Car-free guide to Ancient Sitesaround Britain
Britain’s complex, varied history has left a wealth of prehistoric ruins to explore. From Neolithic tombs in the Orkneys to hilltop forts on England’s south coast, here’s a selection of ancient sites you can reach without a car. Good Journey is delighted to welcome David Hamilton, author of Wild Ruins and Wild Ruins BC (published March 2019 by Wild Things) as a guest writer for this feature. Extra photos have been supplied by Jon Taylor (Midhowe Broch and - in the gallery below - the inside of Blackhammer Cairn and Castlerigg in snow), John Greenway (St Lythans Dolmen) and David Hamilton (Avebury). The other pics are Good Journey's own from a trip to Castlerigg stone circle.
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1. Avebury, Wiltshire
Avebury stands at the far end of the Ridgeway National Trail, which wends its way through five counties starting at Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns. We can’t know for sure why Avebury was built, but it’s been suggested that it was an ancient pilgrimage site much like modern day Lourdes. The stone circle is so huge it encompasses the entire village. This gives Avebury the unique accolade of having the only pub in Britain completely surrounded by a prehistoric monument.
- The towering double stone row, 25m wide and 2.5 km long, called West Kennet Avenue is walking distance from the village, linking the main henge (ringed earth mound) and stone circle with the Sanctuary (zoom in on map below). You can mostly avoid the roads and walk from the bus stop along permissive and public paths.
- The 49 bus travels between Swindon and Devizes via the village of Avebury. Go straight through the gate by the bus stop (opposite the pub) to get started. The last bus back to Swindon leaves at 8.47pm from outside the Red Lion so it is possible to have an ale or two, or an evening meal before returning home.
- The Ridgeway National Trail leads to the village of Avebury so the site is also accessible by foot. You could even take a few days off to follow the footpath, stopping at B&Bs on route.
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2. Rousay, Orkneys.
Just north of the Orkney’s Mainland, on the island of Rousay, lies a row of monuments so intact and so ancient, they have been dubbed the Egypt of the North. The sites are mostly burial tombs or cairns with beautifully evocative names such as Taversoe Tuick, Blackhammer Cairn and the Knowe of Yarso. Built in the Neolithic era, these would have been family burial grounds acting as shrines or places of ritual activity. At a time when a good harvest meant the difference between life and death, the island population may have consulted their ancestors for advice and guidance for the coming growing season.
- To the west of the island, Mid Howe Iron Age Broch is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Britain. It is so well preserved that it is possible to get a real sense of Iron Age life in this remote corner of the world.
- From Inverness there is a twice daily bus service to Orkney in the summer.
- Stagecoach operate a bus from Kirkwall (Orkney Mainland) to the Tingwall Ferry Terminal. From Tingwall, Orkney ferries run to Rousay, seven days a week from a little after 8am until early evening.
- It is possible to do all the important sites in one day on foot, but the best way is to hire a bicycle and do a tour of the island. Trumland Farm, a quarter of a mile west of the ferry terminal has a stock of bicycles to rent (01856 821252, do ring ahead) and, if you find you have missed the ferry back, they also offer hostel accommodation!
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3. Castlerigg, Cumbria
On a plateau with a backdrop of hills, the Castlerigg Stone Circle has to be one of the most idyllically positioned stone circles in the country. It is also thought to be one of Britain’s earliest, dating to around 3000-3200BC. This puts it firmly in the Neolithic or New Stone Age, long before metal working became commonplace. The stones themselves are as captivating as the landscape and it is possible to match the shape of each of the megaliths to a hill behind. We cannot know if this is by luck or design. It could be the stones intended to mirror the landscape or it could be a trick of the eye as we try to breathe meaning into the stones. Rather tantalisingly, a cache of stone axe heads was discovered at the stone circle. This has led many to believe it must have served as a trading post for axes during the Neolithic era. However, it does beg the question why the axes were buried rather than traded?
- Regular Stagecoach buses X4 and X5 from Penrith stop just over half a mile away. About 45 minutes from Penrith railway station, get off at Brentfield, just before the bus enters Keswick (in the other direction, leaving Keswick, the stop is Fieldside). Walk up the concrete lane and turn left up Eleventrees. As you get beyond the edge of the town, views open up over the surrounding countryside.
- Stagecoach also run the 555 service between Lancaster and Keswick, which stops on request at the bottom of Castle Lane on the A591.
- To cycle or walk from Keswick join the cycle path, along a disused railway, which starts in the carpark of Keswick’s swimming pool on Station Avenue. Head towards the Penrith Road, which crosses over the top of the path. Make your way up the embankment track to the road and turn right past the houses. Take the second right up Eleventrees road (look for the brown sign saying Castlerigg Stone Circle).
- There is a seat half way up the hill if you need a rest. For more car-free adventures in the area, have a look at our guide to Penrith.
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4. Tinkinswood and St Lythans, South Wales
Within easy reach of Cardiff, the twin burial chambers of Tinkinswood and St Lythans are marvels of Neolithic engineering. Tinkinswood has an especially huge capstone which even by today’s standards would involve a tremendous effort to put into place. Some schools of thought suggest that the physical effort involved with the building of these monuments may have been as important as the finished structures. Both tombs would have been covered in earth, disguising their characteristic table like shape and forming an inner chamber where the bones of the dead were placed.
- Take the X2 bus from Cardiff (Stop KP on Westgate Street) to the village of St Nicholas. A brown sign will direct you down Duffryn Lane heading south towards the two monuments.
- A little over 200m down the lane take the footpath which branches off to the right (past of the Valeways Millennium Heritage Trail). After 700m follow the path to the right to Tinkinswood burial chamber.
- For St Lythans Burial chamber, continue on the trail to Dyffryn (with the National Trust’s Dyffryn Gardens nearby). From here, turn left along the lane to find the dolmen.
- For more car-free adventures nearby, see Good Journey’s guide to Cardiff.
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5. Hollingbury, Brighton
In the summer, a walk up through the long grass from Moulsecoomb station to the chalky summit of Hollingbury Hillfort is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the city of Brighton. With stunning views over the Channel and the South Downs, it’s not hard to see why this would have been an important site in the Iron Age. Thought to have been constructed sometime around 600BC, we don’t know if the fort had a strategic purpose or if it was used as meeting place for surrounding tribes. But continental European pottery, dating from as early as 250BC, has been found nearby so the fort may have had strong trading links across the nearby channel. The presence of Bronze Age barrows and an enclosure dating to this time, show the site must have been in use from at least 1000BC.
- The roads around Hollingbury get so congested it is actually much easier to visit by public transport than it would be to drive.
- Trains from the main station in Brighton run frequently and take just six minutes to Moulsecoomb station.
- From the Queensdown School Road, head under the railway and then take the steps to the right. After about 50m, a path branches off to the left. Follow this to the summit, heading north (watch out for flying golf balls!)
- It’s also possible to walk or cycle up the Ditchling Road to the fort, accessing the site from the west rather than the south.
- If you need a drink after all that climbing, The Bevy is a popular community pub in Moulsecoomb.
