The National Park -- still peddling falsehoods

NPA staff seem to be determined to stand on their heads and do other assorted gymnastic tricks in order to peddle jolly tales and avoid the truth......

A few months ago I reported on the manner in which the Pembs Coast NPA is marketing Craig Rhosyfelin as a key part of its strategy to show that the "prehistoric heritage" of this area is second to none.  See this:


http://brian-mountainman.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/rhosyfelin-marketing-begins.html

and many other posts on this blog about the National Park's cavalier attitude to the truth and to sound science.  Just type in "National Park" into the search box.


Back in October I wrote to the top brass to complain about the inaccuracies in the "short walk" leaflet relating to Rhosyfelin, and was assured that corrections would be put in hand.  I happened upon the leaflet again today, to discover that nothing has changed:

http://www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk/default.asp?PID=401&ID=256

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Craig Rhosyfelin source of the Stonehenge bluestones
Short Walk

On p 1. LOOK OUT FOR: Craig Rhosyfelin crag, source of two of the bluestones from the inner circle at Stonehenge

On p 2.  This craggy outcrop of stone lies within a deep secluded valley. It is here that a number of the famous bluestones were quarried and later taken to Stonehenge – most probably by land on sleds hauled by oxen.

"Craig Rhosyfelin source of the Stonehenge bluestones" ??  That is absolute nonsense, and the NPA knows it.  It has not even been shown to be the source of one bluestone monolith, let alone all of them.

"Craig Rhosyfelin crag, source of two of the bluestones from the inner circle at Stonehenge".....  Again, absolute rubbish.  Where did the "two" come from?  There is no evidence in support of that figure -- and it appears to be based on a rather foolhardy bit of speculation some years ago by Rob Ixer or Richard Bevins.  But they made it clear that in the absence of sampling on assorted stumps at Stonehenge, there is nothing to go on.  From the inner circle?  That is crazy too, since the Rhosyfelin crag is made of foliated rhyolite, and the inner circle bluestones are made of dolerite.  What sort of world does the writer of this leaflet inhabit?  Does he know anything about anything?

"It is here that a number of the famous bluestones were quarried and later taken to Stonehenge – most probably by land on sleds hauled by oxen."  Well, we all know that the Rhosyfelin "quarry" owes more to fantasy than to hard evidence, and that the whole quarrying idea is looking very shaky indeed.  At best, it can be described as a "postulated" quarry, with a rider added that earth scientists see here nothing other than a natural rock outcrop.  By land?  On sleds hauled by oxen?  Again, wild theorizing backed up by zero evidence.........

Does the PCNPA have any regard to its reputation?  It seems not.

Grr -- I shall now go and plant some runner beans and think beautiful thoughts........