Megalithic and Prehistoric Sites

[Voley]

Thanks for the great pics Voley

Like a good few folk, I suspect, it was West Kennet LB & the utterly amazing Avebury ring & avenue that first set me off on all this big rocks malarky. Took the kids into the barrow and they enjoyed the adventure so much that it took no persuasion to get them to schlep through loads of sites

It amazes me how Avebury retains that otherworldly feel despite a road running through it, lots of folk like me traipsing all over it and a National Trust pay and display car park etc. And a pub in the middle of course. Still felt like another world down there this morning. Bloody love the place.

 

[quiet guy]

Yes I got that feeling the last time I visited at the time of the Summer Solstice a good few years back, more so than when wandering around Stonehenge.

 

[danny la rouge]

It amazes me how Avebury retains that otherworldly feel despite a road running through it, lots of folk like me traipsing all over it and a National Trust pay and display car park etc. And a pub in the middle of course. Still felt like another world down there this morning. Bloody love the place.

Yup me too. Somehow it’s more awe inspiring than Stone Henge.

 

[waxoyl]

The Nine Ladies,Stanton moor Derbyshire. Not been up here for a couple of years. Was nice .

 

[quiet guy]

Not that long after the ending of lockdown I went up to the Nine Ladies on a Bank holiday weekend and there were several family groups camping in the trees.

 

[waxoyl]

Not that long after the ending of lockdown I went up to the Nine Ladies on a Bank holiday weekend and there were several family groups camping in the trees.

It does attract a lot of wankers.I no what you mean to many campers up there for my liking.Especially in the summer.As i was walking back there was a couple with tents and a dog not on a lead.Theres a least 3 signs saying dogs must be on leads.

 

[Voley]

Yes I got that feeling the last time I visited at the time of the Summer Solstice a good few years back, more so than when wandering around Stonehenge.

Yup me too. Somehow it’s more awe inspiring than Stone Henge.

For me too.

I was pleasantly surprised by this visit to Stonehenge though. Last time I went I was a kid and you could still walk right up to the stones so I was expecting it to be a bit disappointing in comparison. But you can still get within 15 yards or so and we had it on a reasonably quiet day so it still had a good atmosphere. I liked the visitor centre too. The 360 degree film that plonks you in the middle of the circle and shows how it changed over the millenia is excellent- the chronology of it has always eluded me a bit but I've got it now.

Possibly the best bit for me though was a good walk we had along The Cursus as we had the whole place to ourselves. Can't beat a stomp along a route that you know meant a lot to people 5000 years ago imo.

But, yeah, Avebury's still better.

 

[marty21]

I keep meaning to visit both of these as I pass along the M4 fairly often so it could be a nice detour.

It's worth the stop - I often stop at Silbury Hill on the way down - have been to Avebury and the Long Barrow and of course Stonehenge - it is a beautiful part of the country.

 

[Voley]

There's megaliths and there's MEGALITHS.



Avebury, again. A place that really gets under your skin.

 

[Rebelda]

Auchagallon stone circle, on the west coast of Arran. Bit smitten with that triangular stone. Just off the main road with no fuss. Fenced off to keep the sheep away but you can go in.

 

[Rebelda]

Also bum stone

 

[Voley]

Ooh you can't beat one with a backdrop like that can you? They did used to pick some spectacular spots for them.

 

[Rebelda]

Ooh you can't beat one with a backdrop like that can you? They did used to pick some spectacular spots for them.

Watching over the Mull of Kintyre and a glimpse of Ireland on a really clear day.

 

[brogdale]

So enjoying these pics today, I've been inspired to go back and find some of my pics from our 2019 Brittany trip:

Grumpy old man stone at Carnac:



The heavenly weather conditions for crawling around and under the stones:



A big boy near Carnac:



I've got flipping loads!

 

[StoneRoad]

These are lovely images and remind me of another of my interests ... but I include the Barrows and defensive sites as well as the more frequently visited stone features.

I used to live in Wiltshire, which as a county, is well-endowed with such things - and there are plenty of others all over the place {this is in the Peak District, near Arbor Low circle}



ppd - Gib Hill barrow par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity

 

[friedaweed]

'In our time' today is worth a listen.

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Megaliths

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss what we know about ancient stones placed in the landscape.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Voley]

One of my other half's archeoastronomy walks got in National Geographic this month. It's that bit of moorland you enjoyed exploring so much ska invita

See the heavens the way ancient Britons did at this dark sky park

In Cornwall—home to hundreds of Neolithic and Bronze Age structures—‘archaeoastronomy’ tours explore the link between the moon, the stars, and human history.

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[danny la rouge]

One of my other half's archeoastronomy walks got in National Geographic this month. It's that bit of moorland you enjoyed exploring so much ska invita

See the heavens the way ancient Britons did at this dark sky park

In Cornwall—home to hundreds of Neolithic and Bronze Age structures—‘archaeoastronomy’ tours explore the link between the moon, the stars, and human history.

www.nationalgeographic.com

I read that and thought of you but didn’t directly connect it to you!

 

[Voley]

I read that and thought of you but didn’t directly connect it to you!

Really pleased with the article. She says the journalist was genuinely interested. I'm pleased we got Dark Sky status down here: so much of the ancient stuff around here has a link to the sky - it would be such a shame to lose it to light pollution forever.

 

[Elpenor]

Today was a day to do some exploring around St David’s Head and the coast heading NE to Fishguard. I was very lucky with the weather.

Here a few pictures of Coetan Arthur, Carreg Samson and Garn Fawr hill fort



At the fort I looked out across the endless sea. Those cows in the distance are possibly the furthest west livestock in Wales.

I thought of ska invita post in this thread number 495
Megalithic and Prehistoric Sites

I wondered if the people who fought and died for this hill knew of what lay beyond the horizon.

 

[Elpenor]

It was another sunny day here (forecast tomorrow is nonstop rain) so my last chance to spam you with some more pictures.

First up Waun Mawr standing stones, these are on a plateau and command a view across the lowlands towards the sea but also have good sightlines looking inland towards the Preseli mountains.

There isn’t much left, with just four visible stones, only one of which is standing but the sparse vegetation and all-around views give a sense of the scale this place must have had thousands of years ago.



Then I went to Pentre Ifan (a 10 minute drive). I’ve been here before, and was aware of it’s presence but was struck by the contrast between ancient and modern as planes flew overhead on their way west.


Again I’m so grateful that these are so accessible. our history and heritage should never be locked away behind a paywall.

 

[ska invita]

if you are following this thread you may well like this

Weird Walk

www.weirdwalk.co.uk

 

[belboid]

if you are following this thread you may well like this

Weird Walk

www.weirdwalk.co.uk

a site - or at least the podcast bit - hosted by Kurtan from This Country.

 

[ska invita]

nice little show, not really about stonehenge but about natural sites in wilthsire with the theory that the river and springs were central to all sites in the area (not an original notion tbf), and includes some newly found sites (2013)
only up for two more weeks

BBC Four - The Flying Archaeologist, Stonehenge

Ben Robinson reveals evidence about Stonehenge that explains the reason for its location.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[ska invita]

interesting article this, about a recently lost tradition of folk skipping on good friday

Good Friday skipping: English Heritage aims to jump-start neglected Easter tradition

‘Long rope day’ endured for hundreds of years but is now largely forgotten, says charity

www.theguardian.com

however it mentions an old academic paper that reckons this goes back to something that happened at long barrows
basically where skipping survived it would happen by the beach - near the watery graves of fishers
and in villages with long barrows, and supposedly in the minds of the villagers there was a connection with the barrows
christian easter also has a tomb in it

so conclusion drawn here is this skipping thing goes right back to the days of the long barrows being built
which i like.... i imagine there was a lot of larking about as well as solemn stuff
itd be nice if some of these neopagans brought back skipping!



not definitively proven but good enough for me

 

[quimcunx]

We do long rope skipping at our big family picnic on Easter Sunday. It will be by the sea this year.

 

[ska invita]

skipping and taking hallucigens and uppers

People were taking drugs in Spain 3,000 years ago, study finds

A new study finds people in Menorca got high on hallucinogenic drugs during the Bronze Age.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[quimcunx]

Wish we'd had some. We could have mass-hallucinated sunshine and warmth instead of the chilly haar we had in reality.

 

[Elpenor]

I have sorted my diary and all being well will visit Avebury, West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill (the ones that looks like a tit) on my next trip to Reading in a month or so, as they are sort of en route

 

[mx wcfc]

I have sorted my diary and all being well will visit Avebury, West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill (the ones that looks like a tit) on my next trip to Reading in a month or so, as they are sort of en route

We did the same set of three a few years ago. Avebury at the weekend was busy, but not the other two.