Although this boulder has an “official” number D48 Stone of Noordbarge it is not a Hunebed, but a glacial erratic. When it turned out that the stone is not a capstone of a Hunebed, number D48 was removed from the catalog list.
But as the access is very easy and the boulder is De Dik(ste) Stien van Drenthe (thickest stone of Drenthe) I stopped and had a quick look at it.
Visited July 2018
It is perhaps debatable whether the human trait characterised by a marked reluctance to be content with the fleeting view... by finding the superfluous insight less satisfying than none at all... is a psychological attribute or flaw? Whatever, add it to the respective list. Now, whilst subscribing to the view that extremes of just about anything you care to mention are not a good idea (from alcohol to chocolate... religious lunatics... to political extremists such as Trump, Sturgeon, Corbyn.... etc) I have to admit that I find ‘whistle-stop’ visits of sites – the opportunity to place another ‘tick in the box’ – counter-productive at best, well aware that the querulous worm of dissatisfaction will insidiously burrow into my subconscious sooner rather than later and ensure I must return. So... just as the intoxicating sight of Cnoc Fillbhear Bheag from the bus en route to the Tursachan inexorably lead to a return three years later, my all-too-brief stop over below Cnoc Charornaidh in 2013 inevitably sees me waking beside the Allt Eileag this morning.
This time I have a plan – well, sort of – in lieu of the on the spot improvisation of my previous visit to these obscure parts. Albeit a rubbish one based upon a more-or-less total ignorance of the topography. Hey, a stroll along a river bank in the sunshine. What could be easier? As I ponder the map, pitifully unaware of my impending ordeal, if not doom, a very hard looking gentleman from Edinburgh is disgorged from a passing car. Seems he’s about to go cross country for a few days sleeping in bothies. His primary concern? The midges, naturally. He is a study in meticulous preparation; and then is gone. I follow in short order, heading approx east along the northern bank of the Allt Eileag…. and running straight into deep bog rendered vaguely passable by ‘islets’ of that ubiquitous, industrial strength grass so familiar to those who care to venture upon the Mid Walian uplands. The occasional presence of a deer fence doesn’t help matters either, to be fair. I assume one isn’t supposed to venture this way, then? Unless standing on the shoulders of giants, perhaps? Anyway, I eventually reach the confluence with the River Oykel – this being Glen Oykel, of course – and continue, with no let up in the challenging terrain, following the parent water course to the north-west toward its birthplace… Loch Ailsh.
Exhausted – hey, this is worse than climbing a bloody mountain, this – I finally reach the chambered cairn at Garbh Ath Chaoruinn (NC31700853). Although clearly having seen better days the stone pile remains deceptively substantial, a large, elongated capstone having been displaced by persons/events unknown to reveal the remnants of a chamber defined by several orthostats. One can almost hear a pithy Stephen Fry admonition accompanying that QI klaxon as I state that almost anywhere else this site would surely represent a TMA-er’s primary focus. Here, however, the quality control is turned up to 11 on the dial. So, I take a well earned breather as the watery sun begins to establish its ascendancy over the morning cloud base, promising a fine afternoon. Just the thing for a full-on wade through bog. The hour I elect to stay here, although not exactly a fleeting visit, is not sufficient, but with so much more to see I must, all too soon, re-engage with my personal struggle. Suffice to say the short absence hasn’t made the heart grow fonder. Consequently it is a blessed relief to finally near journey’s end.... the chambered cairn lying unobtrusively before the unseen source of the nascent river now beckoning the traveller onward.... Loch Ailsh.
A bridge carries the Benmore Lodge access track (yes, it is possible to drive here should you so wish) across the Allt Strath Seasgaich, a slight deviation from which allows the thirsty traveller to replenish the water bottle, before veering left beyond a damaged deer fence to arrive at the impressive monument. Impressive? OK, the cairn isn’t the largest one will ever encounter; furthermore, the chamber is indicated by pretty minimal stonework – at least that remains visible. Nevertheless, at further risk of invoking the Wildean ire of Mr Fry, there is an aura here which even the occasional shrill discourse of picnickers beside the loch can not dispel. So, why is this the case? Hmmm. Perhaps it’s partly a reaction to the intense energy expended upon the journey – the pilgrimage – here? At least when coming my way. Sid as opposed to Frank. The calm after the storm, to be (apparently) characteristically obtuse. Or perhaps there is simply something... that indefinable ‘something’ … about the way Ben More Assynt dominates the northern skyline? Or the pastel hue of the Bryophyta subsuming the stone pile, moss indicative of the tree cover which, according to the map, once restricted the outlook here? Or perhaps some things are always beyond analysis, beyond reason.
As I sit and ponder, amongst other things, the sheer surreality of sunbathing upon a chambered cairn in Assynt, my thoughts turn to the return leg of my journey. Now I want to stop off at the third of my stony triumvirate (at NC31350794), but clearly, retracing my steps along the river bank is a non starter. No shit, Sherlock. I therefore elect to ascend Cnoc Charornaidh by the treeline and attempt to fix a bearing from the summit trig. The retrospective view across the loch to Ben More Assynt is pretty special, it has to be said. As are the vistas from the summit itself, the trig set upon a stony mound which does have a Citizen Cairn’d wondering. Probably no prehistoric ancestry, but it goes without saying folks have been coming up here for millennia. Descending into the trees, the ride soon deteriorates into a soggy, churned up mess. Nevertheless, upon taking a right hand fork, I duly arrive at what is a pretty special monument to end the day at.
Once again there is a lot of cairn still in situ. However it is the clear remains of passage and chamber which ensures, structurally speaking at least, this is – for me – the finest site in the immediate locality. OK, surrounding views are non-existent due to the tree cover, but by crawling face down (not that I have a lot of practice undertaking such a manoeuvre, you understand) it is possible to peer into the void within, eyes adjusting to the semi darkness discerning some pretty hefty orthostats still in situ. The sun dips below the tree tops and seems to imply that I should leave this place to gather whatever it is that engenders such an ethereal feeling in susceptible visitors. It is wise, I think, to comply with the very reason for life on Earth, the ride continuing roughly south-west to eventually strike the A837. In retrospect this is the way to come...… river bank strolls can be fun. But as the Gershwins duly noted, it ain’t necessarily so.
D14 Eexterhalte is one of the Hunebed giants (18m x 4.5m) with originally 9 capstones (6 still in place). Fragements with drillholes of one capstone lies in the western end. Also the entrance can clearly be traced and 7 kerb stones still exists.
As the Hunebed has its own car park, approach is very easy. Bring some snacks and something to drink with you, sit down and enjoy this lovely place!
Visited July 2018
D13 Eext is the only ”staircase” tomb in the Netherlands, which means that the chamber of this partially still in the hill located passage grave, was originally accessible via a steep staircase. The chamber consists of 3 supporting stone pairs and 2 end stones, which stands close to each other. Only one of the capstones remained.
That alone should be reason enough to visit the tomb. It is located in the southwest of Eext behind a large riding ground.
Visited July 2018
One of the less attractive Hunebed in Drentsche Aa National Park, but mainly because there are so many other more appealing Hunebeds in the vicinity. All that remains are seven stones, all three capstones are titled to one side, as all supporting stones on the western side are missing.
Like Les Hamiltion mentioned in his fieldguide there is now a signed access from Anderensweg heading north, but nevertheless I would recommend to follow his instruction via Venakkers street, especially if you arriving by car as this approach will keep you longer on a tarred road.
Visited July 2018
Visited: June 28, 2018
Immediately below the hill of Baile Mhargaite, with its summit broch, lie the remains of a Bronze Age village and burial ground on a sandy plateau some 15 metres above sea level. The plateau undulates a little and includes a number of hut circles and three cists.
The main cist, by far the best preserved of the three, lies at NC 69863 61030, sunk into the summit of a mound (cairn ?) about 2.5 metres tall. The cist, measuring 107x56x51 cm, is perfectly preserved, and open (its capstone lies just to one side of it), and is lined on all sides with flagstones.
Just a few metres away at NC 69856 61027 is a second open cist with one end flagstone and its cover both absent.
The third cist lies in level ground some 22 metres north of the first two at NC 69847 61051. It has no capstone, both end flagstones are missing, and the crypt has infilled with sand.
As I walked from D17 to D18, the whitish color of the stones and the large capstones, bent like a spine, reminded me of the skeleton of a dinosaur as seen in museums :-).
Visited July 2018
D17 Rolde and D18 Rolde are one the most famous Hundebeds pair in Drenthe. They lay opposite the beautiful medieval church Jacobskerk and its graveyard in north Rolde. There is a large car park and a small picnic area, so on summer weekends you might be not alone at the site. When I arrived I was the only person wandering around the Hunebeds, D17 Rolde is a little bit threatened by an old oak, D18 Rolde is the better preserved (or restored) of the two twins.
Visited July 2018
Wow, this Hunebed is impressive, nine capstones and their supportig sidestones pairs along with a complete entrance. Unfortunately I missed the cupmarks on one of the capstones, as I read Les Hamilton’s fieldnotes after my visit.
There are two approaches to visit the site: First one is to turn into Lienstukkenweg in (north) Balloo (there is a Hunebed sign, so this seems to be the official access), following this track for about 600m, after a sharp left turn the track is more a sandy field road, continue on the track for another 500m to reach the Hunebed. The second approach follows Les Hamilton’s image in his fieldnotes. There is a car park at N52° 59’ 35.6” E6° 37’ 26.2”, I parked there and walked through the scenic Kampsheide for about 1km to D16 Balloo.
Visited July 2018
Just to the north west of the Dunachtonmore Cairn and on top of a wee climb sits another cairn.
This site is smaller, 8m wide and 1m high, and has some massive kerbs. Once again the centre has been houked to reveal what was probably the place for a cist. Being slightly higher up there are spectacular views east to Cairngorms, wonderful scenery in the Spey valley and to the west, Creag Mor.
A completely unexpected but superb end to a day that started early and included many miles on foot. The dog probably walked twice as much, equally good as she slept all the way home.
Visited 27/4/2018.
I didn’t expect very much when arriving at this cairn, even Canmore relegates the cairn to a discovery made during rabbit control. What I saw was way beyond expectations.
From Torr Advie we continued south on the B9152 until the subway sign which has Duntachmore and interestingly the Scottish Sheep Dog Training centre on it. Keep going past Duntachtonmore Farm and park were the road widens. (I asked permission) From there walk or wade through the small wood which on this occasion was a mud bath. Once into the clear the track dries and a pleasant walk on the banks of the Dunachtonmore Burn.
Stay on the track which leads almost straight to the cairn. I think this is a type of ring cairn. At least 1 stone stands whilst other large stones are used as kerbs to surround the 12m wide cairn. It sits at 1m high. Signs of a cist are in the middle but some houking as occurred. No turf or any other vegetation completely covers the site, which makes it easy to see when approaching from the east.
A beautiful site, made all the more interesting by some weird noises..............................the Highland Wildlife Park is on the other side of the trees.
Visited 26/4/2018.
Lovely Hunebed with remarkable features, like most kerbstones still in place and a pretty entrance with two pairs of sidestones and a capstone.
The only thing which might disattract you is the vicinity of a busy railway line, otherwise I found D15 Loon and its setting really lovely. One of my highest ranked Hunebed in the Drentse Aa national park.
Visited July 2018
D10 Gasteren lies in the Gasterse Duinen, a heath area right in the middle of Drentse Aa national park. This is really a lovely and splendid place, so bring enough time with you to stroll around the many walking paths.
Just about 200m from the car park you’ll find D10 Gasteren a small and incomplete Hunebed. From the original four capstones only two remained, but the supporting and end stones seem to be complete. Nevertheless a nice Hunebed in a wonderful setting.
Visited July 2018
It seems to be a complete but small Hunebed (only three capstone along with their supporting pairs of stone) in a clearing beside a residential street, so parking and access is very easy.
When I’m visiting megalihic sites I’m always very happy when I’m the only person so I can “experience the site for myself”. Unfortunately when I arrived at D6 Tynaarlo a father and his two children played hide and seek in and around the Hunebed. And although they saw that I wanted to take some pictures, they didn’t stop to run around the monument and into my photo scenes. So after I took my chance to take some undisturbed pictures I left the place after a very short time :-(.
Visited July 2018
Another rather small Hunebed with four capstones in a tranquil place. What makes D5 Zeijen a bit special is the fact, that the stones lies in a hollow and the surrounding mound is still visible.
Parking and access is very easy, as there is a paved side road from the road between Assen and Norg. Just watch for the Hunebed sign northwest of Zeijen.
Visited July 2018
Torr Alvie commands some stunning all round views particularly the Spey Valley. We approached by taking the B9152 south from Aviemore and parked at the entrance to the caravan site at Dalraddy. From here we walked following the tarred road over an old railway bridge, took the first track north, then a track east and eventually a track heading north. There is a massive monument dedicated to the Duke of Gordon (Gordon Highlanders chap), head for that as it sits at the northern end of the fort.
Near the monument, the forts defences have been almost totally removed. However bits of rampart remain on the east and west flanks, some parts of wall reaching 3 meters in width. The inside of the fort looks very flat and the Iron Age folks might have altered the slopes (according to Canmore). Whatever they did it was large scale as the fort is over 80m long and 30m wide.
A very impressive setting, the hike up well worth it if only just for the views. Underfoot conditions are excellent all the way to the top.
Visited 27/4/2018.
Leave the B970 (south from Coylum Bridge) and take the road to Loch an Eilein, pulling in at Milton Cottage. Head south west by jumping the Milton Burn, then head uphill.
The cairn sits on top pf Geag A’ Mhuilein, a short but fairly steep climb.
Sitting at about 12m and 0.5m high, the cairn still has several kerbs in place. As usual somebody has had a go at some houking.
Tremendous views, decent site if somewhat overgrown. With that done it was time to fall back down the hill.
Visited 19/4/2018.
The Drum has a great location, surrounded by mountains and lochs. Across the river, Spey, is a fort and further east another cairn. There are possible duns in the area which I’ll investigate at some point.
Sadly the cairn, which is oval shaped, has largely gone. Several intermittent kerbs remain in place, the height of the cairn never reaching more than 0.3m.
A case of ‘what if’.
Still, a very beautiful place.
Head south west from Coylum Bridge on the B970 and pull in just beyond the road to Loch an Eilein. The cairn is in the field to the east.
Visited 19/4/2018.
This dun had defeated me four times in the past, lost, exhausted, blizzards and a missing dog had contributed to previous attempts. A good thing because it meant we had to come back.
I parked near the Pityoulish Standing Stone and headed south east along the track towards Kincardine Cottage. From here head straight west. Underfoot conditions are fine if somewhat undulating along with a few sneaky hiding rocks. Once over the second ridge a bog will be reached, on the other side looking down is the dun.
A stunning location which for miles along the Spey beyond Grantown, north towards Carrbridge, west towards Aviemore, to the south Creag a’ Ghreusaiche looms.
The dun is oval shaped 8m by 9m. At some points the wall is almost 4m wide. Parts of the wall remain built but sadly most of it has fallen. Northern and eastern defences are further boosted by steep cliffs. The front door is in the west, which is how I swung up from the bog. As per usual the shepherds have made small wind breaks. Nothing detracts from this dun, a lovely place to sit and let your imagination run riot.
Going back down we headed north to look for a cup marked rock which remained invisible. On reaching a clearance, apt, we found the remains of a township, a ghost town.
After that it was head straight north which led straight back to the car. Much easier than the way up.
Visited 27/4/2018.
On my way from D5 Zeijen to D2 Westervelde I made a short stop in Norg to see this site in front of Margarethakerk.
Although no structure is visible as such, the shape of the stones suggests that they may have served as capstones for a hunebed.
Visited July 2018
D2 Westervelde is a smaller hunebed, originally it consisted of 4 capstones, of which only two are preserved. The entrance in the south of the Hunebed is still visible.
Nevertheless, it is worth a visit, as it spreads a magical atmosphere due to its quiet location, the ideal place for a small picnic.
Visited July 2018
This beauty lies in a rather unusual place, more in the slope than on top of a sand hill. All six capstones are in place, even the entrance comes with a portal stone. This area seems to be often visited, there is a car park about 150m to the southwest.
There were some cleanups going on during my visit by Het Drentse Landschap. Unfortunately they also used a rather loud leaf blower (I hate these devices), which destroyed the whole atmosphere.
Visited July 2018
Both Hundebed are in the vicinity of Midlaren, drive the Schutsweg until Hunebedpad is crossing. Watch out for the Hunebed sign between two farmhouses which leads between two hedges to the site.
Most of the Hunebeds are isolated, but there are eight pairs, one pair is formed by D3 Midlaren and D4 Midlaren. Both east-west oriented Hunebeds are in-line and only separated by about 5m. They are squeezed in the backyard of a farm between barns and thick old oaks, but nevertheless I find this site really splendid and fetchingly.
Visited July 2018
Easy to visit (although parking is a bit tricky), as it is located directly in the street Zuidlaarderweg just before the roundabout in Annen (if you drive north).
Unfortunately, the grave is only half preserved, there are still two pairs of upright stones with their capstones along with the endstone. Markers show the position of the missing stones.
Visited July 2018
Visited: June 26, 2018
Canmore dramatically describes Dun Carnachaidh as: ‘The remains of a broch on a cliff overlooking the river valley’!
What cliff?
There’s no cliff within sight, and the broch stands just 90 metres west of the Strathnaver road up a steepish grassy hillside.
This broch cannot be seen from the road as it sits on a level shelf about 25 metres up the hillside. It takes but a few minutes to reach it. It is extremely ruinous with few major features extant. The foundation course can be followed intermittently around the structure and there are some impressively large stones of the 2nd course around the southeastern arc. Amongst the tumble to the west of the broch is what appears to be the remains of an intra-mural gallery.
Access to Dun Carnachaidh is straightforward as there is parking in a bay beside a cattle grid on the road just 1½ kilometres north of Carnachy. The fence at the roadside consists only of wire strands which it is easy to wriggle between (no barbed stuff).
