Leave Aberdeen going north on the A90 which goes past the Bridge of Don industrial estate. At the roundabout take the road to Potterton, the B999, until the sign for Mundurno farm is reached. On the opposite side a field contains the one remaining flanker, about a 1/4 mile flattish walk. In 1934 this stone was 7 ft. tall. Some time afterwards the stone fell but locals put it back up in 1993. This time it’s height was 6 feet.
Visited 22/06/08.
Three stones remain standing in this tragedy of a stone circle. How anybody is allowed to treat such things as a rubbish dump is beyond me! A local businessman said that the current occupant of the Upper Auchnagorth was something of a “f***ing idiot” and discouraged people from visiting with methods not wholly peaceful. Better to reach the village of New Byth, on the B9027, and leave it by following the Culbyth road. This will lead to the Auchnagorth farm. After asking permission head up the hill through the field, climb the fence and turn left and keep going clambering over another two fences. Then go through waste, dumping of machinery, barbed wire, building materials etc. to finally reach the circle.
Amazingly three stones still stand, whilst the rest are fallen. There is evidence of a ring ditch and a raised mound. To add further insult a concrete block hut has been built next to one of the stones. This should rival any of the restored circles as views here are fantastic, Bennachie can be seen, but instead it looks like a bomb site! Maybe one day the place will get the proper attention it deserves!
This walk is about three miles there and back. Worth it but what a shame.
Visited 31/5/08.
The remaining recumbent, with chokes underneath, can be found in field near to the entrance to Clochforbie farm. Leave the A98, east of Macduff, at the Gardenstown junction turning north. The stone, also known locally as the Gray Stone, can be seen from the road. The other stones have long gone thanks to field clearance and the building of the road. I heard no noises when I looked below the stone but my phone ringing gave me one hell of a scare!!
Visited 28/2/09.
(one of my pupils thinks it looks like a whale!)
The tree-line that used to give you your bearings is gone, the trees are down, and there’s an unholy mess to be traversed before you get to the circle. What wonder and joy when you get there though. The circle pulls you in, the views opened up all around. Keadeen is a monster brooding in the clouds to the east. Brusselstown hillfort dominates the north-west.
We had precious little time to drink in the rest of the views: we arrived 5 minutes before a bunch of worshippers took over the circle for their rituals. Were we pissed off? Not half mate!
Head east from Macduff on the A98 and turn north after going through Longmanhill. A more famous cairn is slightly to the south of the small village. After a sharp corner follow the track to it’s end. Go through the farm and the cairn is on top of the hill. Very little remains as the cairn has been robbed to make dykes. The views are good. The Melrose cairn is to the north.
Visited 2/5/09
Follow the B9025 from Turriff to Aberchirder road and leave it at the Bogton junction. Go through the hamlet, past the garden centre another 1/2 mile and the first of the entrances to Carnousie Castle, at the lodge, is reached just after the sharp corner. Go onto the track and keep going until a crossroads is reached. To the right is the castle. It is better to ask permission as there are often shooting parties in the area. Back to the track and move downhill until a road, to your left, appears. Climb the gate and follow the tree line back uphill, climb a fence through another gate and the site(s) are reached.
Cairn Ennit
Like the Carlin Stone it’s builders have taken advantage of a massive boulder and used it to make a similar RSC. Much smaller stones were used to form the circle, which can be just about seen. There has been an archaeological dig, at this site, as indicated by a sign. Slightly to the north is....
Whitehill Wood
All of the stones in this ring appear to be fallen. In Burl’s book it says that two stand but they unfortunately are just about level with the ground. I counted 10 stones but there could be more as there are several more lying outside the circle.
Total walk is about 31/2 miles. Good boots as the walk can be “boggy”.
As can be seen from the images posted there are several cairns in the vicinity of the Stalldown Row...the trouble is, the row is so mighty that the cairns are insignificant in the scope of things!
Usually i would take my time to search them all out but i was just so enthralled with the light playing on the stone row that I only photographed one....sorry!
Having visited this area about three years ago..or was it four? I decided it was time to return. Last time, after walking up the east side of the Erme, I had decided against the climb up onto Stalldown whilst heading back down the west side and so missed this mighty stone row.
This time I chose a route starting on the west side of the Erme, crossing Harford Bridge and taking a path along the river that soon petered out into several animal tracks and nothing else. Going ‘off piste’ I found my way to Tristis Rock then picking up the stone row directly behind it crossed the moorland northwards to Stalldown.
It is this route that Crossing suggests in his Guide To Dartmoor, Excursion 33 but I have to say the route from Torr along the waterworks track may be easier!
Reaching Stalldown you can not see the row and must head off in a northwesterly direction uphill. You find yourself on a spur of the main ridge and at last get a view of the row ahead and over to the left. It is still a bit of a walk across boggy moorland to reach the southern end of the row, but once there all that remains is to follow its majestic stones to the summit and beyond.
There are a number of small low cairns to be seen along the rows length, but the main one, which gives the hill its name is across the plateau to the east.
The road to Mid Knauchland farm is to the south of Glenbarry on the B9022, take the second road to the east, the farm is up the second track north. the largely ruined cairn is situated in the wood beside the farm. Lots of large stones are strewn on the ground some which might have stood but it’s hard to tell. Near the top of the woods there is a double kerb cairn with some of the kerbs still earthfast. One thing not in question is the view, all three major hills in the area can be seen quite clearly, namely Bennachie, Knock and Tap O Noth.
As for the church, when asking permission to look around the farmer mentioned that there was the ruins of an old church. What remains do exist are in a rectangular shape with one end open. They certainly do look like the starting point for some type of building. Syd Halkett, who allowed permission, said that in some of the rock piles monk holes had been found. These must have tough men.
Visited 24/8/09.
Roddanstone, also known as the Cummers Stone, can be found a couple of miles south of Arn Hill and 1/4 mile to the west of the B9022. A single stone remains standing of this probable RSC, being 4 feet tall. Two other stones appear to have fallen whilst others might be glacerial or have simply been dumped in the same vicinity.
Visited 4/5/09
I heard Christian Corlett mention this stone during a talk he had given on the rock art of South Leinster. Ken Williams had attended the talk and posted the recording on da web. I’ve been curious about the stone for a while, located as it is in the megalithically sparse south central Wicklow mountains. It’s also a place where I spent quite a bit of time as a youngster and it was a great excuse to return to Glenmalure.
I ran a find on cup-marked stones in Wicklow on the archaeology.ie database and sure enough there it was! The placement on the map is bang on though the satellite map is quite a bit older than reality which was confusing at first. Using OS sheet 62, find the first forest track on your left after the sharp right turn coming up the road from Drumgoff. The stone is in the field above the end of this track, a little to the right and about 150 metres away.
There are hut sites and enclosures marked on the archaeology.ie map in the vicinity. These are hard to make out and there’s supposed to be one about 10 metres from this stone. The stone itself is flush with the ground, slab-like, roughly a metre by 500cms. There is one main concentration of cup-marks towards the north-east of the stone. These are placed in more or less a straight line. There are about 10 other cups sacattered around the rock in various states of erosion.
I loved the area, Fananierin mountain to the north-east, the small valley created by it and Slieve Maan to the south-west, Drumgoff brook at its bottom feeding into the Avonbeg. The faint feeling that these cups might be natural solution pits faded as I strolled around in the sunshine, examining the hut-sites and enclosures.
Backhill of Drachlaw is wonderful stone circle situated at the farm of the same name. The stones, there are 5, range from 3 to 4 feet in height. It is about 4 miles from Turriff, heading towards Huntly, and can be seen from the B9024, just along from the Carlin Stone. There is a short, flat walk of about 50 meters.
Visited and driven past frequently.
Bellman’s Wood can be found south of Aberchirder, known locally as Foggie, to west of the A97 at Myreside Farm, about a 1/2 mile short of the B9117. The remains of the circle can be found in the field next to the Bellman’s Wood. It is in a pretty poor condition with both flankers fallen. Field clearance has been piled amongst the remaining stones. At least two stones, according to the elderly farmer, are in the foundations of the main barn. However it has beautiful views overlooking the River Deveron and Marnoch Kirk, with it’s stones, is less than a mile away.
Visited August 08.
A fellow brochaholic, an actual archaeologist, has noted the narrow neck to the promontory that this stands on as strongly resembling other broch sites he has visited, saying that if it isn’t a broch it has to be something else significant.
Stoneyfield is quite difficult to find as it is situated near Huntly in amongst a maze of Drumblade country roads. The easiest and most direct route is to leave the A96, from Huntly to Aberdeen, at the second road heading north after the A97 junction. This is signposted, Thomastown. At arriving at the first crossroads turn right and keep going until Stoneyfield farm is reached. The circle is to the left of the farm. Two stones remain erect, 3 feet in height, with several lying bunched beside them. Take care as this field is often occupied by horses!
Visited Summer 08.
Coming from the Dounby direction what can be mistaken for a second stone is the end of a ‘Nissen hut’ barn
Upper Third is situated beside the farm of same name beside the Thornliebank to Fisherford road. No more than 20 meters into a field. Two stones remain one stands and possibly the other has fallen.
Visited or driven past almost every Thursday.
Recently Country Walking magazine had a featured walk to this site, I thought it was only accessible through permission of the Craflwyn NT warden, I contacted him and he assured me it is still only really allowed through their consent. So slapped wrists Country Walking!
Dinas Dinlle now has an official footpath to it and
an information sign, probably in the hope that it stops erosion. It seems to have brought more visitors to this fragile site.
Leave Auchleven, on the B992, and turn east towards Clatt at the crossroads in the middle of the village. Leslie is the first place to arrive at and from here turn north at the crossroads. Braehead farm is just after the Insch junction. Behind the farm and a 1/4 mile hike steepish uphill walk will take the visitor to the remaining recumbent. What a view up and down the Oyne/Clatt valley. The recumbent is just over 6 feet tall. Flankers and other stones, numbering 4, from the circle have gone but probably not to far as a pile of stones is visible only a few hundred yards south of the site. Possibly they could be found within the field clearance and boulders.
Visited 30/4/09
All that remains of this former RSC is a single flanker which stands at 7 feet tall. Enter the Kirkton Of Oyne, from the A96, by the B9022. The site is behind the old church, past the manse, at the end of the tarred road, no more than a few meters into the field. Bennachie is to the south, views north are blocked by houses, east looks towards the Mill of Carden and west is blocked by a hill. Must have impressive in its prime!
Visited 30/4/09.
Turn east at Premnay (Auchleven) towards Leslie and Clatt. About 1/2 mile after Leslie Cotetown farm can be found. This stone can be approached by two means. A walk east of Cotetown farm, the farm lane indicated on some maps is long since gone, of 1/2 mile leads to stone. Slightly further along the road, to Clatt, is the entrance to Johnston farm. Follow this farm track and it will lead straight to the Ringing Stone. It stands at an impressive 61/2 feet tall all by itself. To the west the Tap o Noth is seen, to the east Bennachie and to the south the eastern fringe of the Correen Hills all give spectacular views. It looks like it might have been a flanker. History tells us that some of the stones where used in the building of the farm at Cotetown. Today was windy and the sound of the wind on the stone made its name both wise and obvious.
Visited 30/4/09
I walked from Maud to the farm track at Pitfoskie on the B9106 then jumped the gate heading east. On a small the mound the cist cover remains with a possible head stone. Sadly since Old Fred’s day the cist cover has fallen. Still it’s in a nice spot down beside the old railway.
Visited 29/4/09.
This circle was removed in the 1960’s. It used to be situated on the slope of a hill. The hill is today overgrown with trees.
We visited Nuraghe Nuradeo on a windswept, yet sun-embraced, April afternoon. As we walked up the muddy, rustic lane, observed by countless sheep and bulls, the Nuraghe became clearer.
Amongst the stillness, interrupted only by the noises of animals and the whistle of wind, an overwhelming sense of infinitely ancient history swept over us. Seeing the impossibly heavy stones, we wondered how humans could have carried them, to build a structure that was to withstand thousands of years of wind, rain, countless visitors.
It was not open, but seeing it from a distance was enough to make one consider the longevity of these ancient structures. On the way back, we noticed a perfect line of ruins, stretching on into the horizon.
