July 1966 finds Leac Garbh bracing itself for the deep penetration and rigorous onslaught of Forestry Commission Tractors and JCBs. The cairns, hut circles, chambered cairns and at least one dun lay securely clad under feet of moss, heather, grass and scrubby Birch. That which had preserved them for millenia was probably their undoing when the tractors and deep-ploughing kicked off.
The hillside was then shrouded in Spruce for 50 years and the partially destroyed cairns, hut-circles and dun went un-noticed for decades until local historians and walkers on the forest paths spotted the features.
The eagle-eyed might here on TMA might spot some of the cairns (un-noticed in 1966) and a dun (un-noticed) which can be just made out as earthwork features on the slopes of Leac Garbh. Hindsight is pimps eh?
Note the campers in the picnic area at the mouth of the North Sannox Burn. Still as popular today as it’s always been...
