juamei

[visited 5/8/23] One from the long list, hoping I guess to see all the “Cumbrian” great circles at some point, and this is my first across the water. It’s big, deceptively big, feels a bit like Stanton drew big (though it’s not).

I really liked this site, in times past I’m sure it was venerated and paths actually led to it, maybe their locals were proud. Sadly not an impression I got nowadays. High grass at least showed other recent visitors , but the difference in attention to (say) castlerigg was curious. I was not surprised to find myself the only visitor for the 25 minutes I was there.

Snubbed sadness side, this place feels a lot like gamelands with so few stones despite the size in comparison to the more central big rings. Late additions maybe, or maybe provincial circles didn’t merit additional stone ceremonies over centuries of use.

Access is good, through a kissing gate by a road and less than 15 metres across a grassy field. Park at the layby on the b road and head 100m down the minor road to the gate.

[visited 19/5/23] The hard slog but on a cloudless day with only skylarks and peewits for company, 101% worth it. That old top to bottom feeling of peace as I sunk down to eat my sandwiches.

One of several small cairns poking out about the edges of the peat up here, ever more suggestive of a large cairn field under the blanked bog on the flat bits all the way to the top of hurst hill. This is a small site buried in the archaeological survey and well worth the effort if you like small mounds of stones. There is just a hint of a kerb, a few earthfast stones coquettish peaking up on the edges.

Access is difficult across peat bog from any direction. I came from the great hill to hordern stoops footpath and its quite boggy. I left via Round loaf and across moor to lead mines clough. Quite boggy that way too!

[visited 7/7/22] Two hours to kill whilst waiting for guides to finish falling into a lake so I fired up the trusty map and spotted this nearby. I’m trying to see a few of these iron age sites nearby to validate a possible site I found on a local golf course, so this looked a good bet.

I headed up from the south through the lovely old wood and eventually found the site. I have to say I’m not convinced on the ground and checking the lidar, I’m even less convinced. The ditches around the edges seem natural with some possible modification, but I’d expect a bank along the top, even slight, which seemed to be completely absent.

There is obvious ridge and furrow across the top which you can see close up on the footpath and is picked out beautifully on the lidar, if I had to guess I’d presume the ditches at the foot of the slope were drainage for the mediaeval fields.

On the way back I got deliberately “lost” in the woods, completely empty at 8pm. Bliss.

Access pretty good from the south with only moderate rough ground and well maintained access roads and paths. Steep long grass at the site.

[visited 20/8/20] In the spirit of stretching my walking legs again, I popped over to this tonight after work. Lovely evening, lovely walk, I was accompanied for the last mile by the incessant twittering of swallows, squadrons hurtling past in close formation attacking the enemy insects. Its a nice walk up from Hawkshaw and you dont see the giant mound until the last.

And it is a giant. Same vibe as Round Loaf, if it was in Dorset I’d have been nodding appreciatively at the magnificence of it. Round here its a veritable freak. I mention Round loaf and the HER talks about another similar mound; Priest’s Crown, which has been “proved to be natural”. Is this glacial? I just dont know, its a lovely round shape. But why put it in this valley, why not up on the hill to the west? But then I climbed it and it lifts you over the ridge to the South and you can see for MILES. I read that the south pennine folk were ancestral overspill from the eastern peaks moors, was that the view?

Access is ok for the semi fit, but poor for wheels, you’ve 3 or 4 stiles to cross.

[visited 4/3/18] Out on a hike up Hurst hill, I remembered on my way back I’d never actually found this cairn despite walking within 100m of it many times. So, with the aid of the images on here and some rough guesstimation I found this really good condition small cairn. Turns out I was always the other side of a slight rise and even when I’d climbed it I was looking for a circular bank not a mound, should have checked the images earlier!

This is a really good condition cairn, seemingly untouched by robbers, antiquarians or farmers. The mound is poking out of the peat and has a clearly defined kerb about a metre or so up enclosing a 2-3 metre space. I wonder if there is a second kerb under the peat defining the bottom of the cairn, I poked about a bit but couldn’t see anything obvious. Looking at the previous pictures on here I think the peat may have denuded a bit over the last 15 years or so.

The views are really good and before the trees went up you would have had a great view of pikestones and round loaf, this mound lying between the two. Also a lovely vista all the way round the eastern end of anglezarke, winter hill and then onto the lancashire plains out to the sea.

Access is good for Anglezarke, however it will probably be boggy underfoot depending on the time of year. You’ll need to cross a couple of stiles and the cairn is just off a footpath.

[Visited 18/02/18] I’ve been looking for an excuse to pop up here for a while, so a power walk bit of exercise seemed perfect. I went up the side of winter hill hoping to spot the small cairn on the north edge of the top, but I wasnt sure which of the humps qualified. This one didn’t have that issue...

This is a large cairn still clearly defined, with the remains of a kerb on the southern side. The builders making use of a natural knoll to make two sides appear much bigger. The modern pile of stones on top has been flattened slightly since the earlier photos on here and I think is just spoil from the robber or excavation pit in the centre. I had a close look at the possible cups on the large stone nearby, I’m thinking natural due to lack of definition and irregular shape, but the light was very poor. If the stone was standing I think it’s been flat for a fair while.

All in all a nice barrow, worth the effort. Access would be easiest from the old road which goes round the bottom off the hill following easily navigable paths.

[visited 4/12/16] My what a beast this is. Magic.gov.uk has this as an oversized bowl barrow akin to the much smaller mounds on the hills to the north and west, I disagree entirely. This is surely one of the neolithic round cairns that dot the landscape of the southern white peak.

Its lovely here on a cold sunny winters day with low light spreading the shadows. The two pits are clear as are the original quarry pits in the surrounding fields. Its placement in the landscape is suggestive of a different purpose to the cairns on the steep hills nearby, this one much closer to the valleys and the water sources, not so much a statement to the gods but a usable monument for the everyday folk.

Access is ok. About 15-20 minutes walk from Alstonfield over muddy fields.

[visited 16/8/14] In what is a mostly flat landscape as the land turns to heath as it meets the sea, I was surprised to see a couple of hillforts on the tma map. Looking to escape after a long week visiting family in Upton I headed over to this, the most complete and accessible of the two (compared to Bulberry Camp). Turns out there is a ridge of land to the North of Poole Harbour which when on the ground is plenty high enough to build forts on.

The interior of the fort is small, made smaller by the extreme amounts of gorse and bracken covering the site. A space/path is maintained which means you can get to the western edge, though a circumnavigation of the top isn’t possible unless you want to fight your way through gorse bushes. I’d like to come back here in the winter to investigate further and also have a look at the hill immediately adjacent to the north which seemed to also have earthworks or at least modified to make the path to the North of this fort very well defended.

Access is easy along a well maintained network of paths from parking just off the Wareham to Bere Regis road. I did get confused and ended up circling the fort as I missed the easy path from the South which takes you straight up and in past the defences. Unlike most hillforts the gorse in August stops you going up and over the defences...

[visited 11/13] Out for a birthday sojourn, my actual target was the possible cup marks nearby, but it seemed churlish to ignore this so close to them. Getting here isn’t the easiest, I settled for a 20 minute trek through the heathery bog across Harland Sick from Hell Bank plantation. Not that easy but ok this late in the year. When I finally got here, it was well worth the effort.

What a weird weird site. The peaks does have a habit of unusual sites, hob hurst’s house being a km or so away, but this one may take the biscuit. From what I could tell on the ground and the HER, its basically two mounds separated by an open passage at both ends, including portal stones. I don’t know how much is left here, mounds of rocks are nearby, so this could be the bottom metre only, with the passage perhaps originally being covered turning this into one mound. All in all odd, I’ll try and get back here once I’ve found and read more reports on it...

Access is across open moorland for a km at least. The way straight across the moor from Hell Bank is easier than from Hob Hurst’s house, but still painfully awkward.

[visited 27/07/13] Standing alone in the centre of a field on the edge of Rostrevor, this stone is pretty much unknown by locals. We stopped at the gate at first, parking up and then just peering at the stone like onlookers to some private event, then rushing on as we had family to visit. The next day however I made sure we had ten minutes as we went past it so shinned over the gate and had a close look.

This is a decent enough stone coming just up to chest height. I had presumed it would be edge on to the direction of the valley but it’s weird cross section meant it was hard to identify any meaningful potential alignment. Its not hard to see why it is located here though, the views are great and the stone is at the start of a pass which leads up and through the Mournes.

Access is fairly easy, just a gate climb and a short walk across a grassy field from the nearest road. The OS Mournes 50k map isn’t exactly clear as to it’s location, until you realise the marker is some distance from the text saying standing stone in the field towards town from the cemetery on Kilbroney Road.

[visited 28/07/13] Unfortunately I only got to the edge of the field for this one. The large herd of cows and bulls, if the very clear keep out notice was to be believed, blocked my path to the stone. It looks to be a bigun though, over head height and standing proud on a knoll. I suspect the views over Carlingford Lough are pretty good.

Curiously an old photo shows the stone to be encased over half way up with a mound. My limited viewpoint hinted that a lot of that has gone, but a closer look is definitely needed.

Access isn’t possible without the farmers assistance, unless you are some kinda freaky cow whisperer.

[visited 28/07/13] To be brutally honest, I thought I hadn’t found this and had just snapped a picture of an amazing modern garden ornament. Upon reflection I really wish that was the case. The modernness of the house just makes the whole thing even sadder.

Access is great, though the houseowner might complain if you park your car next to it.

[24/2/13] Well this is a whopper! Completely and utterly trashed however with none of the chambers obvious especially if as Stubub intimates, the large stones on top are the remains of a lime kiln. Don’t let that stop you visiting though, the views are immense in 300+ degrees making most of the northern part of the limestone plateau visible.

Access is best from the road to the West via a field then open access footpath along the edge of Tideslow Rake. You then need to leave the open access area to get to the other side of the wood.

[visited 30/6/12] I tried to find this before, just following Stu’s instructions on here and failed, giving up after an hour or so. This time I was better armed with an 8 figure grid ref and a GPS which got me to within 10 metres of the stone, a quick search of the vicinity then proving fruitful! As it turns out I got witin 50 metres last time and decided against trying yet another last group of trees. If I had persisted I probably would have found it last time. Stu’s instructions are basically sound, I’d clarify them by adding what I thought first time was the wide peat gulley wasn’t, the gulley we want being closer to Birchen Edge just before the land starts to climb again.

The stone isn’t very imoressive but worth a look if you are up here. It looks like it was perhaps part of a larger piece and has been broken off. The carvings are visible but quite weather worn.

Access is possible from a few directions, the North-East being perhaps most accessible though I haven’t approached from that direction.

[visited 26/5/12] Faced with a choice of locations for a picnic with the only criteria for choice being close to Manchester Airport, I picked Alderly Edge. Unfortunately as we were accompanied by an 18month old who walks at a speed slightly faster than a tortoise, the only prehistory I got to see was this stone. I’ll be back on my own I suspect to see the mines.

Sadly like Ravenfeather I’m just not feeling this stone. Superficially it looks like a fallen stone, but look closer and it seems much more like a bit of bedrock. It could be a large diamond shape with a large protusion or its a large protusion from the bedrock...

Access is very easy and wheelchair friendly, just keep right and on the main paths as you come out of the national trust carpark.

[visited 18/03/12] Well this is a delight I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time. Previously I’d made it to within sight (just) from the footpath and before the estate was expanded, I’d stood and stared in its general direction from a carpark. Nothing like getting up close and personal though, especially with this site which is clearly visible closeup despite its denuded state. I hadn’t noticed the amazing view when I’d been near here before. We are up quite high here, so you look across Buxton in the dip, along Brown Edge and over to the gritstone hills 7 miles or so to the North.

Its a big circularish monument crossing a small shallow dry valley, together with a perculiar bank with a 90degree bend heading off to the north east. Opinion is divided but seems to be coming down in favour of an Iron age date for this. Several things about it to tend me towards that also; henges don’t tend to lie across a dip, the bank & ditch seem unusually thin and defined for their height for a henge, it’s circle is deformed unlike Arbor Low and the Bullring and the weird attached bank would be fairly unique. This could easily be contempory to similar sized Late Bronze Age/Iron Age enclosures nearby such as that on Eldon Hill.

Access is easyish from Dukes Drive via the caravan park, up the footpath and through the farm. As this is off the footpath, permission should be sort at the farm.

[visited 29/1/12] What on earth happened at the top of this hill? I bet 300 years ago there was a ridge, with a nice big barrow and a track next to it. Now there’s a dirty gash of a road, a weird standing stone and what looks like the remains of a quarry. The stone, to me, looks modern, way too square for my tastes anyway. I couldn’t even make out the outline of the barrow, if this was done by “excavators” they really worked this one over. If it is a quarry, the stone is probably from that phase of destruction.

Access is a short walk from a layby either side of the ridge. Once I got close I couldn’t even be bothered to get into the field so just climbed the 3m verge of the road to get moderately close.

[edit] PS Good views though.

[visited 29/1/12] This is to all intents and purposes a boulder by the side of a busy road with some views. If the road and the wall weren’t here, it would still be a boulder, but at least you’d get some lovely views and nice surroundings. Is it Prehistoric though? Its certainly a different shape and feel to the Murder Stone and Whaley Bridge stone less than 5 miles away. With a different positioning in the landscape too. However, could quite easily be a waymarker for the track the main road turned into.

Access is for the stupid. There is no public parking in Ginclough, so you either have a longish walk (rubbish reward ratio), perch on the side of a busy fast road or do what I did and reverse into the track next to the stone from the main road. The benefit of which means no stiles and a 10 second walk.

[visited 29/1/12] What a glorious little stone with an equally glorious view. Its a similar profile to the near-by Whaley Bridge stone and sits in a similarish position, this one having a wider view. Its on a little knoll next to the footpath, so you may have to do a quick ninja run to get right next to it.

It’s yet another shouldered head of valley stone as well, this one made me seriously think there could be something in the stone representing an ancestor idea. Give it a biodegradable head and you’ve got a symbol that can look over your land, that can be seen from a fair way away.

Access should be easy, there are no stiles from the road, but there is a shut gate into the field then a short steepish climb. There is a space for a car to park just up the road from the farm, I however headed over from kettleshulme via the footpaths. Again this should be straight forward, just aim for the one that comes out nearest the farm, not the one the other side as this takes you through a swamp.

[visited 8/1/12] Without a GPS and with blanket mist, I found this by educated luck, basically heading downhill in the right direction from the main barrow. Its a fairly small enclosure, presumably designed to keep cattle penned in as the high land immediately next to it would have made defensive use very difficult. The banks that are left look to be in good condition, though I didn’t walk the whole thing as I was getting rushed for time by this point.

Access is the same as the rest of Eldon Hill.

[visited 8/1/12] I came up here in blanket mist, with visibility down to 40-50 metres, but I still found both definate barrows on top of the hill.

First the small “later” barrow to the East, clearly defined and reminiscent of some in the cairn fields in the more southern and eastern moors of the peaks. In the mist watch out for mine workings and just head to the high bit at the East end of the hill. Not worth the trip on its own I have to say, but worth seeing if you are up here.

Secondly I headed for the bigger barrow, keeping in mind it was on the only high point to the West, I tried to keep on the highest points and headed off into the gloom. Via an accidental detour halfway down the slope towards Eldon hole, I found the bigger barrow. This is another good sized barrow in the Northern peaks, of a similar size to Cow low, Lord’s seat et al. The obligatory massive hole in the middle didn’t disapoint, but the much more recent cairn on top was a sad sight for me. I presume because of the hole and maybe the quarry, walkers felt marking this point in the mist is necessary. To be fair to them, it certainly helps find it!

Via Eldon Hill enclosure I made the obligatory trip to Eldon Hole. A scary open wound into the centre of the earth, no wonder this hill was once called Elvedon Hill. This is definately an entranceway into the nether realm.

Access is across a few fields. I parked near the top of Winnets Pass which is a 40 minute trip to the top of the hill. You could probably park near Perryfoot and come at it from that direction. Stiles abound from either way, but its pretty firm under foot.

[visited 27/11/2011] Relatively high effort to reward ratio this one, but worth it in my opinion. The stone is located within 5 paces off the bridleway and easy to spot. It is quite small and most of the cups are easy to work out despite being small themselves. Some would probably be classified as microcups if such a classifiaction were made.

It seems in a weird location, with nothing else within a mile or so apart from the Picking rods, though who knows what else is hidden on this high and barren place. Certainly there are walls which look very old up here (SK007907 ish for example), so I wouldn’t be surprised if this plateau was farmed in the Bronze Age. The high grounds containing nearby barrows (Ludworth Intakes & Cown Edge) are visible, though I couldn’t make out the barrows.

Access was ok, but very muddy and required me to cross 2 stiles. I parked near Pistol farm and headed along the tracks via Far Slack farm to the Bridle path which the stone is just off. A word of warning, I annoyed two “fierce” labradors at Far Slack farm who decided to chase me off their territory. As there was no owner in sight, I legged it to the stile at the bridle path. I’m sure they wouldn’t have attacked, but caution seemed prudent. On the way back to the car I took the more direct footpath which was more uneven but quicker.

[visited 27/11/2011] Mangled and abused but still standing defiant in the corner of a field (or 3). Someone, presumably the combination of treasure hunters and excavators in the 18th century, have removed the centre of the cairn, but you can still get a sense of quite how large this beast was. The views to the North are worth the effort even if you didn’t fancy seeing a cairn. Nice to know this lies on a boundary even now. Chisworth is probably visible if you had someone stood near it to pick it out.

Access is on a footpath from the nearest road to the South past Brown low and is over a stile or two. You’ll also need to navigate a field of long horned cattle.

[visited 27/11/2011] I had conflicted thoughts about this one. On the one hand its a sad site, unvisitable as it’s enclosed in a walled copse of trees, on the other, its well protected from the modern world and is unlike to suffer damage at any point except for tree roots. I walked as much of the wall as I was legally able, but there was no obvious way in for a sneak and I couldn’t work out which house / farm I should approach to ask permission to visit. Maybe I’ll be back for a closer look one day.

Access is from the other side of a barbed wire fence and wall and via a stile from the nearest road.

[visited 2/10/11] Well I know it’s just a big wall now and very hard to make out in places but I think this is my favourite monument on the edge. Carrying on past Three Men you eventually cross an obvious section of the wall arcing back towards you and going through the dry stone wall. Heading into the wood it’s initially hard to find amongst the bracken, but with a bit of effort you can trace it’s path.

When I heard about this place I immediately thought defence given how it it’s superficially similar in layout to some hill forts. But upon inspection I seriously doubt that was ever the aim of this place. It feels much more like one of the enclosures, causewayed or otherwise down south. Defensively the higher edge behind would make much more sense.

Access is varied. A relatively easy walk to the parts exposed on the edge. Bracken and tree fighting to the bits in the woods.

[visited 2/10/11] I’ve seen the other replica of this stone in Sheffield museum and so I was extremely glad to find this ones surroundings were so nice. Just don’t touch it else the illusion is shattered, which is a shame as I am wont to stroke rocks (away from any carvings obviously).

Its relationship to and siting outside of the neolithic enclosure is interesting. In fact, the whole of the edge looks to have been a ceremonial focus point for quite a long time.

Access is fairly easy after a mile or so along footpath to get to the top of the edge. In summer the way is hampered in the wood by all the bracken.

[visited 2/10/11] This is an oddity, standing alone outside the neolithic enclosure, nowadays located in a small clearing in the woods. I spent a while here studying this gorgeous stone, enjoying the lovely hot October day.

Its lean is interesting given the theories about it being a crude sundial, certainly it seems deliberate. Though excavation would be needed to be sure. If true it gives a new perspective to other leaning stones in the UK.

Access is fairly easy after a mile or so along footpath to get to the top of the edge. In summer the way is hampered in the wood by all the bracken.

[visited 2/10/11] Well this its a great place to be buried. An almost archetypal location for some Neolithic chambered barrows shouting out to all and sundry that this land its occupied.

Of course there is previous little of that left on the ground. A mere outline under the 18th Century mounds of rocks, presumably made from the barrow stones.

Access is relatively easy if you continue from the Gardom’s Ring Cairn. But the provisos for wheeled seekers there applies.

[visited 2/10/11] This was a side thought for me, a visit purely on the way to the standing stone and the rock art. So I was surprised to find The Prehistoric Peak had an entry just for it. After I got here though I understood entirely, this thing its a brute. It’s got a big diameter and a well defined bank together with several surviving stones feeling analogous to Barbrook II. This would have been worth the trip onto the edge all on its own.

Its position is slightly weird 100 yards further on and its views would have been increased dramatically. Instead it just looks out to Beeley Moor where Hob Hurst’s house etc are. Interestingly it is completely out of site of barbrook which is on the other side of this hill.

Access is ok for a moderately healthy person but may be hard for wheels due to a stile and a thinish gate/opening. It is hard to spot in summer and if I hadn’t been looking for it I wouldn’t have seen it from the path. As you approach up hill you can just see a stone poking out of the bracken to the left of the silver birch.

[visited 28/4/11] This is a pretty little stone located with cracking views. I was slightly surprised it wasn’t bigger, but as with many “head of valley” stones, it is about waist height or so. If this were here just for the views, as FlopsyPete points out, it could have been sited less than 20 metres away and got much more. So, this is presumably here to be seen from the East, where it can be seen from a fair way away, possibly as a marker to a track towards the Goyt Valley.

Interestingly, it’s shape as you face Eccles Pike reflects the Pike. Angles and lengths are not exact, but topologically they seem the same. Eccles Pike being a barrowless spine of a central hill surrounded by farmland and hills, all of which have barrows.

Access is a pleasant 1/2 mile walk along a bridleway then across a field up a medium slope from the Whaley to Disley higher road.

[visited 28/4/11] This is one sorry mutilated cairn, but still recognisable as such. I presume this was robbed either for treasure or for stone years ago. As you can see from the photos, they took the very centre out and left just surrounding mounds.

In its day it would have been large and would have been a dominating presence across Furness Vale. The views stretch from the North West right round to the South East, 15-20 miles is probable on a good day. Manchester is certainly in sight now.

Access is 300 metres or so down a footpath from the Whaley to Chinley higher road.

[visited 20/3/11] What a lot of pain for what is actually a very easy to find site. For any future seekers, the site is to the North of long lane, so there really is no need to get right up on the top of the hill which is South of long lane. This sits in a very similar landscape position to Green Low, overlooking a clough to the left facing downwards and some way down from the top of the hill it sits on. As such I view them in a similar light.

A clear circle, but relatively small, any stones are mostly buried. I see this as a ring cairn ahead of the embanked circle classification, though they do have a tendency to meet in the middle! Great views looking North and definately worth a visit.

Access is not difficult in a small field next to a rocky track. I parked down in Horwich End and walked about a mile up hill to the site, but temporary parking might be possible at the end of long lane.

[visited 22/4/11] Widely accepted by academics as glacial but a vocal minority insist its man made and prehistoric, so I thought I’d have a walk about, over and round to see what I could see.

So er, this is not a hill fort at least not in any classic sense. I’ve been to a couple of the Peak forts and quite a few more in the rest of the country and not one looks like this. However, there are parts and hints which point to this being more than a glacial feature. I should say though, I am no expert on or amateur obsessive of glacial features...

I started on the Chapel road and headed for the new cricket pitch (nice and level). The end of the Roosdyche (henceforth known as RD) starts not long along the footpath, I followed it to the new cricket ground and then along the footpath which runs parallel to the RD (which is private property keep out!), up to the Northern end of RD. The overriding fact of walking this part is that the land to the West drops off and that the land to the East on the other side of RD from me, rises appreciably. A couple of peaks over the 5’8’’ stone wall as I walked revealed no bank on the western side of RD, the land on the western side going up to the edge. These facts lead me to categorically believe any fort or defended enclosure cannot be to the West and so the conjectured map on here is wrong. Another discrepancy to hillfort normality is that the sometimes large undulations of the floor of RD do not follow the contours of the land and so are perhaps symptomatic of bedrock changes being reflected in the erosion caused by water.

However, I then continued the walk starting at the Northern end of RD heading east to Mosley Hall Farm, then past the old cricket pitch (on a slope), onto a sneaky 30 yards of RD, to the lane by the new cricket pitch, up the lane past Horwich House and Horwich Farm, then finally back down the road to my car by the Chapel road. This where the weirdness and hints of prehistory start.

As I crossed the RD I am sure you can detect a hint off a bank on the Eastern edge, though certainly not all the way along. Nothing sprung out at me until Mosley Hall Farm, there the track to the North East of the farm follows a ditch, then as you are given the option of the farm to the right, look left and what could be an earthworked rampart looks at you. Back at the RD, on the track that heads East past the new cricket ground, on the East side of RD, there is what seems to be the spitting image of a mutivalate hillfort entrance. Looking south through the barbed wire fence along Dingle Wood a bank ditch bank combo can be seen, but not accessed. East of Horwich house a track runs North to South, in a ditch. Finally on the West side of the road which heads South from Horwich Farm, a bank could be veering West back towards the Southern end of RD.

So, what’s going on? Certainly any of the ditches and banks to the east of RD taken individually, with the exception of the possible entrance, could just be geology or sunken ways or all sorts of other later features. But taken together I think there is a real possibility, that this was enclosed at some point in the past. Issues would be geography and size. Frankly the high ground further west would be much more likely for a hillfort, even with Eccles pike looking over it. Size-wise, the area enclosed would be larger than (say) Maiden Castle, so this would be a massive enclosure. Another issue is that Castle Naze is only 2-3 miles to the South East and the peak’s forts don’t tend to be that densely located.

Personally, I think this could be a status symbol, a great and effectively undefendable folly, aimed to the North. Using the existing glacial RD to enhance the front which would be well protected whilst it’s sides and back could be a small bank and palisade. It does lie on or near a tribal boundary and would be clearly visible from the North for several miles. It also sits on the Goyt, one of the major tributaries of the mersey.

[visitedish 13/3/11] Apparently not much to see here, but as genuine earthern long barrows are rare in these parts, I headed over for a shufty. I only got as far as the field next door though. From there the barrow is clearly flattened from what it was but surviving and obvious as a raised bank in the field.

Then I met the friendly son of the farmer who owns the land and was politely told I was off the footpath and I should ask permission from the farm if I want to see the barrow close up...

Access is either across fields from sparrow pit or via Harrat Grange farm which is within clear site of the barrow. *whistles*

[visited 13/3/11] My overriding thought as I reached the summit of Gautries hill was how small the hill was to merit a cairn on its top. I guess being one of the northern most of the limestone hills was enough. Great views in all directions but the North where the looming hills of Dark Peak are starting to form.

Another reason for placement was presumably the fact you could have seen Harrod Low and perryfoot from up here.

The cairn itself is well formed and small befitting perhaps the small hill, but obviously worked over by an antiquarian or two. Definitely make the effort to pop up here is you are visiting Harrod Low.

Access is across a few fields from Sparrow pit, through a bit of mined wood and then up a (dare I say it again) small hill.

[visited 20/2/11] This is in better nick than its near neighbour, Cow Low, presumably due to the additional effort required to get up to the ridge top. It does have a big chunk missing however so has been had at. The snow was a foot deep in places and its fair old bitter up here in winter but I’d say this was worth the effort. However I could only see 50 metres or so due to the mist, so the panorama sometimes on offer didn’t open up for me.

Access is over a gate and up a steep field so probably not for the unfit unless they have a while. Its on open access land.

[visited 20/2/11] Not much to see here but worth a look if you are trawling the peak barrows. Its quite denuded now and has obviously been hacked apart presumably by treasure seekers in times past. Some stones are visible poking out the top. I came up in the deep mist with snow on the ground so saw very little of the surrounding cast, but should have a clear view down to the Bullring and several hilltop barrrows to the east.

Access is up a field from the nearest road. This is on private property and permission should be sought from the farm at the end of the track.

[visited jan 2011] As the current holder of the dubious title “closest site to my house”, I’ve been eyeing this up for a while. Stupidly I failed (again) to read tma before hand and completely missed the other smaller circle nearby. This one though was plenty for the effort, the view alone meaning I’ll be back here in the summer for a picnic.

Its a weird site and I can see why opinion had been divided over the years. Personally I’d say ring cairn, but it is reminiscent of the disc barrows in Dorset in that with not too much work it would be a small henge. Saying that the bank is very small in comparison to the larger disc barrows. Also what’s with the bit in the middle?

Plus, its large for a ring cairn, so large in fact as stu says, it would be the best in the peaks. I can’t recall any stone walls about, but in my mind there is a real possibility this was an embanked circle and the stones have been pinched.

Access is ok. I picked seemingly the easiest route starting from the chapel to castleton road where there is a large layby by the bridle path. Walk along the path for 15-20 mins or so then its a 30m scramble up the slope to the site.

[visited jan 2011] This is a weird melange of an earthwork added to by the somewhat surreal landscape immediately behind it of what’s left of eldon hill. The focus seems however to be to the west and south as that is where the landscape opens up.

According to the HER this is a bronze age round barrow on top of a neolithic long barrow. Both are obvious upon inspection, the long barrow very denuded, the round barrow somewhat damaged presumably by excavations in the 18th and 19th century. Without guidance though this could be a round barrow simply spread out in one direction. The round barrow is large and I saw a few larger stones poking through on top, presumably from the two cists which were found in the 19th century.

The barrows themselves seem similar to the injected barrows at various henges about the land including the one at Arbor Low. A new religion interposing itself onto the old perhaps.

Access is over a stile, through a gate and easily accessibly from the nearest road along a muddy track/footpath.

[visited 6/11/10] This is a delight, especially in the late autumn sun casting long shadows with the pheasants adding a symphony of noise about me. I was released from my own nest for a few hours out to enjoy for my birthday and picked this as it fulfilled 3 main criteria; away from the masses, still in very good nick and, unlike most now in the peaks, it was new to me. I’ve been to Seven Stones of Hordron Edge a couple of times but hadn’t realised anything else this good was on the same moor. Really should finish reading through “Stone Circles of the Peaks”! Next up for me on here is a nice long walk taking in this, Seven Stones of Hordron Edge with hopefully Moscar Moor and Bamford Moor North as well.

Access is across wet peat bog and up a moderately steep hill, without decent paths. Many many thanks to Postman without whose instructions, I would no doubt still be struggling to find this delightful little circle. For anyone else following the instructions, two amendments may be helpful; firstly after crossing the stream follow the trees up the hill and secondly head in a North-North-Easterly direction from the modern stone, not North east as stated...

[visited 2/10/10] I can only agree with what the others say about the effort to reward ratio. Fantastic views for not that great a climb. I was surprised to only see a cross bank, the other 2 sides presumably steep enough to not need extra protection.

The cross bank defining the fort area looked denuded to my eye, presumably to obtain the stone for all the well maintained walls along the edge. Though the outer ditch was impressively deep nevertheless.

Also, I’m not sure who was more surprised, me or the climber who poked his head up at the top of his climb to find me there admiring the view.

Access is up a steep ill defined path and so not easily accessible unless in reasonable health.

[visited 25/04/10] This is a peach of a fort. Very well preserved banks, with lovely views, in the middle of a walk in a wood and no massive hill to climb. The latter of which meant my belly didn’t thank me but I cared not.

Massive bivallate defenses stand out through the trees as you approach from the south-west. We traced the elongated horseshoe but mostly strolled near the cliff edge after going up and over the inner rampart which must be 3 metres high and maybe 6 from the lowest point of the ditch between the banks. Inside it’s grassy with several trees to stroll between.

The thing that stands out for me is just how close Clifton Down Camp is on the other side of the ravine. I had wondered whilst stood at Clifton Down Camp, not knowing where Stokeleigh was, whether they could have easily communicated. Standing at Stokeleigh you can see they could have shouted and just about be understood. They could have definately fired lines across attached to arrows and passed stuff back and forwards. It seems hard to believe the two camps were not occupied by the same tribe, unless it was some kind of iron age Joint Security Area. Of course Burgh Walls is just across the ravine to the South East as well. Whilst on the subject of inter-visibility of hill forts in the Avon Valley, from here you can also see North Stoke, Freezing Hill and Stantonbury, whilst Maes Knoll is possibly visible through the trees (definately visible along with possibly Tunley from Clifton Camp). As an aside, is Clifton Suspension bridge the only suspension bridge in the world you can see at least 6 hill forts?

Access is along well defined paths through a light forest. Its mostly flat and less than 1/2 a mile from where we parked (ST 555 730)

[visited 20/2/10] What an amazing hill fort! Its a massive bivallate fort with views stretching all the way to Wales, Exmoor and if someone took the trees out of the way probably Lansdown. With palisades and a clear tree line, this fort would have dominated the upper reaches of Chew valley and the northern Somerset levels.

I did my normal trek about the ramparts, clockwise for those keeping count, struggling up to the western entrance. The fort was built sloping down from the highest point on the hill to where the land dropped away on the eastern end. The interior earthwork noise is believed to be mostly from a pre medieval rabbit warren, with possibly some additions during ww2. Presumably the small circles formed from the loose stones near the northern ramparts are probably ww2 picket posts.

Access is for those who like hills. The Eastern entrance has still got a reasonable track coming up from the A38. If you are approaching from the west, be prepared for a long muddy walk which out of summertime might be difficult with a pushchair. I trekked up from the A38, parking at a pub down a small lane on the other side of the A road.

[visted spring 2009] Oddness abounds here. As I approached on the a420 I expected a massive hill to be appear, contours on maps clearly not my strong point. What I got instead was a tight V shaped valley wrapping its way around the two open sides of the promontary. This means that even without the tree cover there are no long views out across the land. There are very few hill forts in Britain where the next hill in all directions is but a tight valley away.
The fort itself is off the public footpath, but I got slightly lost and stumbled upon it by accident, officer. The interior seems to be grass now, used as a circuit for horses. Generally its survived quite well.
Access is for those who like walking up and down and up and down footpaths through woods. Twice the normal effort for half the joy.

[visited 22/03/09] This is a pretty little promontory fort with well defined ramparts, certainly to the East, South and West. Not sure about the North however. I finally made it back here after making it within half a mile along the ridge a few years back and discovering nowhere to park at the top of the hill.

There are beautiful views in 3 directions, but you’ll need to trespass to see them. This is my least favourate type of hillfort, that where the only public access is straight across the middle. Of course the rest of the hill is covered in pasture so locking gates and thus stopping curious and lawabiding visitors from actually seeing much of this fort, is slightly annoying. Though the nature of the owner becomes clearer when you realise its nigh on impossible to get to the Open Access land which the North rampart is supposedly on. I gave up after fighting felled bushes, hedges being grown in the way and a scrambler track making it v. hard to proceed.

Access for me was straight up the hill using the footpath that starts at the West end of Bishop Sutton. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are very unfit though. I presume you could get a wheelchair from somewhere on top of the ridge. The bridleway is not passable by a car...

All in all, worth visiting if only to annoy the farmer, otherwise go to Maes Knoll.

[visited 18/10/08] Spang! I found these littleuns whilst looking for a spot to perch and watch the hills. On the edge of a hill covered in heather, peat bog and old mine workings, two massive boulders look out towards Fallinge Edge and Raven Tor Triple Cairn. The one further up the hill has 3 cups on the top of it.

Not sure whether these are recorded or genuine but I have seen ‘a few’ certified grade Aaa ones before and they stand proud beside them.

Access is for the intrepid via Hob Hurst’s house. The paths are barely sheep tracks between ankle to thigh high heather and come and go as they please. “Watch every step” is the best advice I can give. Oh and watch out for the random small boulders, the bog pools and mine pits.

[visited May 08] Wow oh wow. Once in a while a visit to a site created by our ancestors lifts me well out of the mundane and into a state unlike any other. The glorious paintings here did just that. I’ve seen a lot of Neolithic and bronze age rock art in the UK and I’ve seen the 11,000 BP engravings at Cresswell crags but this is a whole different ball game.

Photo taking is banned so you’ll need to have a look at the link to the attached visitor’s centers website. [edit] Or look at the Public Domain images....

I walked about in a state of disbelief looking at paintings of human representations pierced by a spear, mammoths, bison, ‘female symbols’ aka triangles, a bears head and amazing dotted horses which were carbon dated to 25,000 BP. There is also very old animal bones and unbelievably 10000 year old footprints. The paintings range from 25,000 BP to 10,000 BP.

Oh and then there is the geology, this cave would be renowned for that even if the paintings weren’t here.

Superb to see something that puts the mere 3-4000 years back to stonehenge into stark perspective.

Access is down stairs and occasionally slippery under foot as you walk on the floor of the cave system.

[visted 08/07/07] Another failed site, this time through not wanting to turn up unanounced at a Nuclear Power Station and asking to see their barrow. I did get to the gates and could see the barrow just inside the gates in a fenced off tree covered enclosure, but it was the other side of some (open) security gates and a large barbed wire fence. Call me overly cautious but in the current climate I figured discretion really was the better part of valour. There is a number for them on the British Energy website so I might give them a ring next time I’m heading that way.

Access is after sundown wearing ninja suits and night goggles.

[visted 08/07/07] I have been a sucker for any rock art in wessexish ever since I saw a lot up north a few years back. It is however very rare about these parts and so I headed over to see this without high hopes. Sadly I completely failed to find a cup on this otherwise purty little stone. There are a couple of small depressions, but nothing I could positively say had been created by man.

Moving on, this somewhat misnamed stone comes up to about waist height nowadays and reminded me of the West Anstey Longstone. It is an absolute peach of a location overlooking the Bristol Chanel, Wales clearly visible in the distance. Also clearly visible is Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station, or as we like to think, the Pixies Mound. Can’t really say about the orientation though as it was re-erected in the 60s.

Access is for the fitish but is all footpaths and would be doable in a wheelchair that could handle reasonably rough ground and steep slopes. Feeling energetic I made it up there in 25 mins, about a third at a slow run, and back down in 15mins, running mostly. Walking would prolly take 30 mins mostly all up hill. The effort to reward ratio is quite high on this one!

[visited 21/10/06] Back here again, sans pain, but still with the mud. We walked towards the farm from the West pondering where the cist is and found a helpful sign just before the farm which directed us straight to it. Reading the miscellaneous notes here, it seems a round barrow mound covered the pile of rocks now lying in a muddy field. There isn’t much to see now beyond that, but I think its still worth the effort. Does make me wonder what is at the bottom of the other few thousand barrows around the south...

Access is fineish. We parked in the pub between the third priddy henge and the incomplete henge and then walked along the road to get to the path to the east of Pool Farm. There are “No Parking” signs up there, so I suspect its the closest point. Just before you get to the farm this way, turn left across 2 fields and you’ll see the cist. Best bit about walking this way is you can walk through the farm and back along the road to the West of the farm past the field with the incomplete henge!

Oh and chalk up another victory for the evil cows, we were chased out of the field to the West of the farm. Yet more proof of the Bovine threat, how long before our govt moves to combat this evil????