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Showing 1-20 of 92 miscellaneous posts. Most recent first | Next 20

Blackford Hill (Carving)

The easiest way to get to this site is by approaching from the south. Take the path with the steps up towards the summit of Blackford Hill, but maybe 30 steps from the top the gorse to your left stops and is replaced with grass on a steep slope. There are a couple of faint tracks visible here. Leave the main path and walk around the edge of the hill towards the prominent tree, where the gorse starts again. Once you reach the tree the hollow in the rock and the carving itself are both clearly visible.

There's quite a lot of scree and it is steep, so appropriate footwear is required!

Hill of Drimmie Stone Circle

Directions - Head NW out of Blairgowrie on the A93 (sign-posted Glenshee) and when you reach the mill heritage centre (just before leaving Blairgowrie) on your left take the road to your right. Go up this steep hill, passing the Craighall standing stone in the field to your right. Continue on past Kynballoch House farm until you reach Drimmie Woods, where there is space to park.

Follow the road round on foot until you come to the large double gates into the woods and a cattle field. Climb over the fence here (not the gate) and follow the cattle track up to the left, then turn right and walk along the side of the field up to the edge of wood. Follow the fence at the edge of the wood - if you don't like cows, it's possible to walk on the wood side of the fence although it will take you longer as the wood is quite thick - until you come to the gate at the corner of the field where three fences come together. You should be able to see the stones by looking along the fence to your right.

Braes of Foss (Cup Marked Stone)

A good time to visit would appear to be about 2 o'clock on the 29th of September! The sun was low and the cups were unbelievably well picked-out, much better than any other time I've visited (winter excepted!).

Burton Stone (Bullaun Stone)

From "A Short History of York" by Marguerita Spence and Marian E Everatt (1948):

"....the corner of Burton Stone Lane, where stood the hapel of St. Mary Magdalene. Here travellers prayed for safe guidance through the Forest of Galtres."

From "York" by John Harvey (1983):

"Soon after this is the corner of Burton Stone Lane, with the historic - or prehistoric - Burton Stone marking the limit of the old jurisdiction of the city on this side of the road."

From "This Is York" by CB Knight (1954):

"At the far corner of Burton Stone Lane, in front of the Burton Stone Inn, is a stone enclosed in iron railings. This is the Burton Stone, which gives its name to the lane. It recalls the fact that in 1604 there was a violent outbreak of plague in the city, and 3,512 persons are said to have died of it...........Stone crosses were erected on all the main high roads approaching the city at the city boundaries, around which the country people exposed their provisions for sale without entering the city. The Burton Stone was the base of one of these crosses, and remains as a reminder of a very sorrowful time in York's chequered history. I have not been able to trace what the name Burton signifies. Several members of a family of this name were very active in local affairs at the close of the seventeenth century, and may have resided near by."

Clach Glas (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Directions - Head north from Perth on the A9. Turn off at Kindallachan and park here. Walk north out of Kindallachan, taking the path that follows the A9. When you see the first cottage on the opposte side of the A9 (Haugh of Kilmorich) cross the road and head down the track that goes under the railway bridge towards the river. Turn right along the bottom of the field, and then right again up the other side of the field. The stone stands in the corner of the next field, near the railway embankment.

Loaninghead (Hillfort)

Directions - Head W from Perth on the A9. Just after Auchterarder, come off onto the A823, turning right for Crieff. Immediately on your left is a gate giving access to the fort. There's space to park here.

Faire Na Paitig (Stone Circle)

Directions - Park in the car park for the Cateran Trail at Enochdhu and follow the forest track to the north-east past Dirnanean and through Home Farm. Continue on up the hill past the sheep dips, and soon after you will come to a gate. About 250m after the gate you will pass the Calamanach stone. Keep on following the track as it turns to the left and continues uphill through the forest, where you will cross a stream. As you leave the forest at a deer fence, turn immediately to your left and follow the fence until you come to the circle, which sits in a kink in the fence.

Spittal of Glenshee (Stone Circle)

Directions - park at Spittal of Glenshee, and walk past the church and across the A93 to a stile in the fence, sign-posted Cateran Trail. Head down over the wooden bridge, and follow the farm track up past Old Spittal farmhouse (windows boarded up). The track climbs up and round a bend just after the old farm, and you will see a large flat-topped hill rising up to your left. Climb up it's steep sides, and at the top you will clearly be able to see the morain deposit with the stones sitting atop.

Gleann Beag (Standing Stones)

Directions - head north from Spittal of Glenshee, and after about 2.5km there is a small layby on the right of the road, almost opposite a double gate into the field on the left hand side of the road - park here. Go through the double gates, and head up the "track" that's just visible in the grass. (You should be able to see a small wooden structure on the ridge)

When you get onto the flattish ridge, turn right and follow the faint sheep track through the ford in the burn, and follow it until a second ford maybe 200 or 300m further along. Once you come up out of this second burn, you should be able to see the 2 standing stones sticking up out of other assorted stones.

Hawk Stane (Standing Stone / Menhir)

'Caledonia' was carved before 1860, as it's mentioned in the OS Name Book from that year

Clach na h' Iobairt (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Directions - coming in to Blair Atholl from the south, turn left just after the garage and just before the bridge over the Tilt, following the signs to the Bridge of Tilt caravan park. Pull in to the park and ask at reception - they're quite happy for people to go and look at the stone. It's situated next to caravan 12.

Dundee Law (Hillfort)

Directions - it's fairly impossible to miss the Law from anywhere in Dundee, and generally speaking, if you head directly towards it you'll find your way up it relatively easily.

And more detailed directions - the easiest way to approach the Law is on the A923 (Coupar Angus road) in Lochee, from where it is sign-posted with brown heritage signs. Assuming that you're coming from the centre of Dundee, head out on the A923 towards Lochee, and just after you pass the steep turn-off onto Ancrum Road to your left, you'll spot a "Dundee Law" sign pointing right up Loon's Road at the traffic lights. Take this road, and when it curves round to the left, turn right onto Byron Street, and then right again up Lawton Road (still following the signposts). At the top of Lawton Road, turn left onto Law Crescent and then after a short distance right up Law Road, which will take you to the summit of the Law. There are loads of paths criss-crossing the Law which will take you to the top, and several places to park the car if you'd prefer to walk the last bit, but there's also space to park at the very top too.

Balloch (Souterrain)

A souterrain was discovered here in 1790, 470 metres north-west of Balloch farmhouse. It was situated on the crest of a terrace on the south side of the Hill of Loyal, and its passage was 1.2m wide by 1.8m in height.

Turnalt Farm (Carving)

The deer carving at Turnalt Farm is stylistically very similar to the deer carving at Blackford Hill miles away in Midlothian, just south of Edinburgh.

Ardestie (Souterrain)

Due to the road-widening (of the A92) the path no longer leads N from the A92, but W from the B962, beginning at about NO 5035 3445

Abbey Craig (Hillfort)

The Abbey Craig is very easy to find, as you can see the Wallace Monument from miles around. If you can find your way onto the A9 in the centre of Stirling, heading N on the dual carriageway section, then at the roundabout next to the bridge over the Forth, turn right. Head along past all the B&Bs until you come to another roundabout, which you want to go straight over and up the small B998. The road doubles back on itself as it climbs the hill and you will soon find yourself at the car park for the Wallace Monument.

Watch out for the hideous statue of Mel Gibson (no really!) dressed in his Braveheart garb.

From the car park, just follow the path up to the Monument.

Dumyat (Hillfort)

Despite being built in a very defendable position, Dumyat is actually very easy to get to. Get yourself onto the A9 in the centre of Stirling heading N on the dual carriageway section. At the roundabout by the bridge, take the right turning, and head out past all the B&Bs towards the Wallace Monument. At the next roundabout turn right onto the A907 for a mile or so, then left at the next roundabout onto the A91. After about a mile of very straight road towards the bottom of the Ochil hills there is a sharp corner to the right - turn left here onto the B road, and take an immediate right past the wee Logie kirk. Follow this (very steep and narrow!) road as at twists up the edge of the hill, and at the T-junction take a right. There's space to park soon after, at about NS 813 982.

A gate into the field here will take you onto the track that is marked on the OS map and will lead you right to the summit of Dumyat the hill, behind the fort. I would suggest going up to the top of the hill as the views over the Carse of Forth to the S, and Loss Hill to the N are amazing, as well as giving you a good look at the fort below. If you don't want to go to the summit of the hill, break off from the track around NS 830 977 and carefully pick your way S through the heather - being aware of the sheer drops around here - to approach the fort from it's W.

Balnakeilly Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Directions - head N from Perth on the A9 (sign-posted Inverness). After about 40.0km, take the turn-off to the left for Pitlochry. This road (the A924) takes you back under the A9, and follows the River Tummel into the centre of Pitlochry. About 500m after passing under the railway bridge, take the road up to your right (sign-posted A924 & Moulin) and go straight over the mini-roundabout into Moulin. Park opposite the Moulin Inn, and walk continue walking up the road for 200m to the gates of Balnakeilly House - you can't miss the gates, but it's easy to miss the stone camouflaged amongst the trees! It's on the left of the gates as you look at them.

Belhie (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Directions - head S from Perth on the A9, and after approximately 10.0km take the turn-off to the right for Aberuthven. The village is small and doesn't have a car park, but there is space to park on the street. To save yourself a walk, park as close as possible to the bridge across the river at the S edge of the village. Cross the bridge on foot, and take the first road on the right, and then immediately the next turn to the right, up a rough farm track, past some cottages on your right. Walk up the track, and after a couple of hundred metres you will pass Loanhead farm on your right. Continue up the track, and you will see Belhie farm straight ahead of you. Keep walking towards Belhie for another couple of hundred metres, until you see a track off to your right heading along the field boundary to a gate at the edge of some trees. Walk along to this gate, which will take you into the field that the stone is in. After climbing over the gate, follow the edge of the field round to your right to get closer to the stone. If there are crops in the field, it's still possible to get decent photographs from the far edge of the field.

Belhie

On the fertile flood plain of the River Earn, between the farms of Belhie and Haugh of Aberuthven, a complex series of crop marks were spotted on aerial photos. Excavations led to the discovery of several enclosures, a round barrow and a henge, to join the standing stone that is visible above ground.
Showing 1-20 of 92 miscellaneous posts. Most recent first | Next 20
Hi!

I'm a freelance eyewear designer in Edinburgh, exiled from my beloved Perthshire. I also run a website which includes a section on Scotland's many standing stones, stone circles and other old things:

Stravaiging around Scotland

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