Cubbie Roo's Burden Chambered Cairn View all content for Cubbie Roo's Burden

Visited 5.6.12 My first Rousay site. Coming off the ferry (well done to Karen for her expert reverse driving onto the ferry!) we turned right as everyone else turned left. Before hitting the more famous prehistoric sites of Rousay I wanted to check out this Chambered Cairn. We parked on the road (B9064) just south of the Cairn and I jumped over the barbed wire fence and walked up to the site – through the heather. The Cairn is approx 1.5 metres high x 15 metres across. It has clearly been dug into and has bushes growing all over it. There was one stone still standing in the centre of the Cairn which looked like it may be the side of a cist? Several other stones were seen sticking out of the ground. There are lovely views out across the water to the other Orkney Islands. There was no wind and the water was calm. Although this Cairn wouldn’t be at the top of your Rousay sites to visit it is worth a quick look if you have the time. Canmore states: ‘Cobbie Row's Burden: An Orkney-Cromarty round cairn situated on a hillside (55 m OD). It is circular, some 52 ft in diameter and 4 ft high. Part of the interior has been removed and in the side of the resultant hollow, but in the centre of the cairn, the tops of five upright stones can be seen. They represent two pairs of divisional stones with a back-slab behind. The outer part of the chamber and the passage cannot be traced at present’ Visited by A S Henshall 1959.

Posted by CARL 11th July 2012ce

Comments (1)
Two big thanks to you Carl. First for these fieldnotes - I probably would have missed this one had I not seen them. Second you mentioning that you have to reverse off the ferry. My going forward is bad enough!! We left the car at Tingwall. I've added a few photos but think it looks much better in real life.	Posted by thelonious 23rd June 2013ce
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