A Cotswold long barrow whose Neolithic stone chambers stand open to the sky above the Severn Vale
Open accessfree to visit at any reasonable time
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
The roof came off Nympsfield Long Barrow so long ago that today you can look straight down into its stone burial chambers instead of crawling in through a passage. The tomb sits within Coaley Peak, a viewpoint above the Severn Vale on the edge of the Cotswolds. The barrow dates to the Neolithic period, raised roughly five thousand years ago, using local limestone for the chambers and smaller stones for the mound around them. Excavations in 1862, 1937 and 1974 found the bones of at least thirteen people and some Neolithic pottery, including a child buried apart from the rest in a small stone-lined space. Two standing stones still mark the original entrance at the east end, and there’s nothing to pay and nowhere to book; Uley Long Barrow, a similar tomb in English Heritage’s care, is a walk of a mile or so further along the Cotswold Way.
