The Stiperstones Cairn : The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map:

<< Our Photo Pages >> The Stiperstones - Cairn in England in Shropshire

Submitted by TimPrevett on Wednesday, 14 November 2018 Page Views: 21439

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The Stiperstones
Country: England County: Shropshire Type: Cairn
Nearest Town: Church Stretton Nearest Village: The Bog
Map Ref: SO36799880
Latitude: 52.583317N Longitude: 2.93434W
Condition:

5	Perfect
4	Almost Perfect
3	Reasonable but with some damage
2	Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1	Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0	No data.
-1	Completely destroyed

3 Ambience:

5	Superb
4	Good
3	Ordinary
2	Not Good
1	Awful
0	No data.

5 Access:

5	Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4	Short walk on a footpath
3	Requiring a bit more of a walk
2	A long walk
1	In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0	No data.

3 Accuracy:

5	co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4	co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3	co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2	co-ordinates of the nearest village
1	co-ordinates of the nearest town
0	no data

4

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w650marion visited on 24th Oct 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 In the clouds, with only ravens and red grouse for company - perfect!

Ogham visited on 15th Jun 1983 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3

hevveh TheCaptain TimPrevett Serenstar have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.5 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 3

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The Stiperstones is the name for a hill on the far west reaches of Shropshire, well into The Welsh Marches, overlooking the Welsh border. It is the second highest hill in Shropshire, affording superb views in all directions, and having several bronze age cairns along its ridge.

The cairns themselves, excepting the largest, can be quite hard to locate. At a very reductionist level, they are basically piles of stone amidst a whole ridge of piles of stone! The company of a 1:25000 map, a guidebook (and probably most helpful) a GPS will help locate them. The most noticeable cairns are at SO367985, SO368985, SO368988 (this last one being the biggest).

The hill is made up of quartzite rock - if you visit on a sunny day, it is impossible to miss the glistening rocks everywhere. The landscape here is blasted from the effects of projecting above the ice during the last Ice Age. Subjected to incredibly intense freezing and thawing, the otherwise strong rock was shattered, and now makes some of the toughest walking one might find in Shropshire.

Corndon Hill (the site of the Cwm Mawr neolithic axe factory) is to its southwest side, and Stapeley Hill - the ridge where Mitchell's Fold stone circle is located, is visible from The Stiperstones.

The Hoarstones stone circle, north from Mitchell's Fold also has an alignment with The Stiperstones, and the probably lost circle (or cairn) at Shelve, immediately west, is not far away at all.

To the north east, The Wrekin can be seen, and to the east Caer Caradoc's summit (Church Stretton) is noticeable, across the stretch of The Long Mynd. Stitt Hill and Ratlinghope Hill with their cross dykes and prehistoric farming features are to the immediate east.

Folklore abounds on The Stiperstones. There is The Devil's Chair, the northernmost tor, where His Infernal Majesty is claimed to take up residence at times. A thunderstorm will immediately occur should a human seek to sit in the place.

At the midwinter solstice, all the ghosts of Shropshire are also said to assemble here.

There are "The Seven Whistlers" - six birds fly together searching for the lost of their number; if found, the world will end.

Wild Edric, originally an historical figure of The Welsh Marches who made peace with William the Conqueror by 1070 haunts the Stiperstones (as well as around Church Stretton hills - here as a massive hound with fiery red eyes). As punishment for betraying the nation, he (still alive) is confined with his spectral army to the mines of the area (miners have heard tapping noises), to be released at times of National threat. Claimed sightings have happened around the times of the Napoleonic Wars, Boer War, Crimean War, and the First World War.

If similarity with King Arthur springs to mind, there is supposed to a huge magical fish which guards Edric's sword at Bomere Pool, and will only give it up to his true heir.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
1.6km NW 309° Pennerley Circle* Stone Circle (SO356998)
1.9km WNW 284° Pennerley Barrows* Round Barrow(s) (SO349993)
2.2km N 10° Castle Ring (Stiperstones)* Hillfort (SJ372010)
2.6km WSW 243° Ritton Castle* Hillfort (SO34449765)
2.6km NNE 29° The Paddocks Stone Row / Alignment (SJ38100107)
3.0km W 281° Shelve* Stone Circle (SO338994)
3.4km S 189° Linley Hill Camp* Misc. Earthwork (SO362954)
3.8km ESE 104° Castle Ring (Stitt Hill)* Hillfort (SO405978)
4.1km ENE 77° Leasowes Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO408997)
4.2km ESE 110° Ratlinghope Hill Camp* Hillfort (SO407973)
4.4km E 97° Ratlinghope Hill Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO41179817)
4.5km WNW 283° Hoarstones* Stone Circle (SO32419990)
4.7km NW 313° Lord's Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ33400200)
5.1km W 274° Giant's Grave (Shropshire)* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (SO31659925)
5.4km WNW 284° Holywell Brook (Rorrington)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ316002)
5.5km W 272° Stapeley Hill Cairn* Cairn (SO31279904)
5.5km SW 218° Heath Mynd Bronze Age Homestead* Misc. Earthwork (SO33369447)
5.5km WNW 287° Castle Ring (Rorrington)* Hillfort (SJ315005)
5.6km W 269° Stapeley Hill Earthworks* Misc. Earthwork (SO312988)
5.9km W 270° Cow Stone (Shropshire)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO30919888)
6.0km ESE 110° Wildmoor Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO42409672)
6.2km WSW 250° Corndon Hill 4* Cairn (SO30949680)
6.2km NNE 15° Callow Hill Camp* Hillfort (SJ38430480)
6.2km WSW 250° Corndon Hill 3* Cairn (SO30909676)
6.3km ESE 122° Shooting Box Disc Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO421954)
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