The above is the rock that started my brain thinking on this at least ten years ago. Weetwood in the plantation north of main panel. Pic above is a plan view.  Heading west - above is the carved rock6 at the modern cairn.
Above is rock7 the waymarker (?) by the track near Coldmartin panel (ie east of) – a much underestimated panel. The rounded form fascinates me. Placed and sunk edge on, screams to me ‘a placed stone’.
 My numbering rock4 Weetwood, the one that started it all for me ten years ago.
 Rock 4.
My discoveries in the prehistoric landscape.
Worked rocks as I discover them, an ongoing unfolding diary, before publishing??
I prefer the places unvisited, yet the more weight we can add for these sites to be treat carefully, ie the threat of field clearance and forestry.
The above four images are all taken in Jan 2009 at Weetwood when for some time maybe ten years no4 rock (topmost) and no6 at the cairn had been bugging me as to their importance. A couple of years ago rock 7 next to the path returning from the radio panel seemed of the group. The above are my initial finds, using my Feb 2009 numbering which I will continue with. These are very important, pre or post dating the c and r marks?? Luckily and quite by chance these have escaped the interference by the farmers field clearance. How many more must have existed? Maybe not as many as we would like to surmise, these here form a ‘community’ in themselves. The fact that they are situated in high remote ground is their saving.
These finds of flat bottomed hollows and vertical drainage fissures on Weetwood also occur at Rabbit Braes (seen first hand) ie the big eastern block and the rocks at Duddo and the big rock at the Gled Law cave. All are on the ‘forward leading edge’ of big rocks and on the uppermost surface of ‘edge on’ smaller planted rocks as at here on Weetwood; at Edlingham Crags and Caller Crags and nearby Redheugh Crags at the top point of huge pyramidal seperate rocks. I’m finding lots, a later jaunt east of Caller Crags halfway towards Stans excavated Mesolithic rock shelter of the early ’70’s reveals stunning finds, especially at the edge north east of an upper rock escarpement. Further down the page I visit Routing Linn for the first time in twenty years and there is a mass of these hollows in what is a blank white area of Stans drawing of the rock.
There is great significance in these hollows (worked?) and the little gulleys that run from them. Must have looked spectacular filled and running with blood. Not all are very accurate flat-bottomed hollows, there is a distinct grouping of either fbh as first encountered or rounded bottom as at Routing Linn. Wind driven swirling ice or grains of rock would be hard pressed to produce such an accurate flat bottomed effect. I think these rocks highlighted here are certainly the equal of cup and ring.
Some of the smaller rocks ie Weetwood 5,6,7,8 etc no matter their orientation (generally edge on, particularly the thinner slabs – so obviously man placed) all have hollows with horizontal floors, ’spot-on’ horizontal. An engineer in a machine shop would be hard pressed to produce flatter.
I have a hunch we are looking at an area from Millstone Burn to Rabbit Braes that was traversed and hunted by a single community or clan. Maybe starting at Lordenshaws, turning left at Millstone Burn and up to the termination at Duddo. I need to get up onto Lordenshaws. Somehow they wouldn’t touch the Cheviots themselves. Perhaps the marshy area at Weetwood was a natural pond / lake – now silted up. Was Milfield water filled ie a lake? was Weetwood a camp and or ceremonial place, a place to meet and ’see’ things? These rings could be the rings or ripples on water. Many years ago I thought they were moulds to shape leather shields for fighting. Yet examine how the encompassing circles stop short of the often central motif, cup or stalk. The very carefully controlled exact depth of working. Controlled width of channels. As at Weetwood a shallow basin extending to the edge of the motif. Why? This is work of a high order and repeated so exactly across the landscape. I am sick of continuous shallow treatments. Use you brains, think! The rings were worked to a sine wave profile, it is not just erosion that results in this form, it is intentional. Overall the work of one man in one lifetime? or his disciples? Perhaps it must have been part of a belief system, promoting good hunting or harmony via the spirits. Tattooing the visible bones of the landscape. A craft skill of a high order. Sites often are an arc about the Cheviot though I don’t think Cheviot is relevant. My hunch at the minute is that the landscape and exposed rocks and fertile hunting were foremost in their minds. Was something ground or left to dry in these worked crevices?
Someone / blog I viewed a few minutes ago had such a gullet running from the top of a (standing?) stone as seen here in my vertical drainage fissures (vdf) – a prominent ra blog yet the silly bugger has a stupid arrow pointing to something quite insignificant. Open your eyes see the continual repetition of these cups and gulleys running down stones set in the landscape, generally all smaller ones are edge on. This is as important as any existing ra.
The vibe I get at Dod Law and the abysmal golf course is strong and bad. Yet here at Weetwood it is always a pleasant feeling regardless of how bad the weather or the previous days events or activities. Perhaps ancient man is tattooing or decorating the bare bones of the earth, the rocks as they appear at the surface. Yet generally on horizontal surfaces ie the main W’wood panel surface seems peculierly worked flat. For dressing skins? As symbols of luck and fortune in hunting?
Are these waymarkers or for sacrifice to spirits or for grinding or preparing, or shamanistic activities or witchcraft? Most are orientated the same way ie thin slabs edge on. A portable rock ie no5 in the plantation Weetwood was found soon after as was an impressive (subjective term) group of three in the heather to the south and preceding it rock 8 met coming back from rock 7 next to the path. There is an outlier near the road before the Fowberry gate (on top of the large rocks) heading west which I will call rock 10 (photographed March 2009) and another behind the main art panels to the east. My numbering starts with three possible (now thought not) correct interpretations found in Feb 2009. I’ve stuck to it as it allows me to identify the shots from unmarked slides and has stuck in my mind as such.
Here are the Feb 2009 slides. Oh yes, the March 2009 will include a rock I found with small pockets worked (cups) on the flat surface near the destroyed cist at Weetwood.
 Portable stone in the plantation north of main panel. Better 'in the flesh' tricky to capture on film. I found the above ‘blind’. Having walked the oval layout anti-clockwise after the group of three and rock 9 I felt it inevitable the next one or last one had to be there … pointing toward the plantation. Strangely there it was. My dog is my witness. Below is rock 6 at the modern cairn, not easy to photograph.
 panel near radio mast feb 09 Lower pic above is what I call the radio panel, Stan B calls p.126 / 127 Pendulum 1983 ie Coldmartin. Look at those drainage channels. The two upper images are stone6 next to modern cairn ie west of plantation north of main panel. In all my text and photos I am trying to be objective and not include sujective terms such as ‘impressive’ ‘beautiful’ etc. This stage of my findings is at the same level as botany and natural historywas a hundred years ago, the gathering, reporting and description of finds.
Above is rock 7 by the track coming back from the radio panel ie heading east. So few people notice its beauty. So much like rock 8, which follows on heading anti-clockwise ie eastward. Its this similarity that prompted me to wonder.
Today – 1st March 2009 - I have been up to look for rock 8. Cannot find it, found the more elaborate group of three and of course rock 7 is un-missable but no rock 8. Its in heather before the group of three walking from rock 7 ie away from the radio panel.
The above two pics of rock 8 bowl me over……….a highly desirable piece of sculpture. The only stone I’ve ever thought of as ’sexy’…uh!
Though some of these pics are 180 degree rotations of the same rock tho on different days rotating them in ones minds eye allows a better understanding of them. Typically rock 6 and rock 10 are a good exercise at this. Sketching and perhaps if I had the technology a short vid would further enhance the impression/ sculptural value of these rocks.
Group of three to follow, in heather north of L-shaped plantation on W’wood. Heres the first………..these are IMPORTANT. The plantation itself conceals important remains at its southern end - a fort? – thankyou Mr Farmer.
Thats all that came from the Feb 2009 slide film. there are more recent images added to help the storyline. And we had better have a gratuitous c&r rock carving……
Middle pic above is new to me, say eighteen inches across and bottom pic is c&r under gorse bush north east of main panel. The upper pic is the famous main panel, I am intrigued how flat the whole panel is and the surface striations. The motifs and craftsmanship at Weetwood main panel give me the impression they were depicting something that was solid and real to them, rather than something ’seen’ or imagined or fancied.
 Next to rock 4.
 In the plantation next to rock4. Postscript 7th March 2009. This afternoon been up to Edlingham Crags ie close by north east of Caller Crags. Found four separate sites of these flat bottomed hollows, one on an obvious ‘most significant’ rock, another on a smaller (eight foot moved/fallen rock nearby) and a damaged rock at the eastern extremity just inside the fence before the western quarry. Three hundred yards west are some small crags. When up close among them this time I said to myself – “bet that one is” – hey presto it had, say three flat bottomed hollows on a possible twenty plus likely places.
nb These hollows are ALWAYS on the tip of the rock, thin walled to the edge, flat bottomed, always a regular predictable depth, very horizontal level inner/bottom surface regardless of rock orientation, with a necking or ability for drainage what I term vertical drainage fissure. Same at Rabbit Braes, Gled Law, Weetwood and here at Edlingham Crags. Small rocks are always edge on to signal their presence. Duddo looks likewise tho I have yet to visit.
Two astounding and excellent rock shelters were found at Edlingham Crags lower level, oozes Mesolithic and a cave twelve feet up a smooth rock face (quarried) which looks like a waterworn channel entrance say 3ft dia and quite deep. …how deep? The floor of both Mesolithic shelters particularly the most impressive one seems so very worn/worked smooth. I could well visualise a young woman giving birth there and raising her young. Considering the possible extent of Mesolithic lifestyle, am I looking at 5 or10,000 years of habitation.? At the impressive shelter there were three or four hollows that reveal pick marks where not smoothed out, pockets for a tallow candle or ?? That felled forest doesn’t help in traversing the landscape. Bloody awful. Those rocks and crags would be better left unencumbered with forestry.
Last night the idea of water worn channels often coincides with the rock type that c&r marks are made. Rabbit Braes has incredible water worn channels right through ten feet plus of solid rock and mases of impressive vertical drainage fissures. Weetwood possibly once had a small lake with a still extant stream run-off. This stream flows towards the outlying cand r marks toward the re-vamped Fowberry ?Mains. certain types of places had a vibe for these ancient people. Perhaps they just liked to be in a pleasant place.
All this is screaming for a dowser to come in.
Postscript 15th March- Yesterday up at the higher level Edlingham Crags and then onto Caller Crags. Yes, all feelings are confirmed. This afternoon out yielded many more flat bottomed hollows and some vertical fissures. The upper ie second level of Edlingham Crags yielded no rock shelters, rock not disposed to doing so, yet right away walking from the west to east flat bottomed hollows were evident, as usual at edge tip of rock and at find three or so a fine example as per my numbering rock 4 at Weetwood. I have been thinking for a month now – a Shamanistic landscape?
Escaping from the fenced felled wood at the dog leg there are impressive fbh (flat bottomed hollows) at the uppermost stone, a trace on the huge boulder through the nick, then back again to Caller Crags where the fun begins with the most distant huge stones toward the west, ie thirty feet tall plus seemingly yield nothing – lets fantasise and say they are way too powerful for our ancient ancestors to ‘engrave’ yet leading there ie east to west there is ….a) a big stone with fbh …b) a most screamingly “put there” small diaginal tilted stone with usual top surface fbh and unusually dimples on the vertical sides then c) a placed slab unfortunately split horizontal with deeper and bigger hollows. This tilted and placed slab are the only loose things for many yards around – screamingly a placed / manipulated landscape.
This whole afternoon developed with me saying to myself “I bet that is one” …..and hey presto it has some fbh. Interestingly found a group of four of these fbh cups and coming down from Caller Crags the first BIG isolated stone yielded the same and Duddo / Rabbit Braes type vertical drainage fissures which we’ll call vdf from now on.
Shamanism is forward in my mind and these fbh are likely to pre-date cup and ring marks (guessing here of course). Stone would be the only permanent substance, this might be a thousand or ten thousand year fetish. I am inclined to think that cand r marks are shamanistic prompts…… or a belief system, spirits, good hunting …….who knows?Postscript 20th March 2009: Yesterday finally got up to Duddo, driving past the crags at the entrance into the village was an exciting shock, these most distinctive rocks must be tied in with the prehistoric wonderment and veneration of rocks in the landscape, ie Rabbit Braes, Edlingham Crags and Gled Law cave. In autumn when its stubble I will go and look for the typical flat bottomed hollows (fbh) and vertical fissures (vdf) I am interested in over on these crags and which so far no-one seems to have drawn into the prehistoric equation – hence the purpose of this blog.
Please no-one walk on a farmers crops and also keep clear of pregnant sheep and young lambs, leave livestock well alone.
The new owners of the farm in which the stiones are set are to be congratulated for allowing visitors on the land. By coincidence lady of the house came over with a friend, placing a sign at the hedge for marker pen visitor data. I luckily had thirty minutes there to my self with the dog beforehand, he was manic – new land to sniff. Its interesting to walk in a circle ten yards from the stones and find the best view for photography. Looking towards the Cheviot gives a good display of form and contoured carving, in my opinion the vertical fissures are the fissures I find at other sites though only a few flat bottomed hollows here, ie Tweed side stone, yet flat and definite, with vdf as usual. These are manmade fissures, spaced regular. Made to denote either ’these are important rocks’ or the hand of man haws altered these rocks. The rock itself is a little softer than usual and weathers more fantastically, reminiscent of coastal rockscape erosion.
Its as if the vertical fissures at Duddo are the ‘grand statement’, copied in lesser form elsewhere (yet forward stone ie northwards to Caller Crags is so similar) leading up to what I believe is this terminating site. The coincidence of Weetwood rock4 (my numbering – see above) and a similar rock at lower level (middle) Edlingham is too similar to be dismissed. Were the vdf just mentioned copies much later of what was seen at Duddo, even without seeing Duddo first hand its always been obvious to me this must be the case. After traversing so many crags and upland places this terminating circle is in the open. i am very hesitant as to the visual importance of Cheviot in all this, perhaps more important in the geology that resulted from it. These rocks at Duddo are the only rocks I’ve ever seen that ‘look’ as if made from fibreglass – and light as a feather! Personally I think them the most beautiful art I have ever seen, form, outline, fissures, surface detail. The setting is so very devoid of trees, I hope the new owners can plant field margin parkland oaks and small spinneys, walking in at the only small trees planted on theroute a was a yellowhammer, not much otherwise apart from a few skylarks. Wildlife corridors are needed, tho I can appreciate the previous owners desire to minimise rabbit grazing in his pursuit for profit and needless hedge cutting. There will be few days in the year when the air is still up at those stones.
With cup and rings I am torn between viewing them as shamanistic prompts and just pure joy in decorating the visible bones of the landscape. How did they communicate with the spirit world, invoke luck or communicate with ancestors. Cup and ring marks display a far greater stone cutting ability than most people realise, to regulate depth, terminate circles short of the central cup drainage stalk and creating a so very regular rounded central cup. Also, the rounding and blending of grooves into contours is very cleverly done and as with all aspects in a very controlled and prescribed manner. I found a new cupped stone at Weetwood south of the main panel, near ancient dyke.
Didn’t get any vibe of energy at Duddo today, never have on either of the visits, unlike Edlingham upper and lower layers where there is an abundance, yet coming away felt happy. Perhaps company (as lovely as they were) and a high breeze diverted my senses. Has anyone dowsed for leys and earth energy? I am totally on the fence re dowsing until I can find time to develop an ability. Once I’ve felt it I’ll know it. The landscape at Duddo is so contrived and decimated, generations of factory production of arable. The new people seem set to assist in all they can to breath some nature and diversity into the habitat.
Postscript 6th April 2009: Up at Duddo Stones again for the second time now, I hadn’t realised how much hedge planting had been going on, well done Mr Farmer. Access good and well signposted. In my opinion one of the greatest examples of man made art I have ever seen, ranking equal to any artist any period. What alarms me is that the rock itself is so very friable. Each hand placed upon it erodes some tiny grains. Very soft very fragile. I feel very strongly about the fragile nature of these stones. The crags driving north into the village will connect in the prehistoric mind with these stones and I would be interested to see inside the nearby wood to the east, a very high chance of some rock escarpement in there. These are features the prehistoric mind connects. Aptly named the stone age.
Next visit on the drive back was Roughting Linn, hadn’t been for twenty years. At one of the most important and well known prehistoric sites and hey presto there is my theory again confirmed, literally rock solid. A good two square yards of flat bottomed hollows and drainage fissures. As usual with my discovery these features are on what i refer to as the leading forward ege. The nearby land to the east seems ripe for finding fissured waymarkers as per Weetwood. i needn’t look, they will be there. When back at home referred to the standard guide and guru on all this and ….hey presto again, the areas that concern me and the idea of discovery were left blank, ie white paper as per the Gobi Desert a century ago – unexplored land. My flat bottomed hollows and drainage fissures makes the rest ie existing knowledge look like insignificant scribblings.
The features I recognise on Roughting Linn are the same as today I will photograph at Caller Crags, above Edlingham Crags. ie two placed stones on the top level and a front guard stone two hundred yards in front, a typical layout. Also eastern guard stone with impressive fbh and fissures. Fbh and fissures also at forward edge (as is universally typical) of rock on which very obviously ‘placed stone’ at Caller Crags. Interestingly at Roughting Linn west of the track to Goats Crag there is an interesting small gorge taking the tiny burn toward the Cheviots. In all this cup and ring mark stuff I think too much importance is laid in the presence of Cheviot, also the invading term ‘processional way’ irritates me enlesdsly. Without even looking there is a high chance Goats Crag has my flat bottomed hollows and vertical drainage fissures a’la cave rock at Gled Law.
Postscript 20 April, two reels of film to upload yet tho not sure whether i can be bothered. I know in my mind what there is and their significance, I prefer the locations quiet and people-less for my visits. Cached pages on google strangely reveal my jottings which is upsetting. Seeing the white area on Beckinsalls drawings turn into a myriad of very impressive fbh was a great thrill at Roughting Linn and confirmation of my findings being relevant. So reminiscent of the two central placed stones at Caller Crags. And the forward guard stone ditto so reminiscent and as important as Duddo. I’d bet Hard Heugh, Long Crag and Coe Crags are worth examining.
Duddo worries me, the rock is so very friable and particles are shed every time someone places a hand there. If this unwitting revelation by cached google does nothing else it would satisfy me for ‘hands off’.
So ….. my thoughts today on this topic, I use shamanistic far less, at present these are signals for ‘occupied territory’ and a joy in tattoing the landscape, decoration and the earliest art, something recognisable as by the hand of man. Are c&r illustrating the motions of sun, moon, life itself, the glare of the sun, dazzled sun worship? Good luck charms for the spirits, witchcraft, dear knows. Each day I have a different slant and keep my mind open.
Postscript 10 May 2009. I can hardly be bothered to re-read the above. So much verbiage. I’ve two new rolls of film to upload here. Each day I oscillate between keeping this on a private setting and putting onto public. Heres stone ten thirty yards north eastish of Fowberry driveway entrance gate.
The above two pics of my numbering stone ten Weetwood are a great find, thirty yards northish of the Fowberry Farm driveway entrance and Stans rcovered up excavations. Used a different processing lab and I feel have not captured the three dimensionality that I capture of the previpous rock 8 pics. Perhaps I need to go digital. Also obscure is the ‘fort’ behind the wall from the road before the gate itself. Quite impressive ramparts what are visible among the trees. Why the hell must they plant trees among such obvious archaeology. The camera particularly on the side view (looking north) gives an untrue image, the rock is much taller than it looks, say twenty inches (from memory). Weetwood edge on stones as pictured here are so very rounded and to a practisced eye, whether Mesolithic or Modern shout as ‘placed and worked’ stones’ deliberately set into the ground. Caller Crags separate ocks are often huge pyramidal objects, often many tons in weight, Weetwood has a certain uniformity of style as shown here ie small and rounded form.
Above two pics are one rock from the group of three in the heather north of the L-shaped plantation which itself maybe has something of interest at its southern extremity, settlement / fort?
I’m short of time, quickly on to a stunner, forward outer ‘guard stone’ (my own whimsical nomenclature) Caller Crags. ie north of Crags. At the edge of the horizontal plain before dropping to the Corn Road. Notice the similarity with Duddo, the equal at the very least.
 Caller Crags forward / northerly guard stone, the equal of Duddo.  Western face Caller forward / northerly guard stone.
 Top of forward guard stone Caller Crags. Do NOT climb as fragile thin sections.
The lower shot is up on the top surface of the rock – PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB. Fragile and capable of I would think being damaged. Top right hand corner corresponds with the groove to the right on the middle shot. Width of shot say thirty inches at a guess. I wd prefer these pics to enlarge by dragging the cursor yet here they unfortunately do not. The main rocks to the west are extraordinary in their rounded appearance and surface ‘crazing’. The two portable rocks on Caller Crags now to follow:-
 Seemingly obviously placed portable rock Caller Crags. Highly worked top surface and vertical fissures. A quick update with remaiThe above is looking east in April 2009. A very obviously placed stone, cups on side and fbh and vdf as usual on top surface.
 The eastern placed stone Caller Crags. Cups possibly on side and my vdf and fbh on top. How has this not been documented before - as with all the rocks and features in this blog?
 From memory, i think, the forward leading edge (as is typical) of the previous placed rock location.
 Westerly placed stone Caller Crags. Deep impressive hollows and fissures. Split horizontally. Fragile.
wordpress jumps from medium sizing of pics (as generally used here) to large which is enormous. Most of the latest used images are one meg from disc from slide so its a pity to lose information by having such small images – and difficult for my failing eyesight.A few days later I have learned more on loading images so fingers crossed.
 Looking south through the big Caller Crag blocks. Notice surface crazing and rounded features.
In the above shot through the huge rocks further on is Redheugh Crags which are situated a quarter mile to the south, which also on a huge as is typical pyramidal boulder there are my typical flat bottomed hollows (fbh) and vertical drainage features (vdf). Again and again the evidence presents itself. In the murky shade my small dog hints at scale. The rock at the above shot is quite different from round about, it is particularly worn (worked) smooth and can exhibit incedible surface crazing. I’ve not seen enough of this countrys landscape or rocks to know how unique this is. And the strange tor adds to the unusual nature of the place. Long may it remain undamaged and seldom visited.
 Looking north thro these unique rocks.  My young assistant.
More to follow, lots more…..
May 14th. Here are quick inserts on a circuit from Caller Crags halfway to Stans Meso shelter. Theres a better old shelter lower level Edlingham Crags.
 Looking north east from the huge exposed slab, the thrill of finding another exactly where it should be.
 North east of big table slab.  Another shot of rock north east of big table slab.
 Near to the above is a rock also has a hole through it. The above shots are of two rocks in an area which is very atmospheric, south a of a small promontory fort halfway between Caller Crags and Stans Meso shelter as published AA 1976. There is a huge ‘table’ slab, from hazy memory twenty feet wide by sixty foot long of uniform height say five or six feet high. I was so impresed at first visit that it felt pretty certain there would be something nearby and hey presto the very impressive fissured stone as per the top two pics.
21 may 2009 – Bloody wind farms are a con – FACT.
http://www.soul-online.co.uk/
The above link is very important, was up there today, never got to Goat Crags which probably have my flat bottomed hollows and vertical drainage fissures – adder threat to my dog companion kept us off rough land. Have tonight seen pictures of Matfen Stone, exactly the same fissures as Duddo rocks and forward guard stone Caller Crags. As usual termed ‘weathering’ - no fear! I feel the whole area should most certainly be left devoid of any monstrous wind turbines. Think of wave or tide power, yet in this case misguided EU grant / subsidies drives men so hard to grasp at the wind turbine money. Despicable. Temporary transient little shits.
Looking at the information on the above link then transposing it in my minds eye to the wonderful and important landscape with its prehistoric signatures where I was today is horrifying. At Fenton north entrance the fellside view of Routing Linn, Goatscrag, Rabbit Braes and knowing what is there produces an astonishing vista. So much rare history in so small an area. It needs to be so carefully hands off managed and curated, not pummelled by monstrosities. I go there and need the peace and calm as vital medicine.
I see now that my vertical drainage fissures are in three distinct groups, the big deep channels as per Duddo, Caller Crags fwd stone, Matfen. Then there is another distinct grouping of small channels with flat bottomed hollows on forward edges of big exposed rock and at the apex of big (ie six foot plus) pyramidal blocks as per Rabbit Braes, Gled Law cave rock, Caller Crags, Edlingham Crags lower level etc. A third grouping would be the small rounded forms as per Weetwood wide spaced oval group of stones set sideways into the earth ie Weetwood rock 6,7,8,10. I’m curious to know how soil level has changed since they were made and or installed, do the rocks float / rise with the soil level change? At a guess it wld seem at Weetwood that they have.
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