Prehistoric

Cheddar Gorge is a breathtaking limestone gorge located in Somerset’s Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar.  It is roughly 3 miles long, around 400 feet deep, England’s largest gorge and one of the country’s most popular natural tourist attractions.  It was formed about one million years ago during the last Ice age from glacial melt-water, which created a cave system.  Prehistoric remains have been found in the caves, both human and animal, and inside Gough Cave was found Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, who lived around 7150 BC and whose descendants still live nearby. Other human remains are some 5,000 years older and the evidence is that they were cannibals. Gough’s Cave is a spectacular show cave, with fabulous formations of stalactites and stalagmites (remember, tites are the ones that come down).

The south side of the gorge, including Gough’s Cave and associated attractions, is owned by the Longleat Estate and heavily commercialised.  The north side of the gorge is owned by the National Trust. Both offer walks along the cliffs.

Given post code is for NT land – pay and display car parks.  Use BS27 3QF post code for show cave.

Chysauster is one of the best-preserved ancient villages in Britain. A small community lived and worked here for around 400 years, from about 100BC until the third century AD - by which time much of Britain was under Roman rule. The villagers lived in stone-walled houses, each with a number of rooms arranged round a courtyard – a unique house layout found only in late Iron Age and Romano-British settlements in western Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Ten houses have been identified, suggesting a community of 50-70 people. The houses are very small. Open hearths, stone basins for grinding grain and covered drains are all visible. South of Chysauster is the remains of a fogou - a Cornish cave.

Clava Cairns is a prehistoric complex not far from the Culloden battlefield. There are actually two parts to it. At Balnuaran are three well-preserved burial chambers, two with entrance passages, each one surrounded by standing stones. The cairns are of a type of which around 50 examples have been found in the Moray/Inverness region. They were built c2000BC, almost certainly for high standing individuals, and appear to align with the midwinter sunset. The cemetery was reused about 1,000 years after it was built. A split stone at the site is thought to have been the inspiration for Craigh Na Dun in the 'Outlander' book by Diana Gabaldon.

At Milton of Clava, down the road, is the remains of a medieval chapel, the site of another cairn and, possibly, standing stones.

Dinas Mawr promontory fort is reckoned to date from the Iron Age and was probably the stronghold of a clan leader.  It is situated on the west of the Pencaer Peninsula, generally known as Strumble Head, jutting out into the Irish Sea.  The location is stunning, but not for those of a nervous disposition, especially in bad weather.  Dinas Mawr is accessible along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path or via a footpath off a minor road.  However, laymen will need to look for evidence of the fort.  A ditch is clearly visible on the headland between what were stone ramparts and traces of at least one hut circle can be made out just inside the ramparts.  Most of Dinas Mawr comprises a towering lump of rock, however, with severely restricted space for settlement to the east and the south of the crag; the top, surely, would have been too inhospitable.  Immediately beyond Dinas Mawr is the islet of Ynys y Ddinas.  Though a good defensive position, there is no fresh water and it is speculated whether the fort had some ceremonial or ritual purpose, for it cannot have been of much long-term use, or in the event of a prolonged siege.

Dun da Lamh (pronounced ‘doon da larve’) is a prehistoric, believed to be early Pictish, hilltop fort near Laggan in the Highlands.  It sits on Black Craig, 1484 feet above sea level and 600 feet above the land below, overlooking the River Spey to the north.  The fort is approximately 360 feet (110 metres) long by about 98-246 feet (30 and 75 metres) wide.  Inside are shelters, believed to have been constructed by the Home Guard during WW2.

The fort’s sole defence is a stone wall, which has been cleared in places.  It is constructed of fine quality stone slabs resembling bricks totalling an estimated 5000 tons which are not from the local valley. It has been skilfully made.  The fort is so steep on three sides as to be impregnable and is only approachable from the west where the walls are over 20 feet thick.  Dun da Lamh means ‘fort of the two hands’.  The plaque on the site asks was it a frontier fortress of a great Pictish nation guarding the farmlands to the north and east; or was it something else?

Dun da Lamh can only be reached by foot and it is a strenuous walk for which you should dress appropriately and allow a couple of hours each way, depending on conditions and fitness.  There are a variety of starting points, including a way-marked route from Laggan Wolftrax (as per postcode).  Others suggest starting from the car park opposite the Pattack Falls Forestry Commission Car Park off the A86.