Kilmichael Glassary

Nearest town:
Lochgilphead (6km S)
OS reference:
NR858935
OS sheet:
55
Latitude:
56° 5' 10.06 N
Longitude:
5° 26' 35.67 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Kammer

Taken 14th August 2004: The decorated slab from the road, complete with subtle fencing and well placed telegraph pole (I thought a second photo of the site in the context of its surroundings wouldn’t hurt).

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Oct 5, 2005
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Kammer

Taken 14th August 2004: A slightly weird shot looking down the slope.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Oct 5, 2005
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Kammer

Taken 14th August 2004: Some rather nice big cup and ring marks. The two big ones are about 6 inches in diameter.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Oct 5, 2005
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by hamish

I don’t think this would survive if the Historic Scotland fencing was removed.

Image credit: Mike Murray
hamish
hamish Aug 16, 2005
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by hamish

Not much you can do about where this is, just have to make the best of it.

Image credit: Mike Murray
hamish
hamish Aug 16, 2005
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by rockartuk

The not so well known Kilmichael Glassery-2 site, NW of the main, under a tree at the end of a garden fence. The carving is covered by a undecorated slab as some sort of a protection.

rockartuk
rockartuk Dec 30, 2002
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by IronMan

The slab’s location at the end of a row of modern houses makes it all the more striking

IronMan
IronMan Oct 24, 2002
Image of Kilmichael Glassary (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Martin

August 98-a fantastic site on a glorious summers evening- can it get any better I ask?

Martin
Martin Oct 25, 2001

Articles

Kilmichael Glassary

tjj
tjj Jun 11, 2017

Visited Wednesday 24/5/17

More wonderful rock carvings on easily accessible panels just behind the local primary school. It is ok to park in the small car park by the school though visitors are asked to avoid school pick-up times.

To quote “In The Footsteps Of Kings” by Sharon Webb (Walk 11):
“Within the fenced enclosure you will see two groups of cup and ring markings carved into earthfast rock slabs. There are many single cups as well as cups with rings and gutters. Look out for the cups with rings shaped like a keyhole which occur on both slabs. Some of the outcrops around the fenced enclosure also have markings, but please don’t be tempted to pull back the vegetation as the carvings are liable to be damaged by stock.”

After examining the panels walked back down to the village – with some free range chickens and an anxious cockerel keeping us in their sights. Next over the Glassary Churchyard to look at some medieval grave stones – apparently the ‘Kil’ element in the place name Kilmichael Glassary indicates an early Christian settlement in the Glen.

Kilmichael Glassary

C
CARL Jun 8, 2010

I really liked this site – much better than I expected. Easy to access – park right next to site, up the bank and over the metal stile (slippery when wet!). It may not be as big as the other rock art sites but is much easier to get to. Well worth a visit, particularly if you are unable to walk very far. Easy enough to view over the metal railings.

Kilmichael Glassary

Hob
Hob Oct 5, 2005

Despite being well known, well signposted and right close to the road, this site isn’t really accessible to wheelchairs or buggies, though it would be no problem to carry a bairn the short distance from the road, it’s on too much of a slope to get a chair to a position where you could see the carvings.

I wish I’d noticed Rockartuk’s photo of Panel 2, which looks rather special. As it is, I didn’t, so it will have to wait ‘till next time.

I’m pretty sure there are also few cup-marks just above the main panel, outside the lovely metal fence.

Kilmichael Glassary

hamish
hamish Aug 16, 2005

The carved rocks here are fantastic but the setting is not the best I have been to.The folk here don’t seem to care very much about it.It is a typical housing estate.

Kilmichael Glassary

rocknicker
rocknicker Apr 25, 2005

24-4-05: Early on a Sunday afternoon, sounds of people cutting grass and fixing cars with loud pumping music, getting watched by a woman with her hands on her hips over her garden fence... I could think of more atmospheric places!!!

I felt really sorry for this place. It has a classic metal signpost and fence but unfortunately was scattered with rubbish, including a broken bottle smashed right onto the panel. Very sad.

Kilmichael Glassary

W
winterjc Dec 9, 2001

Feb. 2000
It had been raining heavily earlier in the day and slipped on the mud and I dropped my camera into a deep pool in the rocks.
Darn that Ver.
To be honest I love the rain.
Bill Clinton said at Wimbledon that it was what makes our islands so green. And how often do we moan about it.
Bill was probably reconnecting with his ancestral roots when he talked of the pishing rain – he doesn’t live here now of course, and he doesn’t need encouragment in root connection.
JC’s theory of sacred water collection on these horizontal sheets, is so simple, and makes sense in these damp islands. Of course, the neolithic folk of Britain knew well that the rain was a lifegiver and surely the culture celebrated this big style.
What better way.
That day reminded me of the sanctity of the holy water fonts of my RC upbringing. But that’s another story.

Kilmichael Glassary

Martin
Martin Sep 8, 2001

Kilmichael Glassary Cup and Ring Marked Rock, Argyll
August 98
On our way back to the tent from Achnabreck, we stopped of here for another dose of cup n ring markings! It was a fine August evening- just perfect weather for taking pics of cup n ring marked rocks. This rock is next to some houses with lots of kiddies out playing so I got the twenty questions from them which was rather amusing. I also made some light and careful wax rubbings onto a piece of cloth which I managed to trail through a very stagnant pool of water on the rocks- yuck. Some of the cups were really quite deep and there was unusual ‘key-hole’ type patterns round a few of em. Another couple appeared when I was in contemplation of the patterns and we got talking about spirals and how they are a universal pattern throughout the world.

Directions
Travelling south from Kilmartin on the A816 to Lochgilphead, turn off left at Bridgend just past Dunadd. Go through Bridgend and the next place just a bit up the road is Kilmichael Glassary. The rock is just to the west of the church with the usual Historic Scotland green fencing!

Sites within 20km of Kilmichael Glassary

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