Howden Hill Middle Cairn

Trip No.125  Entry No.5  Date Added: 26th Apr 2019
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Apr 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Howden Hill Middle Cairn: From the rock art panels, it is only just over 150m to walk to this cairn, which is the most prominent of the two on this side of the ridge above Settlingstones Burn.

In a very lovely spot, the make up of the cairn from stones and earth becomes evident. It is around 9m in diameter and about 1m (perhaps slightly higher) above the surrounding ground level.

With its proximity to Hadrian’s Wall, the location of this cairn cemetery with its rock art, cists and cairns is intriguing. Sewingshields Crags is visible on the skyline to the south east.

Howden Hill Cist

Trip No.125  Entry No.4  Date Added: 25th Apr 2019
Site Type: Cist Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Apr 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Possible stone lined cist and stone setting on Howden Hill: Getting to the sheepfold near the two cairns and the rock art panels was a little challenging, as we had to cross electric fences, cross a number of field drains, boggy areas, and avoid the deep tufts and holes in some parts of the access land.

Thank goodness for the GPS. We headed for the centre of the southern side of the prominent sheepfold at NY 83080 69696, before min on trying to find the rock art panels to the east of the sheepfold.

Surprisingly, we found ourselves looking around in awe, as we found ourselves in the middle of what looked like a stone setting with a possible small standing stone and small lumps and bumps on the ground with stones protruding, which could be other cairns.

Walking towards the rock art panels, I stumbled across what I thought were two cairns and called Andrew and Jennifer back to take a look. We later found out at home that one of the cists (stone-lined trough) is only mentioned on the HE and ERA-1414 entries.

Just to the SW of the cists was a small standing stone at NY 83082 69685, which might be marking part of another cist/dolmen?

Howden Hill 3

Trip No.125  Entry No.7  Date Added: 25th Apr 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Apr 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Howden Hill/Settlingstone Burn 3: Standing at the Howden Hill Rock Art Panels 1 and 2, two large stones and a large erratic were prominent on the skyline a couple of hundred metres to the east. They looked well worth investigating, so we followed the tractor trail up to the them. Wow. The location is lovely.

What a setting for the remains of this cairn, which sits high above Settlingstone Burn, at the top of a steep slope. The rock art panel within it is the most prominent of the stones within the cairn with its almost luminescent yellow/green lichen which served to highlight the cup marks. Whilst NADRAP/ERA says the cups may be caused by erosion, we thought they were pretty convincing, the outer cups being seemingly arranged in lines. If this was the original cist cover, it has been overturned at some time in the distant past.

Howden Hill 2

Trip No.125  Entry No.3  Date Added: 24th Apr 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Apr 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Howden Hill 2: Literally 1m to the north of Howden Hill 1, and has most visible. It is clear that both rocks continue under the turf, but not wishing to cause any damage, viewed them as they were. Having seen Andy Curtis's photograph on Geograph beforehand, I'd expected both panels to be covered in turf, and was surprised to find the cups that were above ground were very visible in the strong sunlight. Both panels are to the east of the sheepfold and the two cists that we saw and went back to examine after photographing what was visible of these two RA panels.

Recorded as HE 1418656 and ERA-1414: "The second panel (ERA 1414) lies immediately to the south of the first, and is a rounded boulder about 0.9m across. there are more than fifty cup marks, again some forming prominent lines, curved arcs or more scattered groups; the latter are particularly clustered on the south and west sides. It is possible that the panels represent a broken, decorated cist cover".

Howden Hill 1

Trip No.125  Entry No.2  Date Added: 24th Apr 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Apr 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Howden Hill 1: Rock Art panel within Bronze Age Stone setting, not far to the south of Hadrian's Wall. Setting is quite fascinating, comprising cists, cairns, low banks and rock art. We had not expected to see this cists, so this came as a nice surprise. Whilst we could see quite deep cups on this rock, most of it was covered by turf, so we left it alone to preserve it.

Immediately to the east of the easternmost of the two cists we saw, Historic England List ID 1418656 says: "The first and most northerly panel (ERA 1415) is roughly triangular in shape and dips steeply into the ground from an uncovered high point on its south edge; it is about 0.8m by 0.5m and is oriented east to west. There are about thirty cup marks scattered across the boulder and some appear to form slightly curved or straight lines".

Housesteads Tumulus

Trip No.43  Entry No.3  Date Added: 4th Sep 2017
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 2nd Sep 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Housesteads Tumulus, Northumberland: From photographing the remains of Triermain Castle and after having failed to see several sites today because of Boisterous Bullocks or lack of parking reasonably near the well, I wasn’t in the frame of mind to go straight home. As we were very near the B6318, I asked to go back that way to see ‘Solarmegaliths Mound’ opposite Housesteads. I hadn’t realised until I looked closely that this is marked on the OS Map.

By this time it was 7pm and the car park was empty apart from one car and a very large campervan. I confess that every time we’ve driven past this site, I thought how unsightly this ‘farmer’s dump’ was in the corner of the field. It was only when Cezary told me on one of the archaeological field days that he’d stopped off to see this site, that I promised myself one day I’d stop off and look for myself.

As a mound, it is a little non-descript, but having crossed the road from Housesteads car park, we let ourselves into the field (knot untying skills came in useful again) and walked round. The whole area around the base of the tumulus has been used as a dump and there is rubbish and fence posts around much of it.

Also marked on the OS map is a mound, further south and we walked further into the field (ducking from the farmer's trucks with trailers behind them, in case we got caught!).

Having walked back to the car park, we noticed a sign saying there had been an application made for number plate recognition for car park charging. We looked around for cameras, but couldn’t see any. If a parking charge notice comes through the door in the next few weeks, I will be cross.

Housesteads Mound

Trip No.43  Entry No.4  Date Added: 4th Sep 2017
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 2nd Sep 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Housesteads Mound, near Housesteads Tumulus, Bardon Mill: This mound is marked on the OS map as a mound, and as we were in the field, walked to the change in slope where the ground dipped into a hollow. The mound was certainly popular with the sheep. Didn’t walk down to it, as it was a fair way across the field and it was getting late. I’d called it up on my mobile phone, and it didn’t seem hugely important.

Houghton Camp, Heddon on the Hill

Date Added: 1st Jul 2014
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 1st Jul 2014. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 2 Access 3

Log Text: Return visit on 1st July 2014: I obtained permission from Close House Golf Club to walk across the golf course to look at the settlement from the side furthest from the road. They told me that they are unable to do anything with this parcel of land 'because of the antiquities, but there isn't much to see' and were sure that the farmer they lease the land from would be happy for me to visit, having asked permission.
Parking was a problem again; I tried the field gates next to the road, but they were tied very firmly shut and the next gate to the field with the camp in hadn't been opened in a very long time, so to avoid climbing over, I parked at the Golfing Range and walked back towards the road over the golf course to the settlement - all slightly uphill, but very pleasant in the warm sunshine, and what views back over the Tyne Valley.
I confess to having been disappointed, as the banks and ditches weren't as clear from this side of the site as from the road. Having walked up to the eastern end of the camp, and to the highest point in this landscape adjacent to the field boundary, the yellow (parched) grasses gave a vague indication of where the banks were.
The aerial photographs of the camp show a very clear blunt-ended oval shape, and having driven along this road for many years to and from work, I am determined to have another look in the winter months to see if any structures become clearer.
A local lady told me the nearby farms are historic and are well worth a visit, having medieval features.
First visit on 18th June 2014: I was visiting Heddon-on-the-Wall today, to see the section of Hadrian's Wall at the east edge of the village, plus the ancient church of St Andrew's in the village centre, and spotted this settlement on the Portal.
I had to drive past several times and eventually managed to park in a field entrance. I did try driving down the entrance to Close House Golf Course/Hotel, to see if I could walk across the grounds to see the site from the south, but there was nowhere to stop at all.
The photograph on the Portal was very helpful in identifying the part of the field the settlement was in, as I struggled to separate the ditches/boundaries of the settlement from the works that had been done for the pylon on the east side, and the golf course on the west. Away from the field entrance, the hedges were too high (for me) to see over.
I have applied to the landowner for permission to walk across the fields to get closer to the settlement, to take photographs from a better angle, so will report back if I manage to get agreement, and re-visit this site (which is only a few miles from my house).

Horspit Cross

Trip No.130  Entry No.5  Date Added: 24th May 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 11th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Horspit Cross, North Bovey: This was to be an afternoon of ‘cross sighting’, with the weather gradually turning from a bright, sunny day to a dull, almost misty day by the time we’d finished.

This squat, small cross sits right on a road junction, with a large boulder immediately adjacent. We managed o park in the entrance way to a new, but abandoned house, which had a tarmacked driveway next to the road, but large, padlocked gates to stop intruders.

The large boulder in front of the cross on the Pastscape photograph I thought looked like part of the cross shaft is in fact just a boulder. The cross has a bench mark on it, which we tried to find; Andrew eventually find it on the ‘front’ of the cross, the top of it showing only just above the vegetation that had grown up around the cross.

Horsley Hill Homestead

Trip No.18  Entry No.6  Date Added: 25th Apr 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Horsley Hill Homestead, Northumberland: Well, this site got the adrenalin racing, if only for the crossing of the footpath across the A69 dual carriageway, at a very fast spot! We parked in Horsley Village on the B6528, outside the Hearth café, and walked up Lead Lane, which runs just to the west of the Hearth, and to the side of the (now) antiques shop. Running past some houses, the tarmacked road quickly becomes a glorious grassy lane. It was very tranquil here, but for the wooden fence and footpath sign at it’s northern end, with the A69 just ahead.

I have to say I’d been worrying about going to this site for some days. We’d tried walking the long way round, from the north of the site, but it was a very long way round. In all fairness, there is a pedestrian sign on both sides of the A69, a tarmacked pavement and gap in the central barrier does aid a crossing. But, with traffic whizzing past a very high speed and heart in mouth, we waited until there was a sufficient gap in the traffic and RAN to the central reservation. It was very odd standing in the middle of such high speed cars and vans on a Sunday evening.

Eventually making it to the other side, the footpath takes a tranquil stroll up to a grassy meadow complete with mobile phone mast with all its electrics. Great views to the north, west and east from here. No wonder our ancestors built a homestead here.

The top of the hill is a large, long oval shape, aligned north-south with slopes down to the surrounding land on the north and eastern side, and signs of ridge and furrow ploughing to the north-east, although Pastscape tells us that this homestead was only 60 metres in length and 47 metres wide.

I’m glad I’d been out with the archaeology group, looking at different banks and features in other areas, as it was a little tricky to make out the low banks which defined this settlement, combined with the more modern trackways from the field gate to the east up to the mobile mast mounds. There are what appear to be very old boundary walls, together with many large stones in an old wall system just to the east of where the northern part of the footpath meets the field, but we concluded this just might be part of the old field system before it was cut by the A69.

The banks were easier to see with the naked eye rather than with the camera. Andrew thought he detected the low, round shape of a roundhouse, but I wasn’t convinced.

A second dash back across the A69 meant I could finally relax. Onto Croft’s Well in the centre of Horsley.

Horseshoe Wood Settlement

Date Added: 24th May 2015
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 4th May 2015. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Horseshoe Wood Settlement, Hownam, Scottish Borders: After having parked in the sleepy little hamlet of Hownam, a footpath called The Street sets off near the village/community hall, leading off to the left of the main road up into the hills.
Just starting up The Street, there is a field to the right hand side of the road which holds what looks like another standing stone, so we stopped to investigate.
Continuing, we then passed a couple of houses on a gravelled roadway the footpath enters farmland which rises reasonably gently up towards Horseshoe Wood. At the time of our visit, the footpath was covered in manure (obviously had a herd of cattle on it recently). The lambs were very curious as to who these strangers were who were walking through their land, only moving from the warm soil of the path at the very last minute.
Horseshoe Wood runs to the left of the footpath, contained within a stone wall. Towards the higher end of the wood the wall has been demolished in two places and through this the mound of the settlement rises distinctly behind it.
Exploring, we found it to be an elongated mound, made even clearer by the fact it has no trees growing on it, with two circular scoops taken out of the left hand side; the first has a small tree growing out of it.
Curious, as this mound is relatively near the Standing Stone (only a couple of hundred metres), we took photographs and tried to find out more after our visit, but couldn't - but the description sounded identical to the RCAHMS/Canmore record of a scooped settlement nearby.
We thought perhaps this mound had been missed because it has been hidden by the wall and the trees within the wood.
If anyone can shed any further light on this mound, I'd be delighted to hear more.

Horseshoe Wood (Hownam)

Date Added: 24th May 2015
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 4th May 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Horseshoe Wood Standing Stone, Hownam, Scottish Borders: Note, when parking in the village and starting up The Street, in the field immediately to the right hand side of The Street, there appears to be what might be another standing stone or stones at grid reference NT 77991 19158. I coudn't find out anything about this apart from a brief mention on (dare I mention it! the Modern Antiquarian site).
From our parking spot in Hownam Village, The Street climbs slowly, steadily (and for the unfit, steeply!) up into the hills, although taken steadily it’s easy walking along a farm track. The views of the surrounding hills are impressive. Passing Horseshoe Wood with its possible settlement/mound, you turn the corner and see the standing stone sticking up out of a pair of banks to your right hand side.
There has obviously been modern quarrying nearby – the scars are visible with stones scattered around the area between the end of the wood and the standing stone. Ignoring these, this spot is beautiful with stunning views to the south.
The standing stone sits easily in the landscape on top of an elongated oval mound that we found has been scooped out at the far end – a quarry, or naturally shaped? My conclusion was that it was quarried in modern times, not very sympathetically.
The Canmore/RCAHMS notes say that in 1968 and 1979 this stone was leaning at an angle of 55 degrees. It is upright now, so has been re-seated at some time.
The Street continues up in between the Headshaw Law and Windy Law to your right and Hownam Rings to the left. Towards the top of the hill there is a signpost, and a left hand turn takes you towards The Shearers. Half way up the hill, to the right hand side of the track at grid reference NT 79015 19018 there is a reasonably sized boulder which sits on its own. For some reason I glanced at this rock and noticed an indentation. Looking more closely, I’m convinced this is a cup mark with a possible ring around it.

Horseshoe Wood (Hownam)

Trip No.79  Entry No.1  Date Added: 1st Jul 2018
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Horseshoe Wood Standing Stone: This was my first real 'day out' since being ill with flu and having been confined to bed for a week, so not feeling hugely great in myself, but great to be outside again. We met Sandy G (of Stone Rows of Great Britain fame) in Hownam Village and followed The Street, Sandy kindly moderating his pace to a slow 'plod' to accommodate me, until we reached Horseshoe Wood. The sun was bright and the temperature rose higher as we walked up the slope. I was glad to stop at the standing stone for a drink and to take some photographs. Great to hear Sandy’s views about the location of the stone and its context; it’s difficult to know what ages standing stones actually are, and whether they are in their original location. However, this one is placed right next to an important route, The Street, described as a ‘historic cross border route), which provides the context.

There is a quarry to the immediate east of the stone, which makes the location look a little suspicious, but the stone looks as if it is in its original location with packing stones around its base and on a low, oval mound.

Homers Lane Cross (Warden)

Trip No.116  Entry No.3  Date Added: 28th Jan 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 27th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Homer's Lane Cross, Warden: This is another cross base that we hadn't spotted with a short radius of where we live (have Pastscape been adding new records to their database?) This cross base and part of its shaft was easy to find and in a really nice setting, with a small stream trickling away to its eastern side and a bench to sit on and admire it, with the River North Tyne also to the east and the Stanegate Roman Road nearby. A quiet, quiet spot. Lovely!

Homers Lane (Warden)

Trip No.126  Entry No.2  Date Added: 1st May 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Couldn't find on 1st May 2019. My rating: Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Homers Lane, Warden, Rock Art Panel: Having visited Warden Hill Hillfort, we decided to drive the 1.15km to try and find this rock art panel, as it was so close. Driving north up the almost single track lane we managed to park next to the gate into the field with the rock art panel in, at NY 91110 68391, and walked back south the 50m or so towards the grid reference where the panel was located.

I'd gone armed with the ERA information and their photographs, and the GPS took us to within 9m of the previously recorded location of the panel. We leaned over the very ivy covered dry stone wall and tried to identify the boulder, but could not see it.

The field was planted with wheat, but with a large, long pile of fertiliser combined with a wide grassy edge to the field, we thought if we trod very carefully, we could let ourselves in through the gate and walk back to the piles of boulders. This was easy enough to do, although I wish there was someone I could have asked permission from first!

Using the GPS, we got to within 3m of the recorded grid reference, but still could not find a boulder the right size and shape. With the ERA photos in hand, I identified the two trees in one of the their photos, lined them up, but there were no boulders at that location. It looked as if they had been rolled further downhill, towards the drystone wall, to make room for the huge pile of fertiliser.

Andrew very bravely balanced on the boulders, trying to locate the panel, but after a reasonably through search, had to give up. Disappointing, but the NADRAP survey photos were dated 2008 - some 11 years ago.

Homeacres Holy Well (Stanwix)

Trip No.114  Entry No.2  Date Added: 5th Jun 2022
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 9th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Homeacres Holy Well, Rickerby Park, Carlisle: We just about had time to stop off and find this well on our way home. Parking by the lawn tennis club just down the road, we walked to see what we thought was the stump of an old cross at approx. NY 40142 56900, but it turned out to be the stump of an old tree trunk which had been carved into what looked like an old boundary marker.

We headed off north east until we reached the junction of Well Lane and the B6264 (Brampton Road), then walked down the road leading to the car park in Rickerby Park. Reaching the junction with the footpath leading almost due west at NY 40510 57081, we walked past a marshy/boggy area which had wooden boarding at one end and a sign saying ‘deep water’.

Walking through the gate across the footpath, we peered deep into the undergrowth and eventually spotted what looked like a railway sleeper running about 6-8ft horizontally across the bank with a black void underneath. We tried to walk across the grassy area to the fence to get nearer to take a photograph, but the land was very waterlogged and we retreated.

Going back up towards Brampton Road, just past the cattle grid, there are faint traces of a footpath which runs down towards the well. Andrew made it down to the well and took some photographs. Having hurt my shoulder, I decided to stay on (this very busy) road. Andrew said there were also traces of another footpath running towards the well from the southern side of Brampton Road, just opposite Well Lane, but we would have had to climb over the metal railing to access it; the path was just visible, but very overgrown.

The well still had water in it. A couple of passers by on the lower path looked us with curiosity, one man asking us what we were looking at. When we told him a holy well, he looked at us in disbelief. I thought the nearby 'Well Lane' might have been a clue, although we initially thought the well was located down Well Lane and not in the park.

Holy Well, Greenside

Trip No.18  Entry No.2  Date Added: 24th Apr 2017
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Tyne and Wear)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Holy Well, Greenside: From Ryton Motte, we headed off south towards Greenside through the back lanes. Considering how close were are to Winlanton, Blaydon, Gateshead and Newcastle, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the depths of the countryside at this site. Disappearing down a small road leading from Greenside to Barlow (Barlow Lane on UK Grid Finder) we parked where the lane met a tarmacked path leading to Reeley Mires Farm. It was then a question of walking a couple of hundred yards south-east down Barlow Lane, where the well is located at the base of the Drumlin.

To your right hand side, as you walk down the lane, there is a red metal gate into the field, although this is heavily overgrown by hawthorn and brambles, and is impossible to open. The central pool of the well can be seen at near the base of a telegraph pole, although the whole feature forms an attractive long ‘s-shape’ in the pasture.

It is a really pretty spot here. I was impressed there was so much water here, as it has been little rain here for weeks.

Have as yet been unable to find any notes/further information about this well. Thanks to durhamnature for his original entry.

Holy Well (Wolsingham)

Trip No.21  Entry No.4  Date Added: 6th May 2017
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (County Durham)
Visited: Yes on 4th May 2017. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Holy Well, Wolsingham, County Durham: This was our last stop of the day and to find this, I loaded the map from the Portal page. To the north of the main village, the well is sited just to the west of Holy Well Farm on Holywood Lane.

At first sight, it looks like a very small barn, but looking closer, the golden names of the saints on the metal grill door shine out. The well chamber itself is very dark and gloomy (no light seems to penetrate) and I struggled to photograph it, even with my most powerful flash gun – it was easier to see the stone ledges, the flowers on those ledges and the well pool itself with the naked eye. The well pool was full of water, but the rest of the chamber was dry.

Curious to find out where the spring was that fed the chamber (as the well house is conveniently close to the road), I both leant over the stone wall and walked up the footpath just to the west of the well house. There is a dried up hollow immediately behind, although we’ve not had any rain in this part of the world for weeks, so it’s not surprising it was dry.

Holy Well (Stonehaugh)

Trip No.171  Entry No.1  Date Added: 31st Aug 2021
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Couldn't find on 15th Aug 2021

Log Text: Holy Well (Stonehaugh): We last tried to find this well on 30th June 2014, but failed, despite being directed by a local farmer and his dog, Meg. On this occasion, the steep path down the gorge was very slippery, with wet, knee high grass along the path, and quite dangerous, so we gave up, determined either to come back after a dry period, or to try a different path from the village of Stonehaugh towards the Black Pool.

Holy Well (Belstone)

Trip No.132  Entry No.14  Date Added: 9th Jun 2019
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Belstone Spring Head: From the village green, we decided to walk to the well, following the lane past the church and turning right (ESE) onto the common ground/moorland.

Located almost immediately opposite a large pub, and just down slope, this was a lovely location which attracted families and dog walkers.

No water flowing at the time of our visit (the well chamber/basin was just muddy with nettles and ferns growing in it) but there were pools of water bubbling from the ground around it. Some of the ground was fairly boggy, but I managed to get close enough to look in the well chamber.