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Scotland
Knowe of LairoChambered Cairn
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Access unless you're fully mobile I'm afraid you're not likely to get much out of this one! We parked by the farm at about HY397280 and walked a few yards uphill along the the lane. Here the lane bears left away from the cairn, but it's a handy place to cross the stream. Once across the stream, we turned to the right and crossed the rather overgrown fields to where the cairn stands. It's pretty easily visible, so we just followed our noses. Torch ESSENTIAL and 1:25,000 map handy!!!! Wednesday 23 June 2004 The mound is fairly impressive approaching from the 'back', but having not researched it or read the fear's fieldnote, we didn't know what to expect. Partly because it's fairly overgrown and overlooked, we were very much expecting it to 'just' be a mound, and so it seemed once we arrived. Having looked around the mound and walked up on top of it Jane decided to head back to the car, rather than to climb the extremely steep and rather craggy escarpment up to where the Knowe of Ramsay appears on the map. I decided to press on and found its remains (lowish mound only remaining). Having taken a few shots of the Knowe of Ramsay, I considered just walking along the hillside and rejoining the lane back to the car at a higher point than we'd left it, in order to avoid the incredibly steep decent back down towards Lairo and the thrash through the 'overgrowth'. I decided to go back the way I came, as at least I knew exactly where I was going, and was extremely glad I did. Firstly because the view down onto Lairo and its place in the landscape are worth seeing, but more importantly, because I could see a glimmer of white at ground level between the 'horns' (evident from above) of the cairn's mound. I descended, still not expecting to be able to get inside the cairn, as I took the whiteness to be perhaps a notice or a barrier of some kind. But at least I'd be able to see where the entrance had been. Once I reached it however, the whiteness proved to be lichen on the lintel of the entrance, reflecting the bright sun! I set to work ripping away vegetation to reveal a downsloping entrance only around 18" high. The entrance to the passage was a little muddy (no problem) but had a good covering of rubble that looked is if it might've fallen from the passage itself (potential problem!). I decided that as long as I was careful and bore the possibility of instability in mind, I should be OK and that it wouldn't take Jane and the boys long to work out where I was should the worst happen. Gripping torch between my teeth, I crawled in. The passage is around 15-20ft long and although it is slightly higher than its entrance, it stays pretty damn low! As I reached the inside end of the passage, I sensed more space, though hadn't realised that I'd reached the chamber as it is hardly wider than the passage. But as I shone my torch upwards, my breath was taken away by the height of what was in fact the (very narrow) chamber!!! Stunning!!! 'The fear' is right. It actually seems taller than the mound - a mixture of optical illusion and psychological illusion caused by the narrowness and the surprise! That said, I'd be amazed if it's less than around 18ft from floor to ceiling! Edit: according to Rodney Casterton in 'The Stonehenge People', it's 4 metres high, but may even appear more due to entasis - that visual effect where the builders use narrowing to distort perspective. Inside and upright, I found it difficult to work out what was 'going on' in the chamber*. It certainly didn't seem to be a stalled cairn, unless a severely mucked about with or damaged 'double-decker', originally like Taversoe Tuick. But equally, the lack of side chambers seemed to say it wasn't a Maes Howe type either. It also has a number of 'cross-bracing' lintels across the upper part of the chamber to add to the confusion. I wonder whether these are 'original' or a later addition. Edit: Rodney Casterton (see above) says they are original and similar cross beams may also have figured at Midhowe. I spent as long as I reasonably could (with the others waiting back at the car) wondering open-mouthed at the place and trying to get decent photos. As I wriggled back out of the tiny entrance I just thanked my lucky stars to have been there and to have 'stumbled across' the entrance in such a fortuitous manner!!! (Oh, and 'the fear', if you're still around here - you had the right place - the one to the NE is the Knowe of Ramsay and is much less impressive!) *I've since read that it is in fact a modified tripartite chamber, with the 2 side chambers walled-off. I guess this may also kind of explain the chamber's extreme narrowness. No wonder I couldn't work it out! |
Posted by Moth3rd July 2004ce Edited 3rd May 2005ce |
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Unlike the other tombs on Rousay, this isn't in the care of Historic Scotland, so there are no signs, footpaths or easy accesses. This requires determination. To reach it, one must pass through incredibly high, verdant weeds and grasses on uneven ground up a hillside which I found very tough going. It's very big and long and tall and I couldn't see where the entrance was at all. A little of the rubble of the cairn showed through the grass on the top. But I didn't hang around as the cold beat me. And I now know that I missed out. Moth continued on poking about, going up to the Knowe of Ramsay further up the hillside from where he spotted the very overgrown entrance to Lairo. He returned to the car 30 mins later lost for superlatives about what he discovered. I'll let him tell the rest... This post appears as part of the weblog entry Rousay Knowe Howe
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Posted by Jane30th June 2004ce Edited 30th June 2004ce |
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Don't miss this. In my opinion, the finest cairn I have ever seen. It's a real hidden gem - no guidebook makes anything of it and it's not coloured blue on the OS map like it's neighbours. Access is difficult - approaching from the small road to the west, there is first an open field, then field boundary that must be crossed. This is most easily achived by balancing on the concrete drinking trough. When I visited, there were tall thistles, grasses, teasels and other such things blocking access. The mound is very long and impressive, although it does not stand out very much in the landscape. The entrance to the chamber is small, hidden and at the far end of the long mound. The chamber occupies only the extreme end of the mound. The entrance passage is very low and is silted up - be prepared to lie on your chest in the mud and compress your rib cage. Once inside, your labours will be richly rewarded. The roof is intact, and is finely corbelled. More importantly, it is extremely high. I felt certain that the inside of the chamber was higher than the mound itself. Although the entrance passage does slope downwards slightly, this is a psychological product of the impressive nature of the chamber. Amazing. [Note: it is possible I have confused this with its neighbour slightly to the north and east] |
Posted by the fear 24th January 2003ce |
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The Stone TapesVideo of a visit to the Knoew of Lairo, showing how the narrow tunnel opens up like the neck of a bottle to reveal the chamber within. |
Posted by missinghen 7th October 2009ce |
The Stone PagesThough I think the measurement for the height of the chamber is underestimated, useful info on what is still one of the best megalithic sites on the web! (Thanks peeps!) |
Posted by Moth 3rd July 2004ce |
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