Venchen Farm Cottages (Town Yetholm)

Trip No.37  Entry No.1  Date Added: 7th Aug 2017
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Venchen Farm Cottages Standing Stone, Scottish Borders: Having left home to avoid days of damp, rainy weather, we went in search of sunshine and blue skies. The further we travelled up the A68, the more obvious it became that the grey skies got darker the more northerly we got. As we reached Town Yetholm, the heavy raindrops started to fall with the ferocity of hail.

Venchen Farm Cottages are easy enough to find, heading north about 1.6 km north out of the village. This stone looms large out of the grassy verge; at first I thought it was just a village sign. We pulled into a small parking spot just past the stone, nearer to the cottages, by which time it was pelting down even harder and I had the camera covered with kitchen towel and handkerchiefs to keep it dry.

The Canmore notes, which we’d printed off before setting off, said that a hedge had been removed for the stone to be exposed. On UK Grid Reference Finder, the hedge can be seen with the stone tucked away behind it. The grass verge itself didn’t seem to show any signs of disturbance, considering the hedge was only removed in February this year, although the earth around the stone was visible, together with some packing stones and the vegetation along the verge was more weeds than grass.

Difficult to get photographs with the rain, but managed to keep wiping the lens.

Virtue Well (Yetholm)

Trip No.37  Entry No.2  Date Added: 7th Aug 2017
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Virtue Well, Yetholm: From Venchen Farm Cottages Standing Stone, by the time we drove back down to the west side of the road bridge over Bowmont Water at NT 82132 28576, and parked at a little layby just before the road junction, the rain had eased off a little.

There were two routes up to the well, the first at NT 82128 28603 led up a wet, slippery hill towards a wood, which was rather overgrown. We opted for the footpath proper, starting at NT 82206 28645, with a proper track leading up to Braehouse Farm.

According to UK Grid Reference Finder, the path deviates through the woodland, past the well, but in real life, the track continues straight up to the farm, and we had to tramp through knee high grass through the wood.

Having found this poor little well, I couldn’t but help feel sorry for it. Such a tragedy. It reminded me of the well we’d seen in Middleham – broken up, dry and just part of an old garden wall. At least under the trees we were largely sheltered from the rain.

Sheilknowe Burn Enclosure

Trip No.37  Entry No.3  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Shielknowe Enclosure, Yetholm: From the Virtue Well we made our way to Kirk Yetholm, finding the small side road which is actually the Pennine Way, but which can be driven down to a small parking area beside where the Halter Burn and Shielknowe Burn meet. Here a footbridge leads over the Burn, the Pennine Way and St. Cuthbert’s Way meeting at this point.

We tried St. Cuthbert’s Way first of all, running parallel to Shielknowe Burn on it’s eastern side, but after a few hundred yards, came across a rocky outcrop where I would have needed to turn into a mountain goat (OK for my husband, but not for me) so we retreated and walked almost back to the footbridge. There is another mown track which runs on the western side of the stream – boggier but much easier to follow and the sides of the small gorge not quite so precipitous.

It's a good job we had the GPS with us, together with a printed sheet of the Canmore details, otherwise we’d have walked across this settlement without knowing it was there. By finding it’s centre (the south western edge is almost at the corner of the fenced off field containing Shielknowe Burn Scooped Enclosure.

By carefully walking over the area, we could see very slight banks and changes in vegetation, but my goodness, had we not been out with NOWTAG, we would have missed this.

Shielknowe Burn Scooped Settlement

Trip No.37  Entry No.4  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Shielknowe Burn Scooped Settlement, Yetholm: This scooped settlement, lying on the northern side of Shielknowe Burn is much easier to see, and is visible from Shielknowe Enclosure, cut by the fence which also cuts the Enclosure. The muddy track from Shielknowe Enclosure runs downhill, crosses the burn, and leads up to join St. Cuthbert’s Way.

Two scooped out areas can be seen, although the farmer had very tightly knotted the twine securing the gate, so whilst Andrew (husband) hopped over the gate, I undid the ‘Gordion Knot’ to get into the settlement. The grass was very tussocky and wet, so walking along the banks of the western most scoop was interesting.

Much more exciting sites to come, so we didn’t spend an awful long time here.

Green Humbleton Settlement

Trip No.37  Entry No.5  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Green Humbleton Scooped Settlement, Yetholm: Now this was a settlement I could get excited about, and what views! If the first two enclosures on the way up here were somewhat dull, this more than made up for it! To the north and east the land dropped steeply away to Humbleton Syke and to the west Green Humbleton hillfort dominated the view.

By the time we got here, the wind was absolutely howling and we had to retreat to the walls of the scoop to get some respite.

There is a very clear oval scoop with a D-shaped enclosure to its north. To the north east of the D-shape there were some stones that Andrew called me over to look at. I did want to be persuaded they formed a cist. What a place to be buried. It could be a well, but there is no mention of either in the Canmore records.

If it hadn’t been so windy, I would have loved to have spent more time here. With the dark clouds looming, we decided to go up to the Stob Stones rather than risk being blown off the top of Green Humbleton hillfort. If the weather was favourable, we’d try on our way back.

Stob Stones

Trip No.37  Entry No.6  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Stob Stones, Scottish Borders: From the Green Humbleton Scooped Settlement, by the time we started climbing up towards the Stob Stones, not only was the wind was howling and I was leaning hard into it, but the rain drops were like small pins being driven into my cheeks. I confess to getting a bit fed up and wanting to turn around at this point, but a long-held desire to see these stones kept me going. It was worth it.

Walking over the Stob Rig earthworks (I stopped to photograph these on the way down), the Stob Stones are two standing stones, one now broken and lying prone, sitting on a sort of promontory as the ground to the north and west drops steeply down. Canmore says these stones are at over 1,000 ft above sea level and are situated 230 yards west of the Border. They definitely sit on some kind of mound.

To the west lies the border between England and Scotland, and we walked a 100 metres or so further up the hill, just so we could see the stone wall which makes up the boundary. Tantalisingly, we could see cairns on the adjacent hillside, but being England, different rules for walking (and I was too wet to want to go on).

Stob Rig (Yetholm)

Trip No.37  Entry No.7  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Stob Rig Earthworks: On the way up to the Stob Stones from the Pennine Way, there were two really obvious earthworks running in parallel towards the stones and we walked between them to reach the stones. I was keen to try and get out of the wind and the rain (almost impossible in this high, exposed spot) so didn't stop to photograph them.

On the way back down to re-join the Pennine Way, the earthworks were slightly less obvious. With the howling wind and the rain lashed sharply against my cheeks, I was tempted to put the camera safely in the rucksack, but having walked all this way up the hill, I wanted to document them.

In the end, I only managed to photograph the eastern most of the banks; the photos of the western-most had too many raindrops on the camera lens to be of any use.

Green Humbleton Hillfort

Trip No.37  Entry No.8  Date Added: 8th Aug 2017
Site Type: Hillfort Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Green Humbleton Hillfort: Having been virtually blown off the hillside at Green Humbleton Scooped Settlement on our way up the Pennine Way, we decided we’d visit the Stob Stones first and see if the wind died down on our way back. If the wind was bad on Stob Rig, then what would it be like on the top of this cone-shaped hill? It didn't, so reluctantly we decided to try on a warm, sunny day.

By the time we walked back down the Pennine Way/St Cuthbert’s Way, we were absolutely soaking wet, but at least in the valley below the wind had died down. Rather than the 6-8 cars in the parking area by Bowmont Water, there was only one camper van and our car. A lovely spot for some ‘wild camping’.

Ad Gefrin

Trip No.37  Entry No.9  Date Added: 28th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Palace Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Ad Gefrin, Northumberland (near Yeavering): Trying to dry out from the walk to the Stob Stones, we decided to go back via Wooler and the A687 rather than back down the A68, passing Yeavering Bell on our way. Driving north, I was surprised to find we re-entered England from Scotland, back into Northumberland National Park. As we drove through Kirknewton, this ‘stone bus shelter’ and unusual gate posts caught my eye and we screeched to a halt.

I was amazed that we’d never heard of this site at all, and I read the interpretation board, then walked into the field to look at the other board. In front of me there was nothing but tall, yellow grass, with a faint darker green line where a narrow track ran along the edge of the field.

There was nothing on the interpretation board to tell us where about on the site we were. Seeing that the site spread across the road, I crossed and peered into the field. This, of course, now being England, I couldn’t just let myself into the field and wander around.

There being an excellent 4G signal here, I pulled up the Gefrin website and was really surprised to find this site described as the most evocative archaeological sites in Northumberland and also one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

If I hadn’t been so wet and tired after a long day out, I’d have walked round the fields. As it was, we decided to return home, do some investigation and return to the site another day (adding to our ever growing list of ‘want to see’ sites).