The stones on Hill of Drimmie

I didn’t get into the hills last weekend – a combination of bad weather and a busy week of work made it a struggle to summon up the energy – breaking a New Year’s resolution, so this weekend I was determined to get out. Waking up this morning to the sound of rain splashing off the windowsill, I nevertheless got up, got ready, and left the flat heading north for Blairgowrie.

I parked in the water-logged car park of an old mill on the north edge of the town, put on my boots and started off up the Hill of Drimmie. I was just walking on the road, which was very quiet. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast and there was a nip in the air as I got higher up. I paused to take a photo of the view down to Blairgowrie.

I soon reached the Craighall standing stone and Craighall stone circle but decided to carry on up the hill to the Woodside stone circle since it would be a better place to stop for lunch. Woodside is a perfect description, since the circle is situated on the very edge of Drimmie Woods, bisected by a fence between a cattle field and the forest. The trees around one half of the circle have recently been cut down.

I had my lunch here sitting on a tree stump between the stones, being watched all the time by some inquisitive bullocks.

I then retraced my steps, through a cow field and back down onto the road. As I was walking down the road a car stopped beside me – a lost family looking for directions to a hotel. After about half an hour’s walking I was back at the Craighall standing stone, and this time I went into the field for a closer look.

This massive stone stands some 2.5m tall, rising from a wide base to a point, with good views from its position on the edge of a valley to the lower ground below. At the base of the stone are four clear cupmarks.

Just a short distance further down the hill are the remains of the Craighall four-poster stone circle, the stones lying on a raised mound at the edge of the field.

As I set off down the final part of the hill light rain started to fall, and with perfect timing as I took my boots off and got into the car, the heavens opened.

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