Overton Down

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2020
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Yes on 25th Sep 2020

Log Text: Walking up Green Street to the ridgeway, there are good view of the plentiful barrows dotted about on the hillsides. I am passed several times by a chap who is walking quicker than me, but stops for lots of photos.

Overton Down Barrow

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2020
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Yes on 18th Sep 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Remains of a Barrow at SU12607104 just to the side of the Ridgeway.

Overton Down Barrow

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2020
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Yes on 25th Sep 2020. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: North up the Ridgeway past more barrows. The chap in the black fleece with all sorts of badges etc has also turned this way. I get the feeling he is off to the Polisher!

Overton Hill barrow cemetery

Date Added: 2nd Oct 2020
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 25th Sep 2020. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Good views of the barrows on Avebury Down from the Ridgeway, but I don’t take any photos. Get my hand scratched and stung as I try to get some decent blackberries, because the wind is blowing so strongly.

Oxenham Arms

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Apr 2004

Log Text: None

Pailhemalbiau statue menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.133  Date Added: 10th Nov 2020
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: France (Midi:Tarn (81))
Visited: Yes on 16th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Coming from Plos, this fine fellow stands in a little shed protecting him from the worst of the weather, just inside the yard of the first farmhouse on the right. Like the Moulin-de-Louat statue-menhir it's a lovely piece of reddish pink stone, and was only discovered in 1981.

He stands 2 metres tall, and all his features can be clearly made out, both front and back. He has two rings for eyes, but no nose or tattous on his face. Arms and hands are clear, as is his "Objet" on its shoulder strap. His belt has a nice buckle, and his legs have all their toes clearly in place. He carries a weapon identified as a boomerang on the information sheet I have. The belt and shoulder strap continue round the back, and he has the full long hat or plait. This really is an excellent statue menhir, although it is difficult to photograph decently.

Painswick Beacon

Date Added: 19th Jul 2021
Site Type: Hillfort Country: England (Gloucestershire)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2021. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Cotswold Way loop walk north from Painswick, across the golf course and through woods to Cranham Corner before turning back for a pint at the Royal William. Then over the hill and west before turning back to the top of Painswick Beacon, before descending to the east through Paradise along the Wysis Way, and then back to Painswick along the river and up the hill for a pint at the Royal Oak.

Palet de Sanson

Trip No.200  Entry No.30  Date Added: 17th Jun 2020
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: France (Midi:Ariège (09))
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2000. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Drive south from Toulouse with the intention of climbing the Pic des Trois Seigneurs, have to stop, too much snow at 2055m. Superb up here. Back via Aulus, Arse, Seix. Strange language spoken out here. On the way down, stop to look at the Dolmen de Sem, also know as Palet de Sanson. A remarkably sited dolmen in the Pyrenees, near to the village of Vicdessos, Ariege, France. Pictures taken 1st May 2000. I discovered this dolmen while driving up the valley on a day trip to climb the Pic des Trois Seigneurs (I failed to get to the top due to the depth of the snow on the final ridge), which may be the mountain in the left background of this picture.

Parc Pyrénéen de l'Art Préhistorique

Trip No.205  Entry No.75  Date Added: 15th Jun 2020
Site Type: Museum Country: France (Midi:Ariège (09))
Visited: Yes on 11th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: This is a wonderful day out, in a beautifully landscaped park in the wonderful Pyrenees. The visit starts in the Grand Atelier, a sort of museum of prehistoric artwhich explains all the whys and wheres of prehistoric art, not only in this region, but all over the world.

There is a special emphasis on the nearby Grotte de Niaux, and there is an excellent model of the cave to be seen. There are all sorts of audiovisual items to be seen, and the visitor is guided round with a pair of infrared headphones which pick up signals from each display. There are lots of full size recreations of parts of Niaux, including the footprints in one deep section which are not seen in the real cave visit, and copies of many of the animal paintings, including the solitary known weasel. The visit round this museum part (in my case a very interesting hour and a half) with a full size recreation of the Salon Noir from the Grotte de Niaux, with all its Buffalo and other animals. Fantastic.

Outside, in the wonderfully landscaped park, are all sorts of activities for all to take part in. There are demonstrations of archaeological techniques, footprint recognition, a musical maze, a prehistoric camp with many types of shelter recreated, with firemaking and flint knapping. Then there are hunting displays which include types of propulseur from around the world (and have a go at throwing your own spear using one - and yes, I would have gone home with dinner!), and even have a go yourself at cave painting, with demonstrations of the various techniques. This sort of museum is something I am realising that the French do very well.

All of this takes you on a lovely walk through beautiful scenery too, with grasslands, woodland, lakes and a lovely cave section - complete with footprints, fossils, idols and waterfalls. I just loved it here. I thought that I would quickly rush round the place, but spent nearly all day here. It even has a decent restaurant and a good shop, which unfortunately means buying more books! Thoroughly recommended as a top day out for all.

Parc Y Llyn

Date Added: 3rd Nov 2019
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: Wales (Pembrokeshire)
Visited: Yes on 5th Oct 2015. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Remains of a burial chamber with a splendidly nobbly capstone partly in a hedge at the east side of a field, which can be accessed via a bridleway to the south. When I was here I found it difficult to park anywhere nearby, and the short section of bridleway from road to field was very overgrown and almost impassable.

Parc-ar-Peulvennic

Trip No.203  Entry No.566  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This menhir can be reached only by getting wet feet at a very high tide, as it is right on the edge of the land in the marsh area near to Ile Grande. The stone is just over 2 metres tall, and has been incorporated into a wall, but it is a splendid stone to go and see. It is now incorporated into a local "Megalithic Trail", details of which can be obtained from the local tourist office.

Paumérou menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.136  Date Added: 10th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Midi:Tarn (81))
Visited: Yes on 16th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Near to the large industrial buildings, right beside the road from Murat, and a kilometre west of the Pré-de-Roi menhir can be found this nice stone. At just over 2 metres tall, 1 metre wide and 40 cm thick, it almost looks shaped to have a head, or am I now just imagining things after seeing so many statue-menhirs around here today ? The menhir has nice diagonal markings with moss filled grooves.

Pawton Quoit

Date Added: 5th Nov 2019
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2013. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This really is a bit of a devil to get to, and it makes me wonder whether I really have been to it twice before, or just looked for it! I'm 99% sure I visited once in the 1970s with Mum and Dad, and then again in the 1980s, but perhaps not right to the stones that time. Taking the little lane southeast from the valley below Nanscow, the lane is signposted to some kennels, and after a short distance turns to the right and climbs uphill, getting narrower and more overgrown, but it is still easily driveable all the way up and over the hill to Haycrock farm (I dont know if it is private at this point). The trouble is there is almost nowhere to park or turn round, and no obvious place to get into the right field for the quoit. I ended up turning and then driving almost right back down to the bottom to park and then walk back up to a place where many people obviously climb over the wall to visit the quoit. Its a bit of a tricky wall to get over with a fair drop down into the field, so I told Dad not to come and stay outside the field till I returned. The field had no crop in it, so I decided I was OK for a visit to the dolmen, which could be seen as an overgrown mess several hundred yards across the field. When I got to it, it at first looked like there would be no way through to the stones, as the whole thing was surrounded by masses of gorse, brambles, ferns, stinging nettles etc, but around the far side there was a trampled down way in. The stones are all very angular and sharp cornered, and of a very pale stone. The capstone is a delight, perched above its chamber on several smaller stones, in some respects giving the impression of teeth below it! The capstone has broken, and about a third of it lies flat to the ground at one end, amongst a bit of a jumble of stone and a tree now happily growing in amongst it all. With all the jungle growing here, its difficult to make out what the arrangement really was, but it is a bit of a delight, and has some spectacular views to the north over the Camel Estuary and east to the heights of Bodmin Moor and Wadebridge down in the valley below. I never really felt at ease here, possibly because of leaving Dad and the car so far off, so after taking several photos from all angles, trudged back to the field wall where the way over was, only to find that Dad was no longer there. Where is he? whats he doing? I cant get out of this field without some help. Hmmm, still no sign of Dad, and he clearly can't hear me yelling, so need a plan B. Looking around, a bit further up along the wall, and there is a lower section with a tree nearby which I can use to hold and climb up onto the top, before making my way along to the gap and then down off the wall and onto the lane. Theres Dad way down the lane looking for blackberries and whacking things with a stick, oblivious to my plight! No doubt I had some sharp words on the walk back down to the car, before jokingly suggesting looking for the Nanscow inscribed stone, and then heading off to The Ring O'Bells at St Issey for a well deserved pint.

Pech-de-Naudène statue-menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.126  Date Added: 10th Nov 2020
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: France (Midi:Tarn (81))
Visited: Yes on 16th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Turn off the D.622 Lacaune to Moulin-Mage road to the left, about a kilometre after the big Peyro-Lebado chap, and proceed to the hamlet of Haute-Vergne. Go through the farmyard to the top, then left and right, and the statue-menhir can be seen in the front garden of one of the houses. At the time of my visit, it was standing nicely at the back of where a caravan is kept. The people here were happy enough for me to visit and take a photograph, but the farm dogs didn't seem to like my being there, so I didn't hang around long. The stone is only 1.3 metres high, but is clearly engraved as a male chappy, with face (eyes, nose and tattous), arms, belt and legs well visible. The back has its detail too, but I didn't see these.

Peetje en Meetje

Date Added: 9th Apr 2014
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: Belgium (Oost-Vlaanderen)
Visited: Yes on 29th May 1998. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: It annoys me that I have no photos of this from my visit in 1998. I had another look through my old boxes of photos and there was nothing at all that day of my cycling holiday, although I could have sworn differently. Perhaps my camera was left in my tent as we visited it on a day ride out from Oudenaaard. Very unlikely, I could swear I had pictures of a local windmill and the bar where we had lunch, but nothing was found.

Pèira Levada (La Glène)

Trip No.203  Entry No.175  Date Added: 19th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 27th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: High up on the windswept, sunbaked plateau, not far from the D.911 road north of Millau, this is one heck of a big dolmen which has sadly collapsed on one side. The views to the southeast over the river Tarn are astonishing, with the new motorway snaking its way down the distant hillside adding some interest.

The giant capstone must be 6 metres by 4 metres, and was sitting on two 4 metre long by 2 metre high side slabs, the eastern of which has tipped inwards letting the capstone fall this side. Its backstone has broken, allowing this to happen. The chamber faces unusually south of southeast at 154° - most of the dolmens round here are pretty close to due east. The back has at some point been walled up for use as a shelter.

Its a pity about the dirty modern buildings and busy road nearby.

Pen Hill Longbarrow

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Long Barrow Country: England (Somerset)
Visited: Yes on 12th Sep 2006

Log Text: None

Pen Y Beacon

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Wales (Powys)
Visited: Yes on 25th Jan 2018

Log Text: None

Pen y Fan Cairn

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Powys)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Jul 2017

Log Text: None

Pen-y-Crug Barrow

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: Wales (West Glamorgan)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2013

Log Text: None