Just to note [for any visitors pending] that the cairns currently – June 2010 – sit above an area of furious development, the environs resembling one great, big building site.
It would be interesting to know what is going on here since, as Nickbrand states, the location is otherwise pretty fine. Sad.
One day, perhaps?
Although a futile exercise, of course, just imagine if this massive, chambered cairn hadn’t been wilfully vandalised.... my mistake... ‘excavated’ by Angus Smith in 1871. Perhaps Argyll would still possess something to rival some of Ireland’s great, virgin cairns? Then again perhaps we would now have a concrete dome a third of the size preserving and ‘protecting’ the chamber, but changing the whole character of the monument? Hmm...there is no cut and dried answer, is there? And of course it is unrealistic to be too hard on Mr Smith, since his contemporaries would probably have seen nothing untoward in his actions. It was the self-righteous Victorian Age, after all.
Of the centrally placed chamber, only a gaping crater remains, whilst two obvious orthostats still remain in situ from what would appear to have been a facade/forecourt to the south-east. So, not much surviving detail, then.
But, come on, the great, round cairn is still some 4m tall. Which is mightily impressive in anyone’s language, particularly mine, Achnacree being possibly the tallest such monument I’ve seen outside of the aforementioned Emerald Isle? Foliage borders, but does not encroach upon the cairn proper, leading to an excellent, ‘cool vibe’ on this sunny afternoon. Although, come to think of it, the pretty strong breeze probably has something to do with the ‘cool’ bit. The trees also screen the site from the houses across the road, handy in that they avoid a ‘Memsie’ situation.
So, not a great deal to report, but well worth a visit. Particularly if you’ve got a thing about large, round cairns. Oh, but what could have been!
Heading north across the Connell Bridge on the A823, pass the airport and caravan park on your left before taking the immediate next right turn.
Follow this unfeasibly straight road past Dalvuie (on your left) and the cairn will soon be obvious on the right. It would appear parking is not an issue before the houses opposite.
Supposedly the burial place of Kenneth 4th of Scotland , two problems it’s never been excavated and there never as a Kenneth 4th ( some Celtic/liverpool supporters may disagree ). Kenneth 3rd was killed locally and that is probably the reason for the association .
I was thinking it had similarities with some of the excavated cairns that proved to be Bronze Age in the Brecon Beacons /Black Mountains . Sited on the high point of a spur of flat topped modest sized hills (In this case 776 m) overlooking lowlands allowing for the cairn to be seen from a wide area .
This (still) easy to find site, lies directly besides a field track around 100m from the road right after the first gate. It is signed from the R353, but I didn’t see any hint at the field track itself, that lies around 1km south of the R353.
It seems, that the tomb once had three capstones, with the middle one now collapsed. The tomb is heavily overgrown, which is a shame. Cleared form all these bushes and trees, these tomb would be very impressive.
Visited June 2010
This Argyll weather is crazy. No, sorry, it really is. Awakened early morning by a violent rain storm hammering on the car roof, cloud filling Glen Lonan, by the time I return from a wander upon Meall Reamhar the day is clearly set to be a ‘scorcher’. One can almost imagine Sun ‘journalists’ with fingers poised over PC keys. Bless ‘em.
So, across the bridge I go at Connell and should have taken the first right to Black Crofts, turning right at the junction to take the ‘first tarmac left which doesn’t appear to lead directly to houses’, according to a local woman – it has to be said rather startled to be flagged down by a very rough looking Gladman. Needless to say, however, I didn’t, for some reason deciding upon an unfeasibly straight road past Achnacree instead. Why? But I got there in the end, parking as per Greywether’s notes to find an very ‘un-farmer-like’ farmer reading out front of the farmhouse. ‘Enjoy’, he says and I’m reminded of that Cope quote ‘is there nowhere I will be made unwelcome?’ Or something like that.
The site is a short walk across fields from here, although several gates need to be negotiated before a private audience with the two, very different chambers on view is attained. The first is a low, squat structure, the fine capstone unfortunately fractured into two unequal portions and thus content to do without the support of the surrounding orthostats. To the NW, however, is a fine looking dolmen, the substantial capstone very much supported by its companions. Unfortunately the chamber is filled with stones, whether remnants of original cairn material, or field clearance, I cannot say.
I lie upon the south-eastern chamber capstone and roast in the sun, sounds of playing children drifting up from the Abhain Achnacree (stream) below and to my left, screened by foliage. Beinn Lora towers straight ahead, looking far higher than it actually is. Hell, it’s a glorious site all round.... overgrown, but not to excess and I get the feeling it plays host to very few visitors indeed... although interestingly the BBC were apparently here not too long ago. Whatever for?
Returning to the farmhouse I’m greeted with some surprise regarding the length of elapsed time. Rather than saying ‘I’ve been experiencing the vibe, maaan’, I play the pseudo-academic card and find myself deep in discussion re the rock art of Kilmartin, cup-marks and distribution patterns. Although somewhat out of my depth as regards rock art, I think I manage to avoid being thought a charlatan blagger, since the guy clearly knows his stuff. But only just, mind...
viewed from main road with equivalent of 520mm lens it is obvious my possible quarry (unmapped ever) is the mound. On the one hand you can see why someone there might think this a burnt mound i.e. crescent-shaped and by water. But from these images it is obvious this is the remains of a large circular mound eaten by the bay.
Every now and then a site visit leaves the traveller with a sense of ‘what the bloomin’ eck do we have here?’ Usually this is due to partial destruction, severe undergrowth obscuring form, that sort of thing. But this is something different. Sure, I’d heard of the great Native Indian Serpent Mounds of Ohio, seen a possible ‘tail’ appended to the Bryn-yr-Hen-Bobl in Anglesey, and read about Stukeley’s serpent analogy for Avebury. But here, upon the bonny banks of Loch Nell? The real thing? Yeah, right.
However, during the dying embers of the day I head approx north from the nearby chambered cairn to take an all too brief look at this eroded earthwork. Marked upon the 1:50k OS map simply as ‘cairn’, this description may well have sufficed if the western section was all there was to be seen here... a large, approx circular cairn bearing a deep excavated cist. Nice. But what’s this, a narrow, ‘serpentine’ ridge (hell yeah!) leading towards, and therefore connecting the cairn to, another, tree covered feature to the approx east? Well, some form of burial monument, clearly. But why the ‘body’, assuming the cairn to be the ‘head’? Symbolism, then. But why the second cairn/mound/hillock at the other end? And was there meant to be a ‘tail’ section added to that? To be frank, I haven’t a clue. But, whatever it is, The Serpent Mound certainly lives up to its assigned name. Does exactly what it says on the tin, so to speak.
I walk the ridge and have a look beyond... perhaps another section, perhaps not? I wish I had more time, but there’s a camp to sort for the night and dinner. Basic human requirements. Serpent Mound... love the name and leave here intrigued by this enigmatic, yet virtually unknown site. Oh yesssssssssssssssss.
How good are the substantial remains of this lovely chambered cairn, magnificently positioned upon gently sloping ground, overlooking the southern end of Loch Nell? Perhaps my viewpoint is coloured a little too much by this majestically cloudless evening. But what rich, vibrant colours they are!
Loch Nell is a veritable megarak’s paradise, not only bearing two, clearly identifiable crannogs – those mysterious artificial islands cloaked in folklore when not in opaque vapour – but also, if I am to believe my eyes, a monument bearing comparison, albeit on a much smaller scale, to the great ‘serpent mounds’ of the USA. Can’t be, surely? Not here.
However it is this deceptively large chambered cairn, set not far from Dalineun Farm and shining like a beacon in the evening light, which is the the most obvious prehistoric monument in the locality. OK, the cairn itself is denuded, but the squat orthostats, supporting a large, attractive capstone render the chamber with an aura of subdued, understated power reminiscent, perhaps, of Lligwy in Anglesey. Unlike Lligwy, however, the chamber is too low for me to enter. But with a north-eastern aspect such as this, the only proper place to be is upon the capstone, surely?
The capstone is just about visible from the loch-side road and barbed wire fence. The obvious parking space was unfortunately occupied by some bull-necked muppet who appeared to take umbrage at the sight of my shades/beard/foreign legion hat ensemble. Perhaps he was a fashion designer? Sorry mate, I’m beyond help in that department. I therefore asked a bloke mowing grass beside nearby buildings, who was only too happy to calm any misgivings I had of parking in an official ‘passing space’ and bunking the barbed wire. ‘Don’t forget the Serpent Mound, too’, says he. I check the map. I had. Thanks to him, I didn’t.
The shadows grow longer and I really must go. But not before a quick visit to the Serpent Mound to the north.
Not exactly a ‘fieldnote’ in the strictest sense, since, unless you have a boat – or can swim like Johnny Weissmuller in those old Tarzan films – Rubha na Moine must be viewed from a distance.
I select Meall Reamhar as my viewpoint in this respect, a small hill-cum-grassy-ridge overlooking Loch Nell’s north-western flank. Choosing the appropriate ‘hump’ rewards the early morning traveller, rising from an overnight camp, with a panoramic view of the full length of this wonderful loch. What’s more, an initial squall, bringing heavy cloud, has already swept away towards Oban, leaving air so sweet and fresh you can almost taste it. To be honest, I think you probably can...... hmm.. swweeett.
The crannog, one of two to grace this loch (the other being Dalineun Isle in the southern corner), bears heavy foliage – like virtually all other examples I can recall in passing over the years – and looks otherworldly reflected in the mirror-smooth waters. I wonder if the original occupants ever paused to appreciate the stunning landscape they inhabited, if indeed it actually resembled its current state to any significant degree? Possibly, I would guess, at least during the months of Spring and Summer, assuming a high tolerence of the dreaded midge! But throughout a Scottish Winter. Perhaps not.
Whatever, the view of Ben Cruachan rising above the site to the approx NE is truly exquisite, with Strontoiller Farm visible, too.
The best way to reach this site is to use the driveway to Cleggan Farm Holiday Cottages, park just before you reach the farm. Use the field track behind the gate, until you reach the second gate (with a shed or stable on the left). Leaving the track after the gate to the left along a field wall you should see the site after a very short time.
Like the nearby tomb at Knockbrack, this lovely court tomb lies in an almost perfect surrounding. Across the bay you can see Cleggan Quay, where boats leave to Inishboffin, which lies to the northwest. A really nice and silent spot, I even could people hear across the bay.
The tomb itself is dominated by a nice shaped capstone, which reminds me a wee bit of a humpback whale head ;-). The tomb is aligned NW-SE in parallel to the shoreline, with the gallery at the NW.
A really nice little gem that invites the guest to stay!
Visited May 2010
This likable little tomb lies near Sellerna Bay, just follow the brown signs to the strand until you reach a parking area. If you look roughly northeast across the bay, you should already spot the tomb.
Unfortunately at the time when I reached the tomb, young bulls grazed on the northern side of the site. As the wall around the tomb is very low, I could not approach or inspect the site very close. So the pictures I take, were more or less zoom shots. Sorry about that.
Visited May 2010
Following on after a frankly wondrous morning at Port Sonachan, the long cairn at Achachenna was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax, I guess. But perhaps only in Argyll could this be so... and, it’s a pleasure to relate, misguided.
After descending The Pass of Brander, with its impressively unobtrusive hydro-electric scheme, the B845 heads south from the A8, twisting and turning, this way and that, as it heads down Glen Nant towards Kilchrenan. Here, a minor road beckons to the traveller’s right, leading past Lower Achachenna Farm. Parking just south of an access track to an electricity sub station – honestly, without the sign you would have no idea it was here at all – the monument lies beyond a short stretch of bog and trees to the approx east. Sounds simple enough, but I sink up to my left calf in said bog and find two successive fences, one barbed, barring progress to the relevant field. Huh, Achachenna, you’d better be good!
To be honest, upon arrival, I’m not particularly impressed. ‘Is this it? An, admittedly fine, monolith and shattered remnants of a chamber. Why, although Port Sonachan lies just a short distance away across Loch Awe to the east, both it and the loch are hidden by foliage and land topography. What a swizz...no views.... should have gone straight to Glen Lonan, mumble, mumble. Then again the sun’s out, there’s coffee to be drunk and sweeties devoured, so I lay back and... the old – very old – structure begins to infiltrate its way into the Gladman psyche. Then, suddenly, a soaking wet mutt of a labrador bounds up, threatening my rapidly ageing DSLR, followed by what looks like a family of tourists. Bleedin’ Hell. Here? I excuse my comatose demeanour by stating what a wonderful Neolithic monument this is. ‘I know,’ says the jolly man, ‘I own it’. Doh! What does that law say, again? But I needn’t have worried.... Just like the Achnagoul owner, this man’s actually interested in his charge, laments that the students who used to come and take measurements no longer do so, and states that I’m free to go where I choose and enjoy. Well, who could say ‘no’ to such an invitation? Not I.
It dawns on me that the cairn actually DOES have a great view, with Ben Cruachan lording it magnificentally to the NE and, wandering around, this is actually one large, extensive monument, with several orthostats poking up here and there. The prominent monolith is also a very handsome example indeed. Then the sky takes centre stage with great, billowing, white masses of vapour floating in a vivid blue sky like those airships of yore. Before they began to blow up, that is. Suddenly time, to lazily continue the aeronautical theme, is flying, but I do not want to leave, noting how the ancients utilsed the slope of the hillside to accentuate the silhouette of the long cairn. Crafty buggers.
Achachenna, you knew what you were doing with this naive male punter all along, didn’t you? Obviously a product of a female religion, then.
Been meaning to come back up here with a camera since this section of the moor was burnt off 5 or 6 years ago.
Now after so long the heather has grown back and much of the cairn cemetery is well hidden in the thick new growth.
Still visible are the 2 larger burial cairns, but hidden are 3 smaller ones and 3 small rings of kerb stones, although we possibly came across one of these rings a few metres away to the SE of the most southerly of the larger cairns.
I have visited this site a couple of times and have to admit I have failed to spot the Cairn – despite using binoculars. I have tried to spot it from the lane which runs off the A479 towards the farm – to no avail. Perhaps I have been looking at it all the time but not distinguished it from any other ‘lumbs and bumps’ in the field?
Visited 2008.
Just west of the B4268 road junction at Pentre Meyrick there is a very bumpy, muddy, rough track. You can just about drive down it and shortly you will see trees to your left – this is where the enclosure is. Park as best you can and walk over to the trees. There is a fairly obvious small bank which runs around the square enclosure under the trees.
Not much else to recommend a visit i’m afraid.
Visited 2008.
I parked by the church and followed the ‘path’ through the trees which runs around the side of the hillfort. I then made my own way through the bushes/trees up to the hillfort. This is private land with a fence around it and when I visited there were several horses in the field. Nothing to see other than small stones around the edge. Whether these are anything to do with the hillfort or just part of field clearing I don’t know.
Visited as part of a day out looking at cliff forts along the South Wales coast. As with the other sites I visited there was nothing much to see – other than the lovely Welsh coast. Cracking on a fairly rare sunny day! There is a car park in Dunraven Bay which is only a short walk away.
Visited last summer on a lovely hot day. Drive through Llantwit Major and follow the road down to the car park at the sea shore. There is a shop here where you can buy the normal bucket/spade, chips, tea, ice cream etc. A nice little spot where the river runs into the sea and there are plenty of places to sit and ponder.
With ice cream in hand I headed along the coast, but to be honest I couldn’t make anything out. The vegatation was waist high so I headed back and had a cuppa instead!
I have driven down the B4270 many times and always have a quick look to see if I can spot the barrows. From the road there is one that can be seen as a shallow rise in the field. The rest are not obvious from a ‘drive by’ view.
I visited this site back in 2008.
Quite a tricky one to find this one. Take the road south from Pontlottyn and drive through Fochriw. Just as approach the cemetary there is a sharp turning to the right. Park near this junction. Make your way up the steep bank and head for the furthest point north. The cairn is not visible until you are pretty much on top of it. From what I remember there is a post stuck right next to the cairn. The cairn itself is of a reasonable size with stones protuding out of the grass.
Not a lot to see for the effort it takes to find it i’m afraid to say.
‘This could be the best-located chambered cairn in Scotland’.... so says Greywether. Who’s been to a few, it must be said. Having spent a wonderful morning at this gorgeous site, I can only agree, with the added caveat ‘of those I’ve seen to date’. Rest assured, if there are any better placed megalithic monuments, let me at ‘em!
Blimey, can a man really ask for more than what is on offer here? At least within the bounds of a family web-site that is. Perched upon a crag overlooking the Port Sonachan hotel, where punters sit enjoying a coffee with ‘panoramic views of Loch Awe’, the panoramic views enjoyed by this megalithically-minded traveller are in a totally different league altogether. The coffee’s pretty good as well, made with water from a stream just down the road... Truly stunning, the mirror-smooth surface of the loch is broken by an occasional pleasure boat leaving a prominent ‘V’ wake in its, er.... wake, whilst the massive bulk of Ben Cruachan dominates the upper reaches behind me.
So, that’s the view, then. But what about the chambered cairn itself? Pleased to report that it is, in fact, quite substantial, with one nice – albeit capstone-less – chamber within the remnants of a cairn, plus hints of the previous existance of more. In short, well worth the effort of climbing up here for its own sake, never mind the exquisite position chosen for it by its builders.
Needless to say no-one else arrives to break the vibe and, to be honest, I’m not even sure the smokers having a ‘crafty fag’ outside the hotel can even see me from down below. As G notes, the hotel is the key to a visit to this obscure site. The track opposite immediate splits in opposite directions... take the left fork and climb until just before a small building, veering uphill to the right here beneath pylons. Cross the fenceline at it’s left-hand extremity and ascend, steeply, straight uphill, heading right near a round water tank. The monument is upon the rocky crag above you.
My initial, map-less attempt to find this monument from Achnagoul I ends in an embarrassing retreat back down the hill to the car in order to remedy the situation. Huh, ‘mountain man pathfinder’, indeed... As I do so, however, I spot the farmer working in the field. ‘Hmm, suppose I’ll discover if what G and Postie said about his attitude still holds true’, I think to myself as I boldly make contact. In short, it does.... for conversation makes it clear the man harbours a deep appreciation of what he has here in his care and of the tradition he is upholding. No need to ask permission, just show the land and his ownership due respect and you are welcome here. How refreshing, downright intelligent and proper Scottish is that?
I jump in his Defender for a lift back up the hill and, once over the forest gate, head approx north, taking care to err on the side of left and so avoid my previous mistake. After one ‘false alarm’ – hell, this doesn’t look much – I arrive within the monument’s clearing. Wow! This is much more like it. Exquisite.
A large chamber, partitioned into two sections lengthwise (or technically perhaps two linear chambers?) is entered via a fine, curving facade of orthostats. Heavilly overgrown with moss and fern, a little poking around in the undergrowth – I mean ‘serious academic investigation’, of course -reveals said facade to be much more extensive than I first thought. So much so that, if I didn’t know better, I’d have assumed I’d found an Irish Court Tomb (a point also made by G in his notes, it must be said). The vibe here is so incredible this early evening that thoughts of moving on are immediately discarded. Nature has taken a large step to reclaiming this tomb, but in a far more subtle manner than Auchnaha across the water! Somehow the artificially-created environs of Achnagoul II feel right and I do not even mourn the loss of a horizon. How strange is that? Strange, but true. The same sentiments as finding such a beauty so close to one of Scotland’s finest.
Arrive here early afternoon... hot, bothered, late and in dire need of a good spot to chill out, following an unscheduled drive to Argyll Tyres in Lochgilphead to replace a tyre (obviously), duly punctured near Auchnaha, on the other side of Loch Fyne... I guess some may feel the location of said event is more than coincidental, bearing in mind what has befallen the chamber there? Hmm. No comment for the sake of my sanity. Wibble... the first puncture in 20-odd years, and it occurs there... wibble. Access to Achnagoul, as mentioned before, is excellent, the farm indicated upon the A83, with a large ‘parking’ area where the rough track veers left towards the farm. Hope over the fence, up the hill to the copse of trees and there you are.
Thankfully there can be few better places to relax in these Isles than here, perched upon a hillside near Achnagoul Farm, a splendid location overlooking the aforementioned Loch Fyne. Nice. No, it’s much more than that and I heartilly concur with the previous two (very distinguished) gentlemen’s comments... this has to be one of Scotland’s finest long cairns. Some claim, indeed, in a country liberally blessed with such a rich seam of treasures.
The cairn itself is substantial, a longitudinal trench allowing the visitor to, unusually, walk the length of the monument from within. A large orthostat highlights a lateral chamber, but it is the main chamber, with superb capstone in situ, which, quite rightly, wins the plaudits. The narrow entranceway to the chamber is pretty impressive, too, with some nice stonework. A tight squeeze to enter, with condensation running down the inner faces of the orthostats, this chamber is just what the doctor ordered right now. Chilling out in all senses of the term, not just the most literal. Alright!
Time appears to stand still, but the watch all too soon indicates the passing of the afternoon and decision time.. do I head for another site, or have a look at the companion long cairn within the nearby forestry? I choose the latter, since, well, whatever schedule I had is now history following Stockie Muir yesterday and this morning’s shenanigans. Trouble is I’ve left map and compass in the car, some woodland blunderings making it clear I can’t blag my way out of this one. I must retrieve them...
On a visit this week (June ‘10), I found that the “Theme Park” is now closed and seemingly abandoned. Wandering around the deserted site alone made for a strange atmosphere – very Scooby Doo! It does mean that the stones can now be accessed free without ninja-style early morning raids, however.
Lake Barrow Group
Field notes – Visited 5th Aug 2007
There are three different and separate barrow groups south of Normanton Down, all of which are within the Wilsford cum Lake parish. Apart from the Lake group, there is the Lake Down barrow group (SU 117 393) which is actually on Lake Down, east of Druids Lodge and above Spring Bottom. The other group is known as the Wilsford Barrow group (SU 118 398) and this sits on the spur between Wilsford Down and Lake Down, on the western slope of Spring Bottom.
The Lake group are located just off the track that runs past Normanton Down and onto the A360 at Druids Lodge. These barrows are on private land but in order to get permission to view them you need to walk past them to Westfield farm.
This group contains at least fifteen bowl-barrows, four bell-barrows, two disc barrows and a long barrow. The farm track separates the main barrows of the group, the northern set containing the long barrow and disc barrows sit in a wood, while on the southern side of the track are two bell and three bowl barrows, one of which has been greatly reduced. To the north-west lay a satellite group of four bowl barrows which were completely excavated by Professor William Grimes in 1959 due to the damage they were under from being ploughed down.
Although Colt Hoare and William Cunnington carried out a lot of the excavations in the area, many of the barrows in this group including both the disc barrows, were opened by a former proprietor, Rev. Edward Duke, unfortunately with little, if any record. The Neolithic long barrow however, aligned north-west to south-east, 42 metres long, 23 metres wide and 2.5 metres high, appears never to have been opened or excavated in any way. The bell and bowl barrows which stand in the triangular open area between the two arms of the wood are the best preserved although the one furthest west is greatly reduced. These were the subject of Duke’s excavations in 1807, but there is doubt as to what he found in which barrow.
The barrows within the wood were difficult to photograph when I visited at the height of summer due to the extensive vegetation. There was a stench of death and I think a badger set had been the scene of slaughter. Some of the barrows had certainly been damaged by burrowing, if not by the tree roots that had engulfed them. I couldn’t get too far into the overgrowth to see the disc barrows or the so-called, Prophet Barrow which was said to be the place a French prophet preached from in 1710.
An interesting barrow group if you have the time to walk down from Stonehenge and get permission to look around them but I would recommend you did this in the winter months when the trees are bare and you can get a clearer view of the barrows.
