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Four stones in the East Neuk

Too nice a day to waste, so after a late breakfast we jumped in the car and headed off down into Fife. A quick run down to the outskirts of Kirkcaldy, then turn east along the A915, known locally as the Standin' Stane road towards Leven. Earlseat farm is just to the north of the road, and the stone there can easily be seen from the road. It's not very spectacular, and has no cup marks or symbols, but is in a nice open location.

From there, we headed east again to Scoonie, just north of Leven on the B927, in search of the Balgrummo stone. This was featured in a recent Time Team dig, where a Bronze Age cemetery was excavated at Sillerhole. The stone stands in a magnificent location, overlooking the Firth of Forth, with excellent views across to the Bass Rock and Berwick Law. Due east of the stone is Leven Law, and this one is worth a look just for the views alone!

Hunger was setting in, so we detoured down into Elie and had lunch in one of the many little pubs there. Walked down to the harbour, admiring the typical East Neuk architecture of the many old houses, then back to the car and off up the Kilconquhar road.

Just off the B942 is Easter Pitcorthie farm, near to which is a large standing stone. Obtaining permission at the farm house, I walked across a newly harrowed field to the stone itself. This farmer is careful to leave a good large area unploughed round the stone, unlike too many others. The stone itself is nearly 8 feet tall, and is very prominent in the landscape, though it cannot be seen from the road. Many markings on the southern face, but severely eroded. Two skylarks were singing their hearts out above me as I walked back.

Then on along the B9171 east again to the the stone at West Pitcorthie (I know, it sounds a bit daft but there are several Pitcorthies in the area!). Parking at the farm I asked permission to cross the fields, as there were sheep and lambs in the first field. There was no problem about this, and I set off - much to the amusement of the sheep, who lined up to inspect their visitor... This 7 foot tall stone has only a small area uncultivated round it, and there are a couple of fairly recent scrape marks on the western face. There are a couple of possible cup marks on the top, I'm not sure if these are just weathering or not.

Back to the car and head for home... A good afternoon out, with some spectacular views out over the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May in particular looking very close despite being 5 miles offshore.

Earlseat — Fieldnotes

30.03.03ce
This stone is a block of sandstone, around 4-1/2 feet tall, oriented approximately E-W. There are no visible cup marks on it.

Earlseat — Images

30.03.03ce
<b>Earlseat</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Earlseat</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Earlseat</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Earlseat</b>Posted by nickbrand

Balgrummo — Fieldnotes

30.03.03ce
This stone is a slab of red sandstone, around 4-1/2 feet tall, and lies on a NNW-SSE axis. It was apparently dislodged by ploughing many years ago but replaced in situ. The ENE face has a 'girdle' across it approximately half-way up, but doesn't show too clearly in the photograph. No other markings appear.

Balgrummo — Miscellaneous

29.03.03ce
This is the standing stone featured on the Time Team dig at Leven, where they uncovered a Bronze Age burial site with 9 cists.

Balgrummo — Images

30.03.03ce
<b>Balgrummo</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Balgrummo</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Balgrummo</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Balgrummo</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Balgrummo</b>Posted by nickbrand

Easter Pitcorthie — Fieldnotes

30.03.03ce
No sign of the boulders Landells mentioned, though the cup marks are very prominent if rather badly weathered. The farmer here leaves a really wide space around the stone unploughed, which is a good thing to see.

Easter Pitcorthie — Images

30.03.03ce
<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>Easter Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand

West Pitcorthie — Fieldnotes

30.03.03ce
This stone is set on a N-S axis, and stands around 7 feet tall. It is of local red sandstone, and there are some possible cup marks on the top - not clearly defined in the photograph I took!

West Pitcorthie — Images

30.03.03ce
<b>West Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>West Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>West Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>West Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand<b>West Pitcorthie</b>Posted by nickbrand
nickbrand Posted by nickbrand
30th March 2003ce
Edited 5th April 2003ce


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