The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

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Cairnpapple (Henge) — Fieldnotes

My favourite site of those near my home in Edinburgh, a wee beauty that you can often enjoy alone if you visit outside of summer. The eerily friendly cows can be intimidating, but clap and they'll let you pass through to the site.

An almost conical hill a few miles inland from the Firth of Forth, and the highest point for miles around. Your ears pop as you ascend from low-lying Linlithgow village. At the top, panoramic views of Lothian and the Kingdom of Fife in fair weather, and usually a biting wind and thick fog in foul. Best shelter in the latter is within the enclosed central burial shaft with its stone kist. Feels like entering a submarine. A site of worship from neolithic to modern times, as evidenced by the TV mast! We and our ancestors share cultural attachments to high places, closer to the ether.
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