been down my neck all morning, its just as strong here as it was at sunrise. What a beautiful place, I must find a reason to come back, thought of one already, because I can.

Autumn equinox, 2012, just before dawn.

It was most definitely getting light now, I donned my waterproof lower half, it was not going to rain but dew is a soaker and there’s that river to cross as well, then I was off down the hill towards one of my most favorite of places Hafodygors wen. A northern four poster with a ring cairn around it. I’ve already removed one small Gorse bush, and almost all of another, it was time to finish the job and catch the place in its best light, sun rise.
The brown patch where I removed the first bush has now almost completely grassed over, but the fingers of the bigger bush have started to regrow, bloody Gorse. I unpack my secret weapon, a flick saw, like a flick knife but a saw, ten minutes in and the sun comes up.
I know from copious map staring and Google earthing that the hill known as Waen Bryn-Gwenith themodernantiquarian.com/site/12542/waen_bryngwenith_stone_ii.html is directly east of Hafodygors wen, therefore in line with an equinox sunrise, the big stone right on it’s summit is very visible from almost everywhere round here, and if that wasn’t enough, fifty yards down hill from it is a probable collapsed dolmen themodernantiquarian.com/site/12543/waen_bryngwenith_stone_i.html , A good place for the sun to rise on such an auspicious morning, and the perfect place to see it from.

The sun shone full and bright as it came up over the hill, if it was a more flatter place it would have been a big orange ball, but from here the sun has more chance to accrue it’s brilliance. And it was brilliant. The sun seemed to be coming up over the dolmen rather than the big stone, cant be a coincidence surely, two other hill tops near here have big stones on there summits dissuading me of a solar alignment. Behind me the sun light slowly moved down off the mountains and creeped down the hill side to my little stone circle, and bathed us in light. I tried to capture the moment on camera but it never sees the same as me. I renewed my attack on the Gorse remnants till it was all but gone, a small hard knot of root was clutching strongly to some cairn material so I cut it back some but ended up having to leave it as I don’t want to damage the stones in any way, hopefully, I killed it, horrendous, I know and I feel badly for it, but each thing has it’s place, and seeing as only two people have ever been here, Ive decided that I am the one who decides what goes where. This time next year it will all be grassed over and all will be well for this strange little beauty, if only it was a bit easier to get to, it might get more visitors.

But, that’s not all folks. First I head over to the other very nearby cairn, it is just a bump now, but I decide to take a closer look any way. Nothing much to see at all really, but interestingly the big stack of rocks is half way between cairn 1 and 2. I return to the four poster and make ready to walk about. I remember Coflein saying something about a hut circle round here somewhere, I follow the river, with a vague memory that its near to it. I didn’t find it first time I came here, but I did this time. A large ring of small stones, on a slightly higher than the ground platform, two small wind shelters/sheep pens ??? have been formed from the stones. Not a particularly inspiring ancient monument, but it’s position is in a gorgeous setting, rushing river below, more recent ruined building across the river and every where trees, ferns and mosses, with mountains never far from view.

I’m not wholly sure what I found was this hut circle, half remembered from when Coflein still worked on my computer. I know it’s by the river on it’s northern bank, I never found it last time I had a look so seeing as I was passing I had a look. Right where I remembered it I found a stony circular ring that was much more denuded and over grown than the other later ruins across the river, and it had smaller presumably later wind breaks/sheep pens inserted into it and made from it. It looked like a hut circle and smelled like a hut circle, but there’s so much going on in these Snowdonian valleys you never really know who did what and when.

It would be a slight travesty if you were at the stone circle and didn’t come here, its only two hundred meters distant. Care should be taken whilst climbing over the wall, but climb it you must. Another oddly placed cairn, right below a long hill side, if your not the wall climbing type, peering over the wall and down the hill may suffice, not for us though.

It is a nice little grass covered mound, resembling an upturned human bottom, it’s shapely, so it’s hopefully female. A large wooden post sticks out of it’s side and the ministry of ancient monuments sign has fallen off, I reunited them a bit.
The mound is five to six feet high, and a cleft has been dug into it, I half expected it to have a chamber within like an Orkadian fairy mound, but its only a featureless cairn. Yet still worth a visit, a whole day could be spent on Oddendale moor, upon our return I discover that not only did we not see the long cairn not far from here but also another stone circle. Oh well, another time.

White Hag would be our last port of call for the day, but like Gladman says it’s off the edge of the map, and neither me nor Alken has the appropriate one. We start the walk south from Seal Howe cairn, going on nothing but the memory of the lie of the land gleaned from staring at the map and Google earth. We could see Wicker street cairn from a distance, I knew it wasn’t far from there so we went over, from here I knew only that the stone circle was in the grass not far from a wall and a thunder stone. Luckily today was my lucky day and we spotted the stones up the hill in the grass not far from a wall and a thunder stone. I have no sense of smell, but I can feel the pull of a stone circle a mile away.

Eleven stones make up this misshapen but attractive ring, plus an outlier five to ten meters south east. All the stones are lying flat amongst the tussocky grass, just like Oddendale, they would have been I presume more upright in the past, wouldn’t they ? Would it, like Oddendale have been a concentric stone circle, it might explain those outlying stones mentioned by Fitzcoraldo.
The views are terrific, especially over towards the sun drenched hills to the south, no view north as the stones are on a hill side.
Just over the wall to the east is the nice little round cairn of the same name, the two are so close that they must be seen together.

Thanks to the wooden post still sticking out of the cairns side, we could see the cairn on the horizon as we walked south down the main footpath. We were actually looking for White Hag stone circle, I thought maybe we could try and see Wicker street on the way back, but as we blundered about mapless going on memory of maps alone, we were somehow brought back to this cairn.
A slight dimple in the middle, long wavy grass, and an arrow in it’s side, it could have been a young John Wayne. But its not, its a cairn, and with darn good views, and a smattering of often crumbly limestone pavement. I forgot totally about the hut circle just meters down the hill. I’ve looked on Google earth and its got a distinctly rectangular shape to it, is it definitely a hut circle ?

Seal Howe may be in Cumbria, but it’s eyes are firmly fixed upon west Yorkshire, the view over to the Pennines is transfixing, the cairn and all about us is in cloud shadow but the distant hills and dales are bathed in sunlight, warm, loving, living sunlight.
The cairn is only a few feet high, but its spread is considerable, mostly under the grass, but a section of still bare cairn material is on it’s northern side. Funny, but the idea of knocking down the modern pile of stones on its top never occurred to me, perhaps because it had acted as a beacon on the hill, drawing us on, giving us no illusions as to exactly where it is, it’s right there.

My first visit here ended in a big fat frustrated failure, it was about ten years ago, some years before I got online, so long ago that my youngest was still in nappies, more of which were urgently needed, and so my failure lasted for a decade, until now. Had I known what a beauty this place is I’d have been back ages ago, instead I only saw a photo of it a few years back and it’s been on the list since. Why it took me so long to get back up here I don’t know, it’s not much more than a ten minute walk from the car, close to a major road or two. Damn i’m good.

Park next to the big corner around the farm, head left of the limestone paving, go up to the big egg shaped stone and the low stone wall that is a bield (some kind of shelter) and the stone circles are on the hill top, dead easy, unless you stumble around mapless and in the wrong place like I did ten years ago.

Brilliant. Apart from the big quarry all is good up here, the M6 is small and far away, the nearby Coalpit hill tries to entice one away from the circles, don’t let it, and the views east and west to the Pennines and the inner lake district respectively are fantastic though distant.
The small northern ring is only half apparent, but for three big stones all would be lost to the turf.
The outer ring looks to be graded with the taller stones on the east, the inner ring seemed to echo this as the western stones were retreating under the grass. The inbetween stone is very interesting, half way between the two rings on the eastern side, it lines up with an outer ring stone and far off Kemp Howe now snuffed out by our need to travel. But, still all is well up here, the rings are in very good shape. Very good indeed. Get from off your arse now !!

As Iron man says Oddendale concentric stone circle can be tricky to find without an OS map, as my first attempt to find it failed so completely I can heartily agree. This standing stone is a good point to aim for when looking for the circle. To be honest whilst we were there I had no idea that this stone would be a site on here, but I took some photos anyway, as you do.

The stone can in no way be said to be standing, it sits politely, waiting for some far off inevitable end, but it is not alone, it has a friend, ten yards away is another smaller stone, not particularly aligned upon anything , but if one is a standing stone, why not the other. Thunder, thunder, thunder stones, there’s lots of thunder stones round here, but what is it about them, were they moved about in prehistory by people, or are they where the glaciers left them ? and what did the ancients think of them ?
I like ‘em.

I neglected to read any of the field or misc notes before I came here, I’d seen the pictures and thought “ah, that’s a nice little circle”, and it was too. The three little stones in the circle center are like part of a mini limestone pavement, it’s all very attractive, too attractive it turns out. Upon my return I find out it might not be ancient, how disappointing, I would have liked it to have been old, it doesn’t impact upon my actual time there, obviously, but, like, you know, what ever, it’s still a nice little ring in a nice place.

There was a whole lot of activity round here in the distant past, the massive works at Shap are two kilometers to the west and southwest, North takes us past Gunnerkeld and on through a string of sites that doesn’t really end till you get to Broomrigg twenty miles away and starting here at Castlehowe Scar going south across Oddendale there must be a dozen sites left out of who knows how many, there is much to see and several days would be needed to see all that a twenty mile square has to offer.

Ten large stones, three larger than the others from this now misshapen ring, one large stone has a long quartzy rib coiling round and over it, it’s quite lovely. Another stone has a totally flat surface, pink and grey all of them.
There is a rumour about another smaller ring in the same field, and a stone row in the next field south, I think we saw them and I at least found them unconvincing, the smaller ring seems in line with the row so it could just be an old field boundary. That said I bet time team turn up soon and find all that and much more. you see.

The gate is still locked and getting more and more rickety with every winter and every climbing booted walker, that’s us then. The trailer with a water container is still there and stood upon it we can look over the stones quite well.

We came at it from the south, starting at Gunnerkeld, travelling north through Great and Little Strickland. The road brings you out at a T junction, go straight across and through the gate if it’s open, through the trees until a parking space opens out on the left. Walk on up the track and the circle is on your right in the field up against the densely vegetated hill side.

This place has been on my wish list for a while now, Hobs last photo of it under the stars was the real clincher, moved it up to this years list and here we are, somewhat fortuitously, but here nevertheless.

As we left the car I spied a glimpse of white stone across the field amongst loads of ferns, I went back to the car to get my shears but, aghast, they are not here .(stern words at home) Meanwhile Alken saw some deer majestically legging it away, Siiigh.
It was as we feared, the circle or semi circle as it turns out is almost totally obscured by ferns. Without any words being exchanged we both set about to trampling down the tall green blighters. I love revealing stones from ferns, it’s like Christmas, only better. After a while the ferns were lying flat, it’s not as good as gone which is what they would be if I’d have had me shears.
But it was good enough to reveal the five stones left in the arc we see here, we jumped the crumbling stone wall but could find nothing else, sad.
But the stones that are left are good ones, three of which a quite large, one in particular kind of reminded me of an Avebury sarson, but smaller.
Spring would be best to appreciate the place.

The farmer is apparently a perfectly nice bloke, we didnt come across him, his wife came out to us, and i’m glad to say she is also a nice, friendly and helpful guardian, she even apologised to us for not getting round to getting rid of all the thistles, knowing my own willingness to present a site in it’s best light I know how she felt, I bet she’s out there right now making the place look presentable. Thank you.

Burl says much on the site:- The name of the ring means ‘the spring of Gunnarr’ from the old Norse. The outer ring is badly pillaged with the remaining stones having a lye down. At the precise north just outside the ring are the two big impressive entrance stones. A slight mound within the inner ring contains the remains of a cist. Having architectural similarities with Castlerigg and Oddendale.

Oh, and the M6 is a bit on the too close side but it doesnt take much away from the site.

You can stay here for as long as you like, in theory, but the ‘liftings of the husbandmen’ (great name) is in such a sad state you probably wont need more than fifteen minutes before the draw of oh so many intact sites pull you away, so why not park on the pavement right in front of the field gate, you could nip across the field in your slippers, or maybe even lug an armchair with you, then you can sit in comfort as you give unsuspecting rail travellers the V’s.
(Not that road builders get away with anything)
When a stone circle gets destroyed it’s a bit like the death of a star (twinkle twinkle) they depart in so many ways, the whole thing could just be gone, only a single stone might be left, all the stone could be used for something useful but less so than it’s former self, this stone circle is of the Neutron star variety, much much smaller than it was, but with strangely high gravity, to stone heads at least, less than a quarter of it is left, but it’s well visited.

Nonsense aside, these six pink shap granite stones are still very big, easily visited, and forming a kind of arc, I hope The Eternal is right when he says the other stones are under the railway, as totally missing is worse than covered, even by a railroad, sort of. The circles still there, we just cant see most of it any more. Even in it’s destruction, it’s still part of a larger wider community of sites stretching for miles up along the M6.

Best approached from the north coming off the Buxton road, at least four gates have to be opened, the last of which presented me with a wee problem, lots of young calves with a bull for chaperon, it was just about the biggest muscled bull ive ever seen, ring through it’s nose and everything, it was built like a Rhino, and it was standing in such a place that had I got out of the car to open the gate i’d have been nose to nose with it, quick thinker that I am I simply jumped over to the passenger seat and got out that side, stomping elegantly avoided, five minutes later a lilly livered walker of advancing years simply turned round and went back the way he’d come.

The first two stones encountered are said to be a genuine stone pair, Stubob says all five have been used as gateposts but I couldn’t see any holes in one of this pair. This pair, one a tall and bulky stone, with no holes and the other more angular and pointy with two shallow square holes. They occupy a good position looking west to the Cloud and off back home across Cheshire, and east the Roaches, Hen Cloud, and Luds Church. Good views.

The next two are said to be modern stones, they are smaller than the last two, and they dont lean, one stone has a Freemasons mystical mark carved on it, might not be though.
These two stones are the only ones to have a view of Shutlingsloe, and all the others views too.

The last stone was my favorite, it has a seriously low lean to it, leaning towards Gun hill no less. It lies at the bottom of a rise in the hill, none of the others can be seen, from any of them, the lands just too undulating.
This stone like four out five of the others has square shallow holes in it, these are supposed to be gate holes, but why are they so shallow and square?
If stood up straight, it would be four to five feet tall, but after so long on this blowy hill side we can forgive it’s lack luster posture. This is one of those stones you don’t even have to get out of the car for, but for the love of Bob park it out of the way, go over, and say hi.

Gun hill is a large rounded hill (385m) half way between Rushton Spencer and Meerbrook, parking is to the south of the hill at a convenient 5 car space by the road, the footpath begins 50 meters down the road. The footpath is well signposted and two large standing stones mark it’s entrance, not for the first time today re-used stones have me hmming and aaahing.

The well trodden path goes right past the menhir, just two meters away at most, and then carries on up to the trig point and presumably beyond. This is my first destination, for at the top of Gun hill we can see many sites of interest, the best one is the dip in the high ridge where the Bride stones burial chamber is, then moving along it’s The Cloud, sacred hill, then Bosley minn with it’s standing stones, then in no particular order, Allgreave standing stone, the Bull stones, Shutlingsloe, moving round, the big rocky hill that hides Luds Church, the Roaches, the Bawd stone and Hen cloud and Leekfrith barrow, and many more. After sitting and staring for a bit, I stand atop the trig point and take some photos, and notice a lady with two dogs approaching, I slip down soundlessly, ninja like, (unlike the struggle to get up it) and look nonchalant, we bid each other a good afternoon and I make my way down to the standing stone.

The stone is perhaps four feet tall, and leans just slightly to the north. Made of sandstone, (round here everything is) it has two distinct colours,
yellowy and orangey , not including bird poop which is a pooey white, in the rain and wet it will take on a different look i’m sure, the stone is quite lovely, the poo wasnt though, perhaps a wire brush should be in my kit bag, just kidding. I really should have been here before now. Great views and a nice little stone.

Leaving Leek north bound on the A53, at Blackshaw Moor turn left towards Meerbrook, before you get to Meerbrook watch out for a bridge over the river Churnet and take your next right onto Whitty lane. At this junction watch out for a strange standing stone standing by the edge in a small pool, the barrow is a couple hundred yards up the lane in the field to your right.

I parked at a right angle bend in the lane, two gates and four standing stones, modern , but interesting to see big stones still having a role to play even today. On the floor by these gates and within view of the large barrow are lots of large stones lying in a jumble. Here with a perfect view up to the Roaches and Hen Cloud one cant help seeing a good spot for a stone circle.

The barrow is maybe six feet tall and really quite far across, it must have been a very big barrow before becoming slumped out over the field, mostly to the east. A slob of a barrow is this, large and slouching in it’s field, with terrific views over to Gun hill and its menhir and trig point, turning round the Roaches and Hen cloud huddle together, the Bawd stone themodernantiquarian.com/site/4721/bawd_stone.html nestles between them. A great place for a big barrow, and imaginary stone circles.

I parked in a one car spot by the footpath , just down the road from the fancy entrance gatehouse to the extremely extravagant Victorian folly Peckforton castle, now a hotel and wedding venue, and very nice place.
Two sandstone monoliths stand by the footpath entrance, and on the other side of the stile is an information board telling us about the Meres.(but not the fort) There are many remnants of the ice age in Britain, moraines, U shaped glacier cut valleys, Chesil beach, but in Cheshire and parts of Shropshire and Staffordshire we have Meres. A mere is where ice blocks from the retreating ice sheet gouged out the soft glacial deposits to form basins (‘kettle holes’) which hold today’s meres.

It was a nice walk in the countryside, in one of, if not the nicest place in Cheshire. But as Rhiannon points out there isn’t much to see here, I couldn’t even see a single earthwork. Perhaps it was in the turnip patch, a patch as big as two football patches.
So without much to go on at all, nothing but an arrow on the streetmap facility, and no noticeable earthworks, I still reckon that I was stood in the middle of an iron age settlement. I channeled the genius of Stuart Ainsworth and set about walking to and fro with map in hand, glancing at it now and then. Three hundred meters south of the forts position is a piece of obvious high ground, but it looks like it’s got a low barrow on it, is that why they shunned the higher ground, or was it just about the water. Walking about the field and looking down on Google earth I think I found part of the course of the old river, a boggy patch with that crappy reedy grass all over it defines the forts southern extremity, the mere still guards the western side and the now rather weedy stream is on the north.
From here we would have been able to gaze up at our sacred hill Beeston crag, surmounted with the bigwigs impressive hill fort, and a mile or two south on ‘my hill’ Maiden castle, and above the fort is Stanner Nab, a two hundred meter high mound shaped hill. Rhiannon was right this is an interesting place, even in it’s utter destruction.

Warning !! Extreme Enthusiasm Throughout !!

I first came across this hill fort whilst looking into the three devils quoits and Harold’s stone, Google earth is a terrific tool for looking and snooping about the place before you get there. I noticed this hill fort near to the devils quoit, and clicked on a few pictures and saw all these lovely lily covered pools. I’m going there thought I, and with St Govan’s chapel less than a mile away, the place was high on my list, in fact i’ve been to two out of three of my wish list places for the year, not much of a wish list you might think, a natty fort and a single standing stone, but I want my wishes to come true so Innisidgen and Barpa Langass are on a different list, if you get my meaning.

After a four and a half hour drive we saw our first sign pointing the way to Bosherston, Eric thought it was a funny place name, I didn’t tell him about the villages of Twatt in Orkney and Shetland, Cocks in Cornwall or Bell End in Worcestershire.
As we entered the village of Bosherston (hee hee) the big old church stands out most, but just past it is the Pay and Display car park, 2 quid for two hours, if i’m late back then tough, i’m not paying a fiver for all day, i’ve got other places to see.
It was a bank holiday weekend and the car park was full, booo, lots of people, Booo! but it was a sunny day, not too hot, a nice cool breeze with my son by my side at a place on my wish list, no amount of people could spoil it.
We descended some steps as we enter the woods, and only a minute goes by before we get to the first foot bridge, many many lily pads cover the surface of the lake on both sides of the bridge, we slowly make our way across approaching a couple with biiig cameras, trained on, no way man is that an Otter, it is , It’s a flippin Otter out hunting in daylight, i’ve only seen an Otter once before and that was in Tobermory. I feel very blessed and lucky, this is indeed a very beautiful place, I realise it’s not exactly totally natural, but wow it’s pretty, in the distance two swans are preening, a Heron is on a stealth hunting mission, fish are everywhere you look, dragonflies and Damsel flies, and an Otter, am I in Wales or the Okavango delta.

The first bridge is crossed and the path goes up, ahead I can see people on a high rocky lookout and make for that, passing an apparent short cut path on our left. Upon the lookout we can see the whole length of one of the lakes, I turn my gaze away for behind us somewhere is the fort, but to my horror it seems to be amid the densest thickest woods you’ve ever seen, I wonder if a picture of trees is all we’ll get. Leaving the lookout we head for footbridge number two, more dragon flies than you can shake a bee hive at, god I love’em, fantastic little creatures, unchanged since forever. Then more light and airy wooded paths to the last of the bridges, at this point we break away from the path and trek off in the direction of the Devils Quoit. It wasn’t easy to find, but we did in the end, now it’s time to go and have a look at the fort if we can.

Back across two bridges, all the time looking for more Otters we reach the lookout point and see once again the apparent short cut path, we take it, I ask Eric to keep an eye out for any paths going off to the right, what like this one he says, ummm yes like that one.
A neatly trimmed grassy path worms its way through impenetrable undergrowth, and I begin to think we might get to it after all. At a right angle in the path is an information board with an artists impression of the fort, a woad painted man and a clothes pin on it. Gold dust.
Ten meters on and my gaze inexplicably turns to my feet in time to see something else wonderful, a little baby toad, we pick him up and take a photo, I don’t know how many toads you’ve seen but this is only my third, I want to see him good. Less than a minute later and were at the fort. Despite all the people, we obviously have the fort to our selves, they all like the ponds and the beach, no time for history nowadays.
The fort is still a bit overgrown, the grassy path passes straight through the fort, ending with a gate into a field, right by the two ramparts, the outer one is still very big, maybe ten feet high, the inner one is lower but still six feet tall at least. There are banks at the sides of the fort too but its too overgrown to get a good look. In the winter or after a good clean up and the fort would look really good. But as ever and here particularly it’s the surroundings that blow you away.

we slowly make our way back to the main path Eric is looking for the Toadlet again and I tell him it’s well gone by now, just as it hops into the grass right before us, Huh, nature hey, it knows nowt.
On the last bridge the Heron is much closer, hunting again, it doesn’t seem to mind all the folk looking on, and we get a really good zoom picture of it, I wish I could show you but this is a History place not nature. Then it’s back up the stairs and back to the car park. The information board asks us to watch out for Otters as they sometimes come out to hunt in the day light. No shit.
We were more than two hours almost three and a half , but the nice lady doesn’t say nowt and were soon gone. Gone to St Govans chapel and well. It’s so close it would be a crime not to go see it.

This was a superb place, one of Wales lesser known gems, and possibly the most beautiful place in the whole country, and I’ve seen quite a bit of it.

I came here once before a couple of years ago, but didn’t get the chance to see the stone, I’ve seen the other two stones that apparently make up a long alignment, but they aren’t in a perfect line, this stone is slightly out of line, like somewhere else that i’m afraid escapes me at the moment.

Probably the easiest route to the stone would be from the car park to the north east at Stackpole quay. But then you’d miss out on the lovely Bosherston lily ponds and the hill fort there, come that way.
We actually took a wrong turn at the settlement across the third bridge, costing us about twenty minutes and me a pound, in the end I asked two walkers if they’d seen a big standing stone, they were able to point me in the right direction and five minutes later we were at the stone.

Upon our arrival Eric fair dumped himself on the floor leaning against the stone, while I took a few photos, ok a load of photos, then I joined him for a well deserved rest. The stone has a sticky out bit on the lower northern side. The stone is a white colour with yellow and white lichens on it. on one side of the stone there are a lot of pits and depressions, they look like fossilized footprints. One long deep gorge runs up it’s southern shoulder, terminating in a notch.
Open heathland to the south and dense woods to the north, with the sun shining and a cool breeze it was a damn good visit, to a damn good stone. Too many damns?
About 150 yards to the west are one or two barrows, I could only make out one, and a slight one at that.

Having just been to the Lily ponds at Bosherston I couldn’t not go here, there’s maybe a mile in between them. Like Carl I’d wanted to come here for years, but I hadn’t known exactly where it was, until I was looking into the hill fort barrows and stones near Bosherston. Parking was had in the big car park above the gorge and its well and chapel, we didn’t have to pay, but i’m not sure if you had to or not.

We start down the steps, and the first surprise came quickly, the chapel completely blocks the way down to the sea, you have to go in one door and out another, inside is a weird cell in the corner, it is basically a doorway to the bare rock of the gorge, many strange legends are attached to the rock. Out the other side of the chapel and it’s big boulders down to the crashing waves, two types of boulders, one a volcanic dark rock the other a light grey colour. There is a very small hut, big enough for a ten year old to squeeze into, this is apparently a well, but has no water in it. By the sea on the left is a big natural arch, on the right a smaller longer natural arch and above it a tall rock spire. whilst we sat watching the waves bashing against the rocks two seals came by, they popped up took a look around then sank back down below the surface and were gone, Ive only ever seen seals once and that was on the isle of Mull, again. Brilliant.
Superb site, even if it might not be old enough.

A fine and easy to get to fort, west of St Twynnells east of Warren, north of Merrion and south of North lane. Cant go wrong.
A single rampart is all that defines the fort, no ditches at all, just a single wall of stone and earth with a west facing entrance. Doesn’t sound great so far, but that single wall is, on the outside, ten feet high in places. The inside of the fort is higher than the ground level outside, I walked a circuit of the ring and made to sit down against the entrance wall, but frightened of a snake, it looked like a smooth snake, it was brown and longer than a slow worm (but you do get long ones), it could have been a brown grass snake, do you get them ?
The fort isn’t on the hill top, but just down the slope west a bit, with it’s single rampart it was more like a henge, but mostly I was reminded of Old Sarum, smaller obviously and not really similar at all, but there you go.