Poltalloch

Nearest town:
Lochgilphead (9km SE)
OS reference:
NR812963
OS sheet:
55
Latitude:
56° 6' 32.96 N
Longitude:
5° 31' 9.56 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Poltalloch (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by rockartuk

With regard to the moss coverage of this site as encountered by Hob: this pic was taken in August 1998. It was at the end of a wet (national!) summer. The pics uploaded in September 2003 were actually taken in May 2002 after a very dry and hot period. So when you go there next year under the same conditions as we had in 2002, you might see (and take!) a complete different picture of this amazing site with the rare star-like motifs.

rockartuk
rockartuk Sep 17, 2005

Articles

Poltalloch

rockartwolf
rockartwolf Apr 21, 2008

The carvings are set in within the grounds of a special place. The setting of the carvings looking back towards the ruins of Poltalloch House, makes it one of the most impressive settings for any rock art carvings i have visited.
The carvings are still covered in thick moss, hopefully protecting them. A nearby part of the same hillock has had its turf lifted by someone looking for the carvings, and because the main carvings still have their moss covering them, i would assume they didn’t manage to find what there were looking for.
The grid refs are almost spot on, easily found, and also has the added benefits of the ruined house and nearby church to visit.

Poltalloch

Hob
Hob Sep 17, 2005

Greywether’s directions are effective. Found the carvings without problems, sans gps despite high undergrowth and the moss on the outcrop.

Looking at rockartUK’s photos and comparing them with Greywether’s, and then with what I found, I’d say the moss is still creeping over these carvings. I visited just over a year after GW, and there was a noticeable increase in the amount of the carvings covered. The temptation to have a scrub of the moss was strong, but I figured it should be left to do it’s thing.

Poltalloch

greywether
greywether Jun 4, 2004

Perhaps it was because this was the last site on a long day or perhaps it was because of the moss which now partly conceals the carvings. Either way, it took me quite a while to locate the site even once I was in the right area and using an 8-figure grid reference on a GPS!

If you’re coming from Kilchoan, follow the path opposite the gate to the field down the side of the house and through the woods. When you emerge from the woods in front of the ruined Poltalloch House, follow the metal fence to your right until it joins up with a similar metal fence in the field. The carvings are just at the join on the right.

Visited 12 May 2004

Sites within 20km of Poltalloch

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