Latest Fieldnotes

Nine years ago I had trouble finding this site and I couldn’t really work out why, I think I know why now. The 1:50,000 map has the burial chamber as being south east of a footpath, or so I thought, closer inspection has the footpath turning into a Bridle path. I was on the wrong footpath. So here’s the definitive directions.
I will presume you have found the east west minor road that runs from the B5108 to the A5025 south of Benllech, look for an off road called Maes Llydan it should be opposite a Bridle path, park on Maes Llydan and walk off down the Bridle path.
keep an eye out left through the thin line of trees lining the path, when you’ve walked past one field on the left it’s there in the next field right up against the hedge, it is visible and can be spotted by the observant.

It really did take ages to find it, I nearly gave up, but a trio of helpful horses helped me out, they buoyed my spirits and had I known at the time where the chamber was I might have thought they were shepherding me in the right direction, they were.
Trees often help me out too, it sounds incredibly stupid, even to me, but the number of times I’ve been close to quitting only to make for a nearby tree and have the problem immediately resolved, so if trees know lots then horses will no all, logic see.
In the end we more or less stumbled across the site, it’s still free of the close by hedge, but the brambles behind it are quite thick and I had to clear the entrance of the tomb to get a good look inside. One thing I hadn’t noted last time was the sea view, perhaps the hedge was even higher before, it’s always best to have a sea view isn’t it ? unless it costs us a mountain view.
Speaking of which it’s time for a Snowdonian hill fort, I hope the crappy weather behaves.

Suffice to say that the long, long drive from South-east Essex to Scotland is not an event I anticipate with any degree of relish.... despite this year marking the ninth, consecutive such undertaking. Yeah, a glutton for punishment, me. Consequently it’s always a boon to my sense of well being to finally cross the border and feel enabled to switch off the mental auto pilot, to engage with the landscape. Furthermore, my arrival at Junction 12 of the M74 this time around coincides with the usual heavy precipitation seen in this parts being rendered conspicuous by its absence. So, a wee jaunt up the Cairn Table – postponed from last year by the aforementioned rain – it is, then. The mountain... well, at 1,945ft I’m going with that ... overlooks the town of Muirkirk, itself astride the A70. ‘Furnace Road’, no doubt a linguistic reference to the locality’s former industrial heritage, heads past a caravan park to a specially-designated car park at Kames. Upon arrival, a local elderly man duly takes great delight in informing me that the recent fortnight of fine weather is set to end. Rhetorical question.. but why do that, swine that you are?

Miserable git dispatched upon his way, I follow a track roughly south-east toward the distant summit, negotiating my way between numerous derelict quarries and areas of bog... not altogether successfully in respect of the latter. Incidentally should one (for any reason) happen to contemplate inspection of such excavations signs warn, in no uncertain terms, that this really is not a good idea. Veering to the left away from Linky Burn I ascend The Steel, a small cairn situated across the boundary fence residing upon a suggestively grassy footprint. Nothing however upon the map... or Canmore. As I gain height the summit cairns crown the horizon beneath a towering cloudscape. Nearly there, then.

The summit of Cairn Table is a not overly appealing place, thanks to the rusting remnants of a former enclosing wire fence and the sadly anticipated accumulation of rubbish. However this is how things are nowadays, a Scotland the soldiers commemorated by the massively conical War Memorial would no doubt not altogether approve of. Having said that, it’s a fine viewpoint, such an assertion supported by the presence of a topographical indicator confirming that, yes, that is indeed Tinto resplendent to the approx north-east. The memorial is a mighty construction sourced from what must clearly have been an even more substantial Bronze Age monument, now sadly, by definition, a mere fragment of its former self. I have mixed emotions... is it better for ancient heritage to be destroyed to facilitate an act of latter-day respectful rememberence than to erect a storm shelter? Could what occurred here upon the Cairn Table in 1920 be regarded as simply moving a cairn from one point of the summit plateau to another? I’ll have to give that conundrum further thought.

Thankfully Cairn Table possesses a second, more-or-less intact cairn a little to the east. Yeah, this is more like it, truly a fine upland cairn... probably not as massive as its neighbour once was, but easily substantial enough to compensate. Canmore reckons the monument “measures 16m in diameter and 3.5m in height.... A bronze armlet and ring, found together under a boulder on its E margin, were donated to the NMAS in 1933” (Acc Nos: FA 90, 91). As I sit and take in the horizons, wondering what the next two weeks will bring – I have no real plan, to be fair – the wondrous Tinto begins to exude a ‘presence’, an attraction far in excess of it’s relatively limited height.

Needless to say I end up spending the night beneath it.

This great stone is a stone of two names Carreg Lefn, and Maen Pres the smooth or brass stone, this is another instance of the Welsh flexing their humorous muscles again, the stone is not smooth, by a long way, and it really aint made of brass, it just makes me shake my head in wonder the names they’ve given to some sites, or am I missing some now lost snippet of information that makes it all click into place. Parys mountain copper mine is a mile or two away east you need copper to make brass, that’s all I’ve got.

It’s such a good stone this one, tall, gnarly, covered in lichen and moss and standing proud but lonely in the middle of an empty field. I tried to pick out a stone I hadn’t yet been to on Angelsey, but I failed, I’m not sure there are any left that I haven’t had the pleasure of, there must be at least one.

With Carls notes twinned with my own negative views and telling photo I can only suggest there isn’t much need for anyone else to waste there time looking for this barrow, there are many more engaging stoney sites to go to, I only stopped because I was passing by.

At over 625 m above sea level it’s much higher than any UK stone circle and has a diameter close to that of Brodgar ,only Avebury and Stanton Drew are greater in diameter . So not a bijou upland stone circle .
What looks like portal stones ,might be considered to be due to the gaps around them , but they are the only two stones that are actually closer to the central stone , so there is a case for them being seen as portals . The rest maintain quite a regular radius .
Worth mentioning a prominent rock to the south east , it’s framed by the portal stones but not in their frame when viewed from the central stone .Of the three options centre stone to rock , centre of portals to rock and centre stone through portal stones the first is close enough to be considered a  winter solstice sunrise alignment .with the last a long way off .

I’ve passed this site by almost a dozen times, it’s collapsed and ruined and the current occupiers of this once sacred land demand that we ask to see it.
So I will reiterate the great Stubobs words “Get yourself over the gate”, and like he I went dead early, earlier still. I thought for a minute of knocking on the door the way that postmen do, but reckoned this wasn’t really what they had in mind, I’ve seen too many just got up grumpy faces, just doing my job.

So I parked some way away and walked back up the road and tip toed up the track to the farm buildings. No signs of life (well it is Wales) alerted me to farmers presence so I quietly climbed over the gate, if you go over by the hinges it makes less noise. Then a bee line to the stones, if all bees are a bit drunk. Stubobs analysis of the chamber is spot on, they are indeed a funny old jumble of stones, I think only the capstone is readily identifiable. I cant even tell if all the stones here are from the chamber, one big stone is earthfast outcrop, are they even in the same place, I doubted it.
Closer to the stones than the farm is the terminus of wires and pylons, it is without doubt a monstrosity, I can almost feel the mind control waves bashing around in my head, lucky for me i’m immune, probably the aneurysms.
Five minutes and I’m done, I think I got away with it.

As the great red orb rose above the horizon the heat shimmered across the arid expanse, my calculations were correct, perfectly in line with the large gnarled stones, I made notes in my battered brown notebook.

Meanwhile back in Anglesey thick grey cloud covered the horizon, no sun this morning, great or otherwise, the early morning dew has soaked me from the knees down, voodoo priestess has left the show, it has to be said that it was only slightly better than miserable.

And yet just because the sun don’t do it’s thing it’s never a wasted trip, i’m going to give the fallen cromelch 500 meters north west a crack, it can be mildly problematic but I’m feeling particularly driven today so I’m still hopeful.
The stones field is not unoccupied this morning a flock of sheep are keeping an eye on me, one of their number is black but to his credit it’s not let it become an obstacle.
Even the stones aren’t mine all mine, two delightfully slimey snails are squirming about on top of the bent stone, right at the top they are, i’m quite taken with them, on tip toes I get closer and enter their world watching them closely, before I know it seven hours have passed so I bid them and my stoney friends a fond farewell and swear that I’ll get a sunrise out of them, one day.

The stones mumbled among themselves but I didn’t quite catch it.

I’m not much of a fan of moderns imposing names on monuments or features , it detracts and only tells of the thinking of the namer . But this one is only one of many and probably won’t be visited too often . So a small dedication to a cause . When passing in the future it will either signify relief and the slaying of dragons or a sense of waste .I’m hoping and expecting the former .
The important stuff: 21 cups on the section in the pics , a couple of metres away are another 11 but they proved almost impossible to capture .
p.s. It was found on the day of the vote .

Visited 15/06/2016

I am posting these field notes more as a warning to stay away rather than to encourage others to visit. The site is easy to find off the A960 and left onto Churchyard Road and park just outside the cemetery. The site has been closed for some time and the field it sits in is fenced off and the field gate double secured with rope and chain.
A quick look in all directions, over the fence, past the rotting visitors reception and discovered I could still gain access to the pit. The burial pit has deteriorated rapidly in the time it has been closed. The steps down into it are steep, wet, slime covered and slippery. The old handrail, you must go down backwards, is only secure for the first few feet, thereafter it has broken away from its mountings and dangles loosely and a fall from here to the bottom will result in certain injury. In my humble opinion the only safe way down is with a rope and someone anchoring it from the top of the pit, and not just because of the unsafe nature of the descent but because pure evil resides in this pit and as you go further into it you can feel yourself being engulfed by it, my torch was struggling to penetrate the blackness and the air thickened to the point I thought gravity had doubled in strength. I touched the bottom and could take no more and headed as quickly to the surface as safety would allow, all the while with a feeling that something was clawing at me trying to pull me back in
I stumbled into the daylight, almost jumped the fence and just drove until I recovered my composure. In my opinion something evil is down their and the cairn is closed for a good reason, I thought it was for safety, however, it is clearly for what resides down there.
The authorities should close this pit off, remove it from maps and records and agree that it is never re opened.
This was beyond doubt the most uncomfortable feeling I have experienced in my life and I never wish to again. I bitterly regret going down by myself and urge others to keep away..

What a thoroughly and absolutely beautiful place.

Llandudno is, as you can guess quite a large town mainly because of the tourist trade, but it hasn’t suffered like Rhyl or Blackpool, it’s still a very nice place. But if even if the nicest town in Wales is too much town for you then the Great Ormes head cairn is as far away from the town as possible whilst still being technically in Llandudno. You can walk, drive, tram or fly through the air with the greatest of ease to within about half a mile from this wonderfully situated cairn.
It was so nice that when we were there a couple were doing Tai Chi, or perhaps it was the modern Klingon equivalent either way they looked a bit daft, but not as daft as thirty of them at a retreat on the edge of town.
No? I guess you had to be there.

The cairn can be found at a ninety degree turn of the wall right by the footpath, the mound is twice as large than the spread of stone upon it, I may have spotted the arc of kerb stones, it might not be though. I wondered what the large scoop was next to the cairn, it’s not in the cairn, it’s next to it, material taken for the cairn possibly, if the cairn was supposed to be viewed from across the estuary around Tal y Fan where there were many things going on in the Bronze age, then the little quarry would be hidden behind the cairn. I dunno i’m just ruminating, perhaps its the grave of the guy who had the stone rows built. Who knows.
Back to that amazing view, north is the open sea, left is Puffin Island and Angelsey, the Straits, then a lot of mountains, which then sink into the river Conway where nestles one of the best castles in Britain. It was so nice that one could go for a bit of Mok’bara.

Well this is a mysterious place isn’t it, who gave it the name? did he think he was being funny? who knows? looking at the Welsh language I don’t think they do funny. Which leads me to wonder why it hasn’t got a Welsh name, did an Englishman give it the name?

Why hasn’t the site page got a more exact grid ref SH7684 isn’t as precise as some TMA’ers would appreciate, though all that’s missing is zeroes so perhaps that’s it, SH76008400 is what coflein would perhaps give, but that’s actually the grid reference for a supposed standing stone, which is wrong anyway that stone is several hundred meters away and not visible from the bloomer, sorry free trade loaf.....really?
See, mysterious.

On a more surer ground, the site is a superb location, high and dry with short grass, there are many rocks upon the plateau one of which is Coflein’d to the level of standing stone, and the Irish sea fades off into the distance, it’s very nice in the sun reminding me of Scilly or some such lands endy type place. On top of the Orme it isn’t as pretty as it once was, i’m guessing though cause it’s not changed for about thirty years, apart from the Copper mine that is.

Visited: May 25, 2016

The scant remains of Dun Tom na h-Uraich stand on the very lip of the sea cliffs at the point where the A855 turns west towards Duntulm at the far north of the Trotternish Peninsula.

The site is barely 50 metres northwest of the remains of a prominent stone-built structure—the remains of a wartime radar station—on the summit of Tom na h-Uraich hill: an imposing landmark, seen from the road. Parking is available just a few metres past this, and a good track leads to the top of the hill, a superb lookout point.

Very little of the original stone walling of the dun remains, most of it almost certainly having been robbed in centuries past to build field dykes.

Visited 12th June 2016

Now how have I missed this place before! It was only on a trawl through Canmore, trying to establish just how many standing stones remained in Orkney, that I noticed one on South Ronaldsay I’d previously missed. A further check on TMA showed this stone looked rather good, and armed with Wideford’s directions, on another fine sunny day, we headed off over the barriers towards St Margaret’s Hope.

The single track lane signed to St Peter’s Kirk leads you down toward the sea, the grey stone of the kirk itself soon appearing on the horizon, seemingly floating on the sea like grey stone ship. To the left of the road as we descend the slope the towering megalith of Sourquoy stands proud, furred with sea moss, and keeping its lonely vigil.

Down at the end of the road there is plentiful parking at the kirk, the stone clearly visible on its hillside just up the road. A short walk back up the lane shows the stone stands in a narrow gap between two fields now separate from the fence line. The narrow path seems to form some sort of drainage ditch, a gully running up the side of it, currently dry due to the recent fine weather, and there is just enough space to either side of the ditch to walk next to the fence towards the stone, and shortly the drainage channel ends allowing more space to approach the megalith.

And a fine stone it is, towering above you and with that particular aspect that South Ronaldsay stones have, whereby they appear to be standing sentinel and staring out to the ocean. Like the Moai of Easter Island they all seem to be faced toward the sea, in some way to watch out over the shore and peoples of the island, and perhaps the reasons for their erection were not dissimilar to those of the inhabitants of that far flung island.

There is certainly a fine view from the stone, the lucent sparkle of the sun on the sea causing me to don my sunglasses (who’d have thought I’d need them on Orkney!) and the warmth of the stone on my back promoting an overall sense of serenity.

Pulling myself away we wander back to the car, and just off down past the kirk is the lovely sandy bay of Newark. Sand Martins skim the beach and Oystercatchers nest in the fields along the shore, and I catch a glimpse of some chicks as they run between the shelter of overgrown tufts of vegetation, the warning peeps of the adult birds echoing across the sands as they wheel overhead. Just behind the church on the shore line stands a modern standing stone, erected to commemorate the millennium, a fine memorial carved with a variety of Pictish symbols and well worth a visit. It stands almost in line with its ancient neighbour, a handful of millennia separating the two, but the sense of sacred place remains, a connecting thread through the ages.

Visited: May 25, 2016

Located on a mound, rising 25 metres above the Kilmaluag river and about half a kilometre due east of the tiny community of Conasta, Dun Hollan lies close to the road at the point where it makes a sharp right-angle turn to the west. Here, a field gate leads to a path that makes towards the dun.

From the west the dun shows as a gentle rise above the surrounding moor, but once its summit is reached it is clear that it is a signiicant elevation, plunging steeply towards the river beyond. Very little remains to be seen, but the southern half of the mound still retains the grassy saucer shape that characterises numerous dilapidated duns. Several original stones peek through at its southern end, and the grassy bank trending round the southwestern margin probably conceals more of the foundation course.

According to Canmore, stones visible on the northern part of the dun are in fact remains of ancient field dykes that were built over the mound.

My final stony entry from my memorable holiday in Donegal. This is thanks to my map reading, tomb hunting companion for the week. After visiting the Muckros peninsula, we found a rather breath taking megalithic tomb at Kilbeg on top of hill overlooking Teelin Bay and the Slieve League mountains. We had to climb over a fence and up a hill to see it – I must admit to being a little reticent but friend went up the hill first before urging me to follow. I did and it was so worth the climb to the top of the hill – siting a tomb in such a place of wild beauty makes so much sense when you are actually there. The tomb is basically what we would describe as ruined but still very recognisable as a court tomb.

Nearest town Kilcar, Map ref: OSI (Ireland) Discovery Series, No. 10, grid ref: 598755. This series of maps has all the megalithic tombs and other ancient monuments shown on it so an ‘essential’.

Dun Smail stands on a prominent mound, immediately adjacent to the last house to the west in the small community of Clachan, less than a kilometre south of Staffin. There is little remaining of this dun except for intermittent remnants of a wall near the top of the mound.

The mound is easily accessed from the west, where it is a gentle stroll to its summit, which affords splendid views of the Quiraing.

Visited 9th June 2016

A glorious sunny day on our trip to Westray with barely a cloud in the sky, and in my continuing quest to track down all of Orkney’s standing stones I notice one marked on the O.S. map enticingly close to the road. I try to spot it in the fields at the side of the road whilst simultaneously trying not to fall off my bike or veer into oncoming traffic (fortunately not much of a problem on Westray) but the stone proves elusive, and I figure it’s probably one of those small stones not easy to spot unless you’re right on top of it, how wrong I would turn out to be!

The rest of the day is pleasant though, visiting some of Westray’s other archaeological treasures and on our way back down the island I cast a final longing glance towards the spot where the map indicates the standing stone and just spot a tantalising glimpse of what could be the tip of a menhir peeking above a rise in the field. We are next to a farmhouse called Braehead Manse & Reid Hall, and propping the bike at the side of the road I follow a rough track up the side of the farm buildings which seems to lead toward another derelict house. Soon though I encounter a barbed wire fence across the track, placed to corral a herd of somewhat truculent looking cows who now seem to be the derelict building’s inhabitants. Although there is no way through I get a better view of the stone, and it looks a whopper!

Not to be defeated in the hunt for a site I head back to the road, where Ellen points out a gate into the field to the south side of the farmhouse, a field thankfully free of bovine interlopers, and just visible ahead the top of the stone. And what a stone it is, a slate-like finger, squared off and rising around 11 feet from its base of packing stones. The top is covered with a bristly growth of lichens, whilst the lower corners are rubbed to a polished smoothness due to its use as a cattle rubbing post. The menhir stands atop a small rise close to a stone fieldwall, looking down to Pierowall to the north.

The ‘front’ of the stone, or at least its widest face, draws the eye toward the western hills of Westray, hills that are topped with a line of cairns. I wonder if this stone sentinel in some way was meant to delineate this area, signifying a boundary with the sacred high grounds beyond. In this way it reminded me of the Stone of Setter on nearby Eday, which also seemed to signify the start of an area rich in ritual sites. Standing here I can see the cairns atop the hills to either side framing the stone.

There’s nothing better than finding a site for the first time, particularly when it exceeds your expectations, like this stone has. The calls of Curlews and Oystercatchers, for me the soundtrack of Orkney, ring out around us, the sun warmed stone on my back providing a sense of snugness, and I think how perfect it is to be here. It’s more than just having ‘bagged’ this stone, but instead having found somewhere I’m captivated. One day I’ll return and walk to the cairns in the hills, to look down on the stone from above, but until then we’ll have to leave, with just enough time to spot some Puffins on the rock stack of the Castle O’ Burrian nearby.

In his wonderful book, Inscribing the Landscape: The rock art of South Leinster wordwellbooks.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1607 Christiaan Corlett writes of the re-use and rediscovery of 3 cup-marked stones in Preban cemetery. We found 2 of these stones, and what is maybe a fourth, very small, stone with 2 cups.

Using the gazeteer at the back of the book, it was hard to locate the stones as they are both not in the same position as when Christiaan photographed them. I’ve only realised now that the third stone, the one that we didn’t find, named Preban 1 in the book, is illustrated also. Ah well.

I’ve followed the naming convention from the book, Preban 1, 2 and 3 and taken the liberty of adding the fourth, Preban 4, discovered by seven-year-old Lily-Mae.

Visited 6th June 2016

Cuween hill is one of the most wonderful chambered tombs on Mainland, like a scaled down version of Maes Howe, without the attendant crowds of that site, and somewhere you can spend time to take in the atmosphere of the place.

Today is a glorious sunny day, with no wind, almost unheard of on Orkney. I take the opportunity of the fine weather and long northern summer days to cycle from the house, out along the Old Finstown road, passing the brooding flanks of Wideford Hill, its chambered cairn hidden from view at this angle, towards the hills surrounding Finstown and my destination. Soon the great bowl of Heddle quarry becomes visible, like a giant bite taken out of the hillside, and in the foreground the green lump of the Fairy Knowe, highlighted by the strange piles of rocks which have been constructed behind it. When I first visited Cuween Hill I got very excited by what looked like a line of standing stones arrayed above the top of the chambered cairn, only to find stacks of stones instead of fine megaliths.

I leave my bike in the small parking area at the foot of the hill, and head up to the tomb, the heat of the sun, and the echoing call of a cuckoo, give the evening a very summer idyll. Clambering over the stile allowing access through the fence which surrounds the tomb I notice the little municipal torch provided outside the entrance is still in situ, but lacking in batteries. No matter, the sun directly over the mound is bright enough to illuminate the entrance passageway, and even provide a dim glow into the interior.

A low shuffle down the entrance passage brings you into a surprisingly tall chamber, the ceiling arching overhead in a wonderful corbelled construction. My eyes adjust to the gloom enough for me to make out the darker squares of the small openings of the side chambers, one on each wall of the tomb. I crouch down and enter the side cell opposite the entrance. Inside this side chamber opens out, a smaller cell partitioned by a low stone step, and now turned away from the main chambers tenebrous interior the blackness ahead of me becomes almost tangible. It’s difficult to know how far this chamber will extend, I reach out gingerly, touching the wall, further away than I thought, and hunker down. Now the sensory deprivation seems total, sounds muffled to an almost inaudible extent, and the darkness enveloping me like a shroud. I relax, the stone beneath me not uncomfortable, and the chamber dry for once due to the lack of rain over the past week. Soon I think I hear the sound of dripping water, although none is there, and small dark shapes seem to flit before my eyes. Oh yes there are fairies here, though not the twee winged creatures of children’s stories, but the needle teethed mischievous peedie trows of the Orcadian landscape. Visions come easily here and as I mediate time seems to take on a fluid nature, and I’m unsure how long I’ve actually been here.

Eventually it’s a cramped feeling in my legs that brings me back to reality, and I uncurl myself and stumble outside into the sunlight. The site of cars on the road below reassure me that I’m still in 2016, and the sun overhead doesn’t even seem to have moved, although a glance at my watch shows I’ve been inside around half an hour.

I sit atop the mound to write my fieldnotes, And gaze down to the Wide Firth below, and try to make out Wideford cairn hunkered into its hill to the east. Whatever our distant ancestors had in mind when designing these tombs we will never know, but what’s clear to me is that they still retain an ability to affect us in the here and now, whether in wonderment at the dry stone construction, or as a place of shamanic journeying, they are still places of inspiration seen through whatever filter we want to put on them. For those venerable people who were buried here along with their dogs, a finer resting place can’t be imagined, and our continued wonderment now is surely a testament to the ancient builders.

Before I set out for home I soak in some more of the evening sun, the cuckoo has stopped now, but it still feels like summer.

Visit to what we thought Shalwy Court Tomb 23rd May 2016. Having read Gladman’s field notes and studied the existing photos I think we may have found Croaghbeg so am transferring my original field notes from Shalwy to Croaghbeg. Both close to each other and both very difficult to access.

Tuesday dawned warm and sunny and in the morning we set off to find Shalwy /Croaghbeg Court Tomb (east of Kilcar: our ref – OSI 648753).
Using OSI map (my friend is pretty good at this) we parked car in layby on the main road out of Kilcar and walked down a steep single track road, turning right at the bottom. We then walked about a mile along a straight(ish) narrow road to the next right turn back uphill – the walk overlooked the sea which was sparkling that morning, early foxgloves had started to appear, a peat stream fell down the hillside and appeared from under the road on the other side to tumble down the rocks to the sea. Quite a few houses along this road, all well spaced out and beautifully maintained, some unoccupied, probably holiday homes. In fact we asked a woman who was painting her garden bench for directions and it was she who directed us back uphill to the spot where we could a large, newly built grey house on the side of the hill.
Walking back uphill again, we passed a well at the side of the overgrown track – this beautiful wild hillside now has individual houses appearing (something we noticed around Kilcar too) and we finally spotted the rather splendid court tomb – with a four stone chamber standing separately in the court area – at the bottom of the hill behind the houses we had walked past earlier and immediately below the new grey house, which didn’t appear to have anyone living in it (another holiday home perhaps). The court tomb was surrounded by nettles and brambles, the climb down very steep. My intrepid friend was up for it but I wasn’t – mindful of the fact there is often no mobile phone signal in Donegal (and there wasn’t here) I felt it wasn’t worth the risk of turning an ankle or otherwise injuring self so settled for taking a photo with my zoom. Yes, I admit to being a wimp but this wimp went on to have lunch in Killybegs before spending the afternoon exploring a narrow unspoilt peninsular known as St. John’s Head – which has a lighthouse at the end and a coral beach.

We visited these on our second visit to Glencolmcille, after going back to Cloghanmore (and last full day of the wonderful week in Donegal) . Our first attempt had been unsuccessful as we weren’t able to find them. This time we asked in the visitors centre/gift shop and were given a little hand drawn map. Leaving Glencolmcille on the road to Malinbeg just over a bridge we turned right up a narrow road to some farms (a house on this turning had a rather impressive garden ornament in the shape of a small portal tomb). The six great portal tombs were not in such good condition – they span two narrow fields both of which had farm animals in them. The three in the first field had three nursing cows with their off-spring standing close by. The cows became agitated by our presence at the gate so we decided to not go in the field. All three of these enormous tombs were unrestored and partially fallen. The other three tombs were in a similar state although the largest one was partially restored with some supporting stonework – also partly in the garden of a nearby house. The second field had a ram and ewe standing guard – again we erred on the side of caution and didn’t enter the field.

This short passage is taken from “Gleancholmcille – A guide to 5000 years of history in stone” by Michael Herity:

“ … towards 2000BC, Gleancholmcille was lived in by a later group of stone age farms with a rather different style of tomb building. Their monuments are portal tombs. This type is well represented near Gleancholmcille – on the north side of the valley behind the school and again across the valley to the of Cloghanmore. At the west end of Malin More valley, six portal tombs arranged in a line are part of one huge, unusual monument, probably 90m long originally”

Edit: Have belatedly posted a photo of a beautiful white quartz stone which incorporated into the field wall by the Malin More tombs. Given the tombs are in a ruinous state I do wonder if this stone was taken from one of them?

I had seen the sign for Drumskinny Stone Circle on the journey towards Donegal and made a mental note to try and visit on the way back as just over the border with Northern Ireland in County Fermanagh off the main road between Donegal Town and the village of Kesh. The monument consists of a stone circle, cairn and stone alignment and comes as something as a surprise as it seems to be in miniature. The peat bog has also been removed around the monument replaced by gravel. There is an information board by the gate into the site which verifies it authenticity – I’ve recorded it below as some will find the measurements a little odd. Could this be a place of ‘the little people’ I wonder :)

“Management History: Drumskinny Stone Circle first came under public management in 1934 when it was taken under the charge of the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Lying in shallow upland bog, poor drainage had caused recurring water-logging of the site. This was detrimental to the presentation of the monuments and inhibited inspection by visitors. In 1962 measures to improve the site’s amenities were implemented by the Ancient Monuments Branch of the MOF and involved the removal of peat down to the natural boulder clay and the laying of stone chippings in the area of the monument. As no previous examination of the monument had taken place, these works allowed for an archaeological excavation under the supervision of D.M. Waterman.

The Monuments: The archaeological monument at this site consists of a stone circle, a cairn, and alignment. The stone circle, although not geometrically accurate, maintains a fairly consistent diameter of 13.1m and includes three apparent gaps. Waterman’s excavation discovered 31 standing stones, an additional fallen stone lying adjacent to its socket and the former presence of seven more uprights (indicated by stone socket holes), suggesting an original minimum of 39 stones around the circumference. The stones vary in size and shape with the shortest only 38cm above ground level, while the tallest rises to almost 1.8m.
The circular cairn, lying one metre north-west of the stone circle, is carefully constructed of boulders and slabby stones. It has a regular diameter of 4 metres, and stands approximately 30cm in height at the edges, rising to 45 cm in the centre of the cairn. During excavation, no trace of burial or any other form of deposit was revealed.
The alignment directed towards the centre of the cairn consists of small stone uprights and extends to a distance of 15m towards the south. Of the original estimated 24 stones only 16 remained at the time of Waterman’s excavation. The highest stone still standing rises to 48 cm.

The Finds: during excavation, a small number of artefacts were discovered. A small piece of probable Neolithic potter was found in clay at the east of the stone circle. A hollow scraper was found under stone spread at the north-west side of the cairn. Six further flints were found in the area of the cairn, two them burnt.”

Note: After our visit, on the drive back to the main road we noticed three large standing stones in a field opposite a small white church, not far from Drumskinny. Didn’t have time to investigate as had to get down to Dublin. I’d very much like to know any information about these stones.

Visited: May 27, 2016

Very much neglected because of the magnificence of the Dun Beag broch close to the roadside near Struanmore, the Fort of Dun Mor, 800 metres to its north is well worth a visit, and not just for the amazing aerial view it provides over the broch lower down the hillside.

From Dun Beag, Dun Mor lies across a heathery moor, but easy walking can be found by following grassy tongues. The fort is well defended on all sides
except the east by vertical 20 metre crags, but is most easily ascended by gentle slopes from the northeast.

Clearly the one weak point in its situation, the entire eastern edge of the fort is marked by a huge tumble of largely fallen masonry, about 2 metres high by 5 metres broad, that must once have been a wall of considerable proportions. In several places, the original stonework is still in place to a height of two courses.

At its southern end, the tumble gives way to a grassy bank which continues above the cliffs surrounding much of the perimeter of the fort, with footing stones of a former wall peeking out of it.

Visited: May 25, 2016

Dun Druim nan Slochd is perched atop an impressive rock buttress overlooking the Flodigarry Hotel.

Little remains of this fort save for a wall, four courses high, which marks its northern boundary. On all other sides, there is a severe vertical drop.

Access to the site might at first appear problematic, but is straightforward from the ridge frm the north. Walk north from the Flodigarry Hotel until you reach a gate marked ‘SEASCAPE’ the name of a private property beyond, protected by an electric fence.

Immediately adjacent, to the north, is a farm gate, which is your point of access. Just make for the ridge using an obvious walkers’ path, then head south till the dun wall appears. Although there is little of the dun remaining, it is a superb site, affording sweeping views of the Trotternish Ridge and Skye’s eastern coast.

It was an absolutely fantastic day on Moor Divock when we went. Having made a brief visit to The Cockpit, we returned, impressed by the circle but mightily irritated by a man sitting on one of the stones making very loud business calls (why out there?) while his family got increasingly bored. It’s a weird phenomenon – after not being able to get mobile reception anywhere you find it at the stone circle. This happened at Callanish – 7 text messages arrived all at once!

On the way there we’d spotted the obvious megaliths like The Cop Stone and White Raise, but on the way back many more cairns revealed themselves to us. Making a short detour to Moor Divock Centre, we stumbled across two parallel lines of stones. I’d read briefly about the alignment, but hadn’t thought we’d be able to find it. However, once you’re there, it’s blindingly obvious you’re at a stone row – that’s if you go on a very bright sunny day when there’s virtually no bracken in late May to early June. They are indeed very low, but in a parallel alignment.