Latest Fieldnotes

Take the B955 Cortachy road north out of Kirriemuir, Pass Caddam Wood on the left and take the road on the left leading to Kingoldrum. The stone lies 100m down this road in the field on the north side, and has been enclosed. It is a plain stone, with no visible cup or ring marks.

Kindallachan lies just to the east of the A9 a few miles north of Dunkeld. The stone lies in a field adjacent to the A9, and there is plenty space to park nearby. The stone itself is fairly unremarkable, standing approximately 1.5 m tall. It is known locally as the ‘Druid’s Stone’. The area itself is interesting, however. The Megaraks visited on 13/10/02, and on investigating the nearby area found traces of what we believe to have been a stone circle close by this standing stone – was it an outlier? Four stones remain (I have marked the 3 visible ones on the lowest photograph), and a local man we spoke to said that his neighbour had paced these stones out – they were precisely 14 of his paces apart. They lie in an eastern arc, at approximately NN995503. The area before them is flat, and although our cursory examination revealed no further stones, I intend to return and subject this one to a closer scrutiny! The putative circle remains lie within a natural amphitheatre, and is bounded by a stream to the east. An interesting site, and one which may repay further study. There is no information about this particular site in Canmore.

These are a bit awkward to get to. Follow the A94 through Scone towards Shianbank, take the small road on the southern side towards the house at the end of the track. The circles are in the small wooded area out in the fields. There are the remains of what appear to be old WW2 bunkers beside the site, and a very large rabbit warren! According to a friend (Scotty) there is evidence of wierd rituals being held on this site – he saw the usual candle debris, a large cow skull and a cat’s tail last time he visited, approximately September 02.

From the A90 just north of Brechin take the B966 through Edzell, amile or so past the town there is a road marked “Glenesk – Tarfside” heading north (left side of the road). Take this and follow the road for several miles (be warned, it’s pretty narrow so watch for oncoming traffic!). As the glen opens out you’ll see a sign for Colmeallie, park where convenient at the foot here, so as not to block the entrance, and walk up to the circle, which is to the left of the track. The man who lives at the cottage here is helpful and there’s no problem viewing the circle.

The circle itself is pretty disrupted. Only five stones remain upright, though a drawing I’ve seen from the 1950’s showed 6 upright at that time. It sits on a mound, and on investigation appears to have been two concentric circles at one time. Many stones are now recumbent, and others have been utilised in nearby dykes... It’s in a pretty stunning location though, and worth a look. ‘Dowsing’, for those of the ley line persuasion, shows that there is a pretty strong ‘focus’ near the centre of the circle – this was demonstrated to me by the resident of the cottage, who had been shown how to do it by a previous visitor to the site!

Situated in the village of Murthly, accessed via the B9099 from Luncarty on the A9, the circle is in an area known as Druid’s Park (formerly Murthly Hospital). This circle lies 300 yards north east of the gate, in the private grounds of Druid’s Park House. Permission should be sought from the occupants before entering, although when I visited this was readily and cheerfully granted. The circle comprises 5 stones, in a sunken circular area approximately 10 metres in diameter. From gaps in the circle it appears that there may once have been 7 or 8 stones, but there is no trace of the others. This site stood in an open field until the construction of Murthly Hospital in 1863-4, when oaks were planted and an earth bank raised around the stones. Cinerary urns were found close to but not inside the circle during the 19th century. The area is now unfortunately heavily overgrown with rhododendrons, and although the primary stone, some 2m high, is easily visible, the others are quite hidden. They have been marked with white lines on one photograph.

Take the A929 north out of Dundee to Tealing. Follow the road due west past Balkemback farm on the left, until you see a house in a stand of trees on the right. Park just past this, and the circle is in the second field north. The site is described as an irregular setting of four stones, two fallen. They form a circle approximately 11m in diameter. The tallest stone is the south-eastern one, standing just over 1m in height, but the fallen south-western stone is 1.5m in length. The south-eastern stone has cup and cup-and-ring markings on the broad east and west faces.

Visited 5th October 2002: Surprisingly pleasant, considering the twee housing estate that surrounds it.

We parked the car in the road opposite (to have a pre-cromlech snack) and watched two visitors stroll into the site and walk out again one minute later! Presumably it wasn’t what they were expecting.

It’s pretty amazing how only two of the uprights are actually holding the weight of the capstone!

Visited 17th October 2002: Two days after my son Alfie was born I headed off with William to misuse my paternity leave and find these two stones. I had kept them ‘up my sleeve’ for use in emergency (break glass if long distance travel is not possible).

Without the aid of the trusty OS map (I had left it in the office on the day before Alfie’s birth) I eventually found my way to Pen-bont Rhydybeddau by a circuitous route. I then followed my nose to where I thought the stones should be and surprised myself by spotting them as we drove past.

A public footpath runs directly between the two stones, and where it meets the road there is just enough space to park. It was bloody cold, and the beautiful view down the valley and out to sea was marred slightly by what was obviously an enormous rain storm heading our way.

Both stones are striking, and typical of standing stones in the area they aren’t very tall. The western stone has an interesting horizontal groove on one side, which looks like it might be natural. I was impressed by the whole place, the setting and the stones. It felt very grey and old.

After half an hour of exploration we made it back to the car just as the rain came. It was a memorable visit, and we both had a lot of fun. I’d recommend a visit if you’re in the area.

From Alyth, follow the B954 northwards past the Loch of Lintrathen over on the right, until the road forks at Dykend. Follow the B951 for approximately 2km until just before Pitmudie. Park at the side of the road, climb the fence into the wood on the north side of the road, and follow the fence as it zigzags uphill. At the second north-to-east junction, climb over the inner fence and head approximetely 50m north east, where you will soon see the upright stone amongst the broom. There are 3 stones, a large (3.5m) upright and 2 recumbent ones. It is easy to see that they were all originally upright, aligned on a south-west axis. Following the line south west points to the Kilry stone, and north east to the stones at Knowehead of Auldallan. Seriously spooky stuff, I’ll leave any conclusions to the ley line/magnetic/conspiracy theorists! Beautiful views of the scenery to the north of here, well worth a visit.

These stones are a bit off the beaten track. Knowehead of Auldallan Farm is north of Pitmudie on the B951. Find Pitmudie and turn north on the Balintore road (un-numbered). Drive up past the ruined Balintore Castle ( a real Brigadoon affair! ) and about 1/2 km along to the east is Knowehead of Auldallan Farm. Ask permission (readily granted when I called) and head down the fields, negotiating 2 gates. Always ask, as there are stock in the fields. The 2 stones are in a fenced-off area, one standing and the other recumbent. The farmer told me that the recumbent one had been pushed over many years ago by cattle rubbing against it! When standing, it must have been aligned with the other on an approximate SSW axis.

From Alyth take the B954 north until the road forks, signposted for Dykehead and Kilry. Follow this un-numbered road until you see Kilry School, a small building. There is a little cottage opposite, appropriately named “Standing Stone”. There’s not much in the way of parking here, and the road is very narrow. The stone is to the north side of the cottage down a private track – please ask before entering. It sits in a peaceful glade in the trees, and on the map, appears to be perfectly aligned with the Pitmudie Stone Row and the Auldallan Stones. You can’t see any one from the others, but try it on the map with a ruler.... Spooky! I’ll leave discussion of this coincidence to the believers in ley lines, etcetera.

This stone is situated near Alyth. Taking the A926 east from Alyth, through Ruthven and the village of Airlie, it is immediately visible to the right, highlighted against the sky. There is a convenient farm gate nearby, which can be parked in short term. The stone is over 2 metres high, and has no normal distinguishing marks (If you disregard the ruddy great bench-mark on the northern face...), but is quite dramatic as it leans to the south, illustrated in the picture I have posted.

Take the A929 north from Dundee towards Tealing. Turn off before Tealing at Tinkletap, and park in the yard (ask permission). Take the track north to the old shed, then west towards another track running SW/NE. 50 metres NE up this track the stones lie up on the left. This pair of stones is not very impressive, with no cup marks or rings visible, but the view from their location is fine.

Judging by what’s left the barrow it must have been quite large at sometime. The barrow has a metal sign stuck into it, nasty as it is, it’s about the only thing on the moor to direct you to the Wet Withens circle which is close by it.

Take the B952 east from Alyth until you encounter the small road leading east towards Airlie. About a kilometer along this road is Shanzie Farm, on your right. Drive past, park about 100 metres along on your left, at a field entrance (ensuring the farmer is not working in the field). Walk another 100 metres east, where a path can be seen between a stone dyke and an electric fence, leading uphill. The path is wide and easy to follow. Up the hill, there is a stile placed there by the farmer over the electric fence. The stone itself is unremarkable, with no cup or ring marks, but the view is excellent and well worth the little climb. All credit to the farmer at Shanzie, who has made access to the stone extremely easy, and is a very friendly and helpful gentleman. One oddity I did notice is that the Shanzie stone is at the western end of an ESE axis, with the Philpie stones the opposite (eastern) end. The Bruceton symbol stone lies almost exactly halfway between.

A small stone perched on a low hilltop, just off the A93 through Glenshee. About 5 miles south of Spittal of Glenshee is a small road which runs east towards Glenisla, signposted for Blacklunans. On a bend in the road about a mile in there is sufficient space to park – the stone itself can be glimpsed just on the small hilltop. Negotiate a couple of gates and it’s about a 50m walk up the hill to the top. No significant markings, but worth a look just for the views!

Not a lot to add to what’s been said below – I’ve added 3 photographs of various aspects of the stones around the site. I wasn’t sure what to make of the layout.

Take the A917 from St Andrews east towards Kingsbarns. About 500m before the village is a farm road running SSW. Turn in here, and about 300m in on the right side is a track running ENE parallel with the A917. Park here carefully, and proceed up the track until you see an open gate. The stone is in plain sight.
Approximately 2.4m tall, it is a thin slab with a pronounced tilt towards the south. I could discern no markings of any kind on it.

Leave the A9 at Bankfoot and follow the B867 through Waterloo up to the entrance to Muirheadston farm. Careful parking here will not obstruct the farm road, and the stones are in the centre of the field beside you. The eastern stone has a cross incised on the southern face, easily visible in the photograph.

The map ref. is only approximate because for the life of me I cannot remember exactly where I saw this. I was reading a post from FourWinds about disappearing Bullaun stones and remembered seeing this some years ago. I took the picture and forgot about it until I read the post and there it was in my archive. FourWinds thinks it may be a Bullaun stone, the hole is about 8ins across and about 4ins deep and I think is close to the Auchengaich burn. I don’t know anything about the folklore around here but I shall take another look next year when I drag myself home again.

This lovely neglected stone nestles out of sight just off the road near Shemore.There is nowhere to park,so be careful,it’s on a hill by a bend.It is covered with moss but the markings can be seen.There is a great view of Loch Lomond in the distance.

Not very easy to find.where the footpath curves round behind the school there is a gate on the right,if it is wet from here it becomes difficult-mud and long grass-in an enclosure on the left is the stone,Ididn’t want to get any wetter so I took the photo’ from where I stood.

Leave the A9 at Bankfoot and drive north on the BB867 to Waterloo. Take the Meickle Obney road northwest, and approximately 1km up the road you will see the stone on your right hand side beside the fence. There are no obvious markings on it, although it has been used to secure fencing in the past. On the day that I visited a herd of cows were kind enough to stand aside (all except one!) so that I could take the photograph. The reason for the name is unknown as there are no records of anyone in the immediate area being convicted of witchcraft. Three people were accused of witchcraft in Dunkeld, just north of here, in 1598, but were acquitted. Two women were convicted in Perth the same year, however. Thanks to the “Craigie Column” of the local newspaper, “The Courier”, for the information.

This broch is on private ground in the gardens of a house in the village of Liff, just outside Dundee. Permission must be sought from the owner to view. The broch is very difficult to discern initially, being heavily overgrown, but the general layout is visible. It forms part of what was described as a “multi-phase occupation site comprising a promontory fort, a palisaded enclosure, a broch and a souterrain”, and was excavated by D.B.Taylor between 1958 and 1967. The only pre-broch find was a small perforated bone plate. The broch itself was of 12m diameter with walls 5-6m thick. Remains of a mural chamber or stairway on the north were found. The entrance was to the south west.

Finds from the broch dated it to the end of the first or beginning of the second century A.D. and included a possible patera-handle amongst other quantities of metalwork, and a bronze spiral finger-ring now in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh. Finds in the souterrain included pottery similar to that found at Ardestie and Carlungie (both in the Souterrain Index). 1st and 2nd century Roman pottery was also found, and it has been suggested that the earlier pottery came from the broch and the later from the souterrain.

25/10/02 – Before i went on a weeks holiday to Cornwall, i polled the Ma for site worth seeing in slightly more remote bits of the area, and Duloe came up a number of times. I looked in at the submissions and the photos didnt really look very inspiring, and i made a note to visit if i found time.

Had a week of terrible weather, which precluded visiting anywhere really remote, so I had realistically put aside any notions of seeing any worthwhile sites. After a last minute visit to Looe, we where jsut leaving for the base camp when I noticed that Duloe was within 3 miles and literally on the way home. PeteG had warned that the sign was small, and the farmer tended to obscure it, so it was eyes peeled! Just as well as I drove past and had to run back. It had been lashing down all day, and I was pretty cheesed off generally, but the skies had just started to brighten. I walked up the path past the farmhouse, expecting an irate cornishman to hurl abuse at me, but it was calm and still. at the top of the rise, a gate marked the entrance to the field, and as I approached, I saw her, beckoning!

It was peacfully quiet apart from a strong wind, and the clouds hurried about their business as I walked on. This was one of the few circles I had seen complete, and the hairs stood up on my neck and arms. At a distance, it looked like pale grey stone, but close up it is quite spectacular. The sun beat down and the stones shone, brilliantly as i touched each in succession, widdershins, marvelling at its wooly head of green lichen. I stepped into the centre of the circle, and the large fang shaped stone that faces the gates, was thrown into sharp relief by the setting sun,which appeared to sit on the point of the stone and cast a shadow that reached me at it s centre. a moving and exhilarating experience, both for its supernatural beauty and its tiny size, a definite genius loci about the site, even though one of the stones has tumbled some time in the past, it still gives a feeling of completeness – standing at the centre and watching the sun set, the farm, the wires and the fences disappeared, and for a brief moment the monument was new....