thesweetcheat

thesweetcheat, 6 months ago to Halloween

1st anniversary of joining Mastodon today, celebrated with a trip to the very lovely Bodnant Gardens, in the Conwy Valley.

The acers were looking particularly fine, all aflame for autumn.

#Conwy #Bodnant #Autumn

thesweetcheat, 9 months ago to random

Lovely Yellowmead stone circle on Dartmoor for #StandingStoneSunday

A very unusual site of concentric stone rings, it may have been a complex cairn originally. It has a visual interrelationship with Sheepstor.

Visited August 2010 in very changeable weather.

#Dartmoor #BronzeAge #StoneCircle

thesweetcheat, 4 months ago to random

Wishing all the #StandingStoneSunday crew a very Happy Christmas!

#Avebury #HalfwayOutOfTheDark

thesweetcheat, 1 month ago to random

Four ruined Aberdeenshire recumbent stone circles for today's #StandingStoneSunday. Despite their incomplete state, all four still have presence in their landscapes and are well worthy of visits:

Wheedlemont, Upper Ord, Mill of Noth, Corrstones.

Visited March 2011.

Upper Ord. Two squat, irregularly stones stand in a grassy field. They frame a conical, snow-covered hill rising behind (Tap o' Noth). They sky is blue with some cotton wool clouds.
Mill o' Noth. Two tall stones stand in a field. The one on the right leans slightly. They would once have had a recumbent slab between them. A very steep, conical hill rises in the background, framed by the stones (Tap o' Noth). It is covered in snow. The sky is deep blue and clear.
Corrstones. A recumbent and its two flankers stand in a setting of open deciduous woodland. The flanker on the right has fallen and lies at an angle pointing towards the bottom left. Pale spring sunshine filters through the unleaved canopy. It's a lovely place.

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

The megalithic gem of Moel Tŷ Uchaf ('Bare Hill of the Highest House') for today's #StandingStoneSunday

A Bronze Age cairn circle in a fantastic location in the foothills of Y Berwynau mountains overlooking the Dee valley. On a clear day there are wonderful views of Eryri/Snowdonia, but on this visit views were reduced to a hundred metres or so by cold hill fog.

This visit February 2011. Blog here: https://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/123269/over_the_misty_mountains_ii_foggy_boggy_berwyns_20_february_2011.html

#BronzeAge #Berwyn #TheModernAntiquarian

thesweetcheat, 8 months ago to Scotland

A suburban setting for today's #StandingStoneSunday offering;

Aviemore cairn and stone circle in the Scottish Highlands. A monument of the 'Clava' type, a kerb of stones enclosing a (now gone) burial cairn, with a surrounding stone circle. It's in a little suburban street now, but has views towards the Cairngorms.

This visit October 2010.

#Clava #StoneCircle #Aviemore #Scotland #BronzeAge

thesweetcheat, 2 months ago to folklore

A fine 2.5m monolith for today's #StandingStoneSunday - this is Lulach's Stone in Aberdeenshire. Sweeping views to Tap o' Noth. The stone is said to commemorate Macbeth's stepson, who was killed in battle, although the stone is more likely a much earlier monument. In folklore it's reported to have crushed a treasure-seeker to death.

Visited March 2011.

#Aberdeenshire #Folklore #ShakespeareSunday

thesweetcheat, 2 months ago to random

Orthostat on top of An Sithean chambered cairn on the Isle of Skye for today's #StandingStoneSunday

Located at the foot of the Red Cuillin mountains, the tomb has an amazing setting and backdrop. The mountain on right, Beinn na Caillich, has a large Bronze Age cairn in its summit.

Visited March 2011.

#Skye #BronzeAge #ChamberedTomb

thesweetcheat, 25 days ago to random

One of Dartmoor's finest stone rows for today's #StandingStoneSunday - Cosdon Hill triple row, with terminal cairn and stone circle.

Visited on a scorching hot St George's Day, April 2011.

#Dartmoor #BronzeAge #StoneRow

thesweetcheat, 6 months ago to random

Long shadows for today's #StandingStoneSunday the fabulous Boswens menhir on the West Penwith moors.

The stone is very asymmetrical and looks different from every angle. If you walk along the Tinner's Way below it, the stone appears as a tall figure on the skyline, which turns to watch you as you pass.

It's intervisible with the marvellous Chûn Quoit Neolithic tomb.

This visit on a beautiful autumn day, November 2010.

#BronzeAge #StandingStone #WestPenwith #Cornwall #TheModernAntiquarian

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

Fantastic but a little sobering to see the wonderful Gaia in Tewkesbury Abbey this afternoon. A salutary reminder that there's no Planet B.

#Gaia

thesweetcheat, 4 months ago to random

The final #StandingStoneSunday of 2023, so I'd like to thank all the contributors to the hashtag over the last 12 months. I love seeing your pictures (especially the high percentage with alt-text). It was something the migrants brought with us from the other place and the fact it landed so positively has helped my move here greatly.

Here's to lots more standing stones, stone circles, rows and megalithic sites in 2024. I hope you all have a great evening, whether you 'do' New Year or not.

x

thesweetcheat, 18 days ago to folklore

A terrific stone circle in Dartmoor's inner space for today's #StandingStoneSunday - White Moor (sometimes called Little Hound Tor) stone circle, a spacious ring with a 6 foot outlier.

In #folklore the stones are a huntsman and his hounds, turned to stone for hunting on the Sabbath (makes a change from the usual 'dancing on the Sabbath' tales).

Visited on a scorching hot and thankfully dry underfoot St George's Day, April 2011.

#Dartmoor #BronzeAge ##StoneCircle

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

Maen Mawr for #StandingStoneSunday - This great sandstone block stands just outside the Cerrig Duon stone circle in my previous post. On this visit the boggy ground at its base had frozen hard to swirling ice.

Portrait, needs a click.

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

Golden winter light on the low stones of Bannau Sir Gaer stone circle for #StandingStoneSunday

The circle is a bit trashed, but the exquisite backdrop of Y Mynydd Du's escarpment more than makes up for it.

Visited February 2012 at the end of a walk along those tops.

#YMynyddDu #BronzeAge #StoneCircle #DeCymru

thesweetcheat, 6 months ago to random

Approaching sunset, Nine Maidens of Boskednan for #StandingStoneSunday

This circle, high on a ridge with panoramic views in all directions, is my favourite of all.

This visit November 2010, towards the end of a lovely autumn walk from St Just to Madron. Portrait, needs a click.

#WestPenwith #StoneCircle #Cornwall #TheModernAntiquarian #BronzeAge

thesweetcheat, 6 months ago to random

One of the holed stones on Kenidjack Common, West Penwith for today's #StandingStoneSunday offering.

There are five holed stones here (with possible remains of a sixth), upright slabs of hard Cornish granite with a hole bored through by hand tools in the Bronze Age. They stand on the Moor near Tregeseal stone circle.

This visit November 2010.

#StandingStones #WestPenwith #BronzeAge

thesweetcheat, 1 month ago to random

Three more ruined Aberdeenshire recumbent stone circles for today's #StandingStoneSunday

Ardlair (top two), the mighty Stonehead, and Wantonwells.

Visited March 2011.

#Aberdeenshire #StoneCircle

The fallen stones of Ardlair circle in a ring, with the recumbent and flankers on the left. Looking towards a high hill (Tap o' Noth) covered in snow.
Stonehead; a huge recumbent stone between two very tall, tapering flankers standing at either end. The stones are set in a grassy field. The sky is blue but the sunshine is weak.
Wantonwells. A single, pointed flanker stands on the left, with a large recumbent stone lying lengthways in the centre foreground. Fallen stones lie behind. The setting is a scrubby, overgrown field. A conical hill with a squat tower on its top (Dunnideer) forms the backdrop.

thesweetcheat, 29 days ago to random

After 5 months of no walks, finally got back up a (small) mountain in glorious weather today. Foel Goch in the Arenig range is a very modest 2,004 feet, but stands isolated from other ranges giving it an amazing panorama from Yr Wyddfa, Glyderau, Carneddau, Clwydian Hills, Y Berwyn, the Hirnant Hills, Aranau, Cader Idris and Arenig Fawr and Fach.

Quite emotional to be back in the hills, it's such a boost to my mental health. Bonus Bronze Age standing stone and cairn too.

#Hiraeth #Nuttalls

View from the summit of Foel Goch. A small modern marker cairn in the foreground marks the summit. The view looks down over green foothills towards distant mountain ranges; Aranau, Cader Idris and Arenig Fawr, rising to soaring peaks. It is sunny but very windy.
Bronze Age summit cairn Garnedd Fawr. The top of the mound is damaged and is now the meeting point of three post and wire fences. Some stones are piled on top of the cairn, probably moved from with the original configuration. The sky is blue with white clouds.
View of a blue river from a bridge (Pont y Bala). The river runs between green grassy banks. A man is fishing from the riverbank. It's very sunny and quite warm in the Spring sunshine.

thesweetcheat, 5 months ago to Trains

In a world of terrible news stories, this one cheered me up no end.

#Monkey #Trains #RailwayJourney

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/23/boy-three-reunited-with-lost-toy-after-monkeys-600-mile-rail-adventure

thesweetcheat, 4 days ago to random

Off to Wiltshire and a Neolithic chambered tomb for today's #StandingStoneSunday

Devil's Den below Fyfield Down is a reconstructed chamber, originally it would have been covered by an earthen mound. It's a lovely walk here from Avebury or The Ridgeway, taking in the stone river of the Mother's Jam.

This visit May 2011.

#Wiltshire #Neolithic #Avebury

thesweetcheat, 5 months ago to random

A misty, mizzly day in the northeastern quadrant of Avebury henge for #StandingStoneSunday

There was a secondary stone circle and "cove" in this part of the site, within the great circle and henge earthwork. The Cove stones are on the left, one of the surviving stones of the secondary circle on the right.

This visit December 2010.

#Avebury #Wiltshire #StoneCircle

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

One of my very favourite stone circles for today's #StandingStoneSunday

Cerrig Duon is a circle of small stones. Just outside the circle is the huge block of Maen Mawr. There are various further alignments and rows of even smaller stones almost hidden in the peat and grass. The circle is located high in the foothills of Y Mynydd Du, close to the upper reaches of the nascent Afon Tawe, which finds the sea at Abertawe (Swansea).

This visit on a frozen day in January 2010.

#YMynyddDu

thesweetcheat, 3 months ago to random

One of the most well-known megaliths in South Wales for #StandingStoneSunday - the wonderful Maen Llia, in the heart of Fforest Fawr between Fan Nedd and Fan Llia. Portrait, needs a click.

This visit on a traverse of the range from Storey Arms to Glyn Tawe, February 2011.

#BannauBrycheiniog #FforestFawr #BronzeAge #Mosstodon

thesweetcheat, 26 days ago to random

"Through the door of the birds where the breeze breaks..."

Following in the footsteps of Will Stanton and Bran Davies, high up above the Dysynni valley on Craig yr Aderyn (Birds' Rock), looking towards Cader Idris and the mountain fastnesses of Y Brenin Llwyd. A place that I have known since I was at primary school, but have never been to before except in my imagination.

#SusanCooper #TheGreyKing #TheDarkIsRising #CaderIdris