A clear shot of all three large barrows at this ancient and mythologically significant site
Image credit: Westmeath Archaeological Society
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June 1, 2026
A shot of two of the cemetery’s three prominent barrows, the photograph is dated to 1920, from right to left it shows a stepped barrow and a bowl barrow.
Image credit: Researchgate
Court Hillock, a cairn measuring about 18.0m in diameter and 0.8 m height, is situated in a cultivated field, and spread by ploughing. The farmer at Upper Auchenreath reports that the mound is nearly all stones, a quantity of which he has removed in recent years.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (R L) 13 May 1971.
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Looking down the hill with Leitchestown Farm behind me
Image credit: stolinskie
From a viewpoint similar to the 2015 pic, in 2026
Image credit: Stolinskie
Another smaller stone, foot for scale
Image credit: Stolinskie
Looks like a piece of granite used in construction to me – 2025
Image credit: Stolinskie
There are two big stones here and lots of smaller ones under the grass. The big two are mysterious. They hang out in a bit of scrub at the top of an egg-shaped (ie ancient) field, before Clune Woods starts. Locally they are known as Pattenbringan. Trove records them as Pittenbrinzean. There used to be a manor house adjacent, lived in by an Ogilvy and then a Gordon, but no trace of it remains. Did the two stones used to be part of a stone circle? Possibly. The location feels right for it.
To get there, you can walk up from Lintmill through the trees beside the road until you get to a gate. There’s also just about enough room at the side of the gate to park there. There’s a track which heads up the hill and when it opens up into an area there’s a track down again, and then a scramble over to the scrubland. You can also walk up the side of the barley field but there’s quite a lot of intruding gorse.
Drew – interested to see what you make of these two stones. Coles thought they were part of something, Blood did not.
‘Banffshire Advertiser’ 3 November 1887: “No one, now-a-days, believes these circles were the work of the Druids, but burial circles, which formerly passed under this name, may be traced at Greencairn in the parish of Bellie, at Pattenbringan and Corriedoun in Rathven (the latter now destroyed), at Ley in Fordyce, and at Bankhead in Boyndie”.
Taken from REPORT ON STONE CIRCLES SURVEYED IN THE NORTH-EAST OF SCOTLAND, CHIEFLY IN BANFFSHIRE, WITH MEASURED PLANS AND
DRAWINGS; OBTAINED UNDER THE GUNNING FELLOWSHIP.
BY FRED. R. COLES, ASSISTANT KEEPER OF THE MUSEUM.
Image credit: Frederick Coles
Refers to the standing stones as Clune Hill / Pittenbrinzean
Slightly to the north of the natural causeway to Eilean Garbh, popular with canoeists and campers, sits or has been re-seated is the standing stone ‘Cnoc Nan Gobhar’ – hill of goats. It stands a slightly over 1m tall, being much the same height as its near neighbour – a fence post.
The stone has been moved a few times apparently but luckily has been re-erected, a nearby hill with the same name has a cairn on its summit.
There are possible Ogham markings on the stone’s south side. Standing stones near the road seem popular on Gigha, I’d see a couple more later in the week.
Visited 04/08/2025.
After clambering back down from North Druimachro I followed the track past the entrance to farm of the same name, veered north east and left the track just before Gallochoille Cottage to head towards the coast. The dun is short distance south and has to be one of the most scenic places I’ve visited.
It was humid, thundery clouds and a calm sea all added to the atmosphere. No drenching for me as the rain headed east. Remnants of wall survive to the west, a gap of about 1m indicating the entrance. Bits of wall survive on the north, to the east the wall has been washed away, a few stones can be seen lying on the shore.
Measuring 17m by 12m, it is a bit of a ‘what was’ site, Gigha seems to be that kind of place as regards history.
Beautiful place!
Visited 03/08/2025.
A council has agreed to oppose plans for a wind farm in the Lammermuir Hills near to where three Iron Age hillforts once stood.
A “hugely significant” collection of Iron Age coins and miniature weapons that was found by a local detectorist is to appear in a museum.
May 31, 2026
An image of the barrow from the folklore collection, taken circa 1932
Image credit: Duchas
May 30, 2026
A museum has successfully secured the £150,000 it needs in order to keep a 3,000-year-old dress fastener.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery acquired the solid gold object after it was discovered in 2023 in Ellastone, Staffordshire, by a metal detectorist.
May 29, 2026
If you reach the south east, you’ve found the way to the top of the cairn.
Image credit: drew/AMJ
