Duddo Five Stones

Date Added: 22nd Mar 2025
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 16th Mar 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Visited with Ian M. We took a circular walk approach, with a smattering of lost, which gave a great sense of getting to feel the site as it gradually came into view. Took the direct route back to the lay-by.

Lindisfarne Priory

Date Added: 27th Nov 2024
Site Type: Museum Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 1st Oct 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: The first time I’ve visited Holy Island, I didn’t make the trek over to the Castle, just the village, museum, and Priory.

The Devil's stone (Kent)

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Kent)
Visited: Yes on 7th May 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Despite living within 10 miles of this site I had never heard of it until I saw a Twitter/X post in April or May of 2024. I overconfidently set off in utterly the wrong direction at first. Eventually the penny dropped; I'd passed by just yards away on the A2 many times. (If 'nearest town' attributes are calculated as the crow flies then it is certainly possible that Faversham is nearest. But I'd suggest Rainham is quite a bit nearer really, otherwise.

It's a cool little menhir that has stood up to a lot of change over the years, I'm sure. I forgot to check the second stone (or the vege soup can). The boot print looks like it might be an area that was once abutted next to another stone and hence not as weathered as the rest of the surface. But that doesn't explain why it stands proud of the rest of the stone. Maybe that was covered in (for example) lichens and then cleaned rather too eagerly, stripping off some of the surface?

Anyway: now I've seen it.

Cross Well (Faversham)

Date Added: 11th May 2024
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Kent)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: A 'part of the furniture' in Faversham market place, rarely give it a second glance if I'm honest. Often invaded by a fruit and veg stall on the Tuesday and Saturday markets. The Guildhall is quite picturesque and the nearby building that is partly occupied by a Chinese restaurant has an ancient-looking wooden door and the plaque commemorating Ss Crispan and Crispianus. There's a large house near the zebra crossing further down the Market Place that has a well in its kitchen, tapping the same spring. Most of the water is slurped up free of charge by the local mafia, er, I mean Shepherd Neame brewery,

Soussons Common

Date Added: 18th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 5th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: My second visit to this absolutely perfect little circle, the first was about twenty years ago.

Undoubtedly the most accessible SC on Dartmoor if you exclude Merrivale. You can pull in and park no more than 50 yards away. Gorgeous.

Yellowmead

Date Added: 18th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 5th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: I wandered fairly randomly towards the circle from a layby at the foot of Sheep Tor. Well, not so much a layby as the point where the road ceased.

The farmer was kind enough not to shoot me, and to direct me properly: "I see you've been using Google maps" he commented. He seemed to be settling in some guests at a holiday cottage.

On the way to the SC, about a ten minute walk from the farmer's gate, I encountered an eviscerated sheep. Or maybe sheep rot away apart from the wool and the horns? That's all that was left in any case. I saw something similar at Merrivale years ago (20+).

It's a little difficult to trace the outer circles at Yellowmead: there are clearly stones missing. That's probably true of the inner circle/s as well but the stones are much tighter together and it doesn't notice so much. I spent a happy half-hour in complete isolation until I saw the clouds crowding in and decided to trudge back before the rain started again.

Chysauster

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 4th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: I only had a day to explore Cornwall last 'summer' and the day I chose rained. constantly. all. day.

Chysauster is a fascinating site though, and easily found. It's quite a steep path from the car park but it's well maintained and fairly level.

Such a shame you can't at least have a peer inside the fogou but it has been vandalised far too much to risk further damage. The structures that survive are a little reminiscent of Skara Brae in some aspects but nowhere near as well-preserved. I would have appreciated seeing Carn Euny too but seem to recall it was not open that day.

The Hurlers

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 4th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Had previously visited The Hurlers probably 18-20 years before, and was grateful that the day-long rain finally died down to a mere drizzle by the time I made it to the site. A lot of stones have disappeared but the two main rings are reasonably intact and the Pipers likewise. The enormous radio mast not far away spoils the site but it is what it is.

The Long Stone (Minions)

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 4th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: I hadn't heard of this menhir before so it was a wonderful surprise to see the stone standing near the edge of the road just before reaching the Hurlers.

It's a colossal stone that has been Christianised and I vaguely recall it marks a pilgrim's way. From where to where else I don't remember... if I didn't imagine it!

The Hurlers landscape is really quite complex but this must surely be considered as a piece with the Pipers and the three SCs and the rest - not forgetting the Cheesewring I guess.

Duloe

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 4th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Although it's a tight little circle the stones are of an impressive height and seem to have been well-respected. One is a broken-off stump but it doesn't spoil the SC. The stones look like quartz, white but weathered. I really liked this circle.

Lanyon Quoit

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Portal Tomb Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 4th Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Mirroring exactly the horizon behind it, this is a beautiful dolmen. The capstone seems delicately poised on three chunky uprights. There's a smaller stone nearby that might have propped up a back-wall, and a flat stone underneath the dolmen.

I'm embarrassed to admit it but I took several minutes finding my way back to the country lane where I'd parked. The only solution was too head back to the quoit and then it was suddenly easy. Some kind of weird space-shifting thing?

Grey Wethers.

Date Added: 8th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Couldn't find on 3rd Jul 2023

Log Text: I found Fernworthy S.C. easily enough but just couldn't seem to find Greywethers. A young woman in a Renault was also driving around lost (or perhaps taking driving lessons!) and we coincided three times during my meanders around the reservoir and adjacent area. It was fun waving and grinning as kept passing one another.

Next time I'll try harder but the incessant rain and cold was a powerful disincentive to exploring more fully on foot. Some of the paths through the forest were barred and gated and I suspect if I'd guessed the right one, parked then walked, it would have been a cinch.

Scorhill

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Vicious wind and rain did their best to deter me from the circle. Finally encountering some other humans, a couple of female hikers, I asked "Is there a stone circle round here somewhere..?"

They pointed... I was about a hundred yards past it. It is so obvious I can't believe, even now, I had strolled right past.

There are some impressive stones in quite a close little huddle, at all sorts of jaggedy angles. Several have fallen, and the ground inside the circle is all bumps and hollows and ditches. Whether this is the result of excavation I don't know. Some of it was rabbits I expect. Watch your footing anyway.

Merrivale

Date Added: 18th May 2024
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: I first visited Merrivale hut circles and stone rows (etc) in about 2000. Visiting again in 2023 it seemed radically different but of course nothing had changed!

I appreciated the rows much more this time and was looking for alignments with the horizon, especially by the terminal stones. I think I found quite a few.

Make sure you wear your boots it is proper boggy round here. The weather was okay so I spent a couple of hours traipsing about, looking at all the angles.

Fernworthy

Date Added: 16th May 2024
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Jul 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: On a cold grey Dartmoor day the Froggymeade circle was a real treat. Apart from a pony and her foal there was not another creature to be seen.

Initially, I parked near the reservoir and set off on foot but after about ten minutes the driving rain really intensified and I turned around. A small Peugoet passed me on the road and before I made it back to my car (another small Peugoet) the young woman driving the car motored past the other way, giving a friendly wave as she went. I encountered her twice more that same day as we meandered around the forest: almost old friends by then.

Anyhow I set the sat nav more in hope than expectation and drove off around the reservoir until a fork in the road had me flummoxed. (No satellite or phone signal.) I gazed at the map on my phone but it didn't make much sense either, so I opted to park left and walk right. By now the sun was out. This turned out to be a good guess as, finally, when I was starting to lose heart, the stones became visible on the right.

It's a compact circle on what seems to be a natural bowl of land. There might be a stone or two missing but the ring is pretty much complete and worth a few wrong turnings.

The Greywethers were to be my next port of call but that didn't quite work out!

Maiden Castle (Dorset)

Date Added: 17th May 2024
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Dorset)
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: Had the site pretty much to myself. It was a fine day but windy. When you're at the top of the site it is difficult to gauge the scale of the ramparts and other defences, but it is immense. A whole village could easily have existed up there.

Cerne Abbas Giant

Date Added: 8th May 2024
Site Type: Hill Figure or Geoglyph Country: England (Dorset)
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2023. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Viewed from the tourist car park it is a bit disappointing: you can't necessarily make out the whole outline of this chalk giant. When I get my helicopter license I'll have a better look. But if you're nearby it's worth a quick look-see.

Little Meg

Date Added: 12th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: A logical next visit after a tour of the magnificent Long Meg, which I had been dying to visit for so many years. This is a bit of a jumble, occupying a narrow unploughed strip at the edge of a large field at the time I was there. There are circular rings carved into a double spiral on one of the stones and you simply have to see this if you're anywhere close by.

Long Meg And Her Daughters

Date Added: 11th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: There's a generous-sized gravelled car park not far away and then it's a reasonably easy short walk to the Druid's Circle as I think the local sign puts it. I might have misremembered.

It's a spectacular site and several minutes walk to circumambulate, glancing over to the outlier, Long Meg, every so often. Most of the stones are fairly low, rounded boulders, but generally quite large. Some are not much more than stumps. About a quarter of the stones are on the other side of a narrow track, and these are the first you'll see as you approach the site.

Long Meg is majestic, red, covered in carvings, boss of all she surveys.

Castlerigg

Date Added: 11th May 2024
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 22nd Apr 2023. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: I visited for the first time on my way back south from the Orkney Islands in 2015. The clouds were gathering and followed me home as far as Cambridge, more or less. If it weren't for the weather warning I would have risked a longer stay but having driven from Stromness was beginning to flag.

My second visit in 2023 gave me more time to really savour this utterly beautiful circle and to see it in the context of the surrounding hills (which were shrouded in mist the first time). So so wonderful.