Phillip Bowen: Mishap not the end

They had been attempting to transport the stone on two supporting curraghs towards Tenby.

When the crews returned they found the bluestone had slipped its ties and sunk an estimated 17 metres.

It is the latest disaster to hit the project which has attracted a �100,000 grant from the Lottery heritage fund.

But Philip Bowen of the organisers Menter Preseli insisted this latest mishap does not signal the end of the trek which aims to follow the route of Stone Age man and use his methods.

Waterborne

They had been hoping to make the most of fine weather to complete the next waterborne stage after travelling from Milford Haven to Dale.

The stone was earlier launched into the river Cleddau on two large curraghs en route to Milford Haven.

The aim is to row it all the way to Avonmouth near Bristol in the replica neolithic long boats.

Volunteers from local rowing clubs have been brought in to complete the stage.

Target

But the project has been beset by problems.

• The team of volunteers managed just one mile on their first day - a third of the hoped for target.

• Then a lack of volunteers caused another day of stone pulling to be called off.

• The stone's final pull overland from the Preseli Mountains to the River Cleddau was held up while a search was mounted for the sled, after it disappeared.

• The operation had to be postponed after the stone failed to slide into position, mid-stream in the River Cleddau.

The plan is to drag the stone at weekends and reach Stonehenge in September.

Neolithic

Some experts said the inner ring of the monument is made of bluestones, which were carved out of the Welsh mountains before being heaved on sleds and boats to the Wiltshire site.

It will then be dragged the final 26 miles to the site of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.