Most people say that this circle should be approached from the west, but this must have been based on information from before the nearby barn was built. This is to the northeast of the circle and has a lane leading right up to it. From here it is just a 150m walk to the circle with no fence climbing involved.
The circle has been excavated and slightly rebuilt. Not all of the stones were re-erected, so there are still some gaps. The axial stone and the entrance stones opposite are in situ, allowing you to assess the circle properly.
The tallest of the stones are 2m tall. The axial stone is a ectangular one measuring 1.5m across and slightly less in height.
A short distance outside the circle is a large boulder burial. The big capstone has a natural wiggly groove down its upper surface and rests on several stones, a few of which are quartzite.
The landscape around the site is fairly nondesript. The circle overlooks a valley, but the bottom of this is not visible from the stones. All around there are higher hills, but not significantly higher. The major part of the landscape here is the view to the south, along the valley, where a slither of sea can be seen.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |