Carrigaphooka & Inchinlinane

11th December 2014
Carrigaphooca

It's not a particularly nice day out - cold, windy, rin and drizzle, but it's my day off and I thought that we would make the effort to get up to Carrigaphooka stone circle, which is East of Macroom.
It's easy enough to find, being just a field away from the Castle. There is room to park just off the road and access is straight forward - just ask at the house.

The circle itself is mostly ruined. Just three uprights and a few half buried/fallen stones survive.
A little further along the N22 on the left hand side is a standing stone in the Townland of Inchinlinane.
There's a pull in to stop and it's just a matter of walking down a farm track and ducking under the electric fence. The stone is a good size - 2.6m in height x 1.6 x 0.75 and is rectangular in shape, aligned along it's long axis NE-SW.
With the rain still persisting down, we decide to call it a day !

Inchinanagh stone group

14th November 2014
Inchinanagh

We have finished an early morning IWeBS count at Toormore, so decide to nip off up to Bantry then up through the beautiful Coomhoola/Borlin valley and into Kerry.The objective is a strange little stone setting on the Southern slopes of Knockantoreen in Inchinanagh Townland.
Having parked the car at the end of a track. I follow the track  up to where it crosses the stream coming off the mountains. Here I leave the track and head up the boggy hillside, past the old farmhouse and the associated old field system until I eventually reach the stones.
Three small stones - two aligned E-W. The Eastern stone standing at 0.8m x 0.19 x 0.18 leans heavily Southeastward (but is aligned NE-SW).The Western stone just 1.05m away is 0.64m x 0.3 x 0.08. Just by the Western stone is a third stone - barely rising out of the peat at just 0.18m high x 0.47 x 0.04. Small but impressive !
The National Monument Service has this down as an anomolous stone group.

Keeltrasna and Derrymihin West

4th November 2014
A quick trip down the Beara today. The Sun is shining and it's a lovely day.
First stop of the day is to look at the standing stone at Keeltrasna. A small lane leds off to the right just after grossing a small river just East of Trafrask. 300/400 metres along there is a left turn and 300m along here on a field on the right is the standing stone. The stone isn't very far into the field and there's a field gate giving easy access.
The stone itself leans heavily, but would have stood at 1.6m x 1 x 0.5 and is aligned NE-SW.
Legend has it, that in penal time,a priest sought refuge, hiding under the stone whilst being chased.

A quick stop, to look over  Adrigole  produces a family group of four Otters fishing and playing in the harbour. Other than a dozen Wigeon, there isn't much to speak of bird wise.
Next up - we are in Derrymihin West Townland to have a look at the group of four boulder burials. Three are close together in a trianglular setting and the fourth lies 20m to the SW and is set into a field wall. I'm not sure about access to the field and have to make do with viewing from the road, so don't get the full effect of the site. Going to have to get back here one day and have a proper look.
On the way back, we are both delighted to spot a White Tailed Eagle soaring over Knocknacarrin. It's a magnificent bird, totally dwarfing a couple of Ravens who are showing an interest.

Anglesey before going home

September 18th 2014
Anglesey

It's our last day before heading back to Ireland, so we are going to spend the day on Anglesey, before catching the overnight ferry to Dublin.
Again, it's a hot and sunny day as we set off after breakfast and head up the A55 to Bangor to cross over the bridge to our first stop of the day - Plas Newydd.
We park up in the car park and can see the cromlech sitting on the green in front of the big house. The easiest and most direct way of accessing it seemed to be, to just nip over the fence/gate and stroll down, which I did unhindered. I took photographs and enjoyed having a good old look, before strolling back the same way.

Next up were  the Bryn Gwyn stones. Just past Brynsiencyn on the A4080. We stopped in the wrong layby to start with, but worked out - mainly because there was no sign of them..... that we were in the wrong place. So carrying on half mile or so along the road, we parked up just by where the footpath headed off North through the fields.
The stones soon vame into view, they are incorporated into a field hedge and gateway. The two stones are massive (the biggest is 4m high is the biggest in Wales) and in fact all that remains of a former stone circle. A project was carried out in 2010 to identify and assess the "lost circle" They found evidence of 7 standing stone pits. It would have been an impressive site in it's original state.

Next, it's back to Brysiencyn and to the lanes to the West of the village. Parking is difficult, but we find a small pull in, before following the fp through the fields to Perthi Duon burial chamber. It's another one that looks more like an Irish boulder burial, but excavations have pointed to it being a ruined portal dolmen.

Back on the road and up to Bodowyr burial chamber. I've been here before - it's easy access - right next to the road, there's even a sign for it !
It's a classic portal dolmen and classically fenced in like many in Wales ! Well worth hunting out, if you are on Anglesey.

Carrying on through various lanes, we go through the village of Llangaffo and come across a stone which doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere. It's in the middle of a field, so could just be a cattle rubbing stone, but I nip over and have a look.... just in case.

We next pass through Trearddur and call in at Coetan Arthur, which is about a quarter of a mile South of Trefignath.
This is a strange one - variously described as both a natural rock feature and the remains of a cromlech. There is one upright stone and one laying recumbent.

The road layout around here has totally changed since I was last here and we totally miss Trefignath, but somehow end upright by Ty Mawr standing stone.
I love this stone - it seems to twist as it tapers upwards. It looks like the area is being readied for building of one sort or another. I really hope that they don't spoil it !
Well that's the end of our UK trip, just a bit of shopping and a lot of waiting around to do before we catch the Holyhead - Dublin ferry and the long drive back to West Cork.