Vola Round Barrow(s) View all content for Vola

Coming up the Stoneyhill road beside Maes Howe just past where the viewpoint sign is on the left there is a footpath marked on the right. From the ridge on which the house sits with your back to the house look across the intervening field and the mound with its exposed material is there before you. Follow the path and you come round to the gate of the field in which it lies. Even in summer the outline of mound, ditch and bank is fairy obvious. Presently (August) the marshy are is dry. In the field around which the path goes are two or three mounds covered in grass that stand higher than the bell barrow, and in the tops of at least two are the tell-tale signs of antiquarian barrow-digging. I came by the side opposite the viewpoint sign aong a couple of ruts, which I do not recommend as the marsh plants stand high and their lushness hides the much pitted surface of the ground - even though dry you do not know from one step to the next how far the foot will go. I was strongly put in mind of going to the Knowes of Trotty. Then again, taking the 'marsh' into account reminded me of a 19th century antiquarian account of digging mounds at Langadae (Burn of Langa Dee) : "The burn or water courses have been conducted in a meandering manner about each mound.", and further "On each of these mounds there is and was a lump of white quartz " brings to mind the disintegrating stone of the bell barrow here.

Posted by wideford 1st September 2006ce

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