Latest Fieldnotes

Coming into Inverness from the surrounding countryside is a culture shock, to say the least. I mean plastic ‘Nessies’ at the petrol station...c’mon! Since I’m not exactly adept at finding my way around city centres either, the fact that I managed to locate this site is a small miracle in itself. Although perhaps the ‘Druid Temple Crescent’ and housing estate may have helped... a little. Persevere.

Seriously, it would appear the area is being quickly urbanised, so come see the Druid Temple clava cairn before it features beer cans and crisp packets courtesy of local kids. It’s worth it. And then some.

I parked and walked down the farm track and -after receiving permission from a friendly lady in the house -squelched through deep mud to the site situated in a copse behind the farm. A massive monolith dominates the circle enclosing the cairn in clava fashion, the kerb of which is in pretty good condition, too. But it is the atmosphere here which sets Druid Temple apart and makes it so special – the canopy of foliage no doubt helps, perhaps evoking ancient human instincts relating to the times we used to live in such surroundings. To put it simply, I didn’t want to leave.

These five uprights have been wedged into a natural fault in the rock at the western end of Hawks Tor. They provide a barrier from anything approaching along the ridge from the west as you either have to climb over them or descend down some distance and traverse around below.

I can find no mention of them in any history books so have no idea what age they belong to..but see no reason why anyone would put them there in ‘modern times’.

Hawks Tor can be accessed from a footpath that heads left from the road up to Trewortha Farm from Berriobridge.

Easy to find if you take the footpaths marked on the OS map that pass closest the tumuli. Any other approach is almost impossible due to gorse bushes. The two barrows that I looked at were actually cairns and appeared to be undisturbed.

Can only agree with Vicster – a fantastic site with wonderful views of the main Cairngorm plateau and a very substantial monolith in true clava cairn style.

The cairn stands in pasture land grazed by horses from the adjacent riding school. These are pretty friendly creatures, hence only the one photo. Not sure there’s a technical photography term for ‘horse nudge’, come to think of it, but that’s my excuse.

One little Shetland pony nearly broke my wrist after I gallantly tried to untangle it’s bridle from the fence – so be warned if you’re not comfortable around these complex beasties.

Update – I lied – one additional picture escaped the equestrian assault.....

Ignored by the tourists who head straight for the – admittedly excellent – castle, this ruined site is dominated by the great mass of The Quinag rising beyond across Loch Assynt.

Well worth a look if you’re passing since several uprights still remain..... and if the chamber isn’t aligned upon Spidean Coinich I obviously don’t know my alignments.

And hey, the views are great, too.

Not exactly what you would expect up in the wilds of Caithness..... a large stone circle. Even with half the circumference missing this is a great site.

Checked with the farmer, who was only too willing to let me have a look and give directions – great bloke, with a face that could tell a story or two, I’ll warrant. From the passing area near the farm, go through the metal five-bar gate and follow the fence-line steeply downhill. An improvised ‘stile’ gives access to what is literally a water-meadow – i.e make sure you’ve got your boots or you’re in for a paddle, my friends.

The rush of the nearby stream fills the air as it makes its convoluted way towards the sea, but this only adds to the aura of calm here, strangely enough. As for the stones, I count eight, but then my arithmetic’s never been up to much. Pretty substantial, too

Back in the car after a couple of hours I suddenly notice the phalanx of wind-generators on the skyline beyond. Talk about juxtaposition of ancient and modern power... right on!

Follow the same directions as used for the Hill Of Selbie to reach Little Hillbrae. There are two badly robbed and hollowed out cairns close to each other.

Use the path as described and climb the fence, following the fence to the top of the hill. Climb another fence and turn left heading down the the hill. The first cairn is on the left, head further onto a farm track turn right and the next cairn is a few meters in front.

Not much to see at the cairns but the scenery is stunning. With a pair of binoculars the RSC at Bourtie can be seen.

Visited 8/06/09.

Leave Inverurie on the B9170 heading towards Oldmeldrum. Take the first tarred road to the right and climb to the top of the hill. Little Hillbrae is signposted, with the actual Hill Of Sekbie behind. Keep going until the track stops at the farm. If taking the car ask permission to park and to also climb the fence at the back of the house. A rarely used path leads to the fence. Canmore says 440 meters in a South Easterly direction. Far easier just to walk diagonally across the field to the top corner. The ring cairn is in the next field over another fence. I went to see the nearby cairns first, in the opposite direction so I would estimate about a 11/2 mile walk. (visiting both sites)

The views from here are stunning as they look down on Inverurie, towards Aberdeen and beyond, Bennachie, Tap O Noth and the Knock Hill. Only the Bourtie Hill behind blocks any view.

Unfortunately field clearance has been dumped here but there is enough to imagine that this was an impressive site. The outer ring can be seen in parts, five stones are clearly visible. The inner ring can also be traced thanks to earthfast stones. Canmore says a 3 foot stone is missing from the middle but I found one in amongst the gorse. At the top end of the field another stone of equal height is used as a gatepost.

Must have been impressive before it was robbed!

Visited 8/06/09.

[visted spring 2009] Oddness abounds here. As I approached on the a420 I expected a massive hill to be appear, contours on maps clearly not my strong point. What I got instead was a tight V shaped valley wrapping its way around the two open sides of the promontary. This means that even without the tree cover there are no long views out across the land. There are very few hill forts in Britain where the next hill in all directions is but a tight valley away.
The fort itself is off the public footpath, but I got slightly lost and stumbled upon it by accident, officer. The interior seems to be grass now, used as a circuit for horses. Generally its survived quite well.
Access is for those who like walking up and down and up and down footpaths through woods. Twice the normal effort for half the joy.

Go south from Hatton Of Fintray on the B979, crossing the Hatton Bridge over the River Don, and take the road to Dyce after passing Kinaldie. Although the stone, at Kinaldie, can be seen steep banks and the main Aberdeen to Inverness railway line block the way. Moving onto the Dyce road go past the council depot and if using a car stop at the first unofficial lay by. It has to be said that this road is a mess. Climb the small brae and the site is a further 1/4 mile in a field.

The stone is now part of a fairly ruined dyke. Standing at 3 meters tall this is a very impressive piece of granite. Canmore says it is shapeless but I disagree. The stone has a triangular top and makes a wonderful addition to the landscape. Great views to the north. Tyrebagger Hill to the south.

Visited 7/06/09.

Visited 3.5.09, Woodleaze long barrow passed by a footpath that runs immediately to the north of the site. It stands in a ploughed field and is severely ploughed-down. All that it visible is a very low mound. Nicely situated, easy walking, but only one for the dedicated.

A small round barrow lies to the east at SO825976. This is even more ploughed-down and barely visible at all.

Visited 26.4.09, from Nympsfield long barrow and The Soldier’s Grave, using the same route as Baza. This involves a climb up a steep-ish bank from the valley footpath to the south below.

The barrow stands at the west end of the glider club airstrip and is not the most impressive of monuments, just a low grass mound. It can also be seen from the road at a gap in the hedge to the NW.

About a hundred yards north of Nympsfield long barrow, this seems to be largely ignored by visitors. I visited on 26.4.09 and despite the number of cars and people about, no-one else came this way while I was there.

As you enter the wood from the direction of the long barrow, you’re confronted with this large round barrow almost immediately. Rather like the largest of Emma’s Grove round barrows, this is a big old thing. It’s surrounded by trees, which cut off any views to the west. Worth a quick look if you’re in the area.

From here I headed back east to Buckholt Wood, which is a short walk and scramble away.

Visited on a reasonable spring day (26.4.09), walking from Woodchester via The Toots. Plenty of picnicers enjoying the spot, but only two small girls paid any attention to the long barrow itself (the upright megaliths being about the same height as them).

Despite the intrusive carpark and picnic tables, this is quite an interesting barrow with its exposed stonework. Having scared the girls off (sorry) I sat in the southern chamber of the barrow for a while and let life and sandwiches pass by. The odd thing about this barrow is that the “mound”, such as it is, appears to run north-south, but actually it doesn’t. The exposed chambers are in reality at the east end of the barrow and the original long mound would have run westwards from here. The mound is now very low and doesn’t really give much sense of how the barrow must have looked. I was also a bit alarmed to see various bits of stonework removed from their places and lying on the grass next to the chamber. It wouldn’t take much to seriously damage this exposed monument.

Anyway, after a few peaceful moments I headed off to the NW corner of the picnic area and The Soldier’s Grave. The little girls reclaimed their play area and the picnicers carried on ignoring the ancient remains!

Visited on a warm, cloudy spring day (26.4.09). This barrow has a very impressive position – I had previously seen it from the train window on the Gloucester – Swindon line, where it is an easily recognisable landmark. There are terrific views over the Severn Valley to the west and across to the NW.

The barrow itself has seen a lot of excavation, along the top there are four or five large scars of varying sizes. The overall shape is still discernable but there is no sign of any megaliths.

It was very busy up here today, plenty of people out walking dogs, themselves, their children, as well as the suitablility of the barrow as spot for flying kites. Not a place for blissful solitude then, but still a communal focal point all these thousands of years after it was built. From here I headed west through the lovely Pen Hill woods, towards Buckholt Wood long barrow.

Just on the right side of the road that connects Insch to Old Leslie, about 1 mile. As Greywether suggests park slightly further up from the site. Two massive stones remain not more than 20 meters from the road. Keep going to Old Leslie, at the end of the road, and Braehead is on top of the hill in front.

Driven past weekly.

‘Aberdeenshire’ has so much to offer that even after four trips over the years I still regarded sites with ‘only’ recumbents and perhaps flankers as not worth the effort. Too much else to see. Before I came to Stonehead, that is.

Anyway, decided to stop off Dunnideer way and made the deceptively long walk to Whitebrow to find an empty plot where I assume the farm used to be?? Hmm – any ideas, or is it just me getting lost again? Entering Stonehead’s field the size of the recumbent and particularly flankers is overwhelming – despite this, however, they paradoxically appear so fragile as to require tethering down to stop them floating off into space.... Perhaps this is just the ambience Stonehead creates, but there’s no doubt this remnant [but what a remnant!] of an RSC is a piece of ancient art which evokes a power today’s Turner Prize winners could never hope to match.

Dunnideer looms in the distance, with Dunnydeer Farm just down the road. This is a special place indeed and I feel a bit of a muppet for ever doubting M’lud Yatesbury. That I do.

At first sight – from a distance – this looks a bit of a mess..... but persevere since the siting is magnificent, with trout (I think) jumping all over the place, and the construction techniques of your ancient broch builder well seen. Boy, these people were dudes when it came to building dry stone walls!

Clearly the level of the loch has risen over the millennia – unless the inhabitants were like Kevin Costner in Waterworld – since the broch interior now resembles a pond... ditto a perfectly formed wall chamber with mural stairway exposed

So, not as good as Ousdale, perhaps, but – particularly taken as part of the Yarrows complex – this broch had my poor old brain in overload mode. Suggest it’s a good idea to do the Yarrows walk in ‘reverse’, so to speak. Not to be intentionally contrary you understand, but so you can relax here at the end of a long afternoon....

I’m normally wary about ‘official’ trails and walks – best left to the tourists, eh? – but this Loch of Yarrows walk is a gem... as long as you make sure you’ve got yer boots and waterproofs (this is Scotland, after all).

White posts guide the way – so no need for compass – past numerous chambered cairns etc and I reckon this is arguably the pick of the bunch. All the more infuriating, therefore to find old beer cans within the passage on my visit prompting me to crawl down and retrieve the damn things. What kind of muppet takes the trouble to come to this sort of place and then does this? Beggars belief. Suffice to say they’re there no longer and the roof didn’t fall in on my head either – it’s probably the tightest fit I’ve encountered – apart from The Lion Sleeps Tonight (sorry, that’s pretty bad).

Oh.... The views are pretty good, too. Great mini hillwalk, great cairns – what more could could you ask for? Are we talking a Scottish Carrowkeel here? Not quite, but it’s pretty close.

And no, I didn’t take a picture of the farmer.

The most picturesque site possible on a beautiful sunny evening to find two relatively well preserved chambered cairns – there’s another nearby, by the way. Also the reason I thought it’s high time I began to contribute to TMA – this is what TMA’s all about.

I would re-enforce the ‘wellies needed’ bit – even my winter mountain boots were no match for Loch Calder and I ended up in way past my knees trying to cross to cairn B after taking them off..... much to the amusement of local fishermen.

I’d say your best bet is to use the concrete ‘dam’ wall and advance to each site through the trees -but watch your eyes!

An exquisite site, even coming after the Warehouse cairns.

Drumfours is tragic case of what might have been. The one remaining stone has fallen beside others possibly field clearance. Less than 20 meters away is another pile of stones. Some look the right type for a circle but who knows? Depressing really!

South from the Bridge of Alford on the A980 go thru the village of Muir of Fowlis and take the Leochel-Cushnie road. Drumfours is indicated to the left. Follow the track to the first severe corner, the remnants are in the field to the right.

Visited 4/06/09

This is a beautiful and tranquil place, Tomnagorn RSC, with three circle stones still standing the others having fallen. The recumbent and east flanker still stand, the west flanker being broken. The inner circle/kerbs can still be seen and is connected to the recumbent.

Coming from the north head south from Milnbank on the B993 and stop at Tomnagorn farm, just after the signposted Bankhead junction. The present owner is a very pleasant chap whom along with his sidekick showed the way to the circle. Parking is available on request at the farm. When entering the farm look up the hill and the remains of a dry stane dyke can be seen. Follow this, go thru two gates and a serene wooded area with the RSC awaits. A total walk of about 1/2 mile.

Visited 4/06/09.

Walking along the bottom line of the Grimeston road [which connects to Quoyer by a couple of farmtracks] at HY31981455 there is a complicated bit of stone building around and about a burn on its western edge.This includes drystane walled banks, but what is interesting is what looks like a short line of brown stones that is the footbridge used in crossing before the road was built sometime after 1882. Coming up the northern leg Langskaill is a fine example of a threshing mill and associated water furniture. Looking across the burn to the field at the end of the furthest south building the brilliant sunshine picked out a rise on the slope as a translucent pale green [possibly with ridges] amid the surrounding dark tussocks. From the road I could see a standing stone on its LH periphery and another at the top. Less obvious is a shorter one hard by the farm building at the right, all three being around the periphery pointing in. Though there is a ‘standing stone fence’ outside the wall they aren’t part of it. Stepping off the road and following an old wake in the damp ground for more views it became even more obvious that this is a mound. A local book on Harray gives the name Pickaquoy for the area about Langskaill, indicating that the Vikings found a prehistoric site here. There is a curving ridge in the field north of the buildings, however there are dozens of these in the Grimeston and Staney Hill area that are of natural formation (banks, moraines, outcrops etc.].
I hold the same opinion of Henge – I know Andrew Appleby was struck by the stones there but it would be hard for the antiquarians to miss a site of such a large size. And Dave Lynn is right about the putative entrance, the causeway is evidently a result of one of the two tracks that preceded the road [devil’s advocate does say the constructors could have taken advantage of such an entrance and removed it in so doing]. Because of sheep only explored some of it. Near the SW corner of the field there is a circular bank around a flattish depression where from the road I saw stones . There are plenty of these and the odd space in places beneath. However there is also a big chunk of machinery so it is difficult to say anything without its removal.

This is quite a difficult place to get to. Leaving Turriff by the B9024 take the Balloch Brae road, first left. You can see the circle and Corrydown. A road, at Uppermill Farm 3rd tarred road on the right (4 miles from Turriff), on some maps has gone and the Glasslaw burn has to be crossed. Far better to go further along the towards Thornliebank, past Pitglassie, turning left to Auchterless at its crossroads with Fortrie (past the Greymuir Cairn). On the way visit Mains of Hatton RSC go past the farm of the same name then turn left/north until the Backhill Of Thomastown. From here I walked the 11/2 miles to the Corrydown farm. The circle is in the field to the right being easily spotted as it is surrounded by a fence.

The recumbent is still in situ with a fallen flanker. Other stones have been moved as the folklore tells. At the northern end there appears to be a small kerb cairn.

I mentioned three sites but at least another five are in the near surrounds. To me, this would make an excellent day. Good boots – varied terrain!

Visited October 08.

This site can be found mid way on the Lethenty to Darnabo road after leaving the B9005. (Between Methlick and Woodhead Of Fyvie) It is in a field just before the Monkshill crossroads on the northern side. No more than 20-30 meters from the road. Once again tremendous all round views from this vantage point especially towards Bennachie with whom it is probably aligned. Coles and others suggest that this was once part of a circle. Sadly the other stones have long gone.

Visited April 09 (and driven past every week).