Managed to get here last Friday, on a glorious day (heavy rain was forecast but never appeared).
Builders were working on the farm buildings, the first time in many vists that I've seen anyone here. I asked them for permission to visit, they thought I wanted Chun, or Lanyon Quoit. As the farmer wasn't around, and I had a copy of the map from Magic, they were happy for me to whizz across and take a look.
Into the field to the right of the farmhouse, and over the gate to the rear. On into the next field back from the farm (another gate), then turn right to the bottom of the long field. Over the last gate, and the quoit remains are in the field. Basically, two large stones, one leant against the other with many packing stones at the base.
Magic shows a 'settlement' in the corner of this field also, but before I could investigate, a brief shower started up. As I was carrying my camera without a bag, I hurried back to the car before it could get too soaked.
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The Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network have recently done some clearance work at the cairn, uncovering a stone on the cairn with an amazing quartz vein. See Meyn Mamvro #58 for details.
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Thanks to Mr Hamhead's instructions below, I finally found this at the third time of trying! All I'd add is that the wall on the right is located just after the stream on the left (which tends to make the pathway extremely muddy), and there's a minor barbed wire fence to navigate at the top of the wall. Once in the clearing of the field, just follow the pathway up the hill.
A massive stone, covered in that hairy lichen. Due to the weather I didn't tarry long, or look for the other nearby stones. Another day maybe, now I know how to get here!
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Visited 22/5/5
It's a stiff old walk up from the bottom of the village, but just over a year on from the unintentional scorching the stones received (see News), they appear to be healing well. Most of the burnt lichen has been removed, and the stones look in good condition. I didn't notice any obvious cracking on the stones I inspected closely.This post appears as part of the blog post " Well Cross in Kernow (1)" |
Visited 21/5/5
I parked the car at Chysauster car park and walked along the road to the footpath at SW465347. The woman at the house next to the footpath advised me to avoid the horses in the field as they can become a 'bit too friendly'. Following the footpath across the first stile (into a roped off corner of the horse's field), this was easily done by jinking into the next field through a gate (horses in field), and returning at the far corner by dodging under the fence which appears to have been designed for exactly that purpose.
After the second stile, the footpath is poorly defined, but I headed straight across the meadow as depicted on the map to a stile hidden in the undergrowth of the hedge. After this third stile, the stone can be seen on the far side of the second field on the left. I couldn't find a way into this field (the footpath carries on up to Try Farm, but is very poorly defined from here).
Sadly, in the evening I found that the photos I'd taken had mysteriously disappeared from the camera! This meant I had to return later in the week, when it was much dryer than the 8am dew flood I'd encountered this time round.This post appears as part of the blog post " Well Cross in Kernow (1)" |
Visited 21/5/5
This is a neat little 'fairy' circle on the edge of the plantation with a stone cist in the centre. Plonkers had lit a fire within the cist. FFS why?This post appears as part of the blog post " Well Cross in Kernow (1)" |
Visited 21/5/5
What a fantastic place! From the layby, walk up the steps then keep up the hill till the stream is heard. Keep the stream on the right until a 'stone path' is seen. Follow the path to the settlement - the path continues on up to Hookney Tor.
There's a real sense of loss here – it's easy to imagine the bustling community that once existed within the encircling wall with its three entrances.This post appears as part of the blog post " Well Cross in Kernow (1)" |
Visited 21/5/5. Noted elsewhere as 'Meacombe Cist'.
Parking is difficult. Best places seem to be the next gate up to the north, or a bit further to the south, by the farm entrance.
I couldn't get close to the actual chamber without trespassing into a field full of a quantity of bovine population with young, so I chickened out and contented myself with the long view through the herd.This post appears as part of the blog post " Well Cross in Kernow (1)" |
After a stroll with Mr Hamhead (Mark) across Bodmin to see King Arthur's Hall, just a short way east from the King Arthur's Down circle (following the field wall), we came across this fallen menhir.
The stone is almost certainly fallen, as the shape is ideal for a 'stander', and the base is thicker and shaped for support, being much thicker in width as well as breadth.
Mark shoved his trusty walking pole under the thin end, and ascertained that the stone is no more than about 9 inches thick at the pointy end.
There is a possibility that this is part of a fallen stone row, as at least two more large granite blocks were seen directly in line with this one on the other side of the wall. Barbed wire and long-horn cattle prevented closer inspection of these other stones.
As it lays, the stone is pointing directly to Rough Tor.
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Stopped off here on the way home from Brum. Absolutely stunned to have the place to myself on a Saturday afternoon! Panos will follow if I can stitch them correctly...
Apparently today is the day when the police decide whether to charge the person arrested for damaging the stones. As for correcting the damage, the decision has been taken to follow the 'dental pick' route. Tenders have been issued for conducting this work.
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Trotted along to take a look at Long Tom today. A pleasant enough walk from Avebury, up to the Ridgeway, down across Fyfield Down along the old London-Bath road and up the other side.
Just before the reservoir, there's a notice on the right denoting a private racehorse training field. Nicely cut grass, and about 100 yards into the field can be seen Long Tom, with a much smaller partner on the other side of the 'racetrack'. Very much a 'finishing post'.
As to the stone iteself, it's very angular and clean cut. Very little evidence of the lichen that covers all other stones in the area. All in all, it looks too 'new' to be that ancient, even if it's thought to be Iron Age rather than neolithic. It looks very similar in condition to a small modern rubbing post I spotted in an adjacent field.
Overall, I'm not convinced.
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Popped up to Oxfordshire on a whim at the weekend, my first visit for a while, and the first since the damage.
The photos I'd seen really don't put across the sheer mindlessness of the damage. It looks as though some progress may be made, as tests were being undertaken for removing the paint - see the picture of the info sheet, and test area.
A tourist coach arrived while I was there. They'd spent about 5 minutes at the King Stone, and were being rapidly shown around the stones. I don't spend a great deal of time at sites (so many sites, so little time), but even I'm not that quick, and I've not paid for the privilege of a guide!
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It's possible (and easy) to gain access via Brane Farm. I was lucky in that someone was around to ask, I had no problem in getting permission, and the cows were safely locked away.
There is a path from the cowshed (obviously used by our bovine friends) down to the gate in the adjoining field, and again to the third field where the chamber lies.
From this direction, the first view is of the rear of the chamber (see photo), which consists of some large stones.
The actual chamber was quite overgrown with weeds and small shrubs on my visit, and I suspect some root damage may occur, as several smaller stones which had obviously come from the chamber were spread about near the entrance.This post appears as part of the blog post " Solstice in the South West" |
Managed to get up here this week for a look-see.
A couple of holes in the ground, with stones laying beside them waiting to be raised. Not sure how many they'll be working on in total.
Information notices have been graffittied by the locals who are against the restoration. Had a quick chat with Cherryl Straffon in St Justs about the restoration. Her comment? It'll be good to see the big stones up again...
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Walked up here last week, having parked by the Bowl Rock (SW522367). A pleasant enough stroll up the hill, squeezing past a cottage on the way, then over a stile, look to the right, and there it is, on the edge of a sloping field which returns down the hill.
I managed to get some photos with what I think was Hayle and St Ives bay in the background, despite the farmer's dog in the next field warning me away (or so I thought).
The dog was warning me, but only of the bull that was in the field, which I didn't see until I was almost back to the stile! There had been no sign of it on my approach to the stone (thanks to the sloping hill, no doubt), but suddenly it was just there! So be warned...
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Unlike just about everyone else on TMA, I declined to park on the A4 verge due to the madness of various daredevil drivers. Instead, we headed for the car park at SU159699, and I took a longer, leisurely walk along the bridleway at the opposite corner to the entrance to the car park.
The bridleway is bounded on the left by a white topped, electrified fence. I didn't test to see if it was on, but after about 500 yards or so, the Den appeared on the near horizon. It seemed a long way away, and following the fence, I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to get access, but the fence and bridleway headed left eventually, and down into the dale. A gate at the bottom of the hill led to the overgrown footpath, about 500 yards away from the barbed wire 'stile' near the stones. This last stretch was muddy, and I'd imagine could be quite overgrown in high season, unlike the lush grass track I'd taken thus far. The round trip took me an hour, and I'm not as fit as Moth, so it's probably a comparable distance, with no difficulty parking.
The location itself is stunning, but I kept asking myself, 'why here?' Surrounded by hills on all sides, there is no obvious view or alignment for the 'barrow'. The stones lie on a distintive mound, but I suspect most of this is field clearance, as the restoration is is quite obvious, and the concrete was, for me, quite off-putting. I'll be back though, if only for the views from the approach.This post appears as part of the blog post " Old and New Friends in Wiltshire" |
Easily found, following the map, and the NW outlier at the junction tells you you've arrived. We pulled into the No Through Road on the left, and parked on the verge (the pull-in that Moth mentioned was gated, and very muddy).
A real mystery, this one. I scaled the ladder stile and entered the field, to find 5 stones in a parabola, suggesting an ovoid 'circle'. And unusually, a central stone. Plus of course, the two outliers. None still standing, and the possibility that this wasn't the original location of the stones anyway. Lots of questions and very few answers. I could get no real feeling of what was what, so had to leave somewhat unsatisfied.This post appears as part of the blog post " Old and New Friends in Wiltshire" |
I was amazed I'd not seen this before given how close it actually is to the road. On return to the car, I found that the remaining stone of the circle can actually be seen from the road. I'd expected it to be much further up the hill toward the Ridgeway for some reason.
I'd parked at the end of West Kennet Avenue and just followed the new signpost to "Falkner's Circle 1/4 mile".
On the way I saw the hedgerow stone pictured by stubob, but devoid of the vegetation in his photo (see my picture). Oh, and there was a crop circle just to the south, but it looked a bit 'amateurish' to my eye, kind of incomplete...This post appears as part of the blog post " Old and New Friends in Wiltshire" |
Brooding.
The weather was wet. Raining and misty all at the same time. We parked outside the church, and like a div, I still hadn't spotted the barrow.
When I did spot it, looming large next to the church, covered in trees, it was like , Wow!
It's big, and the immediate impression I got was of darkness, as if it resented the church being there. Maybe that's why the children mentioned in Rhiannon's Folklore entry avoided the place?This post appears as part of the blog post " Old and New Friends in Wiltshire" |
8th October 2003
This is a tricky one. It's actually set in the grounds of the school, but a footpath from Porthpean Road just south of the A390 goes quite near. Follow the path along the back of the tennis courts into the field beyond, then look back to see the stone.
There are signs advising against trespass onto the school grounds, and when I was there, the school had just gone onto a break period and the kids were coming out.
Because of this I couldn't get too close, and taking pictures was tricky in case anyone got the wrong idea! I managed a couple of shots though...This post appears as part of the blog post " What we did on our holidays..." |
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An ex-Londoner based in West Cornwall, any sites on the wrong side of the Tamar are now effectively out of reach as time marches on for me.
I was usually accompanied on trips by my partner and soulmate Mikki, who is disabled and unable to walk far. I'm indebted to her for her patience and understanding.
Favourite place? Cornwall without a doubt. West Penwith in particular, Trencrom Hill as a prime example. The peninsular is so rich in sites and has an amazing atmosphere. Every trip there is like going home... Avebury currently comes a close second, but is starting to go the way of Stonehenge (see below) and Glastonbury for me - over-used and over-rated.
Most overrated? Stonehenge - I can't understand the excitement that this totally spoiled site induces in people. I first went there in the 1960's with school and have been back several times since. Each was an anti-climax.
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