Andy Burnham's Blog, page 183

Galgenberg Huegelgrabfeld

Previous Hundisburg Huegelgrabfeld, page number 34623. The larger (mound II) has no stone circle, the smaller one (mound I) has a ring of kerbstones. There are 13 bronze-age burial mounds in this small forest west of Hundisburg.

Water of Deugh

"Christmas trees" and chambered cairns really don't mix - these should be removed before their roots cause further damage.... King’s Cairn in Dumfries & Galloway - quite a way into wilderness country but the lane is a nice drive. Once you have found the relevant stile your walk begins. It is not a long walk but it is uphill, dark and wet.

Kilstay

This standing stone in Dumfries and Galloway is on top of a small ridge above the A716 and can be reached through a gate in a field off the minor road going West from the village. The stone is leaning to the South and is about five feet tall.

West Woods Standing Stone

This is the standing sarsen stone recorded by the Wiltshire Archaeology and Natural History Society's Archaeology Field Group in their survey of West Woods 2007. Their report records it as find J025. West Woods is now famous as the source the Stonehenge sarsens, and contains evidence of use since the Mesolithic. The whole wood is open access land, and there's lots to explore.

Flimston Castle

A video talk as part of Pembrokeshire Coast Archaeology Day which was held online this year and is now available to watch. This talk is Stacks, cliffs & cauldrons: Recent fieldwork at the remarkable coastal promontory forts of the Castlemartin Training Area, Pembrokeshire by Dr Toby Driver, Louise Barker and Dan Hunt from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. There's also a video talk on Waun Mawn from Prof. Mike Parker Pearson and much more, including digitally recreating the remains of a Prehistoric Bear! Links on our page.. Flimston Bay Camp is one of the most spectacular promontory forts of Pembrokeshire, with three lines of curving landward defence, 120m in length, cutting off the eroding and collapsing limestone headland of Flimston Castles. The defences include a pair of close-set ramparts, comprising a double bank and ditch to the west of a centrally placed entrance.

Little John's Well (Hampole)

The main photo has been sent in by Lee Turnbull who collects old photographs. He's kindly sent four from the Edwardian era showing Little John's Well in a much better state than it is now. Little John's Well is a short distance from the famed Robin Hood's Well at Skelbrooke, South Yorkshire. It once filled a trough flowing from a rock. The site is now dry, the water having been diverted to some nearby lakes and looks rather forlorn.

Gwal y Filiast

Unwelcome changes at Gwal y Filiast - the landowner wants to cut down the ring of beech trees circling the site. See the most recent comment: "For those of us who know & love the site, they are an integral part of the monument & to remove these trees would be absolute sacrilege". Located 6km south east of Crymych in Carmarthenshire on a steep wooded ridge overlooking the River Taf (at this point the river changes character from slow flowing to rapids). The large capstone (pointing towards the river to the west) is supported by four uprights. The tomb would once have been covered by an oval or circular mound - some kerbstones remain.

Faldouet Dolmen

One of the stones that forms part of the ancient dolmen of Faldouet has been drilled into, leaving a hole of several inches, in an apparent attempt to extract quartz crystals... See comment on this page.. Reconstructed in the late 19th century this has a 5m long, slightly bowed, passage of 17 stones leading to a roughly circular chamber surrounded by 4 chambers (possibly 8 originally). Beyond that is a further horseshoe shaped chamber of 7 uprights covered by a huge capstone estimated to weigh 23 tons.

Rhyd Uchaf Stone Alignment

We now have two sites on our front page with Uchaf in the name - this means 'upper' in Welsh. A stone row / alignment in Wales. First discovered by our contributor Cerrig this is a good example of a site in close proximity to another monument, and that there are still sites out there for amateurs to find. It is approx. 50m to the SE of the huge stone of Maen Llia (see the nearby sites list on this page) but has remained hidden due to the terrain and vegetation. Also on our page is an aerial view showing the alignment even more clearly.

Moel Ty Uchaf

The cairn-circle of Moel Ty Uchaf stands high on a hill near Llandrillo. It consists of 41 stones with a cist in the centre and an outlying stone to the north-north-east.