Traprain Law Hillfort View all content for Traprain Law

Traprain Law, East Lothian Friday 21/9/01 4:35pm This is East Lothians 'Dunadd'- this hill dominates the East Lothian skyline as it rises out of the fertile farming plains all around. I can even see this mound from window in my work place in Edinburgh and it's visible from many other points across the Capital and Mid Lothian. This must have been a great Mother of a central point for the megalith builders living around here- certainly- along its west base is a line of standing stones from Standingstone Farm, through Loths Stone, ending at another monolith just outside East Linton. The only other dominating feature of the land around here is the perfect cone of Berwick Law- another focal point for ancient civilisations. The climb up here is probably the most precarious I've done to any ancient site- my very limited climbing/scrambling skills certainly came in useful. I came up by the NE side of this ancient mound (not the easiest route I later found out!) which has been quarried in complete blinding disregard for this place. The presence of the quarry makes the climb up kinda scary and not for those like me trying to ignore the far-too-high drop to the right. This is the first time I've come up here though it's been on my skyline all my life whenever I look towards the east. Driving here along the amazing country roads I rounded a small hill and it all of a sudden loomed over me filling the windscreen- 'Fuck' was my exact words! This place has been occupied/used from Neolithic, through Bronze (when it was used for burials), Iron ages up through Roman to about 5th century AD- jeez- that's about 5000 years! It's very size and position acts as a natural defence but there's also man-made fortifications all around extending for over 100 m and up to 3.5 m thick. In more recent times this area has become the focus of paranormal/UFO research as the skies above my head have been filled with glowing orbs. Today it's misty and I can't even see as far as Edinburgh. There's only one way back down from here and methinks it's a sliding-down-on-yer-arse job! Directions Take the A1 east from Edinburgh and head through Haddington on to East Linton. From here take the road south heading towards the might of Traprain Law itself. Pass Traprain and Sunnyside farms and take the next right following the signs. There's a couple of car parks- the second one from this direction has some Historic Scotland boards telling of history, folklore, natural history etc.

Posted by Martin 26th September 2001ce

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