markj99

Visited 09.04.18

Withey Brook Round Cairn lies on the slopes of Withey Brook Valley on the edge of Langstone Downs. It is located in a Bronze age field system incorporating a hut circle settlement.

Withey Brook Cairn is a round cairn, 40 feet in diameter by 5 feet high, covered in grass with large exposed stones on the surface. The cairn is largely undisturbed except for a hollow 5 feet across by 1.5 feet deep on the summit of the cairn.

Historic England 1010308 (go to Links) notes its unusual setting on a lower slope however it is situated on a crest top in an occupied Bronze Age area denoting its context in the ancient environment.

Directions: From the E edge of Minions turn into the Car Park then sharp R into a narrow country lane. Follow this for 1.33 miles until you reach the dead end L turn for Sharptor. The lane leads through Sharptor where the public road ends after 0.5 miles. There is room to park at SX 2579 7304 between Sharptor and Wardbrook Farm. Follow the dismantled railway track past Wardbrook Farm for 0.75 miles. Withey Brook Cairn lies within 50 yards on the L of the track, an obvious prominence in the landscape.

I visited the Langstane o’ Craigearn on 19.09.19, approaching from N. Access to the stone is restricted. It appears to be enclosed in a private garden.

Directions: At the S edge of New Luce, beside the church, take the un-signposted turn up the hill. Stay on this narrow lane for c. 1.1 miles until you reach the sign for the Southern Upland Way (SUW) at NX19106500. There is room to park here. Follow the SUW path for c. 0.5 miles to reach a SUW Post halfway up Knockcraven Wood at NX1937564690. Continue uphill for c. 65 yards to reach Knockcraven Wood Carved Stone, c. 7 yards on the left of the path.

Knockcraven Wood Cup Carved Stone lies on the edge of Knockcraven Wood, c. 1.25 miles E of New Luce. The Southern Upland Way (SUW) follows the W edge of Knockcraven Wood. The carved stone is located between the SUW and the edge of the wood c. 50 yards from the SW corner of Knockcraven Wood. It is c. 7 yards W of the wood edge and c. 7 yards E of the SUW.
There are two carvings on Knockcraven Wood Cup Carved Stone, an irregular earthset stone measuring c. 4 by 3 feet, with a rounded top c. 1 foot high. There is a deep oval cup carving on the W edge of the stone measuring c. 6 inches on the N-S Axis and 4 inches on the E-W Axis. It is c. 4 inches deep with smooth walls suggesting some kind of grinding activity. On the E edge of the rock there is a long shallow groove measuring c. 8 by 3 inches and up to 1.5 inches deep in the centre. This groove is smoother than the surrounding rock, perhaps due to a repetitive scraping action.
Knockcraven Wood Cup Carved Stone could be associated with domestic activity of the occupants of the adjacent Dranigower Hut Circles.

Visited 26.07.22

My first experience of Hardcroft Cairn was in fading light so I decided to revisit on a bright Summer day. The high ferns made progress difficult, however I enjoyed a more leisurely investigation of Hardcroft Cairn. There are prominent thorn bushes on the E & W Arcs of the cairn and ferns obscure the E Arc. A raised earth bank up to 4 feet high delineates the kerb of a circular cairn measuring c. 50 feet in diameter with a hollow centre.

Directions: At the S edge of New Luce, beside the church, take the un-signposted turn up the hill. Stay on this narrow lane for c. 1.1 miles until you reach the sign for the Southern Upland Way (SUW) at NX19106500. There is room to park here. Follow the SUW path for c. 0.5 miles to reach a SUW Post halfway up Knockcraven Wood at NX1937564690. Leave the path, walk W for c. 0.33 miles over pathless moorland heading for NX 1899 6433. There are no landmarks so GPS navigation is essential to find this cairn.

Visited 02.06.13

The Giant’s Foot is large recumbent stone on the W edge of Shap. It is considered by Historic England (go to Links) to be be a remnant of Shap Stone Alignment. It is an irregular flat stone measuring c. 9 feet long, 7 feet wide and 4 feet high.
Directions: A path leading W starts off Shap Main Street between the tennis court and Croft Avenue. After c. 50 yards the path continues SW across a field for c. 120 yards to a junction of dry stane dykes. The path turns SE along a dry stane dyke for c. 50 yards to reach the substantial recumbent Giant’s Foot stone.

Without local knowledge finding the Fyfield Down Polisher Stone could be tricky. I have visited it in 2011 via Mother’s Jam but I would like to suggest an alternative “foolproof” route to Fyfield Down Polisher Stone.
Park up in Avebury. Walk E out of Avebury on the Wessex Ridgeway. After 1.5 mile you reach a crossroads with The Ridgeway. Continue E along Wessex Ridgeway for c. 450 yards to reach Overton Down Gallops. Follow the Gallops uphill NNW for c. 0.33 miles to the N end at SU12727144. Head NE downhill for c. 120 yards to a solitary thorn tree. Walk c. 20 yards E downhill to a Pyramid shaped rock. Fyfield Down Polisher Stone lies on the edge of a gorse bush c. 10 yards ESE of the Pyramid Rock.

There is a large flat slab with a large rock basin on its upper surface c. 50 yards E of Fyfield Down Polisher Stone. I wonder if the Rock Basin was made by the same people who made the Polisher Stone?

Fernworthy SE is a ruined cairn c. 30 yards SE of Fernworthy Stone Circle. The cairn is listed as Monument Number 443898 on Historic England Research Records (go to Links). It is said to denoted the N end of a ruined stone row which has been obscured by afforestation. The cairn measures c. 20 feet across by 1.5 high with putative remains of a cist in the centre. This consists of two earthset stones set at right angles to each other, c. 9 inches high.