Wilts and Oxon

July 26th, the day of the TMA picnic.

Mikki had identified a craft shop in Calne that she wanted to visit, so we made a relatively early start and joined the holiday traffic on the M4. It was difficult passing the turn offs, first for Uffington, then Marlborough and Avebury, before dropping down to Calne (why is there a statue of 2 pigs in Calne?)

Oh look, there's the A4 – Avebury is just up the road!

And so off we set. As we passed Cherhill Down, I saw a sign advertising trial flights in a microlite aircraft. Now that would be a good way to see Avebury. I must enquire about prices one day…

I'd hoped to take a look at the Beckhampton Longbarrow marked on the OS map (SU087691), but despite a trot down the Wessex Ridgeway, didn't see it. Either I didn't go far enough, or it was hidden beneath a copse. I got to check out the Longstone Cove again though, peeping above a quite high crop where last time I was here there was none. And so into the village, and some more retail therapy: John Michell's 'Sacred England' (reduced as it was the shelf copy), 'Discovering Hill Figures' (Shire Books), and 'Unusual Aspects of Avebury' by Lamont & Hedderman. Some light reading there. Mikki purchased a Tree Ogham booklet.

We drove down the Avenue, and I would have stopped again, but there was a herd of those dreaded COWS grazing in the field! So it was on to West Kennet. I recalled that I was last here some 7 or 8 years ago as I pulled myself up the hill. I was quite wary, as I'd barely been able to park in the layby and was anticipating a crowd, but by some miracle I managed to have the place to myself for at least 10 minutes after a small group had left. I've been away from here too long, and must resolve to visit more often.

Back to the car, and the weather started to close in. I was already late for the arranged start time for the meet at Uffington, and the question now was: will they be at the hill or pub?

I'd tentatively planned to stop on the way at Ogbourne St Andrew, but put that plan to one side, and diverted via Liddington Castle as we made our way up towards White Horse Hill. The weather still couldn't decide whether to convert to a full on downpour, so I decided the hill was the place to meet, on the basis that it's only a few spots of rain.

And I proved to be right. We parked above the Manger, hoping that Mikki would be able to make it rest of the way on foot, but to save her energy, I did a scouting trip first. Some scout! I'd completely lost my bearings, and instead of aiming for the head of the horse, I ended up in Uffington Castle! Correcting myself, I found the head, but no other TMAers were to be seen. Or was that Treaclechops? Unsure of approaching a possible stranger myself, someone approached the two women on the groundsheet, obviously having just returned from Dragon Hill. I heard the phrase 'TMA' spoken, and dove in. Yes, it was Treaclechops with Miriam, I just hadn't recognised her from behind at first, and the absence of Jane had confused me.

Moth was introduced, being the one having just returned, then Jimit, Baza and Jane also returned from their wanderings, introductions were made and the group for the day was complete.

I returned to the car, but Mikki felt it was a hill too far for her to manage, and she decided to wait there while I returned to socialise with the group.

A couple of young tourists (for want of a better phrase) had decided to walk the horse, until Treaclechops raced down the hill, screaming in her best RSM voice "Hey! Get off, that's a scheduled ancient monument you're walking on!!" Boy, did they get off quick!

An hour later, we made a collective decision to move over to Wayland's Smithy, where hopefully Mikki would be able to walk on the flat and join the group (and so it proved). And so, a convoy of five cars made their way up to the Ridgeway and Wayland's.

The last time I was here, the fields were cropless, and I'd gotten very angry upon finding the remnants of a rave party were packing up and leaving. Throbbing music and (to me), a total desecration of the site, right next to the sign that says 'No Camping, No Fires'. I'm pleased to report that today's visit was the total opposite, bar the evidence of a camp fire right in front of the monument. The crops were high, and we had the site pretty much to ourselves for most of the afternoon. Jane started sketching whilst photos were taken, and the 'entasis phenomenon' was investigated.

I'd had to have this explained to me, but the visual effect is quite outstanding once you know what you're looking at!

The rain started. We were sheltered under the trees, so avoided the worst of it, but the afternoon was getting on and a call for beer went up. So, after a couple of silly group photos, we decamped and made our way back to the cars. Jane (the local lass) led the procession, twice getting lost and turning us all round, before TC leapt out of the car, running towards me (that RSM voice again) "Give me your bloody map!" Needless to say, I complied, and we duly arrived at the designated hostelry in question. Which was shut.

Twenty minutes standing in the rain, and the doors finally opened, whereupon we were suitably refreshed whilst browsing through Moth's copious photograph albums. He has some quite stunning shots there.

An hour later, Mikki and I decided to head home, but I couldn't resist one last stop for the day at the Blowing Stone where, in the teeming rain, my camera jammed and refused to recognise the memory card with the day's photo's on it. Thankfully, all were ok once I got home (nearly 10pm), but I'll have to return for a shot of the stone another day.

All in all, a good day, and a delight to be able to put faces to a few more names.

The new car is only two weeks old, and we've already done over 900 miles in it. Eeek!

Return to Oxon

It was a nice day, and I fancied a run up to the Rollrights to take a look at the sculpture installation, to see what all the fuss was about. I should mention right now that I'm no artist.

We headed up the M40, and instead of heading through Oxford as usual, stayed on to J10 then cut across country, which gave the opportunity of stopping off at the Enstone Hoar Stone. I've yet to take a photograph of this that I'm happy with. The light under the trees is always so lacking that I really should use a tripod. All the photos I've taken here, whether with flash or not, always end up out of focus and with a strange hue to them that my limited Photoshop skills cannot correct.

We then stopped off in Chipping Norton for some retail therapy for Mikki, and lunch for both of us (this is becoming a habit when we head up this way!) After lunch I picked up a copy of 'The Greater Ridgeway' by Ray Quinlan. This breaks down the track from Hunstanton in Norfolk to Lyme Regis in Dorset into short sections, each with a description. Although not a distance walker, I wouldn't mind giving some of the sections a crack one day…

Fed and watered, we headed for the Rollrights, which were incredibly busy! I chose to avoid the circle initially, walking instead down to the Whispering Knights, where the crop had recently been harvested, allowing better views and easy access to the fencing. I then walked back to the car via the King Stone, the area around which had been turned into a temporary car park!

Mikki said that in my absence, a certain Mr J Cope had walked past, with a substantial entourage. And I'd missed him! I've not heard much of his stuff, other than the obvious chart hit(s), but it would have been nice to say thanks for the book. Another day, another location maybe.

And so, onto the circle. I've never seen it so busy, and at first glance, it was difficult to see the sculpture at all. There were a group of a dozen or so, clustered closely around it. I realized that they were trying to dowse around the sculpture, one person reporting a very strong reaction from it!!

I tried to get some photos, but no matter which angle I tried I wasn't able to get a good view of the sculpture that would give good reflections of the stones and the contrasting textures without blockage from the assembled throng. I've since seen that Jane managed this in her photos, so much better than any of my attempts. I also tried to get a shot through one of the holed stones, but again, the results were disappointing due to the constant presence of human traffic between my viewpoint and the main centre of attention.

So is the sculpture a Good Thing™? I'd have to reserve judgement on that. It certainly attracted a lot of attention, and people seemed to ignore the stones in its favour. In its defence, on all previous occasions I've been to the circle, I've not really felt fully in touch with the stones there. Today was different. I managed to really look at the stones in context, despite the crowd, and the stones had a good feeling about them. I'll know better if it was the 'Sculpture Effect' next time I pass this way, after it's been removed.

Returning to Mikki, I wanted to try to take a look at some other sites, over toward Stow, so we continued our journey. I'd hoped to see the barrow at Lower Swell, and The Tump, but couldn't see anything from the road, and didn't feel disposed to explore off road on this occasion. Similarly for the Cow Common barrow cemetery, or maybe I just wasn't looking properly. We did find the Condicote Henge, which is amazingly unspectacular, and hardly worth the petrol. The barest outline of the featureless henge can be seen from the side of the road.

And so we returned home. Next week, Uffington and the TMA picnic!

Berks/Hants border jaunt

We took a quick jaunt down to Newbury today as a) Mikki wanted to spend lots of money at a craft fair and b) I needed to give the new car a run to see how it feels on a longer journey, having only driven it locally so far.

The craft fair was busy, and we saw lots of (by now) familiar faces on the stalls. Of course, we spent far more than intended, but that's half the fun!I hadn't planned much for the day, but I had picked three sites around Newbury that I wanted to take a look at.

First up was Beacon Hill. I didn't actually climb to the top - it was far too hot and uncomfortable. I did take a couple of photos for the files though.

This seems to be a hangout for the local youths, as three or four carloads passed us as we were leaving.I didn't climb the hill, but did take some nice photos of wild flowers for Mikki.

Just down the A34 is Seven Barrows, within view of Beacon Hill. We had to drive further down and double back to get to the nearby layby.

Four barrows are visible to the west of the A34, and two more are visible to the east, the barrows lay in a rough n/s alignment.

There's a layby right by the barrows on the northbound carriageway, for the use of visitors to the De Haviland Memorial, which is nearby.

Approaching from the north, we spotted the barrows and were looking for a suitable parking place when we spotted it. A huge crop circle on the hill in the adjoining field (see photo). So the stories are true. It is a centre for this kind of activity. Once parked in the layby, I spent a bit of time looking at the barrows, which seem to leap from the surrounding fields, before moving down to look at the circle. In the hedge at the edge of the field was a fallen treetrunk, hosting an enormous fungus growth, looking for all the world like an alien spaceship. A spooky visit.

Pointing north again, we passed Newbury and drove up to, and through Grimsbury Castle before heading back for the motorway and home.

Grimsbury is an interesting site, with a road that drives straight through the heart of the fort. There are no views as, in so many cases, the hillfort is now covered in thick tree growth.

There is an information board near to an 18thC folly, called Grimsbury Castle, and a footpath across the road leads to one of the gates of the fort, where the fortifications and ditch can be clearly seen. Whilst I was there, a muntjac deer scurried past, totally at home in the environment.

If we had been 30 seconds earlier leaving Grimsbury, I'm convinced we wouldn't have made it home, as a car in front of us on the motorway had a blowout, and collided with a large horse transporter. We avoided the collision, which subsequently closed two lanes of the motorway.

The car performed well, passing the test sufficiently for us to decide that our next major outing will be a week in Cornwall again, in early October.

Homeward Bound

We had to leave the cottage by 10am, and our ferry from Rosslare wasn't leaving till 10:15pm. Allowing for feeding and check-in time, that gave us nearly 10 hours to travel across the south of Ireland, seeing as many sites as possible on the way!

Just down the road from the cottage, a stone was marked on the map at Tullig crossroads. We'd failed to locate this all week, but it looks as if the stone has been moved to the garden of a new property, currently up for sale. The garden has three large stones, but Mikki felt that only one was 'genuine and full of energy'. And so we were on our way…

We were now working solely off the maps, and picking sites on the way – I'd circled several of interest on the route when planning last night. First up was just south of Bandon, at Corravreeda, a majestic looking stone, with a slight lean. Next was marked 'standing stones' at Parkaghadallaun.

Marked as 'standing stones' on the OSI map, I'd expected to find a pair here. What I actually found was a three stone row. Two of the stones are similar in size, and about 5 metres apart. The third is much smaller and about 25 metres to the NE of the other two, but in line with them. The middle stone had a small boulder placed atop it. I didn't enter the field due to the presence of cows nearby.

Leaving County Cork behind, we continued on the N25 toward Dungarvan, stopping briefly for lunch in Youghal, a pleasant enough seaside town. A few miles SW from Dungarvan, we spotted the Boherboy stone from the main road. It looks to be around 5 feet tall. Once again, cows in the field prevented a closer look. Moving slightly south, was an interesting stone at Kilcolman, and another at Ballyvoyle to the east of Dungarvan.

Our next few scheduled stops were tombs, starting at the Ballynageeragh dolmen, which is sponsored by the local school! The ruined tomb at Dunhill was next, closely followed by that at Matthewstown. The Ballymote stone followed, but I didn't get close, due to my, by now, pathological fear of ruminants.

The Gaulstown dolmen reminded me distinctly of Carreg Coetan Arthur, but with an additional concrete base, and in a very different setting. I had to fight my way through shoulder high ferns and bracken to get to the stones, although the ground immediately surrounding the stones had been cleared.

There's a sign screwed to a tree nearby that suggests the huge capstone is only supported by two of the uprights, but I saw at least three in contact during my visit.The pathway to the dolmen was incredibly overgrown, but the area immediately around the dolmen was clear.

We entered Wexford County still with three hours to spare, and a quick glance at the map showed a few promising sites near to the harbour, so off we went. The Ballyboher stone had previously been visited by Fourwinds, but we had real difficulty in spotting the stone, despite its size. An impenetrable hedgerow some 9 feet high did all it could to bar our way. I did eventually find a gate to the field and managed to spot the stone in a far corner. It really is a large stone.

We then carried on down to Lady Island and the Buncarrick stone in the graveyard. I also took the opportunity to follow a sign to 'Our Lady's Holy Well', (the only one of the holiday I actually visited) which turned out to sit in the middle of a golf course!

Our final call was to continue down the road to Castletown and the phallic stone there, which was in the middle of a field of crops, before turning and heading for the ferry.

We managed to board the ferry early and grabbed a cabin so we could get some much needed rest. Being an overnight ferry, it was only half full, despite the time of year, and we made good time, docking in Fishguard 30 minutes ahead of schedule. A tiring drive through the night with a brief stop for breakfast saw us arrive home at 6:30am.

I did try to persuade Mikki to let me see the sun rise at Avebury, but she threatened GBH if I even tried to turn off the motorway!

So our holiday adventure was over. Our next planned break is a return trip to Cornwall. There's lots I haven't seen there yet, plus some old friends I'd like to see again.

Three words to sum up Ireland on this trip? Foxgloves, Cows and Potholes! All three were in abundance everywhere we went. And it's very easy to quickly run out of superlatives when describing the scenery. Everywhere you look is simply breathtaking in its beauty.

As for the stones, they are everywhere you look! Many of them are inaccessible, and I'm not familiar enough with the law in Ireland to know which I could approach and which I couldn't, so I tended to err on the side of caution. The agriculture of the country tends to high, deep hedgerows which makes sighting the stones difficult. Those that aren't in the agricultural areas are in inhospitable regions, up mountains, in peat bogs etc. So if you go there, be prepared for some serious off-road terrain.

The roads themselves are scary – much worse condition than English roads once you get off the main drags. Irish drivers are very courteous in the main, but seem to have no concept of safe speeds or speed limits, despite an ongoing road safety campaign.

Final full day in Ireland

Today is our last full day on Ireland's shores. We head back to Rosslare tomorrow for the overnight ferry. Slept much better last night, having switched to the other bedroom in the cottage, with a firmer bed. My shoulder and neck were still troublesome, but bearable today.
The plan was to hit Skibbereen market before hitting the stone trail for the penultimate time here - lots to see on the way back tomorrow, with any luck!

On the way to Skibbereen, I diverted slightly to take a look at the Gurranes stone row. This looks magnificent from the road, but I had no time to try to traverse what looked like a very boggy climb from the road.

Arriving in Skibbereen for 10:30, we discovered that the market didn't start until 12:30, so we set off on the first leg of today's stone trail. First stop was a wedge tomb at Cappaghnacallee, which looked to sit just behind a house. On reaching the house, there was impenetrable gorse and bracken at the back of the house, so I knocked to ask the owner, who told me that it was a fine wedge tomb, but that access was via the farm (at V976332) and I'd have to ask the farmer.

The old boy was a bit deaf so communication was not easy, and he managed to blag a lift into Skull off of us, so we had no time to visit the farm…

Just outside of Skull, at around V937315 I spotted a 'faux' circle in someone's garden. Skull is a busy little town, apparently famous for yachting – the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, a few miles off the coast can be seen from above the town. Once in Skull and rid of our passenger, there was a small stone row I wanted to take a look at in Rathcool a couple of kilometres outside town. Two smallish stones, hidden in the undergrowth, were both about 5 feet high, and easily visible from the road. No obvious alignments.

In Skull itself is a standing stone on a lane leading to the Standing Stone Studio – a private artist's residence that welcomes visitors.

We then moved on to Toormore where a couple of tombs (at last!) awaited us. The first we visited was actually the most westerly of the two, and is located behind the Altar Restaurant. I'm not too familiar with the tomb types, but believe this is a passage tomb. The capstone only covers the back half of the tomb area (and is sadly held up by an iron girder). It is obviously well tended by the restaurant owners as the grass around it was freshly mown.

The other tomb is known as the Toomore Altar Wedge Tomb and is aligned across Toomare Bay directly pointing to Mizen Peak.

Satisfied that I'd finally found some tombs, we headed back to Skibbereen and a somewhat disappointing market. Not so much a country market, more a W.I. display of home made pies and pickles. We stopped for lunch in the Eldon Hotel, which is apparently the last place Michael Collins left on the night he died.

On the way back to the cottage, I was determined to spot the Rosscarbery stone, and finally did so, although attempts to find a couple of other single stones in the area proved fruitless. This stone is easily visible from the N25 heading into Rosscarbery from the east, although it actually took us several days before we found it, spending most of our week either west or north of Rosscarbery.

And so we returned in good time to plan the stops on tomorrow's long journey back to Rosslare.

An enforced break...

We both slept fitfully last night, and I woke up with severe neck and shoulder pain (hopefully, just from sleeping in a strange bed). I hadn't planned today in any detail, and Mikki suggested staying in to rest, although she wanted to go to Clonakilty market. I felt that wouldn't be too bad, so off we went, stopping for a breakfast before hitting the (small) market.

Small it may have been, but I ran out of cash, and tried three different ATMs, none of which would cough up the dough. I asked in two different banks, and neither could give me cash on the strength of my Switch card and passport, but one did suggest a bank in Bandon may be able to help. So off we set. Having reached Bandon and refreshed my wallet, I suggested lunch in Macroom. We passed through Castlelanaght, so stopped and looked at both the standing stone and the row. Our only stones today.

A wonderful row. I'm not sure if it wasn't even more wonderful in the past, as there is a recumbent stone in the row (covered with odd scratches which may just be plough scars) and a low stone at the high end which potentially could have been a fifth, taller stone in the row at some point.

Pete McCarthy, in his book 'McCarthy's Bar', describes Macroom as the arse end of nowhere. I think he may have been right, but an information board in the town shows many of the archaeological sites in the area. We were both far too tired to hunt any more stones though, and made an early return home. Here's hoping we get some sleep tonight! Tomorrow is Skibbereen and the Sheep's Head Peninsular.

A break from the stones? No chance!

Today was supposed to be a relaxing day, just driving around the Beara peninsular with just a single scheduled stop to see Ardgroom Outward before moving up towards Killarney. Needless to say, we never made it.

We started out with all good intentions, and thoroughly enjoyed driving over the Healy Pass (approx 1200 feet above sea level – high!), meeting and chatting to a couple from Devon at the shop at the top of the pass. Dropping down on the other side, we took a wrong turn, and spotted a signpost to Shronebirane Stone Circle. A quick check in the books and maps showed that it lay a long way off the road, so gritting my teeth, we carried on.

In this part of the world, the circles seem to be well signposted, in comparison to the Rosscarbery area. The next sign we saw was to Cashelkeelty, and I had to stop.

This circle lies on an ancient trackway called the 'Old Green Road'. It's a fair climb up from the road at V755578, firstly through boggy woodland next to a stream, then across open moorland. There are several stiles to traverse. If you've got the time, it's a wonderful trek, and is part of the much longer Beara Way walk.

Once at the circle, only 3 stones of the original 5 remain. Close by is a row of alignment stones and further off, the ruined remains of a multiple stone circle. Excellent views can be had of the surrounding mountains and down to Killmakilloge Harbour.

I found a large lump of solid white quartz nearby, and left it in the middle of the three stones before leaving – it seemed to fit there somehow.

After the climb, I was in need of a drink so we carried on into Ardgroom for lunch at the Village Inn. The seafood chowder was to die for.

And so on to Ardgroom Outward, slightly later than anticipated. I was bullocked again! The adjoining field contained a couple of cows with their calves, who were none too friendly, and the field containing the stones held their better halves. Once again I had to content myself with a couple of distance shots from the safety of the trackway.

We continued on, aware that time was running out to get to Killarney. Mikki kindly suggested that I take a look at Drombohilly, so we headed over that way. Another high road through the mountains at a crawl until we found somewhere to pull off the road. As luck would have it, a woman and her son were just coming down from their walk, so I asked where the stones were. She turned and pointed "there they are"! About a quarter of a mile away, the stones could clearly be seen on a ridge. So off I set. Mikki waited in the car and tracked me with the binoculars, although she got a little worried when I disappeared behind a ridge to avoid a bog for a short while.

A quarter mile off the road, clearly in site, but this took some time to reach, due to the (barbed wire) fences in the way and the boggy ground underfoot. Again, like so many Irish sites, wonderful views can be seen in all directions. This circle is accompanied by an ancient low wall, which heads off to the west from the circle.

We did eventually make it as far as Kenmare, where we did a little shopping (and I picked up a copy of McNally's 'Standing Stones') before I noticed in the Tourist Office that they had a circle in town! Just five minutes walk from the Tourist Office; it sits in a small park-like area and has a nice boulder burial in the centre. It's also unusual in that the stones are mostly boulders rather than shaped stones.

So, for a stoneless day, I guess four circles isn't too bad! I've yet to see any proper tombs though – I must try to find some for tomorrow's jaunt.

Mountain Trails

I'd spent some time last night putting together a very optimistic itinerary for today. A total of some 16 sites, but I knew in my heart of hearts I wouldn't see them all. And so it proved. We spent most of the day on very minor roads, driving at 10 mph at best!

Clodagh was our first stop, but despite tramping uphill through long, wet grass, I couldn't find the circle at all. I know I was in the right spot, maybe the stones were just hidden in the waist-high grass. Luckily on the way back to the car, at least I saw the Clodagh Stone Row just poking above the grass by the side of the road.

I was apprehensive about the next stop at Cullenagh, because Fourwinds had reported a 'demon dog' at the site. But no need. As I parked the car, a dog did indeed come bounding out, barking aggressively. The dog's owner soon followed, and I explained that I wanted to see the stones in the adjoining field. She was very friendly, coming from London (Wembley) herself, and was amazed when I told the story of the 'demon dog'. I made friends with both her dogs, and used her garden to take photos of the stones themselves. Sadly, I couldn't get into the field to see the circle close up, due to the presence of a couple of young bullocks, but it's plain that only two stones remain of the circle.If you do visit here, the house owner desperately misses a good English cheese and I'm sure would appreciate someone dropping some in!

Inchireagh was next. A nice small circle, in a lovely setting - the only sound was of the nearby Garrown River, running water near the stones being a recurring theme for several of the sites on this holiday.

On to Cousane, but the stones weren't visible from the road, there was no real place to stop, and no obvious way down the hill, so I had to pass. Second failure of the day, soon to be followed by the third. Maughanaclea NE was easily found. I knocked at the farmhouse, but there was no answer so I shimmied over the rusting fence to visit the stones.

Maughanaclea Centre should have been as easy, but I couldn't get the car up the lane (it grounded a couple of times before I gave up), and there was nowhere obvious to park to allow me to walk. Strike three. Someone more intrepid than I could doubtless make it up there easily.

We continued on the road for one of my major targets for the week, Kealkil. I parked halfway up the lane, outside a friendly woman's house, who came out and pointed out the Breeny Mor and Kealkil circles, and explained that roadworks further up the lane would prevent me taking the car any further anyway. I started up the lane, and opted for the Breeny Mor turning first. A steep walk, but I eventually got to the gate leading to the stones, only to find the way barred by a herd of some dozen or so bullocks. With horns. After the Cow Episode on Sunday, I wasn't about to tackle bullocks. With horns. So I had to content myself with a brief glimpse of the stones through the herd before moving back down and then up the lane again to Kealkil.

I had to dodge through a JCB digging up the lane, but I got there, and it was well worth the climb, and even better than the anticipation. It's a wonderful site, well worth the climb up the hill. There is now a rather obvious unlocked sprung gate, with the now obligatory 'No Trespassing' sign attached, leading to the site from the top of the hill. It took some time to traverse the boggy ground leading to the stones, and approaching the site I was sure there was a recumbent sheep guarding the way. It turned out to be a smooth boulder, outside and away from the main complex. The cairn has a couple of bushes growing well in the middle, but I was amazed at the intricacy of the cairn and the sheer number of stones. The uprights have a very pronounced male/female aspect to them, but I couldn't spot any glaring alignments to them in the surrounding scenery.

I'll confess I was so blown away by the cairn, uprights and views, I didn't really take much notice of the circle at the time. I did notice the gradation appeared to be opposite to other circles in that the stones increase in height toward the axial stone as opposed to the more usual decrease in height. I must study my photos closer. I could have spent all day up here, but I had to think of Mikki waiting patiently below for me in the car.

For lunch, we stopped briefly in the Brown Pub at the bottom of the hill, where the barmaid was hand rearing a 1-month old sheepdog puppy, Sally, who had been orphaned at one week old. Inevitably, Mikki wanted to take the puppy home, especially after she started suckling on Mikki's finger while her milk was being prepared, so I dragged her away after a swift half as the pub didn't serve food (to humans) and we needed to eat.

After a toastie at the Ouvane Falls pub down the road, we departed from the plan. Instead of working up to Maughnasilly, Knockbreteen, Derrynafinchin and Borlin Valley, we popped along to Mill Little (another circle near running water) so I could take a look at a boulder burial before turning toward Glanbannoo Upper.

Mill Little is a confusing site. I'd come here for the Boulder Burial, but other aspects intrigue. There appears to be a ruined circle, what looks like a 'mini-cove' enclosing a cairn, and a couple of large boulders which may have been burials in their own right at some point in the distant past. All accompanied by the sound of running water from the nearby river. Too much for me to make sense of.

We missed the turn for Glanbanoo driving into Bantry and had to turn back. Thus today's adventure began in earnest. Once we'd found the correct road, we needed a small, minor turn off, which led to the stone. Unfortunately, the road we were travelling was undergoing extensive roadworks, and we either missed the turn, or I'd refused to take it as the turnings we saw did not appear suitable for cars. We therefore took the first turn-off that did look suitable (at first glance). Big mistake. The road led sharply uphill (up-mountain?) and soon narrowed to a very narrow single lane. With sharp drops off on one or both sides.

I was now in first gear, driving up a steep hill with lots of sharp bends, and no visible means of support. And the weather was closing in fast. It was now getting scary as we reached the peak of the mountain. "Ah", I thought, "it's all downhill from here". I should learn to keep my mouth shut, as it got seriously downhill. The weather also caught up with us, reducing visibility drastically. I joked to Mikki that I was running out of petrol. She wasn't amused. Up till now, she hadn't realised she had a problem with heights. We were nearly 1000 feet above sea level at the highest point.

Eventually we came back to earth safely, by Castle Donovan. Both slightly shaken, we were ready to forget about any more stones for the day (although I did want to swing by Gurranes stone row), but on the way we passed Cullomane and I couldn't resist an attempt.

I walked up the lane to the house, where a bunch of young kids were playing. I asked if their parents were home, but just got blank looks. I then asked if I could walk up the track to look for stones and the oldest, a lad of no more than 7 shrugged "s'pose so". I walked further but encountered a gate and couldn't see any stones at all. Looking back, the group of kids had doubled in number and they were all watching the weird stranger who'd walked into their lives. I gave up, and returned the way I'd come. As I got to the house, all the children had disappeared, shunning any contact with me. As I returned to the car, I looked back and they were all out playing again. Weird. Tired from the day's journeying, we made straight for the cottage, another day's adventures complete.