Megalithic and Prehistoric Sites

[ska invita]

Watched this last night, a book talk on Avebury, the guy spent years studying it. He's a bit nervous the first five minutes but it gets going.

Some interesting stuff about the location, particularly.

Whole channel looks interesting

 

[pogofish]

The CAA/NATS have a big radar site up in Shropshire on Clee Hill - which is also a huge Iron age hill fort with a bronze age burial mound/cairn - it's done now and there's no point crying over spilt milk - but one of the original radars has been demolished for over a decade. It has however just been left as a great brick/concrete scar on the hill like an old bomb site. It really gets on my tits...

Same here with the former NATO Tropospheric Scatter site on Mormond Hill in Aberdeenshire - the whole hill and it’s surrounding area is an archaeological/historic treasure-house but when the Cold War finished and the frequencies were reassigned to mobile telecom, they just scrapped scrapped the metalwork and left the concrete/buildings to rot. Not been up there for a while but it was complete dereliction the last time I was up - no attempt had been made to rectify the hill.

 

[CNT36]

given me one unpleasant interaction with a farmer but many more very pleasant ones,

Have you been dragged into any of Craig Wetherall et al's battles?

 

[brogdale]

OK...time for a Menhir/maen hir, methinks?

Any fans of the GreenMan festival in Glan Usk will no doubt be familiar with the A40 from Abergavenny up to Crickhowell, and probably be able to picture the (now disused) Army barracks & parade ground at Cwrt-y-Gollen just South of Crickhowell:



It's very easy to blast past and few would think of pulling over into the driveway and clambering through the fence...but nestled in amongst the trees, just metres from the A40...there (in the pink circle) stands the Growing Stone!

On the OS map:



And here's a couple of pics that I took whilst I was setting up the festival (admin):





This 'male' stone is a beaut; so impressive and yet so accessible!

Should have been on site for GreenMan already

 

[kebabking]

There's a lay-by and burger van opposite. If that helps....

 

[brogdale]

There's a lay-by and burger van opposite. If that helps....

 

[JimW]

There's very few neolithic burger vans still running, most struggled to meet EU hygiene standards.

 

[planetgeli]

Iron age old enough for this thread? How about some subterranean stuff.

Halliggye fogue on the Trelowarren estate near Helston in Cornwall remains my favourite stone place. Around 6,000 years old and it's the best preserved of its kind. Helps that I spent the day of the eclipse partly hiding away down there.



Halfway down that corridor is a passage on the left you can just about make out. It's incredibly narrow but you can fit three people in there (because we did). It is the darkest place I have ever been in. And possibly the quietest. Absolutely magical.

History of Halliggye Fogou

A brief history and description of Halliggye Fogou, an Iron Age complex of underground passages possibly used as a refuge or place of ritual.

www.english-heritage.org.uk

 

[Flavour]

Coming back to prehistoric sites that are mind-blowingly cool, and also something that underlines the commonalities of neolithic cultures across Europe... the Brochs (most famously that of Mousa) are controverisal in terms of their aging, perhaps only 2000 years old (but as the populations of pre-Roman britain didn't have an alphabet/writing, they are still "prehistoric")... but they are strikingly similar in terms of their size, shape and general distribution to the Nuraghi of Sardinia, which are perhaps as old as 4000 years (some of them anyway). And while there are at least 100 broch sites in Scotland, there are perhaps as many as 7000 nuraghi in Sardinia!! I have been inside a couple, they are pretty amazingly intact for the most part. Check this out:

 

[planetgeli]

I don't have problems with stones being out of the way. Sometimes the challenge in finding them is an adventure in itself.

This is a few miles from where I live and we found it via an OS map, a scramble down a hill, and a game of hide and seek with a farmer ("Get off my land").

Sythfaen Llwyn Du.



Or if you prefer it without my gf in the picture (she's 5 ft tall by the way, the stone is just under 3m).



Overlooks beautiful views of the Tywi behind that hedge. The hill above and behind is Carn Goch (Red Hill), an Iron Age fort. A place JuanTwoThree will know well.

 

[brogdale]

I don't have problems with stones being out of the way. Sometimes the challenge in finding them is an adventure in itself.

This is a few miles from where I live and we found it via an OS map, a scramble down a hill, and a game of hide and seek with a farmer ("Get off my land").

Sythfaen Llwyn Du.

View attachment 225760

Or if you prefer it without my gf in the picture (she's 5 ft tall by the way, the stone is just under 3m).

View attachment 225764

Overlooks beautiful views of the Tywi behind that hedge. The hill above and behind is Carn Goch (Red Hill), an Iron Age fort. A place JuanTwoThree will know well.

Totally agree about the fun of the chase!
On our Breton trip last year we were well chuffed when we found this fella in a marsh!
Well worth the bother.

 

[planetgeli]

Surprised nobody has mentioned Julian Cope. Whatever you think of him, his book is properly researched and beautifully produced. The Modern Antiquarian - highly recommended. I think he has a website for all things neolithic of the same name.

Wales has it's fair share of course. The quite ridiculous Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire has gorgeous views of the Irish sea. It's a burial chamber (I think).

 

[planetgeli]

yep, ska invita , Avebury is well worth a visit. Better than Stonehenge, as you can get up close to the Stones - cheaper too! If you do get out there, West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill are close by and worth a diversion.

Also just to confirm this ska invita. Avebury is magical and you must go. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who lives in the middle of the village and have visited many times. I've probably never been in the height of summer but I've never seen it overrun with tourists. When we visited West Kennet we were the only people there. It's a must, and the oft-stated 'pisses all over Stonehenge' is 100% true.

 

[ska invita]

I love how pointy that one is.
Looking on the wiki of Irish Megaliths there are a couple of dolmens with entertainingly ott cap stones

Brownshill

Slidderyford

 

[ska invita]

Also just to confirm this ska invita. Avebury is magical and you must go. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who lives in the middle of the village and have visited many times. I've probably never been in the height of summer but I've never seen it overrun with tourists. When we visited West Kennet we were the only people there. It's a must, and the oft-stated 'pisses all over Stonehenge' is 100% true.

Planning a trip this month. Know someone in Wiltshire, so that's over half way there, plans are a foot!

 

[clicker]

I love this thread . Another Avebury over Stonehenge vote here. I didn't realise the road was so close until I saw the pic posted previously. It was autumn, but we were the only people there and you can just plonk down amongst the stones. It was so peaceful.

 

[Voley]

Have you been dragged into any of Craig Wetherall et al's battles?

Haha. No - but they're fairly legendary among the folk I chat with. I'm a bit removed from it all - I'm not a member of CASPN or the PLP or anyone but we often bump into each other. My friend Carolyn is more involved as it's her area of work/expertise. I think Craig's challenges to people who'd disturb our sites will be missed tbh - I saw an obituary that described him in admirably formidable terms.

 

[ska invita]

Looking into the Julian Cope thing, there's an hour long documentary accompanying Modern Antiquarian too... I think a BBC thing maybe

 

[N_igma]

I’m lucky to come from an area in Ireland that has a lot of Neolithic and Megalithic structures intact.
All of these things are within 10 miles of my house.

Ballymacdermott Court Tomb



Clontygora Court Tomb



Annaghmare Court Tomb



Ballykeel Dolmen



Slieve Gullion Passage Grave (the highest in Ireland)

 

[wayward bob]

I hold true to the tradition that all family holidays must involve old stones in fields.

(west kennet)

 

[wayward bob]

we had a midnight party complete with campfires in west kennet (students digging at windmill hill) i swear it was respectful and tidied after magical if not a touch weird all round

 

[wayward bob]

but the white horse at uffington and more to the point waylands smithy are ultimately responsible for my interest in stone-trawling. proper magical places (not my pic)

 

[CNT36]

Haha. No - but they're fairly legendary among the folk I chat with. I'm a bit removed from it all - I'm not a member of CASPN or the PLP or anyone but we often bump into each other. My friend Carolyn is more involved as it's her area of work/expertise. I think Craig's challenges to people who'd disturb our sites will be missed tbh - I saw an obituary that described him in admirably formidable terms.

Fuck, I never realised he was dead just had to google to check. Shame.

 

[Voley]

Fuck, I never realised he was dead just had to google to check. Shame.

Yes, just recently. Last couple of weeks. I never met him but use both of his books before I go to a site.

 

[CNT36]

No, I'd never met him. A few friends knew him a little and I'd often see a couple arguing with him on Facebook.

 

[brogdale]

Yes, just recently. Last couple of weeks. I never met him but use both of his books before I go to a site.

Which reminds/prompts me to say...don't think of doing Brittany without Aubrey by your side; well-thumbed doesn't do it justice!

 

[brogdale]

Looking into the Julian Cope thing, there's an hour long documentary accompanying Modern Antiquarian too... I think a BBC thing maybe

As an 'early adopter' of Julian's books, all I can add is this. Not wishing to come across all you had to be there, but this 2017 GreenMan set in FarOut was one of my GM faves...enjoy!

 

[Voley]

No, I'd never met him. A few friends knew him a little and I'd often see a couple arguing with him on Facebook.

He told my friend off for spelling Carn Galva wrong (which I realised I've done earlier on this thread).

 

[wayward bob]

aubrey burl on avebury got me through my first degree by the skin of my teeth

have both cope books, but i acquired a "driving on little roads" phobia that interrupted pretty much all my plans in that respect

 

[brogdale]

In Julian's first book, it was this photo of the view of the Old Woman of the Moors from Callanish that brought out my inner hippy and from then on I've been a sucker for any old fecund geomorphology that might possibly suggest the scared Bridgit and her waters!