Stone the crows.
I really can’t believe no TMA’er has been here but me in over ten years, perhaps they have, but have no pictures and nothing to say about this rather bizarre site, I find it hard to believe.
The name of this site is a bit of a problem for me, it struck me as just a bit off, The Wrens egg and nest, ok, the nest is the big apparently natural stony mound, that bits ok, but is the egg the big boulder, what of the two small standing stones, why aren’t they mentioned ? and why a Wren ? if all you’ve got is a nest and an egg, how would you know what species bird it is ?
Unless, the big boulder is the Wren and the two small standing stones are the eggs, and they’ve rolled out of the nest and the bird is trying to get them back in. That would make more sense of what is there, the big boulder is even slightly reminiscent of a little Wren scurrying about.
So the sites real name should be .................... The Wren, nest and eggs.
The site has lost none of its charm in the intervening eight years or so, the sun was low in the sky and shining yet again as it always does in bonny Scotland. The stones seemed bigger than in my memory, it often happens, the notice board seems even more ineffective than before though, a big boulder and concrete lump with a sign saying the sites name and who cares for it, if this is the best their care gets I suggest perhaps someone more caring would be better. A big friendly Golden Retriever ( is there any other sort )followed us down the road and looked mournfully at us as we left it to cross the field to the stones.
A really brilliant site, much to think about here, please can someone else come, I know it’s kind of on the edge of the world but there is tonnes of other stuff round here.
Great notes, made me laugh. Are you perhaps overthinking this name business? Or is it the inner twitcher in you?
Ha, yes twitchy.
It just seems wrong somehow, doesn't sit well, that kind of thing, everythings got to make some sort of sense hasn't it. ?
You're right, Postman.......there's loads to see in Galloway.........and loads yet to be identified, I reckon.
Incidentally, if you continue down that road and subsequent track you'll eventually come to the Old Place of Monreith with its ancient adjacent common where one of the crosses at Whithorn Museum was originally installed.
Another joy of the area is to encounter full-sized "English" elm trees still happily thriving in isolated drove road locations.
I'm down this way often and have visited The Wren's Egg and Nest a fair few times over the last 20 years. I often don't add photos/ notes unless they contribute something that isn't already there. Kinda avoiding duplication and overloading JC's Bandwidth unnecessarily. I really liked this photo you took.
themodernantiquarian.com/img_fullsize/126596.jpg
It captures the essence of rolling Galloway, the bare trees, the dikes and fences and the stones of course. Great photo.
There are loads of sites around close by. More stones, Rock Art, caves along the coast. There's even a crannog at White Loch (Myreton). And as you say probably loads more to be discovered.
When we were down on holiday around Easter 2012 there was a dig going on at Blairbuy Farm. Here's the note from GUARD Archaeology on Canmore.
"Archaeological investigations were carried out by GUARD Archaeology Limited under a Human Remains Call off Contract (HRCC) on behalf of Historic Scotland at Blairbuy farm, Dumfries and Galloway. The farmer had encountered a stone slab on during ploughing on 29th March 2012; this was in fact the capstone of a stone cist burial. On further investigation (05th to 11th April) and after the removal of the plough-soil overburden under archaeological supervision, two additional stone cists were found in close proximity to the first. One cist contained skeletal remains and no artefacts; the other two cists did not contain skeletal remains or artefacts. All of the cists lay on a slight ridge leaving them at risk from further damage by agricultural practices. For this reason it was deemed necessary to record and remove the cists and any contents by archaeological excavation."
Thank you kindly,
Empty cists ? strange that isn't it?
I don't reckon you'd over load anything when so few people have posted on it, it's all about adding, only with several people adding their thoughts and pictures can we get an idea of what it's really like there.
There's only just over a thousand contributors, half of them came and went, half of the remainder stuck around then left, and a tenth of that remainder have posted a quarter of all posts. Add away, let someone else worry about over loading.
Not whinging or owt, but, I want to know what other people think of a site, what does it look like from where you stood? etc etc.
Not forgetting the top 10 posters contributing 40% of the content :) Keep working hard guys!