These 5 stones all lie on the ridge which leads from Cwm Pennant up to Pen-y-Garnedd at SJ 0410 3092 where there is a round barrow (cairn). All are listed by the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust as being from the bronze age. It seems likely that they marked the route up to Pen-y-Garnedd which would also be a good route to get over to the stone circle and row at Rhos y Beddau in the Disgynfa valley.
Some of the stones are pretty small but they are all quite slim and have been set upright in the earth. I can't see any logic to the directions in which they have been set. The ground is grassy with almost no other exposed stones visible.
|
|
This stone looks like a beached whale. It is clearly visible in the middle of the field on gently sloping ground in a slight hollow. GPS reading SJ 0332 3329. 1m high, 1.5m wide, 0.65m deep with long axis 80-260 degrees
|
|
Yr Aran Standing Stone I - leaning over in a hollow on sloping ground. GPS reading SJ 0355 3314. 45cm wide, 15cm deep, at least 60cm long but leaning over so that the tip is only 35cm above the ground. The long axis runs 120-300 degrees
|
Yr Aran Marker Stone II
In a hollow to the west side of the ridge on sloping ground. GPS reading SJ 0357 3312. 55cm high, 50cm wide, 13cm deep with long axis running N-S
|
Yr Aran Marker Stone I
A tiny stone on the east side of the ridge, well clear of the bracken. GPS reading SJ 0372 3278. 40cm wide, 12 cm deep, at least 40cm tall of which 20cm is visible. The long axis runs 120-300 degrees.
|
Ok, so what are they?
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust lists the 3 arrow stones as being prehistoric but Coflein classifies them as of unknown period.
H.S. (Bill) Chapman has sent me a copy of his interesting article in 3rd Stone Oct-Dec 1998 entitled "'Arrow stones' and related phenomena: North Wales examples of prehistoric art". It lists 15 possible sites and draws parallels with markings found elsewhere.
The term arrow stone comes from the idea that the grooves were caused by the sharpening of arrows. This seems implausible but quite what they symbolise, if anything, is unclear. I hope to post some further ideas in the near future.
|
This stone is just 3 paces south of the track and so has suffered the indignity of lots of modern inials being carved into its surface. GPS reading SH 6924 7100.
There are incisions up to 20cm long, 3mm wide and 2mm deep. Lichen on the east side may be hiding more.
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust list the stone as coming from the medieval period but to me it seems to have similar character to the Llanfairfechan Arrow Stones just across the county boundary in Conwy which are classified as prehistoric.
|
The stone is immediately to the south of the track. GPS reading SH 6926 7223.
It is 1.75m long, 0.55m wide, 0.55m deep and is leaning over at a marked angle. It is not listed by either Coflein or the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust - I will contact the latter to ask why not.
|
This took a bit of finding in rather boggy moorland but was well worth the effort. It is 35 paces south of the wall from the last tree (a hawthorn), which in turn is 35 paces down from the gate in the wall running along the north side of the field. GPS reading SH 6957 7315.
The stone is flat and almost level with the ground, 2.25m long E-W and 0.9m wide N-S. In parts the surface has an odd, almost cement-like, textrure - perhaps it has been smoothed. The incisions are up to 20cm long and 8mm deep.
Coflein describes it as "an arrow stone located on open moorland with more than 100 incisions on its surface."
|
I could find nothing at this location although both Coflein and the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust list an arrow stone at SH 6937 7228.
I also couldn't find the stone from the Roman period which the GAT list at SH 6936 7231 and which Coflein describes as: "Incised stone at the head of Alan Glan Sais near the Roman road. The surface of a flat rock 3ft 8ins by 2ft 5ins bears a design consisting of three concentric squares, the centre of each of the four sides of this design being cut and measures about 9ins square."
|
This stone lies 10 paces west of the path junction or perhaps more obviously, 30 paces NW of the NW leg of the pylon. The incisions are up to 20 cm long and 2 cm deep.
Coflein describes it as "an arrow stone on the west side of the track near ffridd newydd. It is a natural boulder measuring 2m by 1m and on the upper surface of the stone are groups of parallel cuts from 10-18cm long."
|
The stone is 20 paces north of the track roughly half-way between the corner of the wall to the west and the start of the rectangular enclosure to the east. GPS reading SH 6801 7207. It lies low to the ground and is 2.75m long N-S and up to 1.0 m wide E-W.
There are a group of markings on the SE side of the stone, including a wigwam shape. The incisions are up to 12 cm long, 2.5 mm wide and 2 mm deep. This area of the stone looks as though it could have been smoothed and there are 4 or 5 little holes that look a bit like punch marks. The initials R.R.P. are directly above the wigwam shape. There could also be other incisions on the other side of the stone but they are less clear.
The incisions in the main area are shallower but clearer than those on other so-called arrow stones in the area. The Gwynedd Archaological Trust class it as a medieval inscribed stone and I suspect that it is not older than that. The RCAHW Caernarvonshire inventory from 1956 describe it as "an earthfast stone about 8ft by 3ft with a small group of grooves on its upper surface" and both sources give the grid ref as SH 6800 7206. My GPS reading is a bit different from that but the description matches and so I think I've got the same stone.
|
Here is a route covering all the sites listed for Eyam Moor. It is just over 5 Km and earlier this week took me just under 2 hours in good weather. It could take substantially longer in poor visibility, especially without the use of a GPS to locate Wet Withens, and of course when you spend time looking at things!
Starting at the bend in Sir William Hill Road at SK 224780, take the path running NE. It runs alonside a wall for 500 m and then after the wall turns off to the E, the path continues NE across the moor. In another 500 m you will see down below you to your right a right-angled corner in the wall 200 m away. Head straight down through the heather to Eyam Moor III stone circle (SK 2320 7881) which is just to the NW of the corner and can be seen as a green bilberry mound.
Next head N to the end of the delapidated wall and follow it for about 100 m until you reach 2 gate posts through which runs the footpath down to Leam. To find Eyam Moor II stone circle (SK 2316 7897) go 30 m SW along the footpath back towards your starting point to a large rock in the middle of the path. There is now a raised circular bank of about 10 m diameter immediately to the left of the path which marks the site of the circle.
To get to Wet Withens (SK 2254 7900), return to the gate posts and follow a compass bearing due W through the heather for 650 m. Locating it in the heather can be extremely difficult. The most noticeable features to look out for are the pile of rocks in Eyam Moor Barrow 30 m N of the circle and the tallest stone at the NE of the circle (lots of photos on the site).
Navigation but not the going underfoot now gets easier. Head SW towards the mast near the top of Sir William Hill that hopefully will be clearly visible. Knee high heather is intermixed with waist deep bracken but after about 800 m you come to a wall running across the moor. Climb over the barbed wire in a gap in the wall and follow the path to the NW on the other side. In about 500 m the tops of the trees in Gotherage Plantation can just be seen to your left and 2 tall stones looking like gateposts appear in the wall. Now head W along a gap in the heather for about 100 m and find the Stanage Cup-Marked Stone (SK 2152 7870). The Stanage (Ring) Cairn with another cup-marked stone is clearly visible 40 m to the S (SK 21540 78663).
A footpath can be found about 10 m to the W. Follow it S to Sir William Hill Road and then go E to return to your starting point. Be prepared to get back with very wet legs if it has been raining but look forward to lots of bilberries if you get the season right - they wre still plenty this week!
|
|
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust replied to me today but could find no reference to this stone in their fieldnotes. They will add it to their database to check at a later date.
|
There are 8 stones in all scattered over a distance of 1.5 Km, lying on either side of Fonlief Hir, a prehistoric trackway that runs up to the ring cairns on the slopes of Moel Goedog.
5 stones, scheduled as ancient monuments, appear on Coflein. From SW to NE these are listed as Fonlief Hir Stone B (Carreg), Stone A (Moel-y-Sensigl), Stone E (Fonlief Hir), Stone C and Stone D. Continuing NE are 2 more stones listed by the Gwynedd Archaeoligical Trust as Moel Goedog Stones 2 and 1. To the east of Stone 2 is a further stone which I have called Moel Goedog Stone 3.
All 8 stones appear on the Megalithic Portal. Fonlief Hir Stones A-E are called Moel Goedog 7,8,1,2 and 6 and Moel Goedog Stones 1-3 are called Moel Goedog 5,3 and 4. The stone listed as Moel Goedog, Merthyr Farm seems to be a duplicate of the stone called Moel Goedog 1, some of the information posted on the latter being incorrect. I will try to contact the author to get it corrected.
|
|
The cairn lies to the E of the track and is not visible from Moel Goedog West. The ring is ca 6m wide and contains ca 15 stones, most of which are short and fat.
|
The cairn lies to the W of the track. There is a wonderful panorama across Tremadog Bay. The ring is ca 6m wide with ca 11 upright and 7 fallen stones. The tallest stone at the WNW is 0.85m high, 0.7m wide and 0.15m deep.
Moel Goedog East cannot be seen from the cairn.
|
|
It lies immediately to the SE of the track through a derelict fence. 1.1m high, 0.77m wide and 0.55m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60938 32288.
|
|
The stone is immediately to the NW of the track. It is 1.3m high, 1.0m wide and 0.8m deep with consistent cross-section. GPS position SH 60857 32191.
|
The stone lies SE of the track and the fence and about 60m from Moel Goedog stone 2. It is 1.0m high, 1.0m wide and 0.77m deep and tapers to the top. GPS position SH 60858 32176
It is not listed on CARN under the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust records. I will try to contact them to find out why not.
|
|
Folk singer, sword dancer, hill walker, Welsh Rugby fan, husband and father. Retired (early!) to stop work getting in the way of interesting things in life. I'm intrigued by stones in wild, remote areas which give clues to what enriched the lives of people living there millenia ago - I'm less interested in what was done to them when they died.
I've been living in Germany since 2007 and so my UK posts have almost dried up!
|
Log in |
Register
Previous 20 | Showing 21-40 of 53 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20 
Top of page