Holme II

Date Added: 21st Jun 2024
Site Type: Timber Circle Country: England (Norfolk)
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2024. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: After many years, and a fair bit of planning, I got to visit the site of Seahange. It needed a significantly low tide, and a long walk with no features to aim for. It was also a complete unknown as to whether any of the timbers would still be there, and not covered by the sands and mud. I started from the pay car park at Holme, near the golf course, and followed the well marked and made coast path to the north then east, through the marshes and sand dunes. Whern I got to near where I thought the site was, I started looking for the signboard, but it had been knocked over so was not easy to find. I then tried to get down onto the beach, which was not easy with cliffs in the dunes and fences, so I retraced my steps back for a fair old way until I could get down onto the beach, before heading back east to the area of the site. After a fair bit of searching around, near to where it is marked on our map, I first saw a pole and stump sticking up, but nothing else. I wondered whether this was a marker for the site of the original Seahenge now removed. Walking in the wet mud and sand further to the east, I some dark shapes. Is this it? I walked over, and indeed it was a sector of timber stumps poking above the water. Further looking, and there were some more sectors, generally under pools, with a few other stumps showing above the sands, which would have made a circle about 15 metres diameter. Fantastic, and well worth the effort. I noticed that there were a few large timbers on their sides nearby, and many other odd stumps. Nearby were a couple of places with arrangements of stumps showing above the sands, are these remnants of other structures. There are a couple of much more modern linear timber structures heading directly towards the sea from the shore, arranged in pairs, and when speaking to a local, he told me that these were constructed by the army and used as devices to move targets up and down the beach, for training the gunners and tanks that were there at the time. These can be used to give a good indication of where the site is.

Warham Camp

Date Added: 22nd Jun 2024
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Norfolk)
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2024. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: A recommended visit from the bar lady at the Binham pub, to occupy a loose hour. Its really impressive in its scale and completeness. Lots of orchids are flowering on the banks in the sunshine.

Grime's Graves Flint Mines

Date Added: 18th Oct 2024
Site Type: Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry Country: England (Norfolk)
Visited: Yes on 8th Jun 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: At last got here on my way up to North Norfolk. Not quite sure what I was expecting, but I can't say I was completely impressed to start with, and I couldn't help thinking of West Wycombe caves. Strange, as for something that old, I'd have thought I would be really impressed. This feeling gradually changed into one of awe at what I was seeing. Nice to be able to get down one of the shafts to see the workings as a brand new entrance building enables visits down into one of the mineshafts. Once down in the shaft, a very interesting and impressive audio visual showing the history of this place is projected onto the shaft walls, from the ancient seas depositing to form the chalk and flint, up to the prehistoric mining of the flint. All very well done I thought. Down the bottom of the shaft there are various galleries which can be crawled into. Some of the tools used for excavation and flint nodules are left to be seen. I would not recommend doing this with bare knees or on a very wet day! Some of the items found by Armstrong during the 1939 excavations are on display in the museum. But the big question is this. Are they real or fake?

Tinkinswood

Date Added: 26th Apr 2024
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: Wales (South Glamorgan)
Visited: Yes on 25th Apr 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Time for another visit to Tinkinswood burial chamber, where I sit and eat my lunch with lots of birdsong. Since my last time here, there has been a lot of fencing off of the eastern and southern fields, making it impossible to see the other chamber or quarry area. What I remember as a possible avenue to the south seems to have all been ripped up and dumped in a heap. To the north, and taking up most of the parking area, there is a lot of road building going on, presumably to a farm on the north side. So overall, very much not improved.

St Lythans

Date Added: 26th Apr 2024
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: Wales (South Glamorgan)
Visited: Yes on 25th Apr 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Time for another visit to St Lythams and Tinkinswood. Very nice in the lush springtime

Graig Lwyd Cairns

Date Added: 7th Nov 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Last on my itinerary for today are the Graig Lwyd Cairns. There is the one large cairn within the open access land which looks like a cartoon volcano, conical, steep sides and a crater in the top. Viewed with Moelfre and the other mountains behind it, it reminds me very much of the chains of volcanoes in the Auvergne. The other cairns are in the walled and fenced off fields to the north, and I have no way through to have a close look. However from a low point in the wall, I can make out a couple of places where there are stones standing proud of the ground, possibly a bit like Circle 275. Time to get back down to Penmaenmawr, I have been up here much longer than I initially intended, but then again it has been glorious up here and I am in no real rush other than to get a pint before the pubs shut. The path down is a killer on the knees, so steep and long, I can hardly walk by the time I get back to the car. In need of a pint, time to check what might be open using the useful WhatPub link on the Portal's sitepages. Disappointingly, if its correct, the Fairy Glen will be closed, but the Gladstone in nearby Dwygyfylchi is open, where I have a nice sit outside in the sunshine with a pleasant pint of Facer's, a new brewery to me.

Cors Y Carneddau

Date Added: 6th Nov 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: I head down to the west and back to the lower track in order to find the Cors Y Carneddau circle. At first I found lots of stones all seemingly scattered around at random, with nothing obvious representing a circle. Some stones are standing proud of the ground over by the wall. But nothing that shouts circle to me. Having a more detailed search of the area, I was at one point heading back to the east, and then an arc of stones came into view. Was this it? Looking closer and several more stones were found under the surface, and for sure this is the remains of a circle, perhaps 10 stones remaining in the circumference, with a diameter of 15 metres or so. The giveaway to being in the right place is a steel bar sticking out of the ground, probably once a fence post, nearby to the two most obvious stones.

Cefn Coch (Penmaenmawr)

Date Added: 6th Nov 2023
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Having done my research beforehand, I now know to head up and over the nearby ridge to the south and there is the lovely ring cairn, about 10 to 12 metres diameter. It doesn't stand very proud of the ground, and has quite wide "walls".

Monument 280

Date Added: 5th Nov 2023
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Over a couple of mounds, and there is another catchily named site, Monument 280, of which I have no idea what type of site this is. There are many stones stood and arranged, but with no obvious pattern. There is a circle in the middle of them, and several in a straight line through the middle. Is that a burial cist beside one of the large stones? I see online something which states that in 1845 this was described as three circles. Time for lunch, and I notice a pair of glasses within what looks to me like a burial cist, with a leather strap hanging over the large stone beside it.

Druids Circle (Penmaenmawr)

Date Added: 4th Nov 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: From circle 275 the stones of the Druids Circle can be seen up on the hill against the skyline. I make straight for it, but this is probably not the best way as it takes me through a little valley with lots of boggy area to get through. The site is positioned on a flattened platform area, with an embanked circle of stones about 35 metres diameter. Several of the stones are large and standing upright, many much smaller and some are flat to the ground. The position up here is gorgeous with the views out and over the sea with the Great Orme to the east, and Anglesey to the west. There are a couple here taking it all in, with the lady sat sketching the circle. I was intending having my lunch here, but I move on to the next site for that, so we do not disturb each other.

Circle 275

Date Added: 30th Oct 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: Next up is the snappily named Circle 275, which is to the south of the trackway in the long grass and heather. This is a lovely little circle of five stones with diameter about 3 metres, and in a most gorgeous setting with views out over the sea and up to the hills with the druids circle visible on the skyline. Is that a spiral carving I see on one of the stones?

Fridd Wanc

Date Added: 30th Oct 2023
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Moving on and the next site just to the north of the trackway is the Fridd Wanc mound, with a telegraph pole standing from its centre. Just to the southeast are several boulders, three obvious large stones, with a couple more not so obvious. Is it the remains of an ancient burial chamber? Or on later thinking, another little circle?

Maen Crwn

Date Added: 30th Oct 2023
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: A bit further southwest, and now into an open paddock like area below the farm, and this large stone is stood in the open grass below an avenue of trees. It has a scratches T + J on its southern face, along with other graffitti.

Red Farm

Date Added: 30th Oct 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Walking up from Penmaenmawr, once up on the plateau, the first site I see is the Red Farm stone circle. Its over a wall in a field containing horses, and there are lots of people out looking like they are on an organised shooting event, so I satisfy myself with the view over the wall. Looks like about 4 stones on a flattened platform, with a couple of other either outliers or moved stones laying around.

Red Rocks

Date Added: 4th Jul 2024
Site Type: Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry Country: England (Merseyside)
Visited: Yes on 11th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Visit to Hilbre Point and a walk out to the Red Rocks

Penzance Market Cross

Date Added: 2nd Aug 2023
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2023. My rating: Access 4

Log Text: I took a walk round some of the splendid Penzance gardens, and had a proper look at the lovely old market cross, nowadays just outside the café.

St Mary's Cross

Date Added: 2nd Aug 2023
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2023. My rating: Access 4

Log Text: A strange looking stone stump in the churchyard at Penzance. All I could really make out is a couple of carved figures on it, until I realised that the cross arms were broken off.

Giant's Rock, Zennor

Date Added: 30th Jul 2023
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2023. My rating: Access 3

Log Text: Having found myself in the field adjacent to that in which the Giant's Stone is marked, I have a look and can see it over the hedge. However its all very overgrown and I cannot get in to have a proper look

Treveglos, Zennor

Date Added: 30th Jul 2023
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: I found the large gatepost in the corner of the field, but nothing obvious nearby. The fields and walls here are full of large stones, and what is a standing stone, and what is a natural feature is very hard to tell. Not helped by a lot of growth around the field boundaries. I'm certainly not convinced of a row. Perhaps I was looking in all the wrong fields

Zennor Churchyard Crosses

Date Added: 30th Jul 2023
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: After a day at St Ives, I go to Zennor to pay my respects to the Mermaid. Whilst at the church, I have a look at the various ancient crosses in and around the churchyard, and Borlase's grave. How fabulous is that mermaid chair.