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Latest Posts — Fieldnotes |
Showing 1-25 of 14,272 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 25 
The Wart (Chambered Cairn) |
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Visied 19th April 2013 We parked up at the small parking area at the lovely little beach at the Sands of Wright. Looking back to Hoxa Hill the observation hut atop the hill is clearly visible, signposting the way to the cairn. Taking the advice of Wideford's fieldnotes we walked back up the road to the fine large country house of Roeberry, where just past the entrance drive, a gate allows access to a lane which runs up the side of Roeberry's garden wall as it heads up the hill. At the top of the lane you are greeted by gates to each side of you. Directly in front a gate opens onto scrubland atop the hill, where the trig point and observation hut draw the eye toward the small mound of the cairn. Two curious horses approach us as we stand at the gate, hopefull that we may be carrying apples, they have to be satisfied with a pat on the nose. Ellen, being a little wary of horses, waits at the gate whilst I set off for the cairn with an equine escort. The Wart is an unfortunate name for the fine remains of an Orkney-Cromarty type cairn, and in fact would be a more fitting epithet for the strange observation hut building which encroaches close to the cairn. From here the views are fantastic over Hoxa Head and out across Scapa Flow, particularly today with clear blue skies complimenting the deep azure sea. Once this cairn would have been huge, as evidenced by the remains of the circumference, although many of the stones have now gone. It looks as if some stones may have been built up to act as a wind break, as they seemed somehow out of place, but inside the chamber one of the stones that formed the stall is still standing, and as I hunker down away from the wind to write my fieldnotes it's really quite cosy. On a day like today it's a fine place to spend some time, I could happily stay all day, it feels like a place outside of time, and far away from the hassles of the mundane world, but aware of Ellen still waiting at the gate, I settle for five minutes to soak in the atmosphere, and the promise to return on a day with equally fine weather. |
Posted by Ravenfeather19th May 2013ce |
Cuff Hill (Chambered Tomb) |
| Went up to Chamber today...very difficult to gain access to the area round Cuff Hill, nearly impossible apart from the fact that my companion and I are fairly fit, and were able to climb the 10 ft deer fence surrounding Cuff Hill. The area has been planted with saplings.....no idea who you would approach about entry but talk in the Gateside Pub was that an Irishman owns the land....Good luck ye all...apart from that the area is sublime, water, birds, spring...absolutely beautiful.... |
Posted by raymay 17th May 2013ce Edited 18th May 2013ce |
Wade's Stone (South) (Standing Stone / Menhir) |
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We took the little lane from the A171 to the A174 going through to East Barnsby. Beautiful May morning, three fords to cross, Yorkshire at its best down in to deep old dark woods, with bluebells, wind anemones and ransom on the verge, tumbles of old trees and water, what more can you ask after all that cold weather. We met the kindly farmer's wife and got permission to cross the field by the education centre and into their field of sheep. The stone sits just below the highest point, square and upright, glittering in the sun. The lambs dance around in the field, some posing by the stone, but it stands strong. Taking one's bearing as you look towards the sea and the Goldsborough Lane that you must take to find the other stone, it has probably been there as a track for hundreds of years. We drove along the lane and saw the North stone in the distance, it is on the other side of the narrow wood or Carr, strange that they are so similar but had something else to do so another visit one day. One reason we went out was because this stone is the flagship for the restoring of Ancient Scheduled Monuments under the North York Moors Monument Management Scheme, £200,000 is on the table for various schemes, including a 3,500 year old cairnfield with burial mounds. Also the footpaths have been repaired at the Bronze Age burial mounds at Lilla Howe, Simon Howe and the Two Howes on Goathland under this scheme, presumably because people are WALKING OVER THE MOUNDS, Wales is obviously not the only place to have this problem. |
Posted by moss16th May 2013ce |
Danish Camp (Enclosure) |
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Visited 13.5.13 Directions: See details for Y Bwlwarcau. Keep walking up the hill, past Caer Blaen Y Cwm and Moel Ton-Mawr. Continue through the fields keeping the trees to your right. Just before the trees end there is a metal field gate giving access to a track through the trees. Walk along the track a short distance and you will come to a clearing on the right. This is the home of the Danish Camp. It is about another 10 minutes walk on from Moel Ton-Mawr. Passed several sheep skulls on the way which was a bit strange. Very little to see. Faint outline of a bank. If you weren’t specifically looking for it you wouldn’t have known it was here. Judging by the ferns if you came in the summer you definitely wouldn’t be able to see anything (except for ferns of course!) Don’t bother – not worth the effort. COFLEIN doesn't have a lot to say either: 'An oval enclosure, c.45m NE-SW by 36m, defined by a bank and, possibly, a ditch'. (source Os495card; SS88NW30) |
Posted by CARL 14th May 2013ce |
Moel Ton-Mawr (Hillfort) |
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Visited 13.5.13 Directions: See details for Y Bwlwarcau. Keep walking up the hill, past Caer Blaen Y Cwm, and stay on the forestry track heading south east – keeping the forestry plantation on your right. When the plantation turns to the right, hop over barbed wire fence. Moel Ton-Mawr is directly in front of you. It is about a 40 minute walk from the car. Although my O/S map showed forest, a large swathe of the plantation had been cut down and gave the area a feeling of destruction. The Hillfort covers a couple of fields which was home to lots of sheep and lambs. This has the advantage of keeping the grass short so the double ditches surrounding the site are easy to spot. The ditches are approximately 1m deep. A fairly remote spot which requires a bit of leg work to get to. Although the ditches are well defined I doubt many would consider it worth the effort? This was the best of the four sites I visited on my walk today. COFLEIN states: 'On the gently sloping western side of the Moel Ton-Mawr summit plateau are the earthworks of diamond-shaped concentric hillfort, associated with wider-spreading field systems no doubt of Iron Age date. The complex consists of a subrectangular enclosure 75-80m east-west by 60-65m. It occupies the central southern part of a larger, more irregular enclosure that is roughly 230m east-west by 195m. This may also have been intended to appear rectilinear despite the concave north-eastern facade which rests on a stream channel. Both enclosures are defined by double banks with medial ditches. This suggests that they are broadly contemporary. Both have south-facing entrances, the outer offset by some 20m to the east. These are connected by further banks and ditches, producing a forecourt or approach way'. |
Posted by CARL 14th May 2013ce |
Caer Blaen-y-Cwm (Enclosure) |
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Visited 13.5.13 Directions: See details for Y Bwlwarcau. Continue uphill until you reach a forestry track. (10 minute walk) The enclosure is directly to the right (north) of the track. As with Y Bwlwarcau this is another area of ‘rough, lumpy bumpy’ ground. The earthworks however are more substantial and easier to spot. Despite being the middle of May it was fairly bleak up here and the cold wind biting. The sun was doing its best to break through the grey clouds but it was obvious rain wasn’t far off. Not much in the way of views although the birdsong was nice to hear. Being a South Wales site it was no surprise to find an empty larger can……….. COFLEIN states: 'A quadrangular enclosure, c.44m E-W by 40m, defined by double banks with a medial ditch; a c.164m stretch of N-facing bank and ditch, runs ENE-WSW, c.68m to the N: the site is obscured by a N-S trackway. The bank and ditch to the N, together with less defined E-W linear features, c.52m to the S, have has been considered as the remnants of a large outer enclosure, c.200m square, similar to those at Moel Ton-Mawr'. |
Posted by CARL 14th May 2013ce |
Y Bwlwarcau (Hillfort) |
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Visited 13.5.13 Directions: From the M4 (Jct 36) take the A4063 towards Maesteg. A couple of miles outside Maesteg you will see a brown sign to the left directing you to Llangynwyd (Historic Village). Turn here and enter the small but pretty village. At the crossroads go straight across and keep going down hill, under the pylons, until the narrow road takes a sharp turn to the left. It is opposite a farm drive. There is plenty of room to park here on the verge; next to a metal field gate. Although the O/S map shows a public footpath heading up the hill there is nothing to show on the ground. There is however a rough ‘tractor track’ which seemed an obvious route to take. The ‘tractor track’ is made up of the usual lumps of broken masonry, bricks and concrete. What was different was that there were also the remnants of several grave headstones – some of which appeared to be relatively new. How and why these came to be used in such a manner is anyone’s guess although it did seem inappropriate and a waste? Anyway, 10 minutes later and I am at the site. Very little to see in all honesty. A ‘rough, lumpy bumpy’ area of ground covered in spiky grass and gorse. You could just about make out a curving bank approximately 0.5m in height. There are decent views over Llangynwyd and Cwmfelin in the distance. Not one to recommend. COFLEIN states: 'Y Bwlwarcau is a enclosure complex, Iron Age or rather later, set on east-facing slopes on a broad spur of Mynydd Margam. It is a complex multiperiod site, but one coherent layout can be identified, as well as obviously later trackways and medieval type house platforms. The most obvious layout had a strongly defined inner enclosure set within a much larger outer enclosure and linked by an approach way. The 0.3ha inner enclosure is roughly pentagonal measuring some 64m across. It is defined by two to three lines of ramparts and ditches. The entrance faces east where its outer ramparts turn to form a funnelling approach way at the end of which they swing back to enclose the roughly concentric curvilinear 4.3ha outer enclosure. This rests on the steep slopes above Cwm Cerdin to the north and elsewhere it appears to have been defined by two widely spaced ramparts. A small, generally rectangular enclosure lies between the inner and outer circuits to the south of the approach way and is attached to the ouer rampart. It is about 50m north-south by 38m and is defined by a rampart and a relatively broad ditch. This could be a contemporary feature rather than a later addition' |
Posted by CARL 14th May 2013ce |
Belgard Deer Park (Cairn(s)) |
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I've been in this field before looking at the lumps and bumps and have said to myself there's something going on here. It's just up the road from me, less than a 10 minute drive. I've surveyed the archaeology.ie website for sites in my vicinity and this comes up as a "Cairn, unclassified" and has no notes. It's about 1.4 metres high, oval, maybe 6 metres on its longer axis, by 4 metres on the shorter. There's a much-flattened ring barrow about 350 metres to the north-west and there are some signs of habitation sites/earthworks in the immediate area. I'm not entirely convinced by this, though it's hard to disagree that it is artificial – the stones that I saw on the western side of the cairn looked suspiciously like bedrock to me. Maybe this was incorporated into the cairn/barrow and there is a burial at its core. |
Posted by ryaner13th May 2013ce |
Ballybrittas (Portal Tomb) |
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Locals were a good help directing me to this, continue up the unpaved track just beyond the yard full of old vehicles, take the gate to the left and continue all the way to the end of the field, the portal is just about visible, almost hidden in the gorse, looks like it hadn't been visited in a long time, cleared a path around the tomb Exact location 52.25.44.3 N 06.38.12.7 W |
Posted by bogman13th May 2013ce |
Upper Balfour (Cairn(s)) |
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Visited May 11, 2013 An area of rough gorse, almost due east of Kirkton of Durris, conceals the remains of a severely robbed ring-cairn lying 590 metres southwest of Upper Balfour farmhouse, within a field-system and cairnfield. To access the Upper Balfour Ring Cairn, start from the village hall at Kirkton of Durris and continue up the road as it turns left. The road shortly merges into a woodland path which follows the edge of the adjacent field. After about 200 metres, this path turns to the right, into the trees: at this point, be alert to pick up a narrow walkers' path that branches to the left and continues parallel with the field boundary. Where the trees end, follow the field boundary that heads northeast to the gate at its far end. A search for the cairn last year proved fruitless on account of the dense gorse. But since then there has clearly been a major burning event, and only the scorched main stems remain. Not only does this make the walking much easier, it is also now possible to actually see the cairn as you approach it. The cairn is to be found in the region of gorse scrub lying to the right of the subsequent field. A good direction marker is the lone mature tree that stands near the east corner of this area. The cairn is nowadays little more than a grassy mound, 18 metres across and about half a metre in height. More information about this vairn is available at RCAHMS A second even more ruinous cairn lies almost exactly 100 metres to the southwest, at NO 7821 9590. |
Posted by LesHamilton12th May 2013ce |
Harlow Temple (Iron Age Shrine) |
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Signposted as 'Roman Temple', but there was a Celtic place of worship here before the Romans. This site is a surprise in that you drive into a busy industrial area and then find yourself in a little oasis of calm. Up close it felt Roman because slabs have been laid out to show where the Roman temple was, but when you first walk towards it from a little way off, it feels older to me. To get there, drive into the Riverway industrial area until among all the factory units you see a green patch on your right. At the moment there's a very convenient place to park in front of the entrance, but otherwise, there's a public car park a couple of hundred yards further back on the left. Walk in and keep to your left (there quite a few trees and shrubs) until you see the first information board, which tells you about the Iron Age, as well as the Roman, background. Then follow the path around to your left and you come to the temple mound. Before the industrial estate was built, the site was excavated. I was a kid at the time and remember the local community being invited in to help the archaeologists with the dig, as they were under pressure to get it done before building began. |
Posted by Orifrog 12th May 2013ce |
Parndon Hall Mounds (Round Barrow(s)) |
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The southern barrow is easy to find. There's a heavily used footpath that passes right next to it, yet because of its proximity to the hospital, it seems to have been left alone, with just the odd beer can at the top. It looks to be in good condition, although I don't suppose the trees will do much good. To get to it, turn into Hamstel Road, park in the little multi-storey car park in Wych Elm, then cross Hamstel Road and you'll see a metalled footpath/ cycle path that leads into Princess Alexandra Hospital. Walk along it a few yards and you'll see the barrow on your left. I had a look for the other two barrows. I couldn't find them, but suspect they may be in the small wood a few hundred yards further down Hamstel Road, on the right. It was mid-May and very overgrown, so I couldn't really explore (nice bluebells, though). |
Posted by Orifrog 12th May 2013ce |
Sheep Hill (Hillfort) |
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http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/43388/details/sheep+hill/ Possibly a bit late period wise for inclusion here , but the site was close to some major cup and ring markings which were removed in connection with the quarry in the pic . The same fate looks likely for the hillfort . |
Posted by tiompan12th May 2013ce |
Horse Cliff Fort |
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Visited 26 April 2013 A short cliff-top stroll from Paviland fort, Horse Cliff is a simpler construction than its neighbour and has suffered more in the couple of millennia since its construction. A single, curving line of defence cuts off the windswept headland. Several quarry pits have been dug up against the northern section of the rampart. The views off the cliffs that form the western and southern bounds of the site are impressive and dizzying, especially down to the water-filled channel separating this headland from The Knave, coincidentally the next of the chain of multiple forts that top the cliffs between Port Eynon and Rhossili. Worm's Head can also be seen from here, the western tip of the Gower peninsula. Beyond, the Pembrokeshire coast is dimly visible. In all honesty, it feels less impressive that its neighbours, lacking the romance that the "Paviland" name conjures. Still well worth a visit though, especially on such a lovely day. |
Posted by thesweetcheat12th May 2013ce |
Paviland (Cliff Fort) |
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Visited 26 April 2013 After reluctantly leaving Goat's Hole cave, we make our way back up the gulley of Foxhole Slade. Passing the sheer cliffs that mark the southern extent of the promontory fort far above us, G/F points to the only slightly less steep grassy slopes to our left and says "we could climb up there". Fresh from the revelation of her enthusiasm for the inaccessible upper chamber of the cave, she's obviously feeling adventurous, so climb it we do. This brings us out beside the inner rampart of the fort, with a dizzying view back down to Foxhole Slade behind us. We flop down on the grass of the flat interior to get our breath back. This is actually my second visit to this fine little fort, as I came a little more than a year earlier on a coast walk with some friends. That was a rather flying visit, so today I'm keen to stay a while longer. It is very windy up here, luckily blowing inland over the cliff edge and unlikely to hurl us broken to our deaths far below. The cave that we recently left is invisible in the cliff face below us, although we can see the "tongue" of rock that allowed us to scramble up to it, the far end now starting to disappear beneath the waves. The seaward aspect of the fort is pretty formidable, even if the tide is out only a lunatic would make any Guns of Navarone style approach to the defences from down there. There are two certain lines of defences, one of which is further protected by an apparently rock-cut ditch. There may be a possible two further lines, although these appear more to be slight augmentations of the tilted planes of rock that form the headland and, indeed, the Gower's entire southwestern coast line. We sit for a while at the exposed and windswept tip of the fort, above the "Yellow Top" that provides the alternative name. Exmoor can be seen hazily across the Bristol Channel, forming the far edge of the pre-Ice Age plain that once stretched sway from these cliffs. It's a great spot, worth the longer visit this time round. We head off to meet the neighbours at Horse Cliff. |
Posted by thesweetcheat 12th May 2013ce |
West Town (Ring Cairn) |
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From the wonderful Tordarroch circle keep heading west on the minor road then take the road south west. Go past Loch a' Chlachain and the beautiful Loch Duntelchaig taking the track south westish after Midtown. West Town, the farm, is at the end of the bumpy track, the chamber cairn being thru several gates on a track just to the north of the farm. Plenty of gates and plenty of chickens, ducks and other farm type things. The cairn (possibly clava type) remains at over 20 meters in width and stands at almost 2 meters in height. Four stones remain standing whilst several kerbs remain in place. Sadly field clearence and a 'sink' have also been dumped here. Still the cairn had fantastic views over Loch Duntelchaig and the surrounding mountains. Spring was becoming evident and the sun shone. Visited 3/4/2013. |
Posted by drewbhoy10th May 2013ce |
Oldbury Rock Shelters (Cave / Rock Shelter) |
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After studying all the previous posts I decided to attempt to locate these two sites. On Tuesday this week we made the climb from the car park using the recommmended route but losing our bearings we had to give up the search. On checking other sites and using my car Tomtom in longtitude/ latitude mode we set out again. I realise I made an elementary mistake which was mentioned and went on the wrong path. We found both sites quite easily and on the rock dwelling on the path from Oldbury Lane my sat nav was out by only 50 yards which I found amazing. Well worth the climb but I have to say I did not feel any atmosphere at the dwellings but other obviously have because of the evidence left behind. David |
Posted by deepeedee 9th May 2013ce |
Clach An Airm (Standing Stone / Menhir) |
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Just up the road from the Mains Of Gask this standing stone, as HG and I discovered, takes quite a lengthy walk. Having asked directions at a nearby farm we were directed to forestry walks about a mile north of the famous cairn. From the car park it is a wonderful walk thru the woods heading in a south easterly direction. Follow the track until it becomes a path until it eventually becomes a natural 'meeting place'. Ancient clans met here, the stone acting like a type of pulpit or lectern. More recently the clans met here before the disaster at Culloden, which made me wonder how many brave clansmen made it back after the battle. The trees also give the place an atmosphere, making it feel very old but friendly and welcoming. Funnily enough a short walk leads to the edge of the forest and view of the farm at which we asked directions, it was less than 500 yards away. Even more oddly we asked a chap, walking his dog, for directions to the stone. He replied, Callanish (I love walking but this was as daft an answer as I've ever heard) was the only circle he'd heard about and then said he'd lived in the area for over 30 years. Visited 3/4/2013. |
Posted by drewbhoy 9th May 2013ce |
Paviland Cave (Cave / Rock Shelter) |
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Visited 26 April 2013 Back in the autumn last year, as we made our snail-like way around the Glamorgan coastline on the newly opened Wales Coast Path, we promised ourselves a Gower weekend in the Spring. This gave us something to aim for, an elusive Shangri-la to spur our efforts onward, possibly more in hope that expectation. So I'm mightily excited that we've reached the Gower on time and the long-awaited trip has even tied in with some promising weather. We're staying in Scurlage, but come down the day before our first walk. I've managed to remember to bring the tide times with me, ostensibly on the off-chance of a visit to Worm's Head tomorrow, but I've realised that the tide will be at its lowest point about an hour after we arrive at our accommodation, itself less than an hour's walk from the coast path and the wonders of Paviland. From Pilton Green, a footpath sign points to "Foxhole Slade". We scurry and hurry along the path that runs smooth and easy alongside hedges for about a mile, conscious of the limited, precious minutes ticking away. We meet the Coast Path, to the left heading to Longhole Cave and then Port Eynon (3.5 miles), to the right climbing up to the cliff forts on the headland above and onward to Rhossili (4 miles), but our route carries straight on down towards the azure sea, glimpsed tantalisingly between the V of steep cliffs. There is no footpath, just a sheep track heading down over initially grassy then increasingly rocky slopes, alongside an old drystone wall. The cliff on our right looms intimidatingly steep, a sheer tower of rock, and I start to wonder how accessible the cave is actually going to be. The path peters out and we find ourselves scrambling over sharply sculpted rock, millennia of wind and water have carved this foreshore into a serious obstacle. Progress is slow but the tide is at least out (thank you, tide timetable). I've read that you have to get down to "beach" level before climbing back up to the cave, so that's what we do. The foreshore is rock, slick and jagged, but not impossible to negotiate. Once down on the relative flat, we turn round and scan the cliff face above. From here, the entrance to the cave faces us rather obliquely, but that's definitely it! The pear-shaped opening of Goat's Hole is recognisable from photos I've seen, with a smaller cave entrance visible to the left. G/F hadn't decided until now whether to stay on the shore and wait for me, or to come up to the cave. Once down, the scramble doesn't look too difficult, the rocks rise from the shore at a fairly gentle angle until the cave itself, where the cliff then shoots up vertically. She decides to come with me, good choice. I will say that although the scramble isn't all that difficult, it isn't all that easy either, the rocks are very pointy! Wear appropriate footwear and don't try this if the tide is on its way in, that's my advice. Luckily we have no such worries, at least an hour or more before we would really have to start hurrying. Scramble over, we reach the cliff face and the opening. It's apparent that this is actually a very big, open cave - no ducking and squeezing here. The thrill of stepping over the threshold is almost too much. It's just a cave, no piles of jewels, no genied lamp, but it's soooo exciting coming here. If you have even a passing interest in the past of these islands, this has to be one of the most overwhelming places you can come. I'm almost beside myself. The cave floor has been dug out, so there is a bit of a pit on the left hand side, which I think must be where the Red "Lady" was laid to rest. The cave goes back somewhat further, a spacious place and certainly one that you could imagine being holed up in, as it were, for a while. There does not appear to be any entrance to goblin town from the back of the cave. There is however another "chamber", high above the main area. It looks possible to access, but I wouldn't even attempt it without rope and safety equipment (helicopter on standby, for example). G/F is strangely keen to have a go, despite her previously stated absolute aversion to potholing and confined spaces, but I dissuade her from making the attempt. There's more than enough excitement in the main area. We stay for an hour or so, sitting and gazing out of the cave mouth across the Bristol Channel. The lapping of the waves, the sun playing on the water, creates such a feeling of calm, I could stay for days. One of the many joys of a visit here is to picture the sea replaced by a plain, stretching away for miles and miles, roamed by antelope and mammoth. Wow. Eventually we reluctantly decide that tide will wait for no man or woman and we must start our return. Before departing, we scramble some way up the ridge at the side of the cave, just to enjoy the vantage point. We also visit the smaller cave to the west, which is rather less interesting and doesn't go far back at all. The return to the shore seems easier than the scramble up. There is also an enormous, echoing sea cave to the east of Goat's Hole Cave, worth a look as the tide is still out. From there, the waters are obviously starting to creep up the beach and we make our exit. In our excitement at climbing up to the cliff fort above, I completely forget to look out for Foxhole Slade cave, which is in the cliff here somewhere. Of all the prehistoric sites I have visited, Goat's Hole may be the most evocative, the most overpoweringly redolent of an impossibly long-vanished age, and people like us and yet not. Come if you possibly can. Truly a cave of wonders. |
Posted by thesweetcheat 8th May 2013ce |
Tor Beag (Hillfort) |
| 04/05/2013 - Lovely hillfort just off the A9, north of Avielochan. Parking is not easy here so we stopped at the Laggantygown Cemetery carpark next to Loch Vaa. A track just south of here leads back to the A9 and the start of the path to the hillfort. Quite steep sided hill with a nice wall at the entrance. Wooded now and lovely in the sunshine. |
Posted by thelonious8th May 2013ce |
Wepre Brook (Hillfort) |
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I dont know the right name for this fort it could as easily be Ewloe fort, but ive name it after the river that runs by and the parkland it is in. High above the Wepra brook, in deep woodland on a sandstone promontory is this little fort. It is only about 30m x 10m. There isn't much in the way of surviving defences either, just a few meters of a ditch separating the promontory to the rest of the high ground, now a golf course. But I can well imagine the place with less trees high above the place where two water courses meet, being a good place to live. Nowadays the place is Wepra park, with nicely stepped paths all the way along the brook to the much better known Ewloe castle. Today there were many people about, from picnicing families to groups of lads. Not a decent fort , but a very nice place. Ps , not really suited to boys with bikes. |
Posted by postman7th May 2013ce |
Moel y Gaer (Hillfort) |
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Just north east of the little village of Rhosesmor is yet another Moel y Gaer, occupying a suitable hill top 303 meters above sea level. Parking is obtained on the west side of the hill, there is room for many cars. I headed up the hill with my camera and two straining at the lead dogs, whilst Eric and his mate Luke pushed their bikes up (bikes were part of the deal).Phil elected to stay in the car with the radio. There were quite a lot of people up on the fort, some were walking the circuit of the fort like me, some were just lounging around on the reservoir, enjoying the sunshine and the views. The views are extensive, the best are west to the bigger hills and east to the Dee estuary. A reservoir on a hill top? with a big dome over it ? in a hill fort ? Absurd. This is a good hill fort, the hill is just the perfect place to keep an eye on the surroundings, two well defined banks encircle the hill. The main entrance is on the east side facing the estuary, but smaller entrances are at the north and south. Surely I must have known about this place before now, but then forgot about it, I thought I'd been to all of the good hill forts in North Wales and some crap ones, perhaps now I have. But probably not. |
Posted by postman 7th May 2013ce |
Killakee (Wedge Tomb) |
| A quick visit to Killakee wedge tomb with my daughter and a friend. There's the usual trash about the area, a popular spot so close to Dublin. This, though ruined, is actually quite a good example of a classic wedge tomb. Double-walling is visible on both sides; much of the other structural stones are still there, though a more modern wall cuts through the front of the tomb. The presence of a massive beech tree in the south-west corner of the wedge does detract and distract. The ground to the east falls steeply away about 10 metres behind the tomb. |
Posted by ryaner 6th May 2013ce |
Fenagh Beg (Portal Tomb) |
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My plan for the day in Fenagh had included a visit to the court tomb in the neighbouring parish of Commons, as many of the standing stones and sundry other pre-christian monuments in the vicinity, and, of course, Fenagh Beg portal tomb and its attendant passage tombs and cairn. So far I'd been put off coming here by a combination of a local lass and Ken's fieldnotes about the bull. It had lashed hail at the court tomb and I'd been attacked by hungry sheep, and the cluster of standing stones north-east of the village had proved utterly elusive. The best laid plans of mice and men… I had earlier gone up the lane above and to the east of the tomb and had spied it across what now is a lake but is a stream on the maps. The field looked empty, but the very cool response that the local had given to my enthusiastic plan to jaunt across the private land had left me doubting the wisdom of such a venture. My companion and his dog had accompanied me on the fruitless leg of the standing stone search and now we were back in the centre of the village, not 300 metres due south of the tomb. So what to do? My ventures out in the field have been drastically curtailed by the recession and the perpetual "f*** you, pay me" of my mortgage provider. So I'd killed two birds with one stone – visited my mate in Cavan town, and plotted an attack on Fenagh and its rich megalithic heritage. And here I was, on the verge of bottling the ultimate goal of my trip. Well, bollocks to that, as they say nearly everywhere. I spied a quick route over a farm gate, across an empty field where the remains of the first passage grave are – then it would be over another fence and across the field with the portal. I've done this type of manoeuver so often but never have I been cheered on by a friend and his dog. I said I'd be about 20 minutes and that I'd meet him back in the village and off I set. I headed straight for the mound with the small chamber at its top. Because of the rush I was in I didn't give this much time. The small chamber is box-like, resembling a small kist. It's about a metre square and sits oddly at the top of the mound and gradually becomes visible as you cross the field from the south. Behind the mound is a fence/hedge and this cuts across the monument. Almost immediately over this is the second passage grave, a strange rectangular structure with a couple of stones from a chamber and some kerbstones on its north side. The odd thing about this is that it's all raised about a metre above the field level, including the kerb. It was excavated in 1928 and "Cremated bone, six bone pendants, the head of a bone pin, and one quartz and two chalk balls were recovered." Again, moving fast I didn't give this much time either. And then on to the main event: the ivy is really taking over here. The capstone rests precariously on one portal (the other portal, like the capstone itself, having been broken), the backstone and the eastern sidestone. The broken piece of the roofstone is a couple of tons in itself and the complete tomb itself would have been quite a construction. What really gives this place its character though is the mad bush that has parasitically given the tomb a full head of hair. However, from what I could see on my brief visit, this is not as charming as it used to be and some of the ivy trunk/branches are really strangling the stone. As the plant increases in size and bulk I fear it's in real danger of pulling the already damaged and quite precariously balanced capstone down. All of the stone are of the same conglomerate that you find in Sligo and Leitrim and it's really rather brittle and erosion-prone. Having said all that, this is really a fantastic place. There's an air of ancientness about the place with that really rugged, damp, loaminess to the surrounds. The view immediately north to the beginnings of Lough Reane is gorgeous. The people of the vicinity are aware of what they have on their doorstep but haven't come up with a way to make the most of it yet, what with the tensions between private property and public monuments and the disgraceful lack of a public right to roam movement in Ireland. I left here way too soon and took a few shots of the very small cairn in the corner of the field. A fascinating and undervalued place that maybe I won't see again. |
Posted by ryaner 6th May 2013ce |
Birdlip Camp (Hillfort) |
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After a rather up and down walk along the face of the escarpment, it’s something of a relief to reach the trees that mark the promontory fort, where I'm greeted by the rat-a-tat of a woodpecker looking for lunch. The Cotswold Way enters the wood at the single rampart, which is at its most impressive at this northern end. It has been damaged by quarrying; there’s a big pit across the path outside the camp. Aside from this feature, there is little visible to indicate the presence of Iron Age occupation. The interior is covered in trees, albeit a light deciduous wood that allows plenty of visibility through the site. The ground falls away very steeply on the north and south sides – my path runs to the end of the promontory and then back along the opposite side. Reaching the southern end of the rampart, there is hardly anything left of the earthwork here. It’s a pleasant spot on a sunny day, but don’t expect to be blown away by the visible remains. This post appears as part of the blog post "The Cotswold Way IV – Dowdeswell – Cooper’s Hill 20 April 2013"
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Posted by thesweetcheat 6th May 2013ce |
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