Ston Loe

Nearest town:
Kirkwall (5km NW)
OS reference:
HY484070
OS sheets:
6, 7
Latitude:
58° 56' 50.37 N
Longitude:
2° 53' 48.74 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Ston Loe (Round Barrow(s)) by wideford

part of exposed vertical section of probable mound

Image credit: wideford
wideford
wideford Dec 3, 2006

Articles

Ston Loe

wideford
wideford Dec 3, 2006

Coming from the Staneloof-Hunclett track I had to climb over several inter-linked fences to gain access to the field next to the recognised Staneloof sites (unfortunately you cannot get into the area containing these for the new fence-lined ‘drains’ now making the field boundaries here). This is a rather marshy field, even skirting the edge my feet ended up getting damp – you definitely need ‘wellygogs’. Panning around I found myself half-jumping from grassy hump to hump, the marsh interweaving in similar fashion to Brymer. They were, as far as I could tell, irregular in shape apart from the one nearest to the fence by the Staneloof cairn. This, at very roughly HY485070, is circular and of decent size. I half-expected burnt mounds here. Trying to find a way down the field I saw a small quarry-like pool where rocks were. Couldn’t get there so splashed back to the mound. Which is when I saw dark material exposed near the apparent base, perhaps a failed attempt at digging peats. Very damp stuff. I picked some up and the texture was surprisingly granular, lots of spherods like small beads. It has taken a few days for the thought to arise that just maybe this was carbonised grain – but this would not explain the slightly larger irregular pieces. Should have taken a sample. Too late now.

Miscellaneous

Ston Loe
Round Barrow(s)
wideford
wideford Dec 2, 2006

” straight from thence to the hill till it comes to the fyve hillocks and Ston Loe, and thair sett ane march stone and two witnesses “. The NMRS hedges its bets as to which of two mounds is the boundary, calls one the Howe of Staneloof outright and gives the other that name in the fieldnotes.

Sites within 20km of Ston Loe

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