Druidale Cairn(s) View all content for Druidale

Visited 7th March 2012 On high, wet moorland, the Druidale cairns form part of an area rich in ancient remains. Several hut circles are nearby and medieval shieling sites are also evident. The area on which the cairns stand is known in Manx as ‘The Rheast’, which means ‘waste or moorland’. Two cairns are evident here, comprised of large white quartz stones, they stood out like beacons overlooking the road as we drove down the C37 through Ballugh glen. Pulling in at the car park at Montpellier Wood we set off walking up the footpath leading up the hill in front of us. The walk up is nice and wild, almost like walking up a stream due to the water draining off the moorland down the path, the decision to wear wellingtons proving to be a wise one. Up here on the blowy, waterlogged moors of Druidale it feels like the Scottish highlands. The sun is out after last nights rain, and even the wind isn’t as bitter as yesterday. I’m perched on the quartz blocks of the cairn, which stand out brightly against the dull colours of the moor. The southerly cairn is the largest, although much of the cairn material is buried, the circumference of the cairn is still visible and from where I’m sitting the outline of the cairn stretches around me, further quartz blocks hidden under the grass. Apparantly this cairn was excavated in the 19th century by a Canon Quine, who employed labourers to dig into it. A burial urn was discovered, which unfortunately was dropped by one of the labourers and broken, and no traces of this artefact now survive. Around 20’ to the west of the southern cairn lies a fallen standing stone, now partially sunken into the marshy ground. A couple of feet of the stone are visible, but it is difficult to tell how high the stone would have stood when erect. The northern cairn is more robbed and interfered with, the remaining stones being particularly piled up, probably by walkers, and now it merely looks as if a group of boulders that has been piled up from the main cairn The wind continues its steady gusts but it's been a fine walk to the cairns, and I’m glad we took the opportunity to see these lovely quartz cairns.

Posted by Ravenfeather 29th March 2012ce

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