Journal
The Isle of Arran: Goatfell
A walk into the sky to explore the stony world on the summit of Goatfell, including a search for pitchstone.
The standing stones of Nethermost Pike
Today, I visited a group of intriguing rock features on the Helvellyn range in the central Lake District. This remote plateau is around 880m (2880 feet) above the sea, and was in the grip of winter.
Visiting Bronze Age cairns on the Simonside Hills, Northumberland
A skyline walk along the main ridge of the Simonside Hills reveals a series of Bronze Age burial mounds that have interesting relationships to rock formations and the sky.
Visiting Bronze Age cairns on Cartington Hill, Northumberland
This week I visited three probable Bronze Age cairns on a prominent ridge near Rothbury in Northumberland. They have been partially robbed, and remodeled in recent times, but are set in a striking location.
Visiting a stone circle and stone row near Burrator, Dartmoor
Down Tor stone circle and row (also known as Hingston Hill) is set in a remote and atmospheric location in southwest Dartmoor. There are spectacular tors nearby.
A walk to the summit of Fairfield: Clouds and Neolithic stones on a Lake District mountain
A walk in the central Lake District, featuring a dynamic cloud formation and Neolithic worked stone.
A walk along Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland
A blustery walk along Hadrian's Wall in winter sunshine.
A walk between hillforts and a waterfall in the Breamish Valley, Northumberland
A visit to several Iron Age hillforts, and a Bronze Age cairn, near the village of Ingram.
An evening walk on Lindisfarne, Northumberland
My first visit to Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island. The isle is joined to the coastline of Northumberland by a tidal causeway.
A day in the landscapes of Argyll
It's been a glorious sunny day in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland. I divided my time between visitingcup and ring rock art around Kilmartin Glen, and landscapes with elemental qualities.
Ben Lawers excavations featured on BBC Radio 3
Walker and author Linda Cracknell recently broadcast a thought provoking piece about quartz, and it features my research on Ben Lawers in collaboration with Richard Bradley.
Archaeo-optics in Orkney Day 12: A stormy coastal walk at Birsay
Wild weather continues in Orkney, yet again making our fieldwork impractical. As a break from reading, Ronnie and I went for a somewhat breezy walk along the coastline near Birsay.
Archaeo-optics in Orkney Day 5: The hills of Hoy
Cloudless skies today in Hoy, so I headed out along the coastline and up into the hills.
Archaeo-optics in Orkney Day 3: On the beach at Rackwick
This afternoon we had a break from the Dwarfie Stane. Ronnie got to work with some sketching and painting while I spent a few hours exploring Rackwick beach.
Exploring Yarrows megalithic cemetery
Following sunrise observations inside Camster Round earlier this morning, Ronnie and I spent a few hours tramping around a group of thirteen chambered cairns which overlook the Loch of Yarrows.