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A pleasant surprise to find this tomb while having a look around the gardens. Manicured yes, but equally in no danger of being ploughed up, or having rubbish dumped in it, so I'll take what I can get.
It's not worth paying the entrance fee to see it, and in some respects nor are the gardens given what NTS charge. I'd always advise joining, because no matter what your views on the organisation, you get 'free' entry to all the properties, throughout the UK. Nice places for picnics on the way home, and for finding hidden gems like this one.
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A link to Walkingworld, where details of the path can be found.
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Clachnaben (or Clach-na-ben) is a near 600m hill south of Banchory, topped with a massive granite plug. Visible from miles around, it has given rise to the rhyming couplet "Clachnaben and Bennachie, Are twa landmarks frae the sea" and the similarities to Bennachie are obvious.
Accessed from a small car-park on the B974 a good, but sometimes steep track will take you to the summit. Passing through pine forest, across moorland, around a small wood and finally up to the summit, you get most of natural Scotland in a 4 mile return walk. The tor dominates the skyline, and changes at each angle of the approach. Once there, an easy scramble to the top gives massive views 360 degrees around - Bennachie & Lochnagar can be seen, and if the view is clear, you can see the North Sea, and down to the firth of Tay.
Whilst not famous for it, I'm sure a 'face' can be made out on the southern side of the Tor-see my photos. From the comments of other people up there, I'm not the only one to see it.
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When RCAHMS visited in 1996 all they found was:
"the massive recumbent boulder and its flanking stones, both of which have fallen. The recumbent, which lay on the SW of the circle, is irregularly-shaped and measures 2.9m in length from ESE to WNW by about 1.1m in thickness and 1.7m in height. The E flanker has fallen to the NE and measures 2.6m in length by 1.7m in breadth and at least 0.7m in thickness. The W flanker has fallen to the WNW and measures 2.9m in length by 1.4m in breadth and at least 0.7m in thickness. A heap of field-cleared stones has been placed behind the recumbent and the remainder of the area of the circle has been cultivated."
Judging by Moths photos it reads better than it lives.
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They may be dark & a little smoky (tho not as bad as the blackhouses!) but they give a real impression of snugness & warmth. The lady from Historic Scotland was quite pleased to see us, we were the only people to visit all day - and this was July!
Visited 2001
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Using the new Google Co-op feature I've created this search engine which may come in useful.
Enter your search term & it will Google it across the whole web, but giving preference to the megalithic websites I've put in - TMA, Megalithic, Megalithomania, Stone Pages & others (inc. mine).
Even better you can suggest more sites to include, definitely including your own if you have one-the more the better!
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Two new books on RSCs from RCAHMS
After years without any books on the Recumbent Stone Circles of Aberdeenshire, we will get two in the next couple of years - to quote Adam Welfare at RCAHMS:
"You may be interested to learn that we are presently working on two
books about Aberdeenshire. The most advanced is a detailed multi-period
study of the archaeology of the Don Valley, which we trust will be
published sometime this coming year (2007). This contains an overview of
the Recumbent Stone Circles and related stone rings, etc., within the
survey area. In the case of the RSCs, the Don Valley embraces about 50%
of the known examples.The cover may even feature a Hi-Spy shot of Easter
Aquhorthies . . ."
As a result of collecting so much info on RSC's during the course of researching this book, they decided to put it to good use and:
"because such a high proportion
of the known sites had been surveyed in the course of that study, we
decided to examine the remainder to the north and the south of this core
distribution and produce a separate volume devoted to the Recumbent
Stone Circles themselves. There were many reasons why this seemed a good
idea, not the least being that the class, itself, was long overdue a
review, as almost 150 sites have been attributed to it rightly or
wronglyover the years. This is likely to appear in about 12 to 18 months
time (2008).
Although the RSCs form the heart of this volume, it has been
necessarily to discuss them in relation to the many similar monument
types in their immediate neighbourhood and also further afield. Part of
the study is also devoted to a review of the development of the ideas
that have gradually accreted concerning their origin and purpose."
I can't wait! He also told me that full use of colour will be made throughout, in both photos and graphics, so they should be fantastic books. They will most likely appear under publication of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
As with all publishing, the dates are subject to revision, but roll on 2008!
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Well, we chose a nice day for it, swirling mist and driving rain mean an absence of photos for this site I'm afraid!
This is a truly amazing site, Mither Tap is so visible from so many sites, yet I hadn't realised that so much of the 'nipple' as it were, was actually man-made-I knew it was a fort but there's a real scale to it. The vitrified walls are incredible-I had read about them, but never seen them up close. The heat and sheer size of fire need to melt these walls must have been off the scale-the walls are at least 100 feet high, and yet clearly melted and slumped. If, as theorised, the burnings were carried out by an invading force, it must have been a real statement of intent to the locals - shock & awe anyone?
Wonderful site, and although steep only about 1 hours walk from the Bennachie Centre car park, even with 2 four year olds in tow.
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Another sorry urbanised site. Destroyed in antiquity, the stones were used in a wall, and most have disappeared. The equally abused Brandsbutt Pictish stone was also broken up for walling material, before being Blue Petered back together and dumped here. Just to finish it off, they then built a housing estate around it.
Not a place to linger, I'm afraid.
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Four years on, and at last I can reach the circle-and its well worth it. A truly massive recumbent, and everything about this circle seems big, although the suggested arc is quite tight. This could have been quite claustrophobic when complete.
Most recumbent stones are chocked into place, and this is no exception. However, I like the fact that this ones main chock stone was also shaped to fit snugly against the flanker. There is a smaller stone adjacent to the flanker, which I feel could well be the 'backsight', the smallest stone of the circle moved from its traditional place directly opposite the recumbent.
I know there's lots to see in Aberdeenshire, but you won't regret a visit here. Visit Sheldon while you're at it.
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Four years since my last visit, and the circle seems bigger than I remember. This is probably due to the fact that the grass and gorse have been well cut down, and this makes viewing the circle so much easier. I hadn't even made out the outlier on my last visit, but now it stands clear, and the arc of the circle can be clearly seen, along with the sheer size of the tallest stone, some 8ft high.
This is a wonderful site, although a cutting north wind was blowing, there was all manner of rubble strewn around the interior: field clearance and possible cairn rubble certainly, along with the ubiquitous scattering of quartz.
Had a long chat with the Farmer & Bob the sheepdog, and he said that not many people visit anymore (the farmer, not Bob). This is a real shame, and those of you that have visited Aberdeenshire without seeing this circle have missed out on something special. Next year?
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Via Romford, Northants and now living in Aberdeenshire, Mr Copes big blue & orange book must accept a measure of blame for where I now live. And its great!
Aberdeenshire is absolutely fantastic, and to live in a place with dozens of the finest stone circles in the world is unbelievably lucky. I intend to make the most of it! I'd like to get the Aberdeenshire pages up to date as is humanly possible, but its a big task. I also maintain my own meagre website on stones:
http://bigstones.org.uk/
Along with blogs:
http://thermalblog.co.uk
http://autofocused.co.uk
I intended to do this 5 years ago, but then TMA arrived and I didn't bother. That would probably have been the right choice! ;-)
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