Carneglos Barrow

Date Added: 27th Jun 2023
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 9th Jun 2023. My rating: Ambience 2 Access 3

Log Text: Somewhere in the dense forest is this barrow. The forest track passes close by, butthere is no easy way in, but I am sure I could glimpse some raised earthworks in places.

Goodaver

Date Added: 27th Jun 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Couldn't find on 9th Jun 2023

Log Text: Stop at Webbs Down near Bolventor to try to walk to the Goodaver stone circle through the forests from the north. Its very hot, and about halfway there the forest tracks are all shut off, with barbed wire and CCTV. I look at going over the rough ground to the west of the forest, but it wont be easy. I then check my route map, and realise that the 5 km walk is each way, not a full round trip. Decide this is no good, and head back to the car, but I do get to visit the stone row. Time to go to Blisland for an afternoon pint.

Goodaver

Date Added: 27th Jun 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Couldn't find on 11th Jun 2022

Log Text: On my way down to Wadebridge today, I didn't have time for the long walk through the forest, but thought I'd try the direct ways from the Bolventor - St Cleer road down the Fowey valley. Both these ways I have seen described. Plan A. up the curvy track at Trezibbet, which is clearly seen from the raad in the valley. I asked somebody tending lambs in the barns at the bottom, and got a friendly but definite no. No way through. Private land. Plan A.2. Up either track from Goodaver, one of which shows to be a path on my OutdoorActive routeplanner. All gates and ways across the river locked. Asked a man tending a tractor. A less friendly, No. Private. So, maybe another time with half a day spare to try the forest way from the north.

Diocletian's Palace

Date Added: 24th May 2023
Site Type: Ancient Palace Country: Croatia
Visited: Yes on 18th Sep 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Have to leave the boat by 9:00. Catch a bus into Split at 09:30 and after some problems finding our way around, get to the old part of town. Stop for a coffee and pastries on the Riva (harbour front) outside the Diocletian Palace walls. Then do a walking tour around old Split, taking in the town square, Temple of Jupiter, the city walls, market, Diocletian Palace (with a great art exhibition in the amazing vaults underneath) and up the Cathedral bell tower for some great views.

Lacra

Date Added: 17th May 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 6th Apr 2002. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Visit after a week at Crossthwaite in the Lake District, before driving back to Bristol

Hadrian's Wall

Date Added: 16th May 2023
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: A day exploring Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads, bus to The Sill, then walk up to the trig point on Winshield Crag before walking eastwards along Hadrian's wall back to Housesteads Fort, having lunch at Sycamore Gap.

Dunstanburgh Castle

Date Added: 8th May 2023
Site Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 25th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Day up to Dunstanburgh castle. Park at Craster, buy sandwiches then walk along the coast northwards to the castle. Excellent.

Hadrian's Wall - Milecastle 39

Date Added: 26th Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Fort or Dun Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Day on Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads, bus to The Sill, then walk up to the trig point on Winshield Crag before walking back eastwards along Hadrians wall to Housesteads Fort, having lunch at Sycamore Gap. This well presented milecastle is immediately to the west of the extremely scenic Sycamore Gap.

Housesteads Roman Fort

Date Added: 24th Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Fort or Dun Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Oct 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: A day on Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads, bus to The Sill, then walk up to the trig point on Winshield Crag before walking eastwards along Hadrians wall back to Housesteads Fort, having lunch at Sycamore Gap. A long look round Housesteads Fort with its large colourful artwork gatehouse created for the 1900 years celebrations, fabulous latrines and a decent little museum.

Housesteads Tumulus

Date Added: 22nd Apr 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: A day on Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads to park, and before catching the bus to The Sill, have a look at the prominent barrow just the other side of the road. The fog is starting to lift now, thank goodness.

The Sill

Date Added: 22nd Apr 2023
Site Type: Museum Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Day on Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads, bus to The Sill, cup of coffee, then walk up to the trig point on Winshield Crag before walking back eastwards along Hadrians wall to Housesteads Fort

Hadrian's Wall - Milecastle 37

Date Added: 22nd Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Fort or Dun Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Day on Hadrians Wall. Drive to Housesteads, bus to The Sill, then walk up to the trig point on Winshield Crag before walking back eastwards along Hadrians wall to Housesteads Fort, having lunch at Sycamore Gap. This is a splendid milecastle and place, with a nice almost completely arched gateway north through the wall.

Hadrian's Wall (Coria)

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Fort or Dun Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Afternoon visit to Corbridge and a look round the tremendous old Roman town remains of Coria. Excellent museum and information centre.

Hexham Abbey

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: A morning looking round Hexham Abbey with some wonderful old carved stone things in there.

Picws Du

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Carmarthenshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: From Fan Brycheiniog we set off back northwards and then headed off in a westerly direction across the open boggy moorland, which would not have been a good idea in weather any worse, but it was now quite bright and I was able to pick a reasonable route between the bogs and peat hags! Once onto the path along the westerly edge of Fan Foel, it was steeply down and then slowly up the steep slope to the top of Picws Du at 749m, which is once again topped by an ancient cairn. The remains of this one are in a better, more natural condition than the others up here, no doubt helped by a lesser number of visitors, as the path here is much less worn and eroded. The remains are probably still abut a metre in height, and topped by a modern walkers cairn. Around the outside it was possible to make out a nice circle of kerbstones. From here it is possible to see down to Llyn y Fan Fach in the hollow below, the glacial lake which is the home to the Lady of the Lake legend. With the winds swirling around the mountains, it does indeed make all sorts of patterns on the surface of the lake, as if it is bubbling and boiling away heralding an appearance. It is really fabulous up here, the views extending southwards to the Bristol Channel and beyond, while northwards over the cliff edge up to the Cambrian Mountains. There are many heavy storms moving around across the landscape but thankfully we are missed by the worst of them for the rest of the day. It is of interest to see them tracking over in a north-easterly direction, the shadows of the clouds making constantly moving patterns on the moorland below. There are many ravens flying around, usually in pairs, making their deep cawing calls to each other, which can be heard from miles away.

Fan Brycheiniog

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Carmarthenshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: We carried on to get to the trig point on top of Fan Brycheiniog (802m) before the Germans, so we could take our pictures without them in the way! Once more it looks like there is probably the remains of an ancient cairn below the trig point, which is once again becoming well worn. We then went and sat in the little circular shelter 50 metres away to the south along the ridge to have our lunch, and let the storms pass, the weather becoming much brighter.

Twr-y-Fan Foel cairn

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Powys)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Along the ridge to the southeast of Fan Foel, Twr-y-Fan Foel cairn can be seen sitting on its hilltop promontory position. The cairn is again about 11 metres diameter and becoming very eroded by the weather and all the walkers stopping here to admire the spectacular views from its cliff edge position. Once again the two German lads were stood on top of it with no signs of moving on, so I just took a couple of quick photos and we carried on to get to the trig point on top of Fan Brycheiniog (802m) before them, so we could take our pictures without them in the way!

Fan Foel Cairns

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Round Cairn Country: Wales (Carmarthenshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Once up on the top of Fan Foel (781m) in the rain and wind, the remains of this large circular cairn are plain to see, no doubt due to the excavation work some years ago. The circular structure of the cairn is 11 meters in diameter, and within this cairn, offset to the steep cliff edge, is the box like remains of a cist. At this point we saw just about the only other people we saw all day, a couple of German lads who stood in the cairn and seemed reluctant to move away so I could take some photos!

Rhyd Wen Fach

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Powys)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Visited while walking round the Carmarthen Fan loop, just at the foot of the hard climb up to Fan Foel. We had ended up not following the expected ridgetop path, but a trail a bit below the top to the southwest, so I had to head over and back downhill a few hundred yards as San slowly ascended the steep ridge. I had a quick look round, aided by using my GPS, and soon found the large stones Sem has posted photos of, but there was nothing obvious else to see of a circle. There are many stones around, and what is natural and what has been positioned is anyone’s guess. With a bit of an optimistic eye, I could make out what might be an arc of stones probably with an approx. 15 m diameter, but it may well be no more than wanting to see something. To me it wasn't a very likely place to find a stone circle, the ground here being too steep. Since returning I notice the RCAHM gives a ref of SN 8223 2312, a further 50 metres to the north of where I was looking, which would have been slightly flatter, but more peaty and boggy ground. I wasn’t going to spend long here, as I was getting left behind, and I didn't want Sandra to be climbing up that steep ridge on her own, especially as the heavens were just about to open with a very cold and heavy squall. The climb up the ridge was very hard work as we are not as young as we were, but just taking it a few steps at a time, and not rushing, I eventually made it up to meet San sat sheltering behind a boulder in her green Kermit cape, we were by then both soaked! Once up at the top, what a fabulous feeling of achievement, and the weather improved a bit to give breath taking views. It really was indeed well worth the effort.

Bannau Sir Gaer

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Carmarthenshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Visited while walking round Carmarthen Fan. We started off walking from the little parking area up to Sychnant stone circle, which was found surprisingly easily near a turning point on the walk near the head of the Sychnant stream. It is positioned on a nicely flattened area on the saddle at the top of the low ridge of land between the head of the Usk river to the northeast, and the Afon Sawddle which runs from Llyn y Fan Fach, a tributary of the Towi to the southwest. It is just a hundred or so metres from the pathway at the head of the stream, and can be identified by the two large stones protruding above the moorland. I paced out the diameter to be 17 to 18 paces, so probably about 16 metres, and I counted 12 stones, most of which are small and hardly protrude above the grass, but at times today were positively glowing white in the sunshine in the wet moorland. At the southeast section are two large stones, with another flat to the ground between them, which reminded me very much of the Pen-y-Beacon stone circle below Hay Bluff in the Black Mountains away to the east, and is possibly the remains of some sort of entrance. Of the other 9 stones I saw, only one is of any substance, about 2 feet tall and leaning outwards just to the north of the main stones. What a splendid place. I am so glad I can now get to these places again, and I am now inspired to search out Nant Tarw and the other sites around here sometime, as it is now only a couple of hours drive.