Latest Fieldnotes

I arrived at the car parking spot at the southern foot of the Hill of Uisneach, not really knowing what to expect, wondering about access and trespass and all that. There’s an official sign outside the entrance that lists some of the monuments on the hill. Past this and at the farm gate entrance is another sign saying that Uisneach is a working farm and that permission to enter the site may be gained by ringing 087 2576434. Please respect these wishes.

I called the number and got through to a voicemail, left a message about my intentions and headed in and up. Immediately in front of you as you ascend is an ancient trackway – to the left is the modern path/track – guess which one I took. Some way up this my phone rang – it was David Clarke, the landowner. I explained to him my interest and he readily gave me permission. I continued on my way, heading for what is marked on the OS map as two side-by-side raths, one of which I had read has a souterrain. The two raths are in fact conjoined, part of an intriguing, complex habitation and multi-period site. I have just today got a plan of the site from when McAllister and Praeger excavated the place back in the twenties. I will attempt to describe this site in its own individual fieldnotes, but this first time here I had only a cursory scout around the place. As I rooted around I spotted a 4 by 4 arrive over by a yurt-like structure and thought I’d better go over and introduce myself.

The driver was the landowner, the aforementioned David Clarke. After the usual pleasantries he showed me some of the monuments. He also gave me a flyer from last year’s Festival of the Fires (cancelled this year to allow the farm and the archaeology to ‘recover’). The flyer has a description and some folklore of some of the sites and a handy map with all the main monuments on it and a suggested walking tour. Before setting off on this i checked out some of the remaining artworks about the site. The Button Factory stage still stands but is showing signs of dilapidation – hilltop weather not being conducive to wooden structures.

I started my tour proper just by Lugh’s Lough, so-called as legend has it this is where the harvest God Lugh (Lunasa) was drowned, before being interred in Lugh’s tumulus, a barrow to the north-east. David said that the whole tour would take about an hour and a half. I guess that’s for people with half an interest – I would suggest half a day at least to TMAers.

Just west of the lake are the remains of a cashel/dun. It’s very overgrown back there, but the walls reminded me of the Clare cashels. Further west of here is the highest point of the hill with its cairn, unfortunately named St. Patrick’s Bed. It’s ruined and has a trig point plonked in its centre (ho hum). You can see landmarks in 22 of the counties of Ireland from here, allegedly.

South-west through two fields is the Cat Stone, Aill na Mireann (The Stone of Divisions). This is a huge crumbling glacial erratic, enclosed in its own henge. There is some doubt as to which came first, the stone or the henge – I haven’t seen any excavation notes anywhere, but I seriously doubt that the stone was moved by anybody/thing but a glacier. This is the sacred omphalus of Ireland, the centre of the kingdom of Eriu, the heart of the mythical fifth province of Mide. Descending through the thorn trees in the field with their rag offerings towards the stone, the heavens opened up. I was able to shelter and remain completely dry in the hollow of the crumbling stone. I felt cocooned here, unfazed by the weather and utterly blissful. This is a special place.

As with all the monuments, I wished i could have stayed a bit longer, but there was still so much to see and I had to be in a friend’s near here for dinner in a couple of hours.

I moved on over to Finnleascach’s well, a natural spring at the base of another rath. I took a sup here, thirsty despite the rain. This is said to have once been enclosed by its own earthen bank. The water was steadily trickling, but given that I was on a working farm with plenty of livestock, I was a little unsure of it. The rath has quite a large, prostrate stone in its flattened interior. I believe that this may once have stood.

I moved on again, back up to what is described as the ‘ancient palace’, the conjoined ringforts. I scouted around there some more and then headed up the field to see if I could get a better view of it from higher ground. No such luck, but there was still Lugh’s tumulus, over the wall in the next field. This is marked as a barrow, but it doesn’t have any external ring or fosse. It rises to over 2 metres high, and the views to the east are extensive.

I was on the last leg of my visit to Uisneach and at this stage I didn’t want to leave. I’m not a great vibes person, nor do I go in for the legendary stuff too much (though this is changing the more I find out). Uisneach still has me in its grip 5 days later. I can say that I was blown away by the place, but I can’t tell you exactly why. None of the monuments, bar Aill na Mireann, are all that spectacular. Yet, the feeling remains that this is a special place, far more powerful and interesting than the more famous Tara.

David Clarke seems to understand what is in his care and is not ashamed to exploit it commercially – see the link to the Festival of the Fires website – but I got the sense from him that he’s one of us, maybe not a TMAer, but someone who cares about these heritage sites and wants other people to care about them too.

This was not a ‘planned’ visit – I was on the way, with friends, to nearby Houghton Hall, and our sat nav went wayward.
But hey! We ended up at Anmer, and I was aware that there was a long barrow, and a barrow cemetery in the vicinity. As luck would have it, we drove past Harpley Common, where a couple of barrows sit perfectly at the side of the road, just off the Peddars Way.
I stopped, while my wife took a quick pic out of the car window (true amateurs!) – apologies for it’s unglamorous back-drop of pigs....

Anyway, further investigation about the area has made me determined to do it some justice, and explore a wee bit more thoroughly.

It’s probably fair to say that, although standing overlooking the River Shin a little way south of Lairg, the proximity of the A836 and power lines will ensure the ruined stone circle of Achinduich will not sweep the visitor off his/her feet in the manner of the not too distant Cnoc an Liath-bhaid. Perhaps this is for the best since the rough moorland site was seriously boggy – nay, underwater! – on the occasion of my late May visit. OK, I could have done with the wash, but.......

Ruined? Well yes. Although the monument appears a classic upland stone circle when approaching from the road, presenting an enigmatic profile when viewed from what could be an outlier – or perhaps erratic (?) – I was nevertheless perplexed by my inability to find any credible trace of orthostats aside from the surviving arc.... either in situ or now lost. In addition, a slender upright standing just within the arc beside a shallow depression, far too slender to be the remnant of a kerb, suggested some internal burial, perhaps within another northern Scottish ‘U’ shaped stone setting. Burl, however (page 157, Stone Circles of the British Isles) cites an ‘Auchinduich’ in Sutherland as being a ‘concentric’ stone circle. In retrospect that seems far more plausible, duly providing a logical explanation for the elegant orthostat within. Yeah, guess I’ll go with that, then. Note also the radial setting of the uprights to circumference – as at Cnoc an Liath-bhaid – which is an interesting idiosyncrasy, is it not? Clearly the local inhabitants wanted to be different... at right angles to tradition... whilst still keeping up with the neighbours.

So.... all in all Achinduich is, to my mind, a fine hang.... Yes, the presence of the aforementioned pylons is not ideal, but then again by no means prohibitive, the views, save that of rising hillside to the east, pretty expansive with skyline peaks, not to mention the great Ord passage graves, adding additional vibe. Field systems and hut circles also surround the site, neatly answering the question ‘so who built this and gathered here, then?’ Yeah, worth a visit if obscure monuments more or less guaranteeing solitude for a while are your thang. They are mine.

If Achinduich appeals, head south from Lairg on the A836 and, a little before the buildings at Achinduich farm (funnily enough), keep a look out for an official layby below pylons striding across the low hillside to your left. Either park here, or beside access to a metal field gate a little way past, the circle standing, unseen, beyond the obvious pylon top left. There are a couple of fences.... not forgetting those field systems.... en route, but nothing to cause any trouble.

Oh, and don’t forget the nearby (and rather good) Achany chambered cairn, Ord passage graves and the River Shin ‘circles!

A must see – surely a choice of alignments with the peaks of Snowdonia forming a stunning panorama.
Easy to find but beware the surrounding land is very boggy!

Our short Cornish trip revealed some treasures, the Hurler stone circles certainly being one, but further on the Rillaton Barrow situated between the Cheesewring and the stone circles was certainly a barrow not to be missed.

Description aside, this large, untidy, desecrated barrow shown by our good friend and guide Sanctuary, did make my heart miss a beat. Reading up on it, and I find in was restored in 1900, and had some archaeological work done in 1995 to the entrance, this may have detracted a bit, but still.

Firstly this enormous barrow is pitted with stone robber pits, a reed filled pond lies in its centre and the entrance pit has been raised up so as to stop school children* going into the hole and damaging the inside stones and the fluorescent lichen, which gives a ghostly green glow inside the tomb. The rather neat internal stones have ferns growing against them, and our proud warrior with his gold cup and bronze age dagger lies buried between the Cheesewring and the stone circles, also has a marvellous view to the front over the surrounding countryside.

* Not only school children, see a couple of TMAers have also squeezed in – tut, tut. Just use your camera for goodness sake......

Interesting information of the work done in 1995.

www.cornwall.gov.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=470eb27a-37f3-4d2d-8810...?

Copy and paste

Strath Brora is not a name that had featured in my somewhat limited vocabulary prior to Cnoc an Lliath-bhaid appearing upon the TMA database recently. To be fair there are no valid excuses for this oversight; the stone circle is listed in Burl’s ubiquitous guide to these Isles, favourably, too. However awareness of a site... and actually getting to see it first hand are two entirely different concepts. Tell me about it. Firstly I had to get out the map to determine where it actually was. Ah, the middle of nowhere. That’ll be Sutherland, then?

It’s not, of course. In the middle of nowhere, I mean, the hamlets of Dalreavoch and Rhilochan lying not that far to the approx south east, the farm of Braegrudie less than a mile to the west. However, despite being more or less at home within the wild, inhospitable landscapes of the UK over the years, I guess it’s true to say that, for me, the north of Scotland epitomises that perhaps indefinable sense of ‘untamed wilderness’ better than anywhere else I know. Maybe that perception is coloured by the realisation that I’m a very long way from home? Yeah, sometimes I feel like a motherless child...

The most straight forward option for a visit to Cnoc an Lliath-bhaid centres upon the aforementioned Braegrudie, lying upon the northern bank of the River Brora at the terminus of a gated, rough, single track road from Rhilochan... even more ‘single track’ that seems to be the norm in these parts. Crossing the impressive water course by a foot bridge (marked upon the map) I arrive at the house to find no-one at home, stark windows glaring at the unsolicited visitor to, in turn, solicit unfounded notions of being watched by unseen eyes. Oo-er. Just a’ passing through, gates duly tied shut after me. The hinterland is rough, a large sheepfold some distance to the approx east a convenient ‘staging-post’ en-route to the stone circle, the monument standing above, obscured by the rising flank of the hillside eulogised by Burl as ‘wrinkled like chilled skin’. Marvellous. Just make sure he’s never let loose near an ageing supermodel or there’ll be hell to pay, I tell you now. Anyway, the correct way forward is to continue in the same line as from farm to sheepfold, but, needless to say, I deviate somewhat and have to double-back from above. This is not such a drag as there is copious evidence for ancient settlement up here. Look at the map.

Then there it is, a disrupted ring .... circle is perhaps too ‘tidy’ a description... standing glorious, mute sentinel overlooking the river valley, the winding course of the River Brora highlighted by rays from the evening sun breaking through the cloud mantle. Truly it is a classic location for a stone circle (sorry, ring); nay, one of the best. Surely? Aubrey cites five stones still remaining erect, the tallest (6ft 6in) a ‘gaunt, grey column’ to the WSW, plus three fallen. Unbeknown to me at the time, the disturbed interior features the trashed, overgrown remnants of a cairn. However I’m more intrigued by the radial setting of the orthostats upon the circumference (that is at right angles), seemingly a local eccentricity if a similar arrangement at Achinduich is anything to go by. And of course there is the wondrous deployment of the technique at Achanvanich’s great ‘U’ further north. Cnoc an Lliath-bhaid, however, beats both sites hands down in terms of placement within its landscape. The vibe here this evening is simply too evocative for words – or at least my words. Hauntingly ethereal, overwhelming in its silent intensity, overpoweringly ‘real’ without a hint of false pretension... stripped down to the bone... and any other adjectives I can’t think of. Truly one of Scotland’s hidden jewels.

The inexorable passing of time finally forces me to leave and descend back to the road.... only to find that my plan to sleep here in the car tonight is a non-starter. It’s those staring windows, see? Truly they give me the creeps. But no matter.

Sometimes you just go somewhere on a hunch, and as I passed the sign for Almoritia church on my way to Uisneach, I just had to turn off and have a look. That there is a Norman motte there was an added incentive.

The motte was a huge tree-covered monstrosity, impossible to photograph to any satisfaction, but weirdly impressive.

Through the church gates for a quick nose and what’s that over there? A bullaun stone rests there, a metre long, with one deep basin that can hold only a little water as it breaks the inner side of the stone. What a charmer it is, like a lump of conglomerate cake, pushed to one side and usually ignored. Not today…

Westmeath was full of surprises today, and this was one of them. Just over the wall behind a memorial to local patriot and poet John K. Casey, is this really rather nice ring barrow. It’s small but perfectly formed, as they say, almost perfectly circular, about 10 metres in diameter. What with the small turlough-like lake to its east, grass grazed about a month ago and the perfect height, the fosse not in the usual silted-up state and the mound not ploughed out, this was the best example I’ve seen so far of this type of monument. This part of Westmeath has these in abundance here just north of the Hill of Uisneach.

20/06/2013 – After visiting Skara Brae and Maeshowe we were in the need for a leg stretch. The walk up Ward Hill is a pretty gentle 3 hour walk there and back. A nice way to send an afternoon above the stones and chambered cairns below.

There’s parking at the 113 spot on the OS map, on the minor road west of Orphir. A track heads over Gruf Hill to Ward Hill. It gets a little vague in places but not too bad. A couple of fences to cross but these are not a problem. The last bit of climb is steepish but short.

Very good views from the tumulus on the top of Ward Hill.

It’s worth walking the short distance north to Mid Hill (true top of Mainland Orkney, a few maps give it as Ward Hill). The view down to the land containing the great monuments of Stenness is fantastic. We did this walk towards the end of our week’s holiday and it was great to have a near aerial view of the sites below and their place in the landscape

Massive barrow in Coolnahy – I’d have liked to have spent more time here but I had another destination in mind and the bullocks in the distance had spotted me and were making moves my way.

I’m guessing about 30 metres diameter, internal fosse a metre and a half deep in places, mound still much in evidence and not ploughed out or eroded. It sits atop an enhanced natural platform and is a brilliant example of its kind, many of which litter (literally) the Westmeath landscape around here.

Square profiled, pole-like standing stone visible from the road to Ballymahon from Mullingar. Packing stones visible at its base and I’d guess it’s around 1.2 metres high. There’s what looks like a cairn in the same field, about 100 metres away, with many other lumps and bumps around. An old church and cemetery are 200 metres south-west.

Who’d have thunk it? Cappaghjuan, the tillage plot of Juan, in the middle of the Westmeath countryside. Surely the Juan must be some skewed anglicisation of a Sean. Anyway, a stone slab a little over a metre high, all alone in its field a couple of miles from Uisneach.

19/06/2013 – I don’t know what I can add to the brilliant fieldnotes on here already but I feel I have to write something. This has to be one of the best sites I have ever been to in my life. The effort to get here is worth it, felt a bit like our own little pilgrimage.

We took the early ferry from Stromness to Moaness on Hoy. It was a beautiful morning as we walked the 3 miles or so along quiet roads to the Dwarfie Stane. The setting is lovely for the stone and we stood for awhile, just gazing at it and the surrounding landscape before entering. The feeling of calm inside is hard to describe. We sat and said little to each other. Time passed and we moved on.

Goes without saying, a must visit.

We looped back over Ward Hill with its incredible view over Orkney, back to the ferry.

A special day in my life.

17/06/2013 – We decided to leave the car at Tingwall and just go over to Rousay as foot passengers. This meant that some of the further away sites where out of reach but there were still lots to see and do within walking distance of the ferry terminal.

After leaving the ferry we made our way to Cubbie Roo’s Burden Chambered Cairn then retraced our steps 100m west along the road to a path (RSPB sign) that gives access to the hill. A stroll uphill soon found us at Knitchen Hill cairn. Not the most exciting of cairns but the view is good from it. From there we walked over Blotchnie Fiold to pick up a track at High Brae of Camps. Folllowing this south down hill brought us to Knowe of Yarso Chambered Cairn (loved this one). Back to the road we walked east to Blackhammer cairn (it’s OK) and then Taversoe Tuick Chambered Tomb (another brilliant one). Back to the jetty with plenty of time before the ferry was due.

A lovely day trip. Easy walking, nice views and five great cairns.

After getting drenched and lost twice after finding the ‘other two’ cairns I’m glad to report to such happenings during this visit did not happen. Making sure I couldn’t find this site by difficult routes, in the past, I found the cairn by a much easier route.

Parking in the same place as the other two I continued walking south until a crossroads in the tracks. Headed east for at least three meters and continued south on a deer trail. Keep looking east until the top of the hill can be seen in a clearing. The cairn is easily spotted as a ‘bump’ on top. This cairn was much larger at some point but now is 7 meters wide and almost 1 meter high. Some earthfast rocks on the edge of the cairn suggest kerbs but it would be fair to say this site has taken a battering. Somehow it survives and with the growing darkness feels old, atmospheric and peaceful lost amongst the trees and time.

Not much to look at but a special place all those years ago, and for me a special place on a Friday night, totally worthwhile.

Visited 21/6/2013.

Howth Demesne, with its monstrous capstone, has to be one of the unsung greats of Irish tombs (maybe it’s not all that unsung, but it feels that way). This was my second visit here and I was once again stunned by the absolute madness of it. I struggled to explain to my companion how it was possible to construct it.

If the capstone did come from Muck Rock cliff (and from where else could it?) and was rolled here, they’d have had to have come past the front of the tomb and rolled it up from the back end as the front of the tomb does point directly at the cliff-face (that is if that’s the way portal tombs are constructed). The capstone has been flattened on its underside and at its front, and it’s entirely possible that the stone was rolled from Muck Rock, up a platform/ramp at the front of the tomb, which was then removed once the capstone rested on the portals, doorstone, sidestones and backstone, to reveal it in all its majesty.

You can’t help but wonder when the capstone fell (if a capstone falls and nobody hears it etc...) and also admire the builders who undertook this project all those years ago. The over 2 metres tall portal stones were a job to erect in themselves. Much of the other structural stones seem to have almost exploded under the weight of the collapsing and collapsed capstone. There’s a tiny ‘Dolmen’ signpost at the back of the golf-course that points the way down the path to the tomb – quiet, understated, and completely the opposite of what it leads to. I love this place.

A promontory fort as opposed to a hillfort, there’s very little evidence of any remaining ramparts. The walls of the lighthouse grounds and its facilities seem to have been built in the most obvious position, across the narrowest part of the neck of the promontory. Great sea cliffs and their winged inhabitants make this interesting – otherwise you could take a pass and not really miss anything.

Not exactly the top of the world, and not even the top of Howth (the remains of the cairn on the Ben of Howth are higher), but still as close to floating as I’ve experienced recently without the ingestion of dubious substances. The remains of the cairn are secondary here – that the small cist-like chamber is frequently used as a hearth for boozy campfires seems insignificant given the stunning views all around. As has been noticed elsewhere, Lambay floats above Ireland’s Eye, which in turn seems to float above Howth harbour. The view along the neck of the isthmus, across the lush vegetation below in Howth Demesne is spectacular. The Ben of Howth hides much of Dublin Bay to the south, but the mouth of the Liffey is visible, and the city itself sprawls away to the south-west. Awesome and well chosen spot.

Cloch More is two massive rocks one of which would have made a very good ‘recumbent’. Other rocks are here as well, they hardly could be described as small, and like Gladman commented they have a look of being not entirely put there by nature. Situated in amongst trees this place feels old and if it wasn’t wasn’t for the trees clear views of Bennachie, Tyrebagger and the valley north would be seen.

A clachan (a wee hamlet) was supposed to situated here but no traces remain but what a place for one.

I parked at Hillhead Of Concraig and headed north west over the hill past a gigantic glacerial. From there a short walk leads to the two rocks. Nothing serious on this walk just be careful at the small bank at the site.

Visited 14/6/2013.

This is still a stunning stone in a stunning place but a found it via a safer route.

After the music lessons at Ardoyne I went to the visit the circle on the ‘heed o the hill’ having been told of a path that headed east to Petmathen.

From the circle, head south and downhill. A deer step (steps over a fence) comes into view. Climb over this a follow the path east thru a gorgeous walk amongst trees and wild flowers. All the time Bennachie keeps it eye on the walker but the resident giant, Jock, knows me well enough. The path comes to end at a dry stane dyke, climb it and keep heading east and the impressive stone will come into view.

A beautiful walk, beautiful scenery and beautiful site. Affa bonny!!!

Visited 7/6/2013.

(Ask permission to park please or I’ll get into trouble)

This cairn is only a short distance from the Baile. Canmore seems to missed out what I think is a definite kerb, almost looking like the cairn at West Town (minus the sink!) It is almost ten meters wide and just short of a meter tall.

With that done, it was up to the place were the ‘faeries’ live at Mains Of Clava.

Visited 3/4/2013.

Baile Na Creige is a very small but impressively situated cairn next to the minor road (east side) heading north from the glorious Loch Duntelchaig. The views here are also superb, with the obligatory loch, this time Ashie. It is the furthest north of two cairns between the Midtown and Bunachton farms.

Hints of a kerb remain in a cairn that is over ten meters wide and 1 meter. A very short walk east from the road, the other cairn being a short distance away.

Visited 3/4/2013.

Parking was easily obtained in a field with no gate north of the tumulus and fort. A three minute walk up a gentle hill and the long barrow is just over the wall and just under the forts northern edge. It is more interesting than the fort.
For a long barrow it is not noticeably long, and for a mere tumulus it has two very noticeable stones at its eastern end. What they are for I don’t know, surely not part of a chamber, are they even ancient ? I just don’t know.
The two stones are very dissimilar, one wide and broad, the other tall and pointy. The latter is so gnarly that at first glance I took it to be an old tree stump, but stone it be made of, to a fetching degree.
Good barrow, bonus stones, good veiw. Yaaay !
Emergency at home gotta go immediately. Boooo !

I approached from the north, easier parking, better views north to the mountains. Just over the only wall between car and fort is the long barrow with stones on top, I doffed my cap and told it I’d be back soon.
The fort is fairly underwhelming, only the faintest of ramparts remain, but the limestone outcrop that helps defend the position are not devoid of interest and beauty. But the best thing here is the view, on a clear day it might be breathtaking, but the weather curtailed my perambulation and any distant views, some far off mountains disappeared into the mist, and some lower hills north might be Osmotherly moor, and the little peak paradoxically known as The Alps.
The long barrow at it’s lower northern slope helps lend reason to come here.

16/06/2013 – Standing in front of Wideford cairn I could not believe just how wonderful and beautiful it is. Something built by humans to be so completely in tune with the surrounding landscape. We had walked over from Fairy Knowe, across the tops of Keelylang Hill, Burrey Brae and Wideford Hill itself. The cairn getting slowly ever closer on a lovely warm day. After spending some time exploring inside, we sat down on the grass outside the cairn, just gazing out over the Bay of Firth. Life doesn’t get much better than this.