Rempstone

Date Added: 20th Oct 2021
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Dorset)
Visited: Yes on 15th Oct 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: A quick look during a weekend in Purbeck. I found about 8 or 9 stones in the woods at the side of the road, probably in a circular shape, mostly well overgrown with brambles and ferns, with no way of telling what was really there, and could not see more than two stones at a time! Many of the stones had coins placed on them. A bit further along was a sort of stone setting, perhaps once part of an avenue, of which there was no way of telling whether ancient or some sort of stone clearance.

Nympsfield

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2021
Site Type: Long Barrow Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 29th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Fabulous loop walk from Coaley Peak picnic area, starting with a look at Nympsfield long barrow, then down through and past the lakes of Woodchester Park, back up through the vineyards to Selsey Common, before turning back along the Cotswold Way through the lovely woodland on the edge of the hills.

Bown Hill Long Barrow

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2021
Site Type: Long Barrow Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Couldn't find on 29th Sep 2021

Log Text: Fabulous loop walk from Coaley Peak picnic area, starting at Nympsfield long barrow, down through Woodchester Park, back up through the vineyards to Selsey Common, and back along the Cotswold Way through the lovely woodland on the edge of the hills. Hoping to get a glimpse of this longbarrow over a couple of fields, but no such luck or obvious way through towards it, and I have a long way to go so not adding on any extra!

Beardown Cairn and Cist

Date Added: 21st Sep 2021
Site Type: Cist Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Beautiful sunny day forecast, and the Army firing range not in use today, so head down to Dartmoor for a pilgrimmage to Beardown Man. Park at Holming Beam at 12:00 after a busy journey down, and I am the only one there. Start by walking over to the first Beardown Tor with its Army firing post observation huts. Making a schoolboy error I head off to what I think is the next Beardown Tor across grassy open moorland, not checking as I go. Once at the top I realise I have walked much further to Lydford Tor, and already passed the cairn and cist I wanted to visit again after the Antony trousers episode in 1988. Doh! Dartmoor lesson, concentrate on navigation and double check everything. Its now a complex task to get across the rough moor to the cist, which was a nightmare to find, eventually resorting to the gps only to find I was about 10 feet away, it has now become totally overgrown and I almost fall in. No way I could sit in the cist, could hardly see it!

Maiden Hill

Date Added: 23rd Sep 2021
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Day down to Dartmoor for a pilgrimmage to Beardown Man. From Devils Tor, looking to head on to Conies Down there seems two choices, either down and up the steep and deep Cowsic valley, or a longer route round the head of the valley further north, which I decide to take. The path is fairly good, and obviously used a fair bit by people on quad bikes, so is easy going except for the odd bit of bog. Onto the top of Maiden Hill, avoiding a large herd of ponies, and look for the cairn in the featureless long grass, finding only a large raised area of grass which quite possibly does have a cairn underneath.

Crow Tor

Date Added: 23rd Sep 2021
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Day down to Dartmoor for a pilgrimmage to Beardown Man. From Beardown Cairn, and now back on the planned route but behind time, I see another chap out on the moor nearby, an old looking chap dressed in what looks like tweeds, and we exchange greetings. Head north towards Crow Tor, crossing a wall and small stream. Looking for the cairn below Crow Tor which is not marked on the map, and having an initial look where I think it is, I again resort to gps and there it is about 20 metres away. A lovely stone cairn with a fairly large cist inside, the capstones shifted off to one side. Up to Crow Tor to find somewhere to sit and have lunch, during which time a couple walking the other direction pass by and we exchange waves. I now head north across the featureless boggy high moorland to Rough Tor, with firing range huts, double checking it is the right one a couple of times!

Beardown Man

Date Added: 23rd Sep 2021
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Day down to Dartmoor for a pilgrimmage to Beardown Man. Now at Rough Tor I have now learned (remembered) that when walking on the open moor, any sort of path in roughly the right direction is easier than trying to cross the untamed and boggy moor, so standing on the top of the tor taking in the magnificent vista all around in the sun, decide on a route across to Devil's Tor on a pathway which heads to the south of it to start with, but looks mostly fairly easy going. Then up to the top of the hill, and Beardown Man peeks its top over the horizon and grows taller as I approach. It's not at the top of the hill, just below the summit on the west side, but magnificent, twice my height, a lovely thin flat stone with views from north to south over the deep Cowsic valley on the west side, but nothing to the east, which I think odd. Its fabulous out here.

Conies Down

Date Added: 25th Sep 2021
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Day down to Dartmoor for a pilgrimmage to Beardown Man. From Maiden Hill, I now head south to look for the stone row I have dim memories of from the 1988 Lich Way moorland crossing, and as I approach down the hillside, there is a large herd of cattle, some looking at me menacingly with their horns, so I reluctantly decide to give them a wide berth, and don't get to the top of the row where there are a large group including calves laying around. Heading further down I can get to the lower end of the row, and it is clearly there, stones spaced about 4 metres apart which appear white amongst the green grass, and is just how I remember it. From here its not going to be easy to get back as other than the Lich Way going east west, there is nothing resembling a path heading south, so I decide I have to make best way I can heading up and over towards Black Dunghill after first crossing around the top of the initial bogland. Its a difficult, boggy route, made slightly easier using the occasional animal track or quad bike track in a sort of zig zag fashion until I get to the top of the ridge by the unmarked hill, from where I can make out Black Dunghill with what looks a good path over it, which I head to. Getting tired now, and the sun dropping, I sit and eat my last sandwich with mild relief as I can see a good path leading all the way back to where the car is parked. Its a simple walk back to Holming Beam, but unfortunately I now have a wet bum from sitting down, made tolerable by the fantastic views, with Beardown Man clearly visible on the horizon up to the north. It can even be seen from the track by the car park, magnificent. Back to the car about 5:20, and there is another couple out here walking along the track, so thats now 5 people I have seen all day with over 5 hours out on the moor. Change out of wet boots, and head down for a pint in the setting sun at the Two Bridges Hotel after. Lovely.

Beckbury Camp

Date Added: 16th Sep 2021
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 15th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Cotswold Way walk starting by taking the steam train from Toddington to Winchcombe, then walk back northeast to Toddington stopping at Hailes Abbey and Beckbury hillfort. Lovely

Campden Lane gatepost

Date Added: 26th Sep 2021
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 15th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Steam train from Toddington to Winchcombe, then Cotswold Way walk back north to Toddington stopping at Hailes Abbey and Beckbury hillfort. Beside the ancient trackway known as Campden Lane, is a substantial stone gatepost, one of a few in the locality of Beckbury Camp, which makes the mind think of possible previous uses.

Kiftsgate Stone

Date Added: 16th Sep 2021
Site Type: Holed Stone Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 6th Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cotswold Way walk from Chipping Campden to Broadway, making sure to have a look at the Kiftsgate Stone, which was well hidden amongst undergrowth, despite being just to the side of the road. Looked to me like it might possibly have once been part of a longbarrow chamber.

Shenberrow Hillfort

Date Added: 11th Sep 2021
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Cotswold Way walk starting with the steam train from Toddington to Broadway, a beer at the Crown & Trumpet, then walk back south along the Cotswold Way to Stanway, stopping for further refreshment at the Mount Inn, Stanton, below the fortified encampment of Shenberrow Hillfort where I ate my lunch admiring the view.

Shortwood Barrows

Date Added: 27th Sep 2021
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 27th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Cotswold Way loop walk, filling in the bit between Stonehouse and Standish woods. There are barrows marked below the topograph on the information boards, and indeed a few large circular mounds which don't look like the quarrying scars nearby.

Randwick Long Barrow

Date Added: 27th Sep 2021
Site Type: Long Barrow Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 27th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Cotswold Way loop walk, filling in the bit between Stonehouse and Standish woods. Up into the woods at Randwick, and in amongst all the mountain biking trails is the remains of this huge longbarrow, now all shorn of its overgrowth

Randwick Barrows

Date Added: 27th Sep 2021
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 27th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Up in the woods at Randwick, and in amongst all the mountain biking trails north of the longbarrow can be found a couple of low round barrows, which would be difficult to find if not using my GPS.

Randwick Cross Dyke

Date Added: 27th Sep 2021
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 27th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Up in the woods at Randwick, and beyond the mountain biking trails and longbarrow, there is a crossdyke across the wooded ridge, basically a couple of banks with ditch between

Tytherington Camp

Date Added: 16th Aug 2021
Site Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 14th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Afternoon wander around Tytherington village and up to and around the old hillfort / castle. Chap in his garden nearby told me he part owned the land and I could go and have a proper look if I wanted, so I did. There is a lot of broken rock in the remaining ramparts, which surprised me by their completeness (those which hadn't been lost due to the quarrying). Saw a couple of foxes and loads of rabbits.

Belas Knap

Date Added: 23rd Oct 2021
Site Type: Long Barrow Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 10th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A long Cotswold Way loop walk from Winchcombe, up to Belas Knap then over to Cleeve Hill via Postlip. A pint at the golf club, then up to the trig point and back to Winchcombe down the Isbourne valley.

Leckhampton Hill

Date Added: 7th Aug 2021
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 4th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Cotswold Way walk around Leckhampton Hill from Seven Springs, wonderful views all over Cheltenham and the Severn valley all the way round, with an exploration of the hillfort, trig point and quarry with the Devil's Chimney. Then south to Ullenwood, turning east past Cuckoopen Farm and then down past the big old longbarrow to Coberley and heading back north to the Seven Springs for a pint.

Coberley

Date Added: 7th Aug 2021
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 4th Aug 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Cotswold Way walk around Leckhampton Hill from Seven Springs, south to Ullenwood, turning east past Cuckoopen Farm and then down past the substantial remains of a longbarrow beside a lovely old green trackway partway down a ridge on the downslope from the top of the Cotswold Hills above the small village of Coberley.