Tullibole

Trip No.109  Entry No.1  Date Added: 11th Nov 2018
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 31st Oct 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Tullibole Church Ruins with hogback in five pieces: Our first stop of the day, and as Andrew told me this was a site where 11 witches were tried, condemned and burned, a site I thought would be a good, spooky, start to the Halloween. But, this is essentially a field with a few gravestones sticking out of it, and it turned out the trials had taken place at nearby Tullibole Castle. The remains of the church are there, on the south side buried deep in the grass and turf, but more visible on the northern side, where several courses of stones stick up out of the ground.

There is a display board next to a large monument surrounded by a metal railing and tall conifers, but we had difficulty orientating ourselves to the photos, eventually picking up the display board (which was propped up against the railings, and taking it over to the chest tombs).

We did find one part of the hogback, and possibly a second, but the grass tussocks were so high, we were unable to find any more pieces.

As the information sheets were covered in plastic, but the rain was seeping through, and they are likely to become even more worn and stained, I photographed a couple of them and typed them up for future reference.

Haer Stane

Trip No.109  Entry No.8  Date Added: 12th Nov 2018
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (Clackmannanshire)
Visited: Yes on 31st Oct 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Haer Stane, Tullibody: This is one of the strangest erratics I’ve seen, as it’s been repurposed as a war memorial. We parked on School Road, by the school, and walked down to the entrance to this long, thin park; the only gate we could find into this area was through a lych gate at the corner of School Road and Lychgate Road. The erratic is almost at the far (north western) end of the park.

The stone was adjacent to the rear of the school where a large construction project is taking place, so the noise was very intrusive. We were the only people taking note of this erratic; all the other people around must have been locals who were walking their dogs.

The crosses on the eastern face of the cross shaft have been well done, and mimic Anglo Saxon crosses with interlaced designs.

The Maiden Stone (Tullibody)

Trip No.109  Entry No.7  Date Added: 12th Nov 2018
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: Scotland (Clackmannanshire)
Visited: Yes on 31st Oct 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: The Maiden Stone, Tullibody: This stone coffin is next to the ruins of the old church. We parked in the car park for the new church and walked through the graveyard which runs parallel to the road. Some really unusual tombstones, and quite spooky to walk through the graveyard and look around the outside of the Old Church as dusk was falling on Halloween!

Court Cave

Date Added: 12th Nov 2018
Site Type: Cave or Rock Shelter Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 1st Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Court Cave, East Wemyss: This cave is signposted as 'Dangerous' and 'Keep Out' due to falling rocks from the roof, so despite reading about the symbols on Canmore, we didn't venture in.

Balbirnie

Trip No.110  Entry No.1  Date Added: 13th Nov 2018
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 1st Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Balbirnie Stone Circle: It was a good job we had the SatNav and the GPS, which took us almost to the spot. As this was right next to a modern housing estate, we found layby to park in about 100m metres away in Tofthill and walked back to the stone circle, which has a footpath running to its eastern side. Nicely preserved stone circle with cists with an information board and a recreated rock art panel.

We took a few minutes to spot the rock art panel, but realised it had fallen over slightly, so wasn't very visible. I did my best to photograph it in situ.

Balfarg Henge

Trip No.110  Entry No.2  Date Added: 12th Nov 2018
Site Type: Henge Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 1st Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Balfarg Henge: From Balbirnie stone circle, to reach this recreated henge, we needed to turn right across the busy A92, then almost immediately left down the B969 Western Avenue. The SatNav then took us directly to the henge. Right in the middle of a housing estate, on a circular street appropriately called ‘The Henge’.

Typically for me, just as we stopped the car and I jumped out with my camera, a large delivery van decided to draw up and park in one of the parking spots right next to the outer boundary of henge, so I tried to avoid photographing him!

Balfarg Riding School mortuary enclosure and henge

Trip No.110  Entry No.3  Date Added: 13th Nov 2018
Site Type: Henge Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 1st Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Balfarg Riding School Henge Reconstruction: This now recreated henge is just by the A92, at the end of Old Leslie Road, with part of it seeming to have been cut by the construction of the A92. Traffic streams by constantly.

We arrived with the sun high in the sky and deep shadows, which tested my photography skills. I had expected a circular henge, but this was oval. I didn't pick up any atmosphere at this site at all. Sadly, it was just like walking through some old fence posts set up to cast some interesting shadows.

The information board reads: “You are standing in a revered landscape where ceremonies were performed by generations of prehistoric people. Here is an artist’s reconstruction of how the stone circle looked around 4,000 years ago. By this time it had already been in use for 1,000 years, when it became a place of burial. It stood close to the Coul Burn which then enclosed a wider sacred landscape. The picture shows the site of the Balfarg Henge and timber enclosure in the distance.”

Dogton

Trip No.110  Entry No.5  Date Added: 13th Nov 2018
Site Type: Class III Pictish Cross Slab Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 1st Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Dogton Cross: With the clocks having gone back an hour on the Sunday before, it was difficult to correctly judge how fast dusk would fall. It was getting a little dark, but whilst we were here, we really wanted to see this stone.

With the roads busy at this time of night, we managed to park just off the road at the entrance to the track leading up to Kinglassie House, just off the B922 and set off up the footpath to find this cross.

The gate into the field the stone was in was an amalgamation of several gates tied together, so it was easier just to step over the tumbled stones by the gate post. Fortunately the field the stone was in had just been harvested, so we walked up through the corn stubble, just as dusk was setting in.

I photographed each face of the cross by leaning over the railings, or poking the camera through the railings, then stitched them together.

The sign on the railings reads: “Dogton Stone. This stone is a free-standing Celtic cross probably 10th century AD. The top and arms of the cross have been destroyed, but the centre boss is still visible on the east face. A horseman is carved below it and there are entwined serpentine animals on the south face. Cared for by Historic Scotland.”

When I got back home and looked at the Canmore records, I was surprised to see the cross and its railings had been, in the not too distant past (photo dated 1927), incorporated into a dry stone wall, no longer there.

Pitcorthie.

Trip No.111  Entry No.3  Date Added: 14th Nov 2018
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 2nd Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Pitcorthie Standing Stone, Dunfermline: Our last site visit of our short holiday, and I wish we'd picked a better spot to end on. After the Balfarg Henge, I shouldn't have been surprised that this stone is surprisingly right in the middle of a housing estate, on Standing Stone Walk.

It is a poor, sadly neglected stone; it could just have been a garden feature, especially as it is set in a rectangular pavement of black stones. Like a previous visitor to the stone, being surrounded by rows and rows of houses, we very much felt watched as I was taking photographs and looking around.

Tuilyies

Trip No.111  Entry No.2  Date Added: 14th Nov 2018
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: Scotland (Fife)
Visited: Yes on 2nd Nov 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Tuilyies Stone Setting: There is a small layby on the A985, right by the stones, but as there was no direct entrance into the field, we ended up walking along the grass verge down to where the wire fence is jointed to a wooden one. This is by a small clump of trees, at NT 02801 86657, where we succeeded in clambering over the fence.

The stones are set in a very ‘lumpy and bumpy’ field that looks like it has several building platforms and banks within it, but no structures are visible.

The tall stone to the north north west of the setting of three stones is tall and impressive (although thin) with the eastern face peppered in cup marks.

Combined with the three stones to the south south east reminded us somewhat of the stone setting at Kilmartin. I amused myself by standing behind the taller stone trying to line it up with the three smaller ones, but there was always one stone hidden from view, behind the larger stone.

The Firth of Forth glinted in the sunlight to the south. Shame about the proximity to the main road.

Limestone Brae (West Allen)

Trip No.112  Entry No.1  Date Added: 13th Dec 2018
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 9th Dec 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Limestone Brae Overturned Cross Base: We parked next to the chapel, just before the lane to Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey. At first sight this stone just seemed like a boulder in the field. “Are you sure that’s it?” I asked my husband. We let ourselves in through the gate into the field and walked along the tussocky grass to the stone. As soon as we saw the other side, it was obvious this is an old cross base which has been overturned.

Looking to the gate to the south of the cross base, there looks as if there is an old hollow way, somewhat obscured by its use as a quad bike route, but there is a definite dip in the ground. The cross has superb views west/north west over the River West Allen Valley.

Park House (West Allen)

Trip No.112  Entry No.2  Date Added: 13th Dec 2018
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 9th Dec 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Boundary stone (?) near Parkhouse, Mohope Burn, West Allen: Andrew found this stone in a book about Isaac’s Tea Trail in Waterstones in Hexham, and as this is an area we’ve not really explored before, we decided to drive out and take a look. Andrew says no one is sure what this stone is – an old standing stone or a boundary marker, or something else.

We walked down the lane eastwards towards Park House, where a sign post directs you to ‘Malakoff Bridge 1”. The path goes through the garden of the house and along its north-south eastern boundary with the Mo Hope to your right hand side. A kissing gate leads onto Isaac’s Tea Trail, running north south. The stone is approximately 2/3rds of the way into the second field. We needed wellies at there was a considerable amount of standing water near the field gates.

This valley is really beautiful. Such a remote valley, but with lots of houses scattered about. The Mohope Burn meanders to your right (eastern side). The stone sits in a row of trees, and my immediate thought was that it was a gatepost, but it doesn’t line up with the other gaps in the stone walls.

There is nothing recorded on Historic England or Pastscape for this location, although the HE map shows the stone lies between the Mohope Burn (to its eastern side) and Blind Burn (to the west). A quick search on Pastscape reveals the whole area has lead mines within 1km of this stone plus lime kilns. Pastscape 957727 records a lime kiln nearby the stone at NY 7750 5106, some 30m to the north.

Going to the next field boundary, a track carries on north-south, but another drops down to the Mohope Burn. Perhaps the stone marks the edge of a trackway and a possible ford across the river?

Tommy Stout's Well (Thornley Gate)

Trip No.113  Entry No.1  Date Added: 1st Jan 2019
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 1st Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Tommy Stout's Well, Thornley Gate: Another site ticked off the list of Isaac’sTea Trail. This is obviously a popular spot for walkers, as there are paths both sides of the river, and we passed a number of dog walkers. The small layby on the south side of the river was full (2 cars), so we parked on the grass verge by the entrance to the Allen Smelt Mill.

The well is through the kissing gate on the opposite side of the road from the smelt mill gate, with the well some 15m further on, to your left hand side.
Water appears out of the hillside below a small protruding dressed stone, largely hidden by moss and lichen. There is a fair flow of clear water which comes out; I did taste it, but there was nothing really to taste. Above the simple, dressed stone well head with drain there is a marshy area in the field above, from which the source of the water appears to come. Between the well and the kissing gate, on the other side of the fence, is a stunning little stream with a mini waterfall, which is a different water course to that of the well.

Also being interested in some industrial archaeology, we spent some time wandering around the fascinating remains of the smelting works opposite. There is still quite a lot left, and it is left accessible for visitors. Some of the underground flues are currently being excavated.

Broomhouse (Haltwhistle)

Trip No.113  Entry No.2  Date Added: 1st Jan 2019
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 1st Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Iron Age/Romano British Settlement, Broomhouse, south of Haltwhistle: From the smelt works, we headed back to the A69 and turned left towards Haltwhistle. Just before crossing the river South Tyne for the second time, we turned left up Bellister Bank, parking on the grass verge where the road was slightly wider, just before the footpath which headed south east past the farm houses, and over the South Tyne Way. As we approached the farm buildings, it sounded like ‘the Hounds of the Baskervilles’, with four farm dogs barking at a gate to warn us off going into the farmyard.

The South Tyne Way was a busy place, with any number of walkers following its route. We headed over the bridge and followed the track south east up the hill. As the track reached the top of the hill and turned to our right, we headed over the moorland to the west, and within 50m had come across the outer ditch of this settlement.

The outer stony bank with a ditch either side is pretty much intact, although to its eastern side confused with a modern drainage ditch. Inside the settlement are three clear roundhouses, still with their stone and earth foundations.

There were great views over to Haltwhistle to the north. On the way back, we noticed the gate where the dogs had been was open. “Better be careful”, warned my huband. We walked past the farmyard expecting the dogs to come barking at our heels, but nothing. A few paces further and four dogs came running up to us – all wagging tails and friendly this time. They were closely followed by the farmer, who bid us ‘good day’.

No listing on HE scheduling, although the site, together with the positions of the roundhouses, are shown on their map.

Carlisle Cross

Trip No.114  Entry No.1  Date Added: 10th Jan 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 9th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Carlisle Cross: in a visit to Carlisle, we decided not to make an hour to visit what we thought was a cross in Rickerby Park (turned out to be the carved stump of a tree trunk!) and a holy well nearby. This was the first time I've not seen anyone sitting or playing around the base of the cross, and not having my camera, took some photos using my mobile phone. Will return on our next trip to Carlisle and get some better photos.

Didn't realise this cross stands on the base of an earlier cross (the five steps look much older than the 1682 top), marks the centre of the City of Carlisle and stands where the Roman Forum used to stand - see the HE and Pastscape entries for more info.

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.

Corby Crags Rock Shelter

Trip No.115  Entry No.1  Date Added: 24th Jan 2019
Site Type: Cave or Rock Shelter Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Corby Crags Rock Shelter: Parked at NU 12646 09945 and walked up to the gate at NU 12763 10096 (avoiding the fast moving cars), and followed the track up to almost the top of the hill, then turned south west, following little tracks through the bracken. On our way up the hill, we spotted a mound of stones surrounded by a circular bank (visible on aerial photographs) at NU 12845 09824. Likely to be mining debris, but it did look suspiciously like a cairn, but fits the description below.

We missed the rock art here, as Andrew confused the name with Corby’s Crags just north of here (but the HE map labels the area around the rock shelter as Corby’s Crags), and he didn’t check the ‘nearby sites’ list on the Portal. Grrr.

Corby's Bridge

Trip No.115  Entry No.2  Date Added: 24th Jan 2019
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Corby's Bridge Settlement: This site was quite difficult to make out, as there were stones and banks everywhere, with trees and shrubs growing between them.

On the way down the slope from the rock shelter, we thought we saw the foundations of two old buildings (the stones were aligned in a shape), but were too moss covered to really distinguish. Walking further down the slope, as it becomes gentler, there are obvious traces of low, circular banks with stones in them. From this point there are several lines of stones running north east to south west down the slope. The best evidence of structures is at the south/south eastern end of the settlement, were there are stony walls, with aligned stones up to about 1.5m in height. There was a fence in between us and the southern part of the settlement, with no gate through, so we contented ourselves with leaning over the fence and getting photos.

Fairy Stone (Fourstones)

Trip No.116  Entry No.2  Date Added: 27th Jan 2019
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Couldn't find on 26th Jan 2019

Log Text: Fairy Stone (Fourstones): This is one of the sites I added to the Portal from The Northern Antiquarian, so whilst we were in the area, decided to try and find it. We parked at NY 89360 67929 on the outskirts of Fourstones Village (I didn’t think there was much at Fourstones, but there is a large papermill there).

Armed with the grid references (the one given by TNA, the other by Pastscape, we wandered along the road, up past the farms and along the lanes, but could find no trace of this stone. What a shame – I was looking forward to rediscovering it. Andrew, through looking at the age of the stone walls and the road surface, was able to tell where the road had been widened, which helped our search before admitting defeat.

I did photograph an old well/drinking trough next to the farm at about NY 89325 68021. This is a lovely old village.

Acomb Sanctuary Cross

Trip No.116  Entry No.1  Date Added: 27th Jan 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Jan 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Acomb Sanctuary Cross: I spotted this cross base whilst doing some research for a Journal of Antiquities tumulus not far away a few days ago. This cross base is just off the A6079 Cross Bank, going north from Acomb. This is a very busy road and after driving up and back down the road a couple of times, the only safe place we could find to park was just off the road at the entrance to a grassy farm track at NY 92364 66984. Walking north to the cross base, which we’d spotted as a rectangular lump of stone under the hedgerow, we were constantly having to jump up onto the grass verge as the fast travelling cars didn’t give us much room, and it felt quite dangerous.

Fortunately, between lulls in the traffic, I crossed the road to get a ‘context’ photo of the cross base. Close up, the quite large socket hole was filled with leaves and grass. The base sits on two other stones which are barely larger than the base itself.

Andrew managed to find a lower part of the fence and climbed into the field to get photos from the other side.