megadread

Around 200 metres NNE of Wet Withens stone circle, with no path leading to it, a single cup mark on the NNW face of a largish but mostly covered boulder.

I found this whilst hunting for a possible piece of rock art further to the West, pointed out by Paulus on TNA, i didn’t find the piece but discovered this whilst taking a direct route off the moor due to torrential rain.

Good old British weather eh. !

A walking friend alerted me to this little cave / shelter, i’d never heard of it.

His directions are as follows.

If you go to Canklow woods, there is a cave there (SK432907), marked as a settlement on os map. It’s only tiny, but urban legend say’s it’s neolithic... (it’d be nice to know if this was true)

If you’ve not been it’s a nice walk if you’ve only got an hour,

Park at mcD’s and walk past the garage.

Just before the houses there is a dirt track. Go up hill, heading for Boston castle.

When at the top, follow path through park, following edge (Past cave).

Drop down the opposite end through the woods (Terraced – this was an ancient farming site) and back along the bottom.

Another one that’s hardly worth a visit, but if your planning on visiting Hathersage Moor ring cairn you’ll pass by it, so why not. !

Located between Over Owler and the ring cairn, on the sloping heather covered moor.

To look at this one appears like an old grouse butt, probably due to it being robbed out.

Nearby there’s 2 small standing stones (within 10 metres) that should help you locate it.

The kerbing is nice innit. !
Worth a look if your in the area, and not far to walk from the road.

A new path has been cut across the moor and passes with in 150 metres or so of the circle and the barrow.
They’ve basically mown a 3 metre wide section through the heather and bilberry.
At one point the path seems to end, but carry on a few metres and you’ll find it again, you’ll still have to keep your eyes peeled for the barrows though, then head off the path towards it through the heather.
This is by far the easiest access i’ve known to the area of the monuments.

Not much to look at this one, but it’s there, just a smallish heather covered bump in the landscape.
I was passing by anyway, so thought i’d log it.

Access is via a very rickety stile by the roadside 100 metres or so down the road from Toads Mouth rock at SK 25880 80545.

It’s only 100 metres or so from the road so if your passing anyway it’s worth a look, maybe.

Unlike Stu, luckily i managed to find this first time, ably guided by my gps and a 10 figure GR, i admit though, i almost missed it, went back for another look, as you do and found it.
The site is quite overgrown now but a dozen or so stones are still easily seen, especially the ones to the North East, one of which i measured at 97 centimetres in length.

The best preserved part of the ringcairn is to the North East with the bank easily visible, though you can trace it’s circumference all round, the entrance to the south is well defined.

To the North Higgor Tor looms large maybe a kilometre away, whilst Over Owler stands proud to the West.
I was amazed how close to the brook this site is, no more than a metre or two, this lead me to think i was looking in the wrong area as i’ve never encountered a site so close to water before.

This is an amazing little site well off the path though not to much of a struggle to get to if you start off at Over Owler where you’ll need to head down hill towards the brook.
I was very impressed with the size of the stones and i could easily be convinced this was a stone circle and not a ringcairn at all.

Go have a look, you’ll be impressed, though i will say this one is bordering on “anorak” territory.

Hmmmmmmmm, to visit in summer and see the site partially covered in bracken, which is now starting to encroach on it, or go in the winter for a clearer view and negotiate the very boggy terrain.
I chose the former for my first visit and it’s still quite tough going across this very uneven terrain.
My starting point was the access gate further up the road from the access point for Barbrooks 1 & 2, from there i took a bearing and headed off in as straight a line as i could, reaching the site in 10 – 15 minutes.

A bit of an anoraks site this one, there’s still a lot of it to see, though it is quite ruinous and a gps is advised, if you have one.

My gps recorded the site at SK 29025 75615

I walk on Big moor a lot, well it is only 15 – 20 minutes drive from home, though this is the first time i’ve been up to have a look at the cist.
I took the direct route, from the track that leads to Barbrook 1 & 2 i headed down the banking through waist high bracken then over the Bar brook, there’s then the climb up the other side onto the moor.
the going is quite tough this way but doable if your reasonably fit, expect achy legs after though, the grass is very long and the moor equally uneven and there’s no path to speak of.

The wooden fence post in Stu’s pic is still the best marker for tracking this site down.

Wonderful little cist and worth the effort needed to see it.

My gps marked it at SK 27455 75320.

Called in at the circle today and found they’ve cut all the trees down.!
The moor and the circle look very different, not sure i like it, though it is nice to know the circle wont suffer from root damage now.

There’s a cup marked stone laying within the rectangular cairn adjoining the circle, it’s laying face down as i left it, top left hand corner.
Paulus discovered it on our visit there, it was by the head of the quarry.
Someone had camped there and built a little stone windbreak and a fireplace, the stone was besides it, i think a little modern rock carving was going on.
The face the cup is on is obviously a clean “face”, no lichens, no sign of age as you’d expect etc.
I was gonna lob it in the quarry or smash the fucker up but it could have been a well meant “offering” so i left it there.

Nicely done piece but don’t be taken in by it. ; )