Millstone Burn 2c

Trip No.67  Entry No.1  Date Added: 23rd Feb 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 21st Feb 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn 2a, Longframlington: Making the most of a bright, sunny day, before the 'Polar Vortex' was supposed to hit the UK, we decided to go looking for the standing stone and the main rock here, before heading off to find Castle Hill Hillfort at nearby Callaly.

Parking alongside the very fast A697 was fun, but there was a small tarmacked area next to a gate and track at NU 11858 05078. As the gate hadn't been used in a long time, judging by the gorse growing around it, we decided to risk it and if the farmer needed access, we could run back to the car to move it.

Heading up the track, we passed a large square boulder standing on smaller stones, that looked like it had been quarried. 36 paces further west, right next to the track was a cup marked stone. I took the grid reference off the GPS and later identified it as Millstone Burn 2c from ERA.

The boulder was heavily covered in moss, but we could make out more cups running along the ridge, and some down its side. Not wanting to cause any damage or erosion, we left the moss, and headed up the slope to the main rock.

I'd spotted ranging poles in the field further to the south west, and a few cars parked nearby, but didn't spot anyone. What a place for rock art. A real treat, and for me really accessible. I could have spent several days here, and ear-marked it to come back to at a later date.

Millstone Burn 4a

Trip No.67  Entry No.2  Date Added: 24th Feb 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 21st Feb 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn 4a, Longframlington: Following the hollow way up the hill (wellies or good walking boots were needed, as the ground was very boggy in parts), as we approached the fence at the top of the hill, this moss and grass covered outcrop looked like a large cairn at first sight. Following the fence line north for about 100 metres to the gate giving access into this field and stepping up onto the slope, the motifs immediately came into view.

Initially only having come here to see the cross base carved into the rock (not having done any research into this before I came) I was taken aback by the sheer number of the cups and cups and rings here.

With great views across the moors, I was reluctant to leave. Must come back here with ERA's sketch of the rock to appreciate it more fully. And see the rest of the rock art around here. Brilliant.

Millstone Burn 2h

Trip No.67  Entry No.3  Date Added: 24th Feb 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 21st Feb 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn 2h, Longframlington: Walking down from the main outcrop, Millstone Burn 4a, back to the car, we had the grid reference for this stone, so decided to detour and find it. From the hollow way near the gate into the field by the A697, a small trackway heads north towards this grid reference. Following this for 150 metres, and having passed some larger, very smooth outcrops, we came upon this apparently unprepossessing stone. "Is that it?" I asked my husband, who, as usual, was a hundred metres of so ahead of me as he's a faster walker. "Yes, come closer and you'll see" was his reply.

As I came up to the stone, these remarkable motifs came into view. "Wow!" was my instinctive reaction.

Fortunately, we had strong sunlight which brought the motifs out beautifully, and I took around 50 or so photographs. Needing to move onto our next stop, we retraced our path to the car, but I wondered what made the carvers of this rock choose this small rock - it there more under the turf? There were much larger, more prominent outcrops around. Curious, but I expect I'll never know.

Knowing there is so much rock art up here, I'll need to study ERA and make another (at least day-long) trip. Brilliant!

Millstone Burn Standing Stone

Trip No.67  Entry No.4  Date Added: 20th Mar 2018
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 21st Feb 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn Standing Stone, Longframlington: After having seen the cross base and some of the rock art on the western side of the road, we crossed the A697 and let ourselves into the field on the eastern side of the road, which is also Open Access land. It was a good job we had a GPS, as there were plenty of other upright and earthfast boulders in this field.

My attention was first caught by what looked like an old hollow way, travelling eastwards across the field, ending in a gorse-covered hollow with a large grey stone within. Judging by the mound of rubbish around here, it looks like a local picnic spot, which was a shame. After having photographed this large, grey stone, I made my way to where my husband was standing by the standing stone, where the ground starts to slope down towards the burn. "Is that really a standing stone?" was my first question, as there were so many other boulders in the field. "Come and look", he replied.

This is a really odd shaped stone, strangely reminiscent of the larger stone at Simonburn/Davy's Lee stone circle, with a 'seat' in its edge. The eastern face of this rock is champfered towards its base, the sloping rock disappearing into the turf.

The 'cup' and 'grooves' at first sight looked like very deep cups and weathered grooves. I remember two different archaeologists at our Davy's Lee and Edges Green surveys telling me similar features were more likely to be solution holes (the rock being dissolved slowly over the years as acidic water accumulates in natural depressions); similarly water channels are formed and widen through natural water action. I would like to think these might have started off as cups and grooves - more romantic, somehow. Pastscape does describe this as "not a typical standing stone" and it is recorded as ERA-558. The ERA record also notes that the path I followed down to the erratic and field boundary "is the line of an old track way, marked by hollow-ways, heading from Millstone Burn onto Longframlington Moor."

Callaly Castle Hillfort

Trip No.67  Entry No.5  Date Added: 20th Mar 2018
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 21st Feb 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Castle Hill Hillfort, Callaly: After Millstone Burn Standing stone, there was time for one more visit before dusk. Andrew had marked this site on the map, so we drove round to the permissive footpath which led up through the deciduous wood to the top of the hill.

It was a very good job that we’d worn wellies, as the path was ankle deep in mud in parts. The site was so overgrown that we barely recognised the outer defences as we approached from the north west,

The interior of the hillfort was very rocky. Whilst the plan of the hillfort looks fascinating, much of it is hidden by the tall bracken and trees growing within and without. Some great fungi and a lovely walk, though.

Edenhall Cross (Langwathby)

Trip No.68  Entry No.1  Date Added: 6th Apr 2018
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Edenhall Cross, near Langwathby, Cumbria: This is one of the crosses we didn't have time to visit on our last trip to Cumbria, and we picked a beautiful, if somewhat chilly day, to arrive.

No sooner had we pulled the car up by the cross to take some photographs, and I was wrestling with the lens of my camera, which had jammed, when a dog walker sidled up and asked us if we were planning on parking there. I said I was just going to take some photos, then we were heading down to the church; we wouldn't dream of blocking the gate into the field. The man looked mollified and moved on, only to be followed by a steady stream of dog walkers with large dogs.

The view across to the Pennines with their snow caps was lovely. The photographs didn't really do the scenery justice. A lovely spot.

St. Cuthbert's Church (Edenhall)

Trip No.68  Entry No.2  Date Added: 6th Apr 2018
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Cross at St. Cuthbert's Church, Edenhall: There is a small car park to the north of the church, and a tall/wide gate with a stile next to it to access the churchyard. This is a pretty, red sandstone building which looks as if it has been extended many times in antiquity.

There was no mention of anything on the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture, although the church guide book mentions “the chancel appears to be pre-Norman or early Norman origin, and a small blocked up window high up in this wall is of Anglo Saxon type. Moreover, on the same wall, lower down, there is a carved Anglo Saxon cross. Thus the north wall may be the remains of an earlier church.”

The guide also mentions a Mass Dial on the south wall, to the east of the porch. We both spent about 20 mins looking up and down the length of the wall, both east and west of the porch, in strong sunlight which would have brought the markings out, but failed to find this. We did spot what looked like two fragments of carved cross shaft in the south wall of the tower, west of the porch. There was no mention of these in the guide or Pastscape or HE notes.

Roman Milestone (Temple Sowerby)

Trip No.68  Entry No.3  Date Added: 6th Apr 2018
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Roman Milestone, in its original position, Temple Sowerby: This was a very curious site - now a newly created 'dead end' and technically a private road. The milestone is hidden behind a mound of dirt and stones at the side of the road, protected by a metal railing. Traffic on the he modern A66 Temple Sowerby by-pass whizzes by at high speed. Shame the railing and hedge behind attracts so much rubbish - really spoiled the ambience.

To think this has been on an ancient routeway for such a long time. The weather has long scoured away any inscription. I have been trying to find out how they know it's in its original location, but haven't found out anything (yet).

St Michael (Lowther)

Trip No.68  Entry No.4  Date Added: 7th Apr 2018
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient Cross and hogback fragments, Lowther: We arrived here eager to see the hogback and grave covers detailed on the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture Volume II, but on arriving at the church, the door appeared to be locked. There were a few broken panels in the south window of the porch, so I resorted to trying to take photos through the window, but there was no light. I called up the Corpus on my phone to see what might be in the churchyard rather than inside the church and came up with Lowther 10, which is built into the retaining wall of the churchyard where it drops down to the River Lowther, 9m from the south west corner of the church. Andrew walked all the way round, whilst I stayed in the churchyard marking the spot, but despite having the Corpus photograph, this stone appeared to be too worn to identify.

In disappointment, I went and rattled at the church door again, a little more boisterously than before and as I let the handle go, heard the latch click and the door came open. We made our way inside the church. There are supposed to be a number of fragments in the porch, but only found 2 that are recorded on the Corpus.

There are three more fragments tucked away against the west wall of the north transept, and I had to go and get my large flash gun to take photographs. Only two of these are recorded on the Corpus.

This is a really strange church. Despite its size, it feels more like a mausoleum rather than a church, and I was glad to get out into the sunshine to find the cross in the churchyard.

Castlesteads (Lowther)

Trip No.68  Entry No.6  Date Added: 10th Apr 2018
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Castlesteads Earthworks, Lowther Castle: This Castlesteads (as opposed to the Iron Age settlement we visited next) is just over 220 metres south of the gate into St. Michael’s Churchyard.

Being on a high spot above a bend in the River Lowther, it looks like a very strategic spot to build a defensive structure. In fact, Pastscape says it’s the remains of an old Pele Tower or other medieval building.

Hidden in the woods, but with a footpath leading to it, it is an intriguing ruin, with high banks on all four sides of a rectangle and remnants of the masonry on its western edge.

Castlesteads (Yanwath Wood)

Trip No.68  Entry No.7  Date Added: 7th Apr 2018
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Castlesteads (Yanwath Woods), Cumbria: This hillfort/enclosure is a pleasant stroll away from St. Michael’s Church and Lowther Castle, along footpaths and forest tracks, crossing the River Lowther either on the road or the footpath. After crossing the river, we followed the forest track north then to the west when the track split some 100 metres or so after the river crossing. The track following the river was full of dog walkers from the nearby holiday/caravan park, although heading up into the forest, it was peaceful and calm.

This was a very strange site, as there is higher ground to the north/north west of this enclosure. There were some huge boulders within the interior of the enclosure. Some made up what seemed to be wall lines, others just seemed scattered about.

The northern part of the enclosure seems to have been clipped by the construction of the forest track, and this has removed the outer banks and ditches on this side.

King Arthur's Round Table

Trip No.68  Entry No.8  Date Added: 7th Apr 2018
Site Type: Henge Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: King Arthur's Round Table Henge, Eamont Bridge: We tried to stop here on the way down to Langwathby, but the traffic was so dense and moving in so many different directions at the traffic lights, we decided to try when it was quieter. Thankfully, we managed to park in the layby opposite on the way back and let ourselves in through the kissing gate by the western side of the A66.

The scale of this monument is huge, and we walked all around its outer bank, trying to photograph the whole. Well worth stopping off and taking a look.

I didn't realise until I got home and was looking up information that there is a Little Round Table henge at NY 52387 28180.

Askerton Park

Trip No.69  Entry No.1  Date Added: 5th May 2018
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Askerton Park Settlement: This is marked on the OS map, so we stopped at the northern end of Parkgate Bridge, where there is room to pull off the road and put on our wellies. We let ourselves in through the gate and tramped over the fields, entering the settlement from its north eastern side.

This settlement is fascinating, as its basically on a promontory between the Cam Back and Melefarm beck. Hollow ways run from the eastern part of the settlement to the Cam Beck, and there is another hollow way which picks up almost half way across the settlement, leading to Cam Beck. Following the latter trackway to the burn, there are the obvious remains of a cairn.

It was really interesting walking across the tops of the enclosure banks, which stood out a brighter green with shorter grass than the surrounding wheat-coloured taller stalks. There were lots of stones in the banks. The moles had had a field day, and I picked up a couple of the many pieces of pottery that had come to the surface of a mole hill (I wasn't certain they were pots until I got home and saw the inclusions and felt the lightness of the pot as opposed to some odd shaped stones).

Towerbrae Cairn

Trip No.69  Entry No.2  Date Added: 5th May 2018
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 23rd Apr 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Towerbrae Cairn, Near Bewcastle: We stopped on the road to St. Cuthbert's, Bewcastle to find out how to walk to this cairn, which was basically up a quad bike track just south of Luke's Cottage. As there was nowhere near to park on a grass verge, we decided to go onto try and find Priest's Well at Bewcastle and stop on the way back.

The weather intervened, and a heavy downpour and heavy black clouds stopped us from doing this walk, but we will come back again.

The cairn is highly visible in the landscape. Apparently there is a modern marker on the cairn, and I'd like to complete our trip by returning soon.

Priest's Well (Bewcastle)

Trip No.69  Entry No.3  Date Added: 6th May 2018
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2018. My rating: Condition -1 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Priest's Well, Bewcastle (site of): As the ground was far too boggy to go and see the three cairns to the west of Parkgate Bridge, I found this well marked on the OS map, so we decided to go and see it. Arriving at St. Cuthbert’s and the Bewcastle Cross, we orientated ourselves with the map to find the well is actually on private farmland. The farmer was busy driving around the field in his tractor, so we decided we could probably see the well from the eastern end of the churchyard.

We did see some indication of where the site of the well was, but there was no well housing or water flowing. I could find very little information on this well, apart from the mention in the Old Cumbria Gazetteer, which says it is a spring. As I finished photographing the site of where the well probably was, drizzle started to hurtle down.

Barcombe Hill Settlement

Trip No.70  Entry No.1  Date Added: 6th May 2018
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 5th May 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Barcombe Hill Iron Age Defended Settlement and Roman Signal Station: On a very hot bank holiday Saturday, we decided to try and go somewhere a little cooler, so set off towards Bardon Mill (OK, I was born to live in Scandanavia, not hotter climes). We'd previously tried to visit this site but used a route from nearer the Long Stone, on a day when dog races were taking place and there were lots and lots of people, plus when we approached the settlement, there was a huge bull and his ladies (we beat a hasty retreat).

Today we parked by the junction of Stanegate with the minor road running to Bardon Mill through Westend Village. A gate led us into the field and there was a mowed trackway leading up to the settlement (a note on the gate said the Open Access land was closed for the week before and a few days after our visit). We wandered over the settlement - the bank and ditch on the southern side is well preserved, but the northern edge has been quarried and there are some deep holes.

Making our way over to the Roman Signal station, I saw Andrew fall over in slow motion - his foot had gone down a hidden rabbit hole up to his knee. Once we'd spotted these holes, which were everywhere, we kept to the sheep tracks to avoid falling again.

After walking round the settlement, we made our way up to the Trig Point to get a view down.

Long Stone (Barcombe Hill)

Trip No.70  Entry No.2  Date Added: 6th May 2018
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 5th May 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Long Stone, Barcombe Hill: we always thought this was a modern marker stone, sitting high above Stane Way. We also thought it was difficult to get to. Not so. There are well mown grass trackways that lead from Barcombe Iron Age Defended Settlement/Roman Signal Station, as well as from the Trig Point on Barcombe Hill. We approached from the trig point, which is higher than this stone and the settlement.

The whole stone and base are held together with large metal/iron rivets. The base looks as if it has been broken into two, and one half has been taken away. The top of the cross appears rounded upwards at the four corners, as if a cross head (or similar) was mounted on top.

The more time I spent here, the more I was convinced this was an old cross. What a location! With Vindolanda below, it is certainly a very prominent spot.

Millstone Burn 4c

Trip No.71  Entry No.1  Date Added: 8th May 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 7th May 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Millstone Burn 4c: It was so hot at home this morning that we decided to seek cooler climes. Husband had compiled a list of rock art panels that looked interesting and their grid references. After having found the gps, we set off for Longframlington, this time parking round the bend at a larger entrance to a slightly different field at NU 11525 05542. This meant walking through virtually knee high heather up to the top of the slope, but we found some paths had been mown through the heather. At the top of the hill, we had to clamber over a double barbed wire fence to get to the main outcrop (there wasn’t a gate for some way).

What we actually saw was Millstone Burn 4c at NU 11516 05169, part of the same outcrop as Millstone Burn 4a and 4b (thank heavens for GPS). Two cups were very obvious, together with some of the iron stone banding/staining. These two cups appeared to be joined by a very faint groove, which could be felt with the fingertips. Much of the rest of the panel was under turf, which we left undisturbed to protect the rock art underneath.

Millstone Burn 2bb

Trip No.71  Entry No.2  Date Added: 8th May 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 7th May 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn 2bb: This would be a 'short walk on a footpath' if we'd come in through the gate we used at our last visit. This time we approached it from Millstone Burn 2c, walking down the hill towards the start of the bend in the A697 from Longframlington. The rock was instantly recognisable from ERA's description, as was finding the two indentations at its apex and the oval and groove on ERA's drawing. The three cup marks in a line were there, but underneath a heavy covering of moss and lichen. They could be felt by running your fingertips over the rock.

Millstone Burn 2d.

Trip No.71  Entry No.3  Date Added: 8th May 2018
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 7th May 2018. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Millstone Burn 2d: Closer to the A697, it's a good job we had the GPS to find this panel. In usual Tate style, we'd brought everything but a bottle of water to bring out the motifs. I had to call up the ERA media (photos and sketch) on my phone to ensure we understood what we were seeing. There really are cups beneath the lichen and moss, easier to feel with the fingers and see with the naked eye.