STONE BOTHERING

Nestled amidst the rolling hills and charming villages of Cornwall lies the intriguing Bowl Rock. This massive, granite boulder is more than just a natural wonder; it's imbued with the whimsical tales of giants that once roamed the land. A Giant's Bowling Ball? Standing proudly at the foot of Trencrom Hill, Bowl Rock's smooth, rounded form is almost too perfect to be entirely natural. Local folklore whispers of a time when giants dwelled on Trencrom. These giants, with their insatiable appetite for competition, apparently enjoyed a rather boisterous game of bowls. Bowl Rock, according to legend, is one of their well-used bowling balls, left behind after a particularly enthusiastic round. A plaque near the rock, maintained by the National Trust, reinforces this fantastical story. It playfully acknowledges the local legend, adding a touch of charm to the historical significance of the site. More Than Just a Myth While the giant's bowling game might be a delightful legend,...

The Cotswolds, a region famed for its golden-hued villages and rolling green hills, also holds a deeper secret – a network of ancient tombs scattered across the landscape. These are the Long Barrows, silent sentinels whispering stories of a civilization long gone. Dating back to the Early Neolithic period (4000-3500 BC), these elongated earthen mounds are some of the oldest surviving structures in Britain. Constructed from thousands of tons of earth and stone, they stand as testaments to the ingenuity and purpose of these early communities. A Walk Through Time Unlike their Egyptian counterparts, Cotswold Long Barrows aren't pyramids. They're elongated mounds, often featuring internal chambers accessed by passageways. Stepping inside one, even if just peering in, is a humbling experience. The air is thick with history, and the darkness evokes a sense of reverence for the rituals that may have taken place here. A Rich Tapestry of Tombs The Cotswolds boast the highest concentratio...

Portheras Barrow is a Neolithic burial mound located in Cornwall, England. It is one of the largest and best-preserved barrows in the county, and it is thought to date back to around 3000 BC. The barrow is made up of a mound of earth and stone, and it originally had a stone chamber at its center. The chamber has since been destroyed, but some of its stones can still be seen. Portheras Barrow was first excavated in 1891, by the antiquarian William C. Lukis. Lukis found a number of artifacts in the barrow, including pottery, flint tools, and human bones. He also found the remains of the stone chamber. Portheras Barrow is located on Portheras Common, near the village of St. Just. The common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and it is home to a variety of wildlife, including rare plants and animals. Portheras Barrow is a significant archaeological site, as it provides us with valuable insights into the lives of the Neolithic people who built it. The barr...

Chapel Carn Brea is a hill in Cornwall, England, with a rich archaeological history. The hill is home to a number of prehistoric monuments, including a Bronze Age barrow, a medieval chapel, and a World War II observation post. The Bronze Age barrow is the most prominent archaeological feature on Chapel Carn Brea. It is a large mound of earth and stone that was built over 4,000 years ago. The barrow was likely used as a burial place for important members of the community. In the 13th century, a medieval chapel was built on top of the Bronze Age barrow. The chapel was dedicated to St Michael of Brea, and it was tended by a succession of hermits. The chapel fell into disrepair in the 18th century and was eventually demolished in 1816. During World War II, Chapel Carn Brea was used as an observation post. A shelter was dug into the east side of the hill, and a lookout tower was built on the summit. The observation post was used to monitor for enemy aircraft and ships. Today, Chapel Carn Br...

Gloucestershire, a county wrapped in green hills and ancient mystery, is one of those rare places where the land itself seems alive with memory. Every valley, ridge, and limestone rise holds traces of people who lived here thousands of years ago. Among its most remarkable relics are the long barrows, ancient burial chambers that stretch back to the Neolithic period, around 3500 to 3000 BC. These monuments were built long before metal tools or written words, yet they show a deep understanding of stone, landscape, and spiritual purpose. To visit these barrows is to walk into the imagination of people who saw the world as sacred. They carried their dead into the earth with ceremony, built monumental tombs with slabs of Cotswold limestone, and oriented them with a precision that still stirs wonder. Gloucestershire’s long barrows belong to what archaeologists call the Cotswold–Severn tradition, a group of megalithic tombs found across southwest England and south Wales. They are among the ol...

When you think of Wiltshire, one image almost always comes to mind. The great circle of Stonehenge rising from Salisbury Plain, a prehistoric masterpiece that has captivated people for centuries. But Wiltshire holds far more than that famous ring of stones. Beyond the queues of visitors and the hum of tour buses lies another Wiltshire, quieter and older in its mystery. It is a county scattered with long barrows, solitary standing stones, and forgotten circles where the wind still carries whispers of ritual and remembrance. This is the Wiltshire that calls to those who like to wander off the map. The Wiltshire of moss-covered stones and half-hidden mounds. These are the places that do not shout for attention. They wait for the curious to find them. Let’s explore some of Wiltshire’s lesser-known prehistoric sites. Each one tells its own story of the people who once shaped this landscape thousands of years ago. Lanhill Long Barrow Near the village of Lanhill, just outside Chippenham, lies...

Wiltshire, situated in the heart of southern England, is a land steeped in history and mystery. Its rolling fields and tranquil valleys conceal some of the most remarkable prehistoric monuments in the world. From towering stone circles to ancient burial mounds, Wiltshire offers a rare opportunity to step back into a world shaped by rituals, astronomical knowledge, and sacred landscapes. For history enthusiasts, archaeology lovers, and seekers of the mystical, Wiltshire is nothing short of enchanting. In this blog post, we will explore the most significant ancient sites in the county, unravel their stories, and offer tips for connecting more deeply with these timeless places. Stonehenge No journey to Wiltshire would be complete without visiting Stonehenge, perhaps the most famous prehistoric site in the world. Located near Amesbury, Stonehenge is a Neolithic stone circle that dates back to around 3000 BC. Its imposing stones, some weighing up to 40 tons, were transported from distant re...

Oxfordshire is a landscape of quiet power. Its rolling hills and ancient paths seem ordinary at first glance, yet the land holds something deeper. Beneath the calm of green fields and winding lanes lies a world of forgotten ceremonies, half-remembered myths, and stones that have stood longer than the memory of kings. This is a county that holds its past close, and if you walk with patience and attention, you can still feel the pulse of that older world beneath your feet. As you move through Oxfordshire, you begin to sense that it was once seen as sacred ground. From its high ridges to its chalk valleys, from lonely barrows to circles of weathered stone, this landscape has been shaped not only by hands but by belief. Every ancient site seems to belong to a network of invisible lines, threads of purpose woven through the land. The stones are the markers of that unseen design, the remains of a spiritual geography older than recorded history. The Rollright Stones The first time you see the...

Somerset is a land where hills rise like islands out of the mist, where rivers carry echoes of forgotten ceremonies, and where stones still whisper if you care to listen. Few counties in England hold such a dense concentration of ancient sites woven together by story, myth and the curious persistence of human memory. To walk here is to walk in two worlds at once: the modern landscape of villages, roads and fields, and the older landscape that still breathes beneath it, marked by stones, barrows and sacred hills. In this journey we visit four of the most remarkable places in Somerset: Glastonbury Tor, Stanton Drew Stone Circles, Stoney Littleton Long Barrow and the lesser-known Flagstaff Hill. Each has its own history and mystery, yet they seem to be connected by threads that cross the landscape. Archaeologists speak of alignments, geometers map out ley lines, dowsers talk of currents of earth energy, and locals simply feel what cannot be easily explained. Our visits were not about expl...