Abernethy is a lovely wee town famous for its Round Tower, Pictish Stone and biscuits. Overlooking the town is the fort at Castle Law.
From Abernethy head west on the A913 and take the first minor heading south. This actually practically heads back east then veers south. A path is signposted to Castle Law so look carefully for it, we parked at the first track, west, near a disused quarry.
Heading back down the road we found the path and headed west. About half way up there is a notice board describing the areas history. This has been a busy area in the past attracting visitors from Italy and Denmark. The fort seems to have survived these less than friendly tourists.
The path, which is in good condition, eventually crosses over the inner wall of the fort. Originally 2 walls surrounded the fort. The inner wall must have been huge and was reckoned to be 3-4 meters in height, with a timber barricade built on top. It was 7 meters in width. The outer wall wasn't so tall and didn't have a topping of timber.
Inside the oval fort the well still exists along with the obligatory walkers cairn. After a bit of time soaking in the vibe it was time for us to head back down, this time via a path on the eastern flank. This path is fairly steep as DM proved by overtaking the startled cairn finding dog using age old methods on the soft part of his body. This path led to the disused quarry which in turn led back to the car. Two of us walked whilst one nursed his pride and his backside.
There is a tradition that, upon a pretty high hill about a mile to the south-west of that town {Abernethy} called the Castle Law, in one of the three lochs or small round lakes upon the top of it; there is a golden cradle hid, in which the {Pictish} king's children were wont to be rocked...
Carney-venn, which obviously appears to have had connection with this Castle Law, and is supposed to have been the place where the treasures or things of the greatest value were kept... The tradition in the immediate neighbourhood is that there were at some remote period, some golden keys found in a small rivulet or stream that runs past this place, which were supposed to have belonged to this Carney-venn; and the popular tradition of the country in general is very lavish respecting some treasure concealed
"Betwixt Castle Law and Carney Vase
As would enrich a' Scotland ane by ane."
(Small, pp. 142, 143.)
There is a legend which attaches to the small loch on the top of the Castle Law; and well do I recollect of having in my schoolboy days, an undeined feeling of terror in approaching too near its dreaded waters...
Note.-- The traditions is, that if you run nine times round the loch, muttering a spell --the words of which, however, are too modern to be genuine-- a hand will arise from a golden cradle, and pull you in.
(Laing, p.20.)
'Small' is the Rev. Andrew Small's 'Interesting Roman Antiqities Recently Discovered in Fife' (1823), and 'Laing' is 'Notice of the Ancient Ecclesiastical History of Abernethy and of the Condition of the Early Inhabitants of Scotland' (1861). Collected by John Ewart Simpkins in County Folk-lore vol. 7.
I suppose this is right, but I can't figure out the Carney Venn?
There's also a cave called the Witches' Hole in the steep north face of the Law.
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