Cnoc Nan Dursainean

Also known as:
Garrabost
Nearest town:
Stornoway (10km WSW)
OS reference:
NB524331
OS sheet:
8
Latitude:
58° 13' 1.42 N
Longitude:
6° 12' 59.4 W
Added to TMA by

Sites within Cnoc Nan Dursainean

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Images

Image of Cnoc Nan Dursainean (Chambered Cairn) by greywether

Two edges of the square cairn can be seen running mid-left, centre-bottom, mid-right.

Shallow forecourt on the right (SE) edge of this cairn.

Chamber in the centre.

And what a view ....

greywether
greywether Aug 14, 2004
Image of Cnoc Nan Dursainean (Chambered Cairn) by greywether

Looking SE over the chamber towards the large entrance stone in the passage forecourt.

greywether
greywether Aug 14, 2004

Articles

Cnoc Nan Dursainean

markj99
markj99 Jul 6, 2025

Directions to Cnoc Nan Dursainean Cairn: Park up at the Free Church of Scotland Car Park in Garrabost. Walk SE up the single track road for c. 200 yards until it reaches a dead end at a derelict building. Continue SE on a moorland path for c. 450 yards to reach a white footbridge on the left. Cross the footbridge then walk c. 20 yards SW to a triangular standing stone called Clach Glas on a grassy mound. Retrace your steps back to the path then head SW along a vague path winding through the heather for c. 600 yards to reach Cnoc Nan Dursainean, a green patch in brown moorland. There is an arc of several stones in the SW of the cairn probably containing a ruined chamber and a single standing stone in the NE. Walk NW along a rough moorland path towards Garrabost. After c. 450 yards you will reach the outskirts of the village. Head N over a burn towards an open field. Walk N across the field towards the A866. Walk c. 300 yards ENE along the A866 to reach the Free Church of Scotland Car Park. My route is viewable on Garrabost Standing Stone & Chambered Cairn. Walking Boots and GPS Navigation are recommended for this circular route.

Cnoc Nan Dursainean

greywether
greywether Aug 14, 2004

Compared to the Uists, there are few chambered cairns on Lewis and Harris and this, on paper anyway, looked like the best surviving and so worth a visit. Helpfully, it’s on a waymarked trail (of sorts).

On the Eye Peninsula, head for Garrabost. Turn right at (if I remember correctly) Graham Avenue at the top of which is a parking area leading to the start of the trail. The information board has been vandalised!.

The cairn is visible on the horizon which is just as well as some of the waymarked posts have fallen.

And it’s a good one.

The stones of the square cairn are clearly visible and you can still trace the forecourt, passage and chamber. Many of the remaining stones are over 1m and the tallest is 1.6m.

From its location on top of the hill there are all-round views.

Recommended.

Visited 2 August 2004

Miscellaneous

Cnoc Nan Dursainean
Chambered Cairn
greywether
greywether Aug 14, 2004

Canmore (NB53SW2) is way out of date on this not having been updated since 1964! Some nonsense about the cairn being surrounded by a stone circle.

Henshall wrote it up in 1972 as a Hebridean chambered tomb set (unusually) in a square cairn. And that’s how it still looks today!

Sites within 20km of Cnoc Nan Dursainean