The grass looks ordinary enough, but the slight differences in ground level, a barely perceptible ridge here, a shallow depression there, mark out a rectangular enclosure that has been largely levelled by centuries of agricultural activity.

The enclosure measures roughly 18 metres along its north-west to south-east axis and 15 metres across, defined by what was once a bank, now reduced to a low scarp seldom more than 15 centimetres above the surrounding ground. Along the south-west side, the faint trace of a possible fosse survives, a fosse being simply a defensive or boundary ditch dug alongside an earthen bank. Here it measures around 3.6 metres in overall width, though its base narrows to just a metre and its surviving depth is a mere 15 centimetres, reflecting how thoroughly the landscape has been smoothed over time. The interior of the enclosure slopes gently toward the south-east. Two further rectangular enclosures lie close by, one approximately 3 metres to the east and another some 30 metres to the north-east, suggesting this part of Shanakyle was once a more structured and purposeful arrangement of enclosed ground than the present pasture implies.