Meeting place is the Minning Low car park on the High Peak Trail at 10.30am
on Thursday 10th April. Please bring a packed lunch for Thursday.
We will then visit our sites before arriving back at Youlgreave around 5pm,
when we will check-in to our accommodation and have free time to rest up
before meeting for evening meal at The Farmyard Inn at 7pm.
Accommodation will be at Youlgreave Youth Hostel, The Bulls Head or The
Farmyard Inn, depending on your room selection, where breakfast will be
provided on Friday and Saturday.
Breakfast will be at 9am on Friday, and we will leave for Birchover around
10am. A packed lunch will be provided for Friday.
Archaeology of the
Peak District
There will be quite a bit of walking on Friday, but plenty of stops to discuss the
archaeology – please bring suitable footwear and waterproofs, sun cream,
water, etc.
We should be back at Youlgreave around 5.30pm, and will meet for evening
meal at 7pm again (at The Bulls Head).
Breakfast will be at 9am on Saturday, and we will leave for Eyam around
10am. There are a number of cafes or pubs at Eyam for lunch. We aim to be
finished for around 4pm and will then head home.
Price: £120-180pp (based on two sharing a room)
Prices are dependant on accommodation type, single occupancy supplements are
also available
To book a place contact: matt@mbarchaeology.co.uk / 07599 421816
10-12 April 2014
Thursday 10th April – Prehistory in the Peak
Friday 11th April – Ritual landscapes
Minning Low Neolithic tomb
Robin Hood’s Stride / Hermit’s Cave / Nine Stone Close
Visit to the chambered tomb at Minning Low, excavated by Thomas Bateman
in 1843. We will examine the archaeology of the site, and discuss its role and
function within Neolithic society.
We will explore the sacred landscape around Birchover, visiting the Medieval
chapel site known as the Hermit’s Cave and the Bronze Age stone circle of Nine
Stone Close, discussing the setting of sites within the landscape on two very
distinct ley lines.
Arbor Low henge / Gib Hill barrow
Rowtor Rocks
Visit to the Arbor Low henge, the ‘Stonehenge of the North’. We will
investigate the henge, avenue and burial monuments of this fascinating
landscape.
Discover the 18th century ‘pleasure
garden’ of local vicar Thomas Eyre, with
its buildings and armchairs carved from
the rock, find out about the prehistoric
‘rocking stones’ and visit one of the
finest examples of Bronze Age rock art in
Derbyshire
Thomas Bateman’s tomb
We finish the day with a visit to the final resting place of Thomas Bateman,
and have a talk on the life and times of Derbyshire’s most famous
archaeologist.
Evening meal / drinks at The Farmyard Inn, Youlgreave.
Stanton Moor
Our final visit of the day explores the sacred landscape of Stanton Moor, home
to the Nine Ladies stone circle and barrow cemetery.
We finish with a well-deserved pint of Nine Ladies ale at the Red Lion in
Birchover.
Evening meal / drinks at The Bulls Head, Youlgreave
Saturday 12th April – Eyam Plague Village
We will start at the village museum, before setting off on a walking tour around
the village to discover the macabre story of Derbyshire’s famous Plague Village.
We will also visit the outlying sites of Mompesson’s Well, the Riley Graves and
the Boundary Stone, which are all part of Eyam’s unique history.