Images (4)
Fieldnotes (1)

Images

Image of Shiels of Gartlea (Chambered Tomb) by greywether

General location and view of the cairn from NE.

This is a Clyde cairn 13.5m long and facing E. The only chamber visible is the axial one.

The approach along the forest track brings you to the left of the trees in the photo.

greywether Mar 21, 2004

Looking W ie at the front of the cairn.

It is 8m wide at this end with a shallow facade more visible N of the axial chamber.

In this photo, the facade runs from the near-centre stone to the right. The chamber is immediately to the left.

greywether Mar 21, 2004

From the NE. The facade stones can be seen running off to the left with the chamber stones at right angles to them.

greywether Mar 21, 2004

The chamber from the W ie looking towards the entrance where the collapsed sidestones are.

greywether Mar 21, 2004

Articles

Shiels of Gartlea

Chambered Tomb

greywether Mar 20, 2004

Lost and found – One chambered cairn. Poor condition but would suit collector.

Yes, this cairn was in 1978 described in the National Monuments records as “recently destroyed by quarrying during the construction of a forestry road”. Sadly, I believed this and during my several visits to the nearby Lang Cairn did not bother to make the short additional trip down the forest track to look for it.

A certain A Park was more adventurous and the records now note a letter in June 2002 from him/her saying that the cairn was there and was as previously described. The forestry road had not affected it at all.

So this time I went to see it. It needed a lot of dead bracken stripped from the site before the remaining features could be clearly seen. If the National Monument people went during the summer, it is no surprise that they missed it.

It’s not a very interesting cairn and it’s hemmed in by forestry but, if you were going to see the Lang Cairn, it’s worth extending the trip to have a look.

To get to it, follow the Lang Cairn directions and continue along the forest track for about 1km. It is in a clearing on the left.

For more details on the site, see the photo captions.

Visited 10 March 2004