This site is of disputed antiquity. If you have any information that could help clarify this site's authenticity, please post below or leave a post in the forum.
Revisited today, glorious sunny afternoon, so I have deleted a lot of the old misty photos and added some which show the overall layout of the site a bit better. However, the heather's starting to grow again so it's disappearing fast....
George has been doing some digging : he talked to a gent from the local history group, who came across the site 4 years ago. They contacted Liz Thoms from the local museum, but as far as they know she never visited the site. As far as is known however, no local 'built' this and it's looking as if it is another true rediscovery.
I received an e-mail last night from George Currie, one of the Scottish Megaraks with a habit of turning up relatively unknown sites. In part it read "the possibility of a stone circle in the seedlees might be of interest . i noticed it last summer and thought it landscaped a la "cuddy stanes" but had another look today and i'm not so sure . anyway it's near the short cist in auchterhouse approx 3560 3888 . there are 5 stones in heather 40 metres in diameter , a path goes round them hence the landscaping effect. anyone wanting to have a look (it's nearly yer backies nick) park in the layby just after the double gates just west of the 234m height mark on the map, walk back to the stile on the bend cross field to the N.W. over the rise and the stones are due south of the pylon which is about 150 yds away"
Couldn't resist that as I hadn't been out for ages, so off I set this morning into what was an extremely dreich day. His instructions are spot on except it's NE not NW, and I walked past the site initially trying to find the pylon in the mist...
It's definitely the remains of a circle, I estimate probably 12 stones originally, of which one solitary one to the west survives, along with 4 on the eastern arc. None of them terribly tall, but it sits in a lovely little natural amphitheatre. The photographs are terrible, the mist was very thick, and I'll try to get back on a sunny day to see it in a better light. A great atmosphere though even in the mist and drizzle, and only a short distance away from the Balkello stone.
Did a little digging on the RCAHMS website and the only stone circle listed in Auchterhouse parish is Templelands at NO3536, but it does say that it was removed during railroad excavations. It is an odd coincidence that the entry refers one to the Templelands cists at NO357361 and the circle on TMA as Auchterhouse is in such close proximity to the BalKello cists. So my guess is that when the Templemeads stone circle was removed it was brought here and re-erected in a similar setting to the original. Or not.
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Posted by nickbrand
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