Latest Fieldnotes

Visited 15.6.12

This is a huge stone that you can’t miss!

It is approached via a scenic drive down a single track road south of the A971
Only in Shetland would such a minor road be in such good condition!

The stone is rectangular in shape and the top is covered in ‘hairy’ lichen.
Quartz veins run through the stone.
There are two large slabs of stone and several large boulders near the standing stone.

There are good views to be had up and down the loch.

Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area – top stone!

Visited 14.6.12

Directions:
From Staneydale Temple continue south along the minor road. The Chambered Cairn is on the left shortly before you reach Setter. You can park in the passing place.

Step over the field fence and it’s a stiff climb up to the Chambered Cairn.
Head towards the highest point to find the Cairn.

It was sunny but blowing a gale.
The views from the top are wonderful – great views over the loch and down the valley.

As for the Cairn itself there are 3 very large stones in the middle of the cairn which may be the remains of a cist? There are many smaller stones scattered about.

Canmore states:
‘A Heel-shaped chambered cairn lies on a rocky outcrop at the end of a spur. Little of the cairn remains. The length of the cairn is 22ft with a maximum width of 24ft. The façade stones have flat outer faces and stand 1ft 3inch to 2ft high. Some of the stones of the chamber survive in situ projecting through the turf, the tallest being 1ft 3inch’.

Visited 14.6.12

Directions:
From Walls head west past the school and when you come to the fork in the road go left.
You will eventually see the stone on your right next to a ruined farm house.

The stone is approximately 2 metres high and the top half is covered in ‘hairy’ lichen.

Canmore states:
‘An irregular shaped standing stone. Quadrangular at base, with a girth of 10inch and rising to a height of 7ft 2inch. Its position is somewhat unusual for a prehistoric monument of this kind and it may have been erected as a boundary marker or for some similar purpose’.

Visited 15.6.12

Directions:
From Hamnavoe (B9074) take the minor road south to the hamlet of Bridge End.
Take the left fork after the telephone box and the stone is in a field on your left. Easily spotted and access is via a simple hop over the fence.

This is a beautiful area of Shetland and is well worth a visit.

In my humble opinion this is the best standing stone on Shetland.

It is approx 2.5m high x 1.5m across and covered in masses of ‘hairy’ lichen

The stone is in a stunning location (ignoring the nearby buildings) with fantastic views of lochs and mountains.

Great stone – great spot.
In a word – visit!

Visited 15.6.12

Directions:
From Hamnavoe (B9074) take the minor road south to the hamlet of Bridge End.
Turn left at the memorial and park at the next turning on the left.
You will see the standing stone from the junction.
There is plenty of room to park and it is a short, flat walk with no fence to cross.

Walking over to the stone I scared a rabbit who ran and hid behind the stone – not a good choice of hiding place!

Ignoring the nearby sheep pens the stone has pretty decent views.

The stone is approximately 1.5m high x 1m wide.
Covered in masses of green ‘hairy’ lichen and sheep wool.

Canmore reports that when visited in 1930the stone stood 7ft high but since then the top has broken off.

Worth a visit when in the area.

Visited 15.6.12

Directions:
Right next to the road at the junction of the B9074 and A970. Near Scalloway.

Easy to spot as a large grass covered mound – on the left when heading north.

Canmore states:
‘A turf covered mound 17m in diameter and 2m high with a hollow centre’.

Visited 15.6.12

The stone is easy to find being directly opposite the entrance to a golf course.

It is on a slight raised mound and is covered in the ever present ‘hairy’ lichen.

There are good views down the valley – now overlooking the golf course.

(I forgot to make a note of how tall the stone was – sorry!)

Visited 15.6.12

I know this is a reconstructed site but if you want to get a ‘feel’ of how a Broch would have looked when in use you can do a lot worse than come here.

Access is very easy – park at the garage opposite and it is a nice flat walk along the path.

There are lots of nooks and crannies to wander about in and it doesn’t take too much imagination to see how this place would have worked.

Despite the urban setting, if you look straight ahead across the loch, you could be just about anywhere.

Don’t be put off with the fact it’s a reconstruction, this site is definitely worth a visit.

Visited 14.6.12

Directions:
Next to the A971 – a bit south of the Scord of Brouster ancient village.

The Chambered Cairn is easily seen next to the road.
You can park in the passing place directly opposite and a quick hop over the fence and you are there.
The site is now no more than a mass of large jumbled stones.

Canmore states:
‘A cairn about 84ft in diameter, unusually large for Shetland. It has been greatly robbed and is now reduced to a large mass of irregular boulders. At the centre there is a pile of cairn material 3ft high, amongst which it is possible to trace the tops of a number of larger stones set upright, which appear to form the NW half of a circular chamber about 8ft in diameter’.

Visited 14.6.12

Easily access from the road. A circle of stones.

Canmore states:
‘A circle of bare stones, about 11.5m in diameter and 0.7m high. There are slight traces of a kerb protruding through the tumble, but no internal features’.

Visited 14.6.12

Direction:
On the junction of a minor road south to the village of Walls off the main A971

Very easy site to access being right next to the road.
You just need to hop over the fence.

This cairn is well mangled and has now been reduced to a low mound of stones.
There are many large stones and countless smaller ones.

Two modern (Second World War?) ruined round stone buildings stand right next to the cairn – no prizes for guessing where they got the stone from!

Canmore states:
‘By 1931 the Long Cairn was already much disturbed and the interior completely destroyed. The Long Cairn was further reduced during the war so that the edges are now very indefinite. The site is merely a litter of stones – 2ft maximum height. It appeared to have measured 140ft NE/SW with a max width of 47ft’.

Visited 13.6.12

Probably the most northern British standing stones I will ever visit
Easily spotted from the main A970.

The stones are red/pink coloured and covered in ‘hairy’ lichen.
There is a large flat stone lying on the ground between the two standing stones – a fallen stone?

One standing stone is about 1.5m high x 1 metre across.
The other is about 2.5m high x 1 metre across.

There is certainly a high concentration of stones / cairns in this small area.

Visited 14.6.12

This is a great place to visit!

The site is sign posted and has a parking area.
The sign states it is a 1½ mile walk – it’s not – it’s about half mile and only takes 15 minutes to walk to the site along the ‘path’ through the fields. You have to cross over a small burn.

It was a pleasant walk in the sunshine with only birdsong for company.
It wet weather this would be a very boggy walk so be prepared.

Before getting to the ‘Temple’ I was surprised to come across an information board and a Neolithic house! I sat inside, out of the wind. It was amazing to think that I was sat in someone’s house from 4,500 years ago!

Another surprise was the ‘standing stones’ either side of the ‘Temple’.
These are mentioned on the notice board near the ‘Temple’.
There are 5 stones on the left – forming a rough circle? – the tallest about 1.5m high and covered in ‘hairy’ lichen.
There are 10 stones to the right – a ‘mish mash’ with no obvious shape to them

As for the ‘Temple’ itself it is in very good condition although no doubt restored.
Access is through a small wooden gate.
The wide walls are about 1.5m high and topped with turf.
The inside measurement of the ‘Temple’ is about 5 metres x 10 metres.
In the middle of the room are two stone lined holes which once held wooden posts to support the roof.

I sat inside and tried to contemplate its meaning?
It is an odd place as the walls seem too wide to be domestic – certainly disproportionate to the inside measurements. But there again maybe someone wanted a super strong house?
After all, the much more recent Black Houses have disproportionately wide walls.

Either way, this is a great place to visit and it is certainly an unusual building.
It was no surprise that I had the place to myself as it does feel quite remote when you are here.

The clouds have gathered and it is starting to rain. Time to walk back to the car.
If you ever get the chance, visit this place. You won’t be disappointed.

Visited 14.6.12

There is a small layby you can park in with an information board.

The info board states the farm was in use between 3,000bc and 1,500 bc
The site is signposted.

I walked up the hill and was able to look down on the village.
There are the remains of 3 houses and a cairn. The cairn is about 5 metres across.

The largest house is similar to the one at Stanydale – oval in shape – about 5m x 8m.

I was pleasantly surprised by this site and would certainly recommend a visit.

Visible from the road when approaching from the east but not when directly south of the Cairns.

Canmore describes the three cairns thus:
‘East Cairn – round cairn 47ft in diameter and 5ft high. Much disturbed.
West Cairn – round cairn 50ft in diameter and 3ft high. Much destroyed.
Central Cairn – round cairn 35ft in diameter – a mass of debris’

Visited 14.6.12

Directions:
West of a minor road north of the A971.

Karen stayed in the car with the children while I hopped over the fence and walked across the field up to the Chambered Cairn.

On a wet day the walk across the peat would be very boggy.

The Cairn is now no more than a large jumble of stones, easily visible from the road.

I sat amongst the stones in the warm sunshine and admired the views down the valley.
Birds danced in the air above me.
A lovely spot for a final resting place.

Peat is encroaching onto the stones and there is a lot of moss and lichen to be seen.

Canmore states:
‘A much robbed, round, chambered cairn, partly overgrown with heather and peat, about 50ft in diameter’

Visited 13.6.12

This Chambered Cairn is a short distance north of the Beorgs of Housetter Standing Stones.

The cairn is easy to spot being near the A970

The cairn is well mangled but still survives to a height of about 1.5 metres x 15 meters long.

It is a mass of pretty pink stones – the same as the larger standing stones.

Canmore states:
‘A heel-shaped cairn with an irregular chamber, lies on the gently sloping moorland at the foot of the steep screes of the Beorgs of Housetter. It is built of pink granite boulders. It has been greatly disturbed by three attempts at excavation and by quarrying for road metal’.

Visited 13.6.12

Directions:
On the left of the A970, just north of Skelberry, north Shetland

I had a quick look at the mound as we headed up to Isbister – the furthest north we would be travelling on our holiday.

A grass covered mound right next to the road.
It appears to have been dug into?

Canmore states:
‘A large horseshoe-shaped burnt mound, measuring 19m x 15m transversely and 2.1m maximum height’.

Visited 13.6.12

Despite being located by a minor road, access is no problem as the road (as all roads on Shetland are) is perfectly tarmaced.

The two stones are 22 paces apart and are heavily covered in ‘hairy’ lichen.
They appear to be pointing towards Hamna Voe bay?

Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

This stone used to stand at NO83588560 but has been moved to be used as a gatepost at NO83638575. Triangular in shape it stands at over 1 meter height. Probably moved to aid agriculture at least the stone wasn’t destroyed.

Head west on the first minor road west south of A957 (north) at Stonehaven. After home Farm of Fetteresso, pull in at the small wood. Walk south until the first dyke heading east, jump the fence and follow the dyke. At the gateway the stone stands, somewhat lonely but fortunately still here.

Visited 23/7/2012.

This has to be one of the most beautiful and one of the saddest cairns I’ve ever seen. Set on top of the Gallow Hill the cairn can be found by leaving Stonehaven southwards on the A957. Take the first minor road west and pull in after the walled garden at the forestry track to the south.

It is a fairly short and gentle climb to the top. Right next to the cairn is an icehouse which has had it’s info sign vandalised. This sad theme continues onto the cairn.

The grass covered cairn stands at 15.5 meters wide and is 1.8 meters tall. It has to be the flattest top to a cairn I’ve ever seen except....................some muppets have dug a hole and had a bonfire. To the west, mountain bikes have damaged and gouged the flank, to the north west a muddied path leads to the cairn top and litter, there were bottles everywhere so I decided to clean the place before taking pics. Sad really, as the cairn is beautifully situated amongst the trees which give a wonderful atmosphere of age and peace.

Still there is something ‘good’ about this place, maybe, just maybe summer is going to arrive.

Visited 23/7/2012.

Canmore suggest that this cairn might be horn shaped and they could well be right. They also suggest that lots of field clearence has been piled onto the cairn. Still in my opinion it still is an impressive cairn, with evidence of a kerb, which has been mutilated and robbed. It stands up over 2 meters in height and is 20meters by 14meters ENE/WSW. (according to Canmore, certainly looks bigger)

Nowadays it is guarded by some very friendly ponies who seemed to enjoy a visitor, especially one bearing gifts of apples. (Mr Hogan’s picture ensuring I arrived prepared.) They certainly also keep the grass short.

Leave the A90 taking the first minor road west after the Bridge Of Muchalls. This a horrendous junction to leave and an even worse road to get back onto, so take care. Keep going until Cantlayhills farm, the cairn is a short walk to the south.

Visited 23/7/2012.

This stone stands at over 2 meters in height in the middle of a rather boggy field. Several chokes are scattered around the base. Great all round views of the rural countryside south of Aberdeen.

Leave the A90 at Cammochmore heading west, the small village being by-passed, taking the minor road west opposite the now sadly closed pub. Stop at the end of the first minor road north at Berrymuir Farm. From here jump the gate and head east over the field. Jump over the dry stane dyke and the stone will be in front. Take care not to drown in the knee deep mud.

Visited 23/7/2012.

Rising from an rather chilly ‘overnighter’ beneath Tinto I’m pleased to note that enduring a little discomfort would appear to have presented me with the prospect of a fine day ahead. Yeah... nothing good in this life comes without a price... and I reckon the reward is currently worth the (it has to be said) not insubstantial outlay. Not sure my back totally agrees, but thankfully it is reasonably acquiescent. For now. So, onward to Edinburgh. Or at least The Pentland Hills, which overlook Alba’s capital.

It would seem – in retrospect, as usual – that most (and there would seem to be quite a few) visitors to this comfortably ‘compact’ range of hills ascend from the Loganlea Reservoir to the north. Needless to say I, the inevitable consequence of blind ignorance as opposed to any integral ‘maverick tendencies’, approach from the south. To be fair, however, it is not a poor choice. Parking in a large layby upon the A702 beyond Siverburn, I follow a marked path crossing very wet ground – the excess water no doubt having overwhelmed the Grain Burn – before veering right at a ‘crossroads’ to ascend the right hand shoulder of Carnethy Hill. Despite the highest point not quite reaching 2,000ft it is by no means an easy climb – well, in my opinion – and I’m consequently more than happy to reach the summit, the ‘cherry on top’ (so to speak) a very substantial cairn. Yeah, suffice to say a structure of this magnitude was not erected by student punters on a day trip from Edinburgh! Seeing as most of them (the males, anyway) look as athletic as Jarvis Cocker. No offence, Jarvis....

I settle down upon the great stone pile and reckon there are few places I’d rather be this day. Sure, the great cairn has been defaced by the inevitable ‘storm shelters’.... if that is indeed what they are ..... but it has enough sheer bulk to overcome this with ease. Indeed the view westwards towards Scauld Law is impressive, an apparent cairn upon South Black Hill (to its left) intriguing.... as it transpires, overwhelmingly so. I stay for several hours, enjoying the company of female students – and the excellent views – more than that of route marching muppets. But there you are.

Anyway, as mentioned, Scauld Law beckons, the eroded path testimony to the popularity of these hills. No corresponding monument crowns this top. However, venture along the peak’s southern spur to South Black Hill and this sad state of affairs is subsequently rectified. Yeah, crowning a classic Bronze Age position sits another very substantial cairn, curiously not cited by the OS (or Canmore, for that matter) as being of ancient origin. Strange. Hey, if there is documented evidence to this end, fair enough. But I have to say I was inclined to adopt a contrary view, all things considered. Great views, a great place to hang out for a while.

I descend to Silverburn Quarry (neglecting to visit a hillfort just excluded from my map extract – doh!) and so complete the ‘loop’ and return to the A702. My legs are comprised of the proverbial ‘jelly’, rendering a visit to Castlelaw a ‘no-go’. Instead I decide to head across the Firth of Forth, a visit to the obscure Denoon Law having stuck in the brain. Yeah, why not?

Like BeakerUK and probably dozens of other would be visitors my first attempt to find this particular giants grave ended in frustrated failure. I was precisely where the map indicated I should be, but there was no sign of it, destroyed thought I or too well hidden in the undergrowth. I gave up and went on my merry way for several years, until I came on here and discovered my mistake, no not mine Ordnance surveys mistake, bad map, naughty map.

As has been said the cairn circle is on the other side of the road, right next to where I parked this time and probably last time too. Ferns still try to hide it from everyone who comes by, a secret cairn is this one, hidden by nature and science alike, until now.

A half buried donut it resembles with stones poking out from both the inner side of the bank and the outer. Some stones are loose and free to roam suggesting they’re extra cairn material.
A nice place to sit and contemplate the world around us, and the immediate world around us is extremely pleasing to the eye. West in the distance is white and black Combe moving north over Thwaites fell and Ulpha fell on to Harter fell and up up and away to White Maiden and the Old man of Coniston, and beyond all that the high peaks of Ska fell and it’s near neighbors poke there heads over the hill tops. Awesome. Then the view draws in to the nearby Blawith Knott, and directly behind us the road and car parking space and the nearby high ground perfect for photographing an overview of the site.

All in all an interesting site with an almost overpowering view, god knows why it took so long for me to get back here. Yes i do it’s Wales’ fault.