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Friar's Kirk NW (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Friar's Kirk NW Cairn: Follow the directions to Drumanwherran S Cairn Cemetery. Take a 4x4 track N from the modern shepherd's cairn until you reach NX 11116 72105, where a vague track heads WNW . Head W downhill for c. 175 yards to reach Drumanwherran N Cairn. An extended pathless route NNW leads to Friar's Kirk Cairns. Wellies and GPS navigation are strongly recommended. My route can be seen on Friar's Kirk Cairns via Drumanwherran N Cairn.

Friar's Kirk SE (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Friar's Kirk SE Cairn: Follow the directions to Drumanwherran S Cairn Cemetery. Take a 4x4 track N from the modern shepherd's cairn until you reach NX 11116 72105, where a vague track heads WNW . Head W downhill for c. 175 yards to reach Drumanwherran N Cairn. An extended pathless route NNW leads to Friar's Kirk Cairns. Wellies and GPS navigation are strongly recommended. My route can be seen on Friar's Kirk Cairns via Drumanwherran N Cairn.

Drumanwherran N (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Drumanwherran N Cairn: Follow the directions to Drumanwherran S Cairn Cemetery. Take a 4x4 track N from the modern shepherd's cairn until you reach NX 11116 72105, where a vague track heads WNW . Head W downhill for c. 175 yards to reach Drumanwherran N Cairn. An extended pathless route NNW leads to Friar's Kirk Cairns. Wellies and GPS navigation are strongly recommended. My route can be seen on Friar's Kirk Cairns via Drumanwherran N Cairn.

Claywarnies (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Claywarnies Cairn: Follow the directions to Drumanwherran S Cairn Cemetery. Head NW across a burn and boggy moorland to a forest ride beginning at NX 10911 71685. Walk W along the ride for c. 600 yards to reach a wide clearing. Head WNW for 50 yards across the clearing to a forest ride. Follow it for c. 150 yards to reach Claywarnies Cairn in a round clearing. Wellies and GPS Navigation are strongly recommended. My route can be viewed on Claywarnies Cairn.

Altigoukie Burn Cairn (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Altigoukie Burn Cairn: Take the W turn to Glenluce off the A75. Turn left for New Luce after 0.2 mile. Stay on this road for c. 5 miles to reach New Luce. Go straight on at the top of Main Street for 1.3 miles to reach Barlure Farm track. There is a room for one car to park at the junction. Walk along Barlure Farm track for c. 225 yards to reach a cattle grid. There is a sign which reads "Start of path to Kilfeddar farm - Distance 2.9km". Continue W along the track for c. 150 yards to the centre of Barlure Farm. Turn left at the farmhouse heading downhill through pasture to Barlure Farm Railway Bridge. (There was a pool of water one foot deep under the bridge: lucky I was wearing wellies!) Head NW along the muddy track beside the railway line. Continue along this track for 0.8 miles to NX 15845 67587, 100 yards before it crosses a stream. Head NE across rough pasture for the railway line for c. 0.5 miles. When the glen narrows cross a fence, head W for Altigoukie Burn in boggy moorland. Altigoukie Burn Burnt Mound is located on the S bank of the burn at NX 1633 6810. Altigoukie Burn Cairn lies c. 110 yards NW from the burnt mound. My route can be viewed on Altigoukie Burn Cairn and Burnt Mound.

Drumanwherran S (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Fieldnotes

Directions to Drumanwherran S Cairn Cemetery: The access to the cairn cemetery is complicated by the construction of a nearby windfarm which may cause future restrictions. The following route is currently open: Take the unsigned New Luce turn off the straight on the A77 at NX 08557 63769, c. 0.3 miles N of the A751 Innermessan junction. There are traffic cones on the road restricting it to one lane. Follow this road for c. 5.3 miles to reach the disused Penwhirn Filter Station. Continue past the Penwhirn houses for c. 200 yards to a dead-end single track left turn over a bridge. This is the road to Lagafater Lodge. Take this road for c. 1 mile to reach Darnigap Farm. A track leading W into forestry starts opposite Dalnigap Farm. It is possible to park 50 yards up this track. The track runs for c. 1.2 miles through the trees. Follow this track on bike or foot to reach the dead-end. The track becomes a forest ride which is boggy underfoot. Follow this NW for c. 0.4 miles to the end of the forest ride. Head W for c. 50 yards to cross the burn at a narrow channel. Head NW through boggy rushes towards a prominent natural mound. Canmore Id : 61893 is c. 40 yards N, a circle covered in rushes. Follow a rough 4x4 track N for c. 120 yards to reach a small grassy cairn, Canmore Id : 61892. The most obvious landmark on Drumanwherrran Moor is c. 50 yard N along the 4x4 track. It is a modern Shepherds Cairn measuring c.10 feet high in the centre of a large robbed cairn, listed as Canmore Id : 61935. Take a 4x4 track heading W from here, passing a natural mound then bear S to Canmore Id : 61894, a grassy cairn with a recumbent slab in its centre. My walking route can be viewed on Drumanwherran S Cairns.

The Witching Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99<b>The Witching Stone</b>Posted by markj99

The Witching Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Fieldnotes

Visited 17.02.24

I've passed by The Witching Stone countless times, however, the field was usually in crop or I was on my way to somewhere. Yesterday, while travelling home from a Bill Bailey concert, I noticed that the field enclosing The Witching Stone was being drained so it seemed like a good opportunity to finally visit the standing stone.

My first difficulty was finding a place to park on the busy A77. After some trial and error I parked down the track to the cottages S of the Alginate factory. The lane is a high tide detour off the Ayrshire Coastal Path. The track leads onto the beach. After following the coast S for c. 0.5 mile i headed to a gate in the NW corner of the field. The Witching Stone was c. 150 yards SE from the gateway across a sodden field (I had wellies on obviously).

The Witching Stone is natural pointed boulder leaning c. 30 degrees ESE. It is set upright with broad sides on a ESE-WNW axis. The stone measures c. 4x3x1 feet. The overall height is reduced to 3.5 feet by the lean. It is located at NS 19924 01730 (transcribed from OS Aerial Mapping).

There is no obvious reason why this rather ordinary stone has been set upright and preserved in the field. It is not listed on Canmore and a Google search for Standing Stone The Curragh Girvan produced no result.

Friar's Kirk NW (Cairn(s)) — Images

<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk NW</b>Posted by markj99

Friar's Kirk NW (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Visited 11.02.24

Friar's Kirk NW Cairn is located on open moorland c. 3 miles NNW of Penwhirn Reservoir in Dumfries and Galloway. The round grassy mound has small stones studded on the surface. The N half of the cairn has a hollow up to 1 foot deep. Conversely, there is a loose mound of stones c. 6 feet wide by 1.5 feet high on the S arc. A large slab measuring c. 3x2x0.33 feet lies on the mound, towards the centre of the cairn. The slab could be a remnant of a cist. The overall dimensions of the cairn are c. 36 feet across by 3 feet high.

Friar's Kirk SE Cairn lies c. 270 yards SE of Friar's Kirk NW Cairn. Further details of Friar's Kirk NW Cairn are available in Canmore ID 61882.

Friar's Kirk SE (Cairn(s)) — Images

<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99<b>Friar's Kirk SE</b>Posted by markj99

Friar's Kirk SE (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Visited 11.02.24

Friar's Kirk SE Cairn is located on open moorland c. 3 miles NNW of Penwhirn Reservoir in Dumfries and Galloway. The round grassy mound has small stones scattered on the surface, concentrated on a round stone structure built around a hollow in the E arc. The ruined structure has an internal diameter of c. 3 feet with a wall c. 1 feet wide. The overall dimensions of the cairn are c. 40 feet across by 2 feet high.

Friar's Kirk NW Cairn lies c. 270 yards NW of Friar's Kirk SE Cairn. According to Canmore ID 61924, Friar's Kirk SE Cairn is c. 120m NW of Friar's Kirk Enclosure, a ruined sheepfold.

Claywarnies (Cairn(s)) — Images

<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99<b>Claywarnies</b>Posted by markj99

Claywarnies (Cairn(s)) — Fieldnotes

Visited 10.02.24

Claywarnies Cairn is located in a forest clearing c. 2 miles NW of Penwhirn Reservoir in Dumfries and Galloway. The large sub-circular mound has been extensively modified by man over time. Several enclosures have been constructed on and around the cairn, presumably using original cairn stones. There is a rectangular enclosure outside the N perimeter, a cluster of stones on the S arc and a ruined enclosure in the W half. The cairn, which measures c. 66 feet in diameter and 3 feet high, is covered in rushes obscuring any surface stones.

Canmore ID 61891 has details of Claywarnies Cairn, including a survey carried out in 1985.

Drumanwherran N (Cairn(s)) — Images

<b>Drumanwherran N</b>Posted by markj99
Showing 1-50 of 3,409 posts. Most recent first | Next 50
I love to travel, especially to antiquarian sites. I'm working through the extensive Cornwall site list with an annual week holiday. Avebury is my favourite spiritual destination. Las Vegas is my favourite sinful destination.

I also enjoy hill climbing however as time passes the hills grow steeper. I have climbed around 30 munros, however, I've also climbed The Cobbler, Stac Pollaidh and Suilven so height is not the only criteria.

I used to play golf (9 handicap) and support Queen of the South however I gave up both bad habits. Horse racing was a more recent obsession. Epsom and Newmarket are my favourite racecourses. At the moment my current obsession is music gigs: Arcade Fire, Dinosaur Jr, Sparks, Jesus and Mary Chain and Belle & Sebastian, my favourite band.

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