drewbhoy

Follow the signs from the centre of another beautiful village, this time Slivia, once again parking the near the information board. The hillfort is around 600m away to the south east. Once again when the trees clear it is another astonishing array of white lime stone walls. Some of the original late Bronze Age dykes remain which surround the top of this fantastic viewpoint.

The inner walls stand at an astounding 5m high and must be at least the same wide. I managed to walk the 300 meters all the way round with the only real gap being the entrance which is on the eastern side approaching from the north. Even the outer wall and ramparts are enormous. These cover the south, south east and south west. They stand at least 2m tall with the ditch being 2m wide. Just for good measure there is further defence with a dry stane dyke lying to south of the ditch. Just for size it is a mind blowing place, I’ve certainly never seen nothing like it.

Like a lot of these forts it was used in later wars. The nearby Mount Ermada was protected by this and several other forts in the Isonzo Wars (see Misc) of 1916 between the Italians and Hapsburgs. Trenches and shacks can be found within the walls to the north east. In the beautiful places horrendous things happen and this area has had its fair share. However Carlo Marchesetti, an archaeologist who I’d read a lot about, restored a lot of the fort and is considered the areas greatest historian.

It is very fitting that the fort now bears his name, so another glass was raised to him.

Visited 18/10/2017.

Once again we parked at a crossroads this time in the village of Sales, another beautiful wee place. Across the road there is a memorial to the local Slovene and Italian Partisans so it seemed apt that we were going to visit the hillfort that centuries ago had also defended this area.

Head north from here until the tarred road runs out at a crossroads. Luckily a local man was working on a wall and gave us precise directions to the fort. Go west and keep going following the path until a filled in (by leaves etc) pond, man made centuries ago to help feed animals. Go round the pond and head south. This will lead directly to a notice board which gives info about the fort.

Climb west over a couple of ancient walls until the huge rampart is met. The ditch for this is over 4m wide with the ramparts themselves still standing at 3m tall. There is 500m of this all round the top of the hill. Funnily enough if this fort had no trees it would resemble Down Law in Fife. (a stretch of imagination but reasonable I think.) The main entrance is on the south west and is 3.5m wide. Also in the middle of the fort there appears to be a cairn with perhaps a cist beginning to appear.

I walked all the way round the fort and climbed to the top of the southern wall. Looking down it seemed the whole of the south face was a wall, this must have been an important place and a place of habitation. Land around here seems, nowadays, to quite fertile so maybe back in the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age they decided to stay. One thing they did know about was how to built walls, most of them are still standing.

Then it was back down the hill retracing our steps back to the crossroads. On the other side of the road, a wee pub and fantastic food. I raised a glass to the memorial across the road!

Visited 17/10/2017.

We parked at main crossroads in the middle of the small but beautiful Carse village of Rupinpiccolo, near the information board. Take the tarred road heading east until it ends then follow a track heading south, marked by white/red painted signs, until the trees clear. This was a very pleasant walk in nice warm weather, the week before had seen torrential rain.

In this clearing there is the astonishing and dazzling white limestone east entrance to the fort. It is a stunning place. On the western side there is a similar steep access probably used to transport large weapons. The walls are gigantic being almost 4m tall and are at least 4 to 5m wide. They encircle the hill coming to at least 240m in length. Further down the hill there is a second defensive wall to the south. To the west there has been quarrying but luckily the locals seem to have repaired a lot of the damage.

Sadly this area, as we all know, has seen a lot of war through the centuries and this fort was used as a gun emplacement during World 1. Evidence of this can be seen on the summit of the hill. Trieste, one of Europe’s major ports, is just over the hills to the south.

I later found out that there are three more forts nearby surrounding Rupinpiccolo. In fact all the Slovenian/Italian border area is covered in prehistory. What an excellent reason to go back, which we will.

Visited 17/10/2017.

From the hut circle at Duntirhal look east, the first hill is the ridge leading towards the dun, the second is the wonderfully shaped Ben Sgurrach. Compared to Dun Dearduil (see the Thelonius fieldnote) this is a sleepwalk as underfoot conditions are solid unlike the partially flooded track to the east of Whitebridge.

The ridge leads to a wall which still has one or two stones standing, this is also the front door. Sadly most of the walls have fallen down in the surrounding slopes. Surviving wall indicates that this must have been two to three metres wide. At the west the fort is 7m wide and increases to 9m in the east. It is 26m in length.

Happily the fort still has inhabitants. Quite a few brown mice were running about and managed to avoid our boots.

After revisiting the hut circles we made our way back to Whitebridge as the first hint of darkness appeared. Ben Sgurrach started to change its heathery colour. A wonderful end to another fine day in the hills to the east of Loch Ness, this time in the excellent company of the Blackburners :-)

Visited 24/10/2017.

After climbing, walking and falling the down the Dearduils it was south to Whitebridge on the B862. We parked at the bridge, which is very close to the impressive Old Bridge, and headed south, through the chalets to a track. Follow this and climb the small hill onto a very flat plateau. From the gate look westish and the walls of the hut circle can be seen.

There are a lot of hut circles in this area and this was an added bonus, as were the two others nearer the dun. It is large being almost 18m wide with collapsed walls up to 4m wide. Sadly the entrance, to the north, has been houked and sits at 1.5m wide. Despite the damage we thought the site impressive.

With Ben Sgurrach towering above it is a wonderful place.

Visited 24/10/2017.

Coming down from Whitebridge we spotted 2 hut circles. One listed by Canmore and one which will be.

NH 4948 1464

The listed circle is sadly in a sad state having taking a battering from cattle, agriculture and vegetation. Still it can be clearly made out from the dun being on the southern side. Sitting at over 13m wide with walls at 0.4m, with the entrance to the south it has magnificent views of Ben Sgurrach, the dun and neighbouring hills.

NH4953914668

We discovered this hut circle whilst coming down from the dun to find NH49481464. It is in far better condition and sits at about 4.5m wide nestling in the shadow of the dun, the boulders almost making a complete circle. A new find to complete a fantastic day. Historic Scotland has been sent a report/photos via the DES form and will hopefully appear on their site shortly.

Visited 24/10/2017.

From the top of Brimmond you get marvellous views all round. The view to the north has Elrick Hill and its enclosure so I decided to climb down following a track which left the main track half way down. At the bottom there is a minor road and across from this another road, road is optimistic, which leads to the bottom of the valley.

Just before the wee car park jump the fence and head west, the boulder and marker stone are easily spotted being next to the fence overlooking the overgrown Littlemill Burn.

The boulder is almost 1m square and just over 0.5 deep with the cup mark measuring 9cm wide and 3cm deep.

With that it was up the Elrick Hill to find nothing. Long grass and ferns covered the area so another winter time visit required. A nice walk with great views to the west more than made up for the lack of site especially when the main view is Bennachie.

Visited 7/9/2017.

After looking for the cairn, with no real luck, I followed the deer fence south west and luckily found a gate on to the northern side. After the third dry stane dyke look west for a solitary boulder.

The boulder is about 1m square and 0.5m deep. Situated near the centre the cup mark is 11cm wide and 2.5cm deep. Much more recently someone tried to break the rock as evidenced by the drill hole.

Now by this time it was belting down. Paths and tracks had become large streams. By the time I arrived back at the car I was ‘fair drookit’.

Visited 31/8/2017.

From East Brotherfield I headed south east and cross country to look for two more cup marked rocks, the first being near marker 23. As the sunny weather faded the underfoot conditions became trickier. Keep heading south east and eventually a deer fence is reached. Follow this south east and it will lead to the meeting place of several fences. Unluckily the rocky outcrop is the other side of the deer fence.

Also on the south side of the fence is the marker, behind this can be found the cup mark which measures at 14cm wide and 6cm deep. To help locate the cup mark I left the end of a fence post. Just to the east is the new Aberdeen by-pass. Sadly the nearby cairn seems to have vanished but a winter visit might reveal more.

On the way back I’d look for another cup marked rock. By this time it was lashing down and underfoot conditions resembled a heathery quagmire.

Visited 31/8/2017.

The massive boulder at East Brotherfield contains one cup mark. Its measurements are 14cm wide and 6cm deep. Situated 1m above the ground the boundary marker also provides a handy marker in locating the cup.

I asked permission to park at East Silverburn, to the north east, followed the track to East Brotherfield and followed a small stream/path straight to the boulder.

There are lots of rock and rock plate so another visit needed to hopefully find some more rock art. Beautiful conditions but that would change.

Visited 31/8/2017.

From the Dalmuinzie Stone I made my way back west to the Hillhead Road and walked north west following the track. Once the track straightens jump the first gate (the fifth field from Hillhead cottages) and head south across the field. The stone(s) are next to the fence and wall which in turn is next to a wood.

The cup marked rock lies next to the boundary marker. Its cup has a width of 7.5cm wide, being 2.5cm deep. This is quite an impressive rock almost kerb like. Sadly it might have once been part of a long destroyed cairn remnants of which can be seen scattered all round.

Visited 24/8/2017.

Between Bieldside and Milltimber on the A93 take the Hillhead Road heading north and stop at Hillhead Farm and cottages. From here I headed east across a small field, jumped a burn, climbed back up, went past some trees and went down another small hill until I spotted a large stone beside which was one of the boundary markers of Aberdeen.

The stone has a single cup mark which is 9cm wide and 4cm deep. In prehistoric times there were a couple of nearby cairns so no surprise that there are cup marked rocks nearby.

Visited 24/8/2017.

On the way down to Woodend House’s cairn/cist I had a look in past Bardshillock Wood, a site near a studio where I had worked (and work) with many bands. I had always intended to visit and never found the time.

Heading west from where the B9125 becomes the B977 take the first road heading south, signposted Hirn. At the Mill Of Hirn, the studio, turn right and head south west parking at Drumfrennie Farm. From here walk the short distance south into the woods on the east/left hand side.

A hardly used track leads almost straight to the hut circle which has been built mostly below ground level. The walls are almost 2m wide and made from fairly large stones. These are now covered in turf but trees mark the site as they are just outside the huts perimeter of 8m. The height of the wall varies but it never reaches more than 0.5m. Nearby enclosures and a small cairn can hardly be seen thanks to the vegetation.

Still a nice site to get the sunny day going.

Visited 17/8/2017.

Previously I had tried twice to find this place, once from the north at Trustach getting completely lost and on the second occasion getting totally drenched by falling into a burn. This time, no mistake, it was fairly dry and a different route planned.

I parked on the A93 and walked south, then south east past Woodend House along the banks of the fast flowing River Dee. The house is still being repaired after the floods of a few years ago, the same floods that washed the A93 away beyond Ballater.

Once next to the River Dee keep going until a small hut on the north side of the track. From here head straight north. Treacherous underfoot conditions because of tree cutting but ironically these help with the finding of the site. White markers circle the cairn warning the forestry people to stay clear so the site is easier spotted. It is a beautiful site with the cairn being at least 10m in width standing at 1.5m tall. Several large stones encircle the site.

A well preserved cist survives in the middle of the site, sadly its capstone lays (probably) broken nearby. Makes me wonder what the robbers removed. It is just over 1m in length, 0.5m wide and 0.6m deep being made with upright slabs.

Not wanting to make any mistakes I retraced my steps to the hut and proceeded to the A93. With the leaves changing colour the trees make an attractive scene.

Visited 17/8/2017.

After visiting a few more ruinous hut circles at the Strone I headed back to were I had parked at Braenaloin. Nearby there is a gate and track heading south east. It is a decent track with only one or two steepish bits but on the whole nothing difficult. It also helped that I had a cracking day.

To the north Glen Gairn and to the north east stunning views of Morven which would get even better at the end of the climb. The cairn is on a flat plateau as the track takes a sharp turn east. From here the views and colours of Aberdeenshire are beautiful. As well as the late summer colours Morven, Bennachie, Kerloch, Clachnaben and Lochnagar can all be seen. At the bottom of the valley the River Dee glistens as it heads from Braemar to the North Sea at Aberdeen.

The cairn itself is massive like the cairns at Pittenderrich, Deecastle, Kerloch, Pressendye etc and had been missed by Canmore until Thelonius came across the site and Neil K (a keen hillwalker) wondered what it was. So I decided to have a look as well.

It sits at well over 20m wide, stones that are visible, on top of a heather covered footprint a further 1 to 2m wide all round. Sitting at 2m high a windbreak has been made (this adds another 1.5m in height to the sites appearance) which surrounds the trig point. This has been built on top of a concrete base. However this has been built on top the cairn rather than on to the ground. Also interestingly kerbs appear at regular intervals round the site.

A stunning place with stunning views, totally worthwhile and a must visit if in the area. Best of all, a team effort :-)

(A DES report has been sent to Canmore)

Visited 10/8/2017.

The Strone has magnificent views of Morven and Geallaig Hill and is home to many hut circles most of which have taken a fair battering and difficult to photograph. However one still survives in reasonably good condition thanks to the use of large rocks and later construction (according to Canmore). It is 6m wide and has its 2m wide front door to the east. Water would have been supplied by the Braenaloin and Coulachan Burns, both of which run into the River Gairn to the north.

From the A93 take the B976 north, an old military road. I parked at Braenaloin and walked back up the hill to the hut circles. Handy place to park as the track that leads up to Geallaig Hill starts here as well.

Visited 10/8/2017.

After splashing down the hill I arrived at the road near the Sgarasta standing Stone (plus friends) and proceeded to walk north east along the A859 following the same route I’d taken to the find the track to Dun Borve. Spectacular scenery all round as the sun blinked between the clouds which created different types of atmosphere and colours to hillside, sea and sand.

There is a hard way and easy way to reach the cairn. To get there I found the hard way. The chamber cairn can be seen from the road and I immediately jumped the first fence just north of a small burn, the Allt Sta. Sadly, for me, not the best idea I’ve ever had as this was a boggy mess. However I made it to firmer stuff as I headed west. As the burn headed downhill I climbed a small hill to see that the cairn was only about 100 meters away.

Sadly the cairn has seen much damage but I think its still impressive. The capstone rests in front of some of the stones it probably sat on. It appeared that the standing stones were teeth and the massive capstone a tongue, prehistory sticking its tongue out to modernity. The surrounding cairn is 20m wide and it still has surviving kerbs. It is best preserved on the western side at just over 1m tall. Like a few sites nearby I wonder if erosion will finally win the day.

As I picked up my rucksack the sun once again appeared and several sites came into view. Dun Borve to the east is easily spotted with others to the north and south. To the west Taransay and much further to the west St Kilda. When you see all of these sites, its the same everywhere, you realise just how good the prehistoric peoples were at navigation. They simply used the sea and stars/landmarks as a road. That same road will take me back to St Kilda in the reasonably near future.

With that I took the simple way back to the A859 via a track which had appeared from nowhere. Another type of road which led to the ferry and road home.

Visited 5/8/2017.

From S70 I headed north jumping several recently made streams, a couple of older and wider streams plus a few fences. All the time to the west it remained cloudy but to the north west the sun was breaking through to light up Luskentyre and its famous beaches. Gradually I was also heading downhill as I approached the remnants of another burial cairn.

The cairn at S64 is also built on a platform about 10m wide and resembles its neighbour at S70. At certain angles the site looks like a complete wreck but closer up the kerb survives quite well and the chamber inside would have been around 4m by 3m. At its tallest it is 0.4m. Down below the stone and its friends at Sgarasta can be seen which made me wonder if the two burial cairns on the hillside were connected to what many consider to be Harris’s most important site.

As I made my way back down to the road the wind picked up, the sun finally came out and Borve beach could be seen. Just to the north was Borve Chamber Cairn, the final site for this trip.

Visited 5/8/2017.

The final morning and the final three sites for this visit starting at the Scarista S70 cairn. Heading north from Leverburgh we parked near the Isle Of Harris golf course to climb up to the first of two cairns to the east of the road. Underfoot conditions were soggy as there had been a lot of rain through the night. Small streams had become torrents. However, at least the rain had stopped by the time I reached S70.

From the golf course I headed almost straight east crossing the Sgarasta Mhor. As soon as you see a fence in distance keep a look out for a green patch. This is the remnants of the cairn which at one time must have been impressive. Still impressive are the views in every direction.

Built on top of an almost 12 meter wide platform the cairn has what looks like a central cist and a ring of kerbs. Rectangular in shape it measures at 5m by 4m. Parts of the cairn reach 0.4m at their highest. As usual a fair bit of houking has occurred. It would be unfair to describe any site as my favourite but these sites looking into the Atlantic and the nearby islands are hard to beat. The weather certainly adds to the atmosphere. As I walked away to the next site the sun started to appear causing the sea to change colour and the beaches of Luskentyre to shine.

With the scenery in full morning mode I splashed my way to the next site.

Visited 5/8/2017.

There seems to be stone rows aplenty in these West Harris shorelines. Scarista has three, but I only found one and like I’ve said a few times before when I get back I’ll look again.

This stone row is made up of three small boulders, a fourth stone could well be missing but could also be covered in turf. Horgabost has similar sites.

It was time to head back to Rodel after an exhausting day, the next day would be the last day of the trip.

Visited 4/8/2017.

Situated very close, about 50-60 meters north, to the standing stone and mound is a wee platform cairn. It is about 15m wide and no more than 0.2m tall. Only the west side of the platform can be seen, the rest being turf covered.

Visited 4/8/2017.

Heading back from Hashinish we stopped to have a look at what many say is Harris’s most important prehistoric site. It certainly has the views and a lot of other sites can be seen from here, some very close indeed. The stone might be lonely but it certainly is by itself as hard to spot sites are in the same field.

It is a tremendous site, surrounded by burial cairns high above to the east and the Borve Chamber cairn. Just to the coast side of the stone there is mound that is almost 12m wide and up to 1m tall. It is made up of earth and small stones and what appear to be a couple of buried kerbs.

I was told to look in the field and I’m glad I did as I found a couple of other sites. Reporting back to my informant I was told I should have looked harder. As Tjj says ‘it is a place full of wonderful surprises’. Next time!

Visited 4/8/2017.

Toe Head certainly left an impression on me and I’ll definitely be back but Dun Borve was calling so I retraced my steps back to Northton and the A859. I also retraced my steps back to Croft 36, obviously I needed sustenance.

Once back on the A859 I walked north following the road past Scarista, which I’d visit later in the day, the golf course and the still clouded Sound Of Taransay. Just to the north east of the sites at Scarista there is a handily placed sign post indicating the track to Dun Borve, very handy indeed.

This track isn’t in very good condition, however marker poles lead to the dun which is easily spotted as a prominent rocky landmark.

Walls surrounding the site are measured at over 14m and some of it remains built, a testament to their, the Iron Age peoples, building skills. The entrance to the dun is in the east leading to a circular turf patch indicating some type of building, enclosure or forecourt. Various buildings have been attached to the walls i.e. sheiling huts, wind breaks. Like Canmore I think it is also a dun as it is a small area for a complicated and larger structure such as a broch. A superb place for a look out as it looks to the Sound Of Taransay to the north, the Atlantic to the west and the mountains of South Harris to the east. It is also, more importantly, looks over the largest expanse of fertile land in South Harris. This explains the prehistory, all the graveyards and The Coffin Road.

Also in the area are cup marked rocks. Tiompan has kindly posted some these to this site page.

Another wonderful place, is there no end of them here? I missed the south direction earlier, as there is another dun and possibly cairns to the south, a considerable walk which I’ll do next time. Time to walk back south to Rodel avoiding the camper vans whilst admiring the landscape. Later on it was up to Hashinish, now that is a road!

Visited 4/8/2017.

From Croft 36, Northton, keep heading north until the road and village end at a gate. Beyond is a track which has lots of farm machinery old and new abandoned at the track side. Keep following the track taking the second track going west. Should be said that the track from Northton to Toe Head is very good and fairly flat. This will lead straight to the broch on the western edge of Ceapabhal. The scenery is of course stunning, the first part of the walk looks onto the Sound of Taransay, the second part has the rugged coastline and the Atlantic. All the time Ceapabhal watches over the comings and goings.

All the prehistoric ages are represented here with evidence of Mesolithic through to the Iron Age. Traces of these can be found nearby as settlements, rock art etc have been found along the coast to the south. My next trip to Harris will involve a walk looking for them, todays main aim was the broch at Toe Head.

A lot of the broch still stands. Sadly for it, it stands as part of the ruined chapel Rubh’ an Teampuill, point of the temple. Other parts of the broch can be seen on this lonely promontory. The site is built on the highest part of the promontory with traces of wall to the north. In fact traces of the wall can be seen all round the church suggesting it must have been huge, some of the walls must have almost 1.5 wide. As well as being used for the church, stonework had been used to build a dry stane dyke on Ceapabhal. To the west end erosion has taken place, the cause of this being easy to see. Weather changes here quickly and wind had grown very strong, the sea very rough. After a decent look round it was time to get the feet moving again.

Wonderful place and a place to let the imagination run wild, or in my case run riot. Next stop, the long hike to the stunning Dun Borve.

Visited 4/8/2017.

About a mile up the road, on the A859 heading north from Kyle’s Lodge, is Carn An MacAskill. The morning was still very moody but it didn’t rain which ensured truly fantastic views towards the Sound Of Taransay, Ceapabhal (home to Toehead Broch) and the village of Northton could all be seen. Cloudy weather seems to add to the atmosphere especially when it starts to clear so different countryside colours can be seen, including the colour of the sea.

About 200 meters (south) before the road to Northton jump the fence and head to the top of the wee hill to the east. A small walkers cairn will led me to the site.

Some kerbs can be seen in the 6m wide cairn which has a height of about 0.5m. As usual there appears to be some houking damage. An impressive and scenic site.

Time to head to Croft 36 for a tremendous hot pie, a small diversion on the way to Toehead :-)

Visited 4/8/2017.

Another early start on a dampish morning started at the Kyle’s Lodge Cairn just to the north west of Leverburgh. There is a tarred road heading south west from the A859 and I walked until the corner just before the roads end.

The cairn is situated just above the road on a small platform and has several kerbs still standing. It is about 6m wide and 0.6m tall with impressive views over to Ensay, whose standing stone can be seen in the distance.

A fine place to watch various wildlife and ships/boats in the bay. Soon, maybe to soon, I was in full flow heading towards Northton.

Visited 4/8/2017.

Walking further westwards on the A859 from the Coire Na Feinne Chamber Cairn we jumped the fence at the next cattle grid to head north over the dunes towards the MacLeod Stone. A few days before I’d been looking at several sites in the area but ran out of time but not today. Although we were all tired, even B, we plodded on to be re-invigorated when crossing the ridge to see the massive standing stone.

Not many people mention the possible wee cairn that surrounds the stone. There are at least two kerbs still earthfast in an area that has a scatter of stones almost 6m wide. Canmore says there isn’t enough evidence but ever the optimist I’d like to think there had been a cairn at some point. One thing for sure is the fact that the stone can be seen for miles away coming in from the Atlantic.

Fantastic stone, fantastic scenery, fantastic day and some sun burnt legs!

Visited 3/8/2017.

We came to this site after a day at the beaches of Luskentyre with its fantastic colour schemes and the reverse walking of the Coffin Road. Normally coffins would come from the east to the west so we walked in the opposite direction to come back via the northern following the old main road, quarries and Laxdale. We spotted no coffins.

The best place to park is near the chippy van at the Horgabost Camp Site and walk west up the A859 until its junction with the minor road heading east to the Horgabost township. With the road passing nearby, indeed one of the stones looks like it is trying to escape, the chamber cairn is situated in a garden looking west into the beautiful bay. Only the capstone and six slabs remain in the well tended garden. At least the cairn is being looked after. All the smaller cairn material was removed long before the house was built.

After asking permission I was allowed to wander about and have a look. Great wee place, very easy to find.

Visited 3/8/2017.

After the stunning day at St Kilda and, for me, life changing events a next day early morning walk was required. The walk to Dun Stuaidh was perfect for the job, so I set of in the drizzle which soon turned into a beautiful Harris morning.

From our chalet I walked south towards St Clements Church taking the first tarred road heading south west. This crosses over a causeway/reservoir with beautiful views looking back north up the Abhainn Thorro Burn and the Rodel Valley.

As the road reaches the west end of the reservoir go onto the track which heads uphill to give glorious early morning views of Loch Roghadail, St Clements Church, Rodelpark Dun and the islands to the south. The track follows the coastline looking down onto the fort. Follow this until a dry stane dyke heads south, follow this downhill to the shore. All sorts of very old fishing boat material, long deserted houses and enclosures can be seen. In the bay can be seen several very expensive yachts.

The fort and its front door is straight south. A short climb through ancient walls leads to the northern end of this spectacular site. Erosion has played a big part in the forts history but there is plenty left to admire. Walls, especially on the eastern side, surround the fort. The western side is greatly eroded whilst to the south the fort is almost completely gone. Only a small finger of land, no more than a foot wide remains, with no one watching it is much easier to take chances so I walked to the end to get pictures looking back north. The northern defences still survive if somewhat crumbled. Near the entrance are a couple of enclosures. It appears to me that the sea doesn’t seem to be affecting this area quite so much as grass and weeds appear to be fighting back on the low lying area just to the north of the fort.

A beautiful start to another wonderful day which would include Luskentyre Bay and the walking of ‘The Coffin Road’.

Visited 3/8/2017.

The final prehistoric sight and site of this St Kilda visit would be the fort at Bioda Mor. This is a truly spectacular place, rugged cliffs, natural archways and thousands upon thousands of seabirds including, our favourites, the puffins. To make sure nobody would get lost this island is aptly named Dun.

From our vantage point at The Lovers Rock we could see where the fort was situated on the western side. Nearer The Milking stone we could see the fort from the bay/eastern side. It is a truly remarkable site. Earlier I had asked if I could scramble across to Dun but was given a polite but stern answer of no. However it can be arranged, possibly the next visit.

We sailed from the small pier at Hirta, glimpsing the quarries at Clash Na Bearnaich on the way. Nothing can really prepare you for the scenery about to appear. Nothing can stop the feelings of immense respect for the builders as they have literally built on sheer cliff face. Defensive walls can clearly be seen built various places. Nearer the centre of the island this wall is over 2m wide and 1.5m high. Fallen walls can be seen clinging to the cliffs on the bay side way above us and the sea.

This was stunning enough but even more stunning are the views around Stacc Lee, Stacc An Armin and the island of Boreray, another place I need to find a way onto. Each of them nave their sad and inspiring stories to tell. Then we set sail to the east on the amazingly calm Atlantic Ocean back to Leverburgh. As we neared the ferry port the standing stones at Borvemore, Nisabost and on the island of Ensay could just about be seen, Ensay being clearly visible. Had the ancient peoples built a type of light house? I don’t know but they certainly told us that land and safety was near.

Viewed 2/9/2017.

One of the main places I wanted to visit on St Kilda was the quarry at Clash Na Bearnaich aka The Chimney. Sadly we’d ran out of time but not out of scenery. The extremely knowledgeable crew pointed out the quarries as we sailed towards the fort at Bioda Mor.

As the photos show the quarry faces are quite high up the face of the hill. Walking due south of The Milking will be the route I’ll take to get a closer look during our next visit. On the way I’ll be able to look at the quarry at Gearraidh Ard. It all points to there being a sizeable pre Iron Age population.

Viewed 2/9/2017.

After the life changing events at the Lover’s Stone it was time to make our way via the wall/path to the tarred road. It was either head further uphill heading north east or head downhill and east towards the village, not Hirta but the Iron Age hut circles of Tobar Childa. We headed towards Tobar Childa as time was running out as we needed to be back at the pier.

So downhill we headed which enabled us to see the absolutely stunning views again. The weather had started to get even warmer, unbelievable considering the tales of bad weather we’d been told about. Just to the south of the Abhainn Mhor burn we headed straight east to the hut circles. These are hard to find because of the sheer amount of gray rock lying about, they certainly had no shortage of building material. I remained to look for the ancient village whilst A headed to the pier.

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This appeared to be a group of 4 hut circles the best of which I photographed. The hut had large stones surrounding its edge and is about 4m in diameter. Harsh place to live during winter possibly, however a lot of people told us that the climate wasn’t so remote and the islands weren’t so isolated as they were to become.

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This group seemed to have the best built hut circle making use of a depression, perhaps man made, on which to build their wall. Almost all the hut circles in these groups are about 4m in diameter and this was no exception.

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This was to be last stop on mainland St Kilda as A was shouting (probably louder than that) from the Main Street that people were assembling at the pier. NF10099948 had the largest of the surrounding walls. These were almost 1.5m wide and almost 0.75 tall.

Sadly two hut circle groups missed but I’ll visit them the next time we’re here. With that it was a mad dash through various cleits, enclosures, houses (ancient and more modern) and walls to the eastern end of Main Street.

Visited 2/9/2017.

With the fairies being very shy we followed the road to the west climbing steeply as we went. You could only marvel at the views to the east especially the stunning setting of Bioda Mor, home to the fort.

At the top the road splits heading north and south, we continued west on top of an old wall/path. From this point you can see the equally stunning Loch a’ Ghlinne (Glen Bay). The path is a mixture of well trodden and bog. Also in some parts there are little bits of rock climbing which all added to the adventure except when, not for the first time, I used my knees as brakes.

Eventually the path evens itself out and leads straight to another of the islands famous sites – The Lover’s Stone. Resembling the highest diving board I’ve ever seen its an impressive site. It also reminded me of the Reporting Scotland (news program) logo. Stories of how the St Kildan men did their balancing acts are well known. As this link shows they were brave men.

scotlandonscreen.org.uk/browse-films/007-000-000-153-c

I, of course, did exactly the same thing with an excellent result.

Despite the wonderful scenery, and there is a tremendous sense of well being and sadness here, it is a dangerous place. The weather can change in an instant with high winds and squally showers at any moment. For those with problems with heights I wouldn’t look over the edge it is a helluva drop.

Probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Visited 2/9/2017.

The House Of Fairies was minus its inhabitants so we decided to follow them to their other hiding place The Milking Stone. We headed slightly south west, to the tarred road and followed it as it went steeply uphill. The stone is situated near the first large corner on the road.

After hearing no rattling spoons we reckoned it was safe to approach as the fairies had obviously moved on. There are glorious views of the villages of Hirta, prehistoric and the more modern, Hirta Bay, island of Levenish (a stac) and the magnificent cliffs of Bioda Mor, home to a fort. A stunning scene with the weather to match.

Resembling a recumbent stone it is about 4m long, 1.5m wide and 1.5 tall.

As we continued up hill I’m sure I heard the clinking of cutlery behind me. When I looked around there was an army vehicle just about to overtake us.

Visited 2/8/2017.

Walk north west from the burnt mound, past the houses and graveyard. Look carefully for a hole in the ground. This might seem easy but it isn’t. Behind the village, indeed the whole of the natural amphitheatre, is covered in rocks all of which are the same colour.

The House Of The Fairies is one of St Kilda’s most famous sites. Its north end is covered in grass whilst the southern end has its lintels exposed. Sadly the hole which can be seen is a hole in the roof which is half way along the original structure. Agriculture and dyke building has seen the other stones removed and the former southern end filled in. To get into the 9m remnants is easy enough and their is enough room for taller people to get to the end hunched down. About 5m from the entrance there is a small passage heading north east. Even at the entrance there seems to have been passages going in both directions, these might have been a wall that has been long since removed.

The fairies must have been nervous and decided to hide from view. Perhaps they’d gone to The Milking Stone, which we were going to next. It was a privilege to see and enter this site. A real taste of the prehistoric times and a good chance to appreciate their building skills.

Visited 2/8/2017.

Just a few metres to the west of the cist is a wall and on the other side of this can be found the remnants of a burnt mound. The oval shaped site is 20m by 10m and set in what appears to be waste ground, for much later settlers, near a consumption dyke. At its highest it is no more than 0.4m.

If you look closely in the walls burnt and broken pebbles can be seen and I agree with Canmore that there must have been several of these mounds, as there must have been cists whose stones probably provided lintels for the village houses.

Once again it is an indicator that the prehistoric people had a better time of it than later settlers. It certainly proves that they had a wider food choice.

After this we had to visit the faeries and their house.

Visited 2/8/2017.

When walking along Hirta Main Street keep a count of the houses and look for houses 7 and 8. Follow the wall that marks their plot border towards Hirta Bay until it stops, a few yards in front is the remnants of the cist. That is the easy way, I on the other hand decided that almost every neuk and crannie had to be explored.

Not much remains except for some stones set on edge, the loose lintels have probably been placed in one of the nearby walls.

When you look up and all round from this location you can see what a huge amphitheatre this place is, just how high the hills are and just how good the prehistoric folks nautical skills were. Then a helicopter interrupts, look slightly to the east and the view is of large tanks of the fuel variety. Prehistory and modern life in the space of a second.

Visited 2/8/2017.

Our first stop, on a gloriously warm day on St Kilda, was the probable remains of a souterrain built into a wall in an enclosure. It has been also described as a subterranean feature or a cist. If a cist whoever was interred must have been huge. During the 1800’s land had been cleared for agricultural purposes so it was dug up and built into a wall. The remains of the underground feature are only a few metres from were they once had been place.

From the pier walk east and find the track which leads to the Main Street of Hirta. Once on the track heading west, the army base is nearby, go into the second enclosure. Being a dry stane dyker myself I appreciate that the one thing the later peoples were good at – building walls. The site is in the north east corner of the enclosure.

D. MacGregor in the 1960’s said this site was Neolithic which, for us, meant an excellent start to the St Kildan trek.

Visited 2/8/2017.

This is the furthest north of the stone settings and it looks directly north into the bay at Nisabost, the wondrous sands of Luskentyre and the mountains beyond. Also it looks down on to the camp site and the chippy van.

Spread over an area over 12m the stone setting is on top of large green mound. The furthest north part of the site resembles the outer edge/arc of a hut circle.

The underfoot conditions are quite good as the grass is reasonably short thanks to the army of local greenkeepers i.e. the sheep who do a fine job. Some parts are sandy thanks to the dunes.

A great place to spend an hour or two. Nobody bothers you at these barely known about sites, so a great chance to try and emulate these folks from a long time ago.

Visited 1/8/2017.

From the standing stone at Horgabost walk about 100 meters to the north west. Yet another unusual site, for me, a stone setting appearing to look north to the Nisabost Bay and the mountains beyond.

The setting is on top of a small grassy hillock being spread over an area of 3m by 2.5m. There also appears to be some very small and pointy standing stones. Yet another site that makes me wonder what is underneath all of these dunes, could be the Forvie of the west.

Visited 1/8/2017.

I parked at the cattle grid just to the west of Nisabost or Coire Na Feinne (chamber cairn) on the A859. From the grid it is a short walk over the dunes to the unusual, to me, site.

The actual standing stone is a rock placed on plate rock propped up by chokes. Other stones lay fallen nearby and possibly formed a stone circle. Some of the circle might have consisted of the natural outcrops. To the south is the bay of Traigh Lar and from there McLeod stone can be seen. This area is ‘hoaching’ (good doric word meaning there are lots of) with small sites an indication of much prehistoric inhabitation. One day the dunes will blow away and I’m sure much more will be discovered.

Just enough time to look for a couple of more sites before going to the Borve Burial Cairn. The McLeod Stone would be visited later in the week.

Visited 1/8/2017.

The burial cairn at Borve is a truly beautiful place with spectacular views out to the Atlantic and the stunning Harris scenery in every other direction. Further down the coast, to the south, is Borve’s chamber cairn. The warmth encouraged this visitor to take time to locate almost all of the west coast sites.

The other thing that makes this site impressive, in my opinion, is the fact that it is gradually eroding back into the sea as if nature was reclaiming its own. I’d imagine this coastline takes an almighty battering during a storm.

I parked just south of Loch Cisteabhat, on the A859, and headed west. No difficulties on this short walk, the grass was very short and a lot of rock plate covered the distance. The cairn itself is perched on top of a small cliff and is gradually falling away down on to the beach and sea. However it still remains at nearly 10m wide with north side being about 1.5m tall and the south side nearly 3m tall being built with small pebbles. As usual a certain amount of houking has taken place.

A great place to sit and watch the sea which is exactly what I did whilst thinking about all the places visited during the day. Then it was back to the chalet to try some the Isle Of Harris gin.

Visited 1/8/2017.

To the north of the Scalpay road on the eastern outskirts of Tarbert stands the Clach Na Greine standing stone. It has superb views of Loch Tarbert and the mountains especially to the west.

How this stands is something of a miracle in itself as most of Harris is rock, except for the strip of land in the south west and surprisingly a lot of Scalpay. Peter May’s The Coffin Road was inspired by this as coffins (and their inhabitant) had to carried from the east to the west to be buried.

The stone stands at about 1.75m high, coming to a pointy end, and at it’s base is 1.5m. Choke stones can be spotted propping the stone up which sits on a rocky platform.

I parked at a butchers yard and walked about 100 meters back east beyond some blasted rock, then headed north jumping a ditch and followed a fence. Worthwhile if only to see the views of the Loch Tarbert and beyond into The Minch.

Our next stop was the distillery at Tarbert to visit our whisky barrel which had just had it’s first birthday. (Their gin is superb as well, much needed after a long evening walk.)

Visited 1/8/2017.

Tarbert is the capital of Harris, home to an excellent distillery, home of Harris Tweed and the main ferry port. It is also the starting point to the island of Scalpay which is connected to the mainland by a fantastic bridge, stunning in design and appearance. From Tarbert go east following the signpost to Kyles and Scalpay. One of the reasons for the visit was obviously the dun, another reason was Gandalf’s scarf and other clothing made for The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit. Unbelievably this shop, situated in the islands village (former school), was closed so it was onwards to the dun.

Once over the bridge turn first left and follow the road until the second corner near some houses, the first corner leads to the old ferry. If you look closely there is a wee sign saying heritage trail which goes all the way round the island. This trail is a beautiful walk, if somewhat marshy, following the northern shore of Loch An Duin, home to the dun.

The dun, possibly two islands, is located in the western part of the loch and has a causeway coming from the western shore. Canmore has some wonderful photos of the causeway in the link below. Parts of the wall can still be seen from the shore. Sadly no walking this causeway as it was to narrow and after looking at Canmore’s photos it seemed to come to an abrupt stop.

Another magical place and enjoyable walk, the dog enjoyed the loch. With that it was back to Tarbert via a standing stone.

Visited 1/8/2017.

After surviving the mud spreads of Dun Innisgall we travelled further along the coastal road to the township of Strond. We parked at the first cattle and looked towards the Atlantic. A and B headed to Borrisdale (a good move) whilst I headed west.

This dun is the smallest I’ve seen and I believe that nobody could have lived here, this was the place were the last stand would have taken place. From the cattle grid head west and downhill until a fence. The mysterious mounds associated with the area are much in evidence. Jump the fence, cross a grassy section (boggy in bits), head slightly south and a small cliff face is reached. Opposite this cliff is the dun.

I climbed down and crossed the slippery rocks, reached the other side and climbed up into the dun. Finding a safe path up is difficult so take care.

Not much of the dun remains as erosion has washed a lot of it away. As mentioned before this wouldn’t have been very big anyway as I discovered when I made it to westernmost point of the dun. What is left of the defensive wall is on the east side of the dun. Other parts of the wall can be spotted in the sea and on the slippery rocks used to reach the dun.

Truly brilliant site, truly brilliant scenery and truly scary as the tide was rushing in and started to cover my exit route.

As with all of these places that we think of isolated nowadays back in the Iron Age (and before) maybe more people lived here. There are a lot of sites in this area and near to this dun some cup marks have been found, indeed this coast line has evidence of several rock art sites. Certainly in prehistoric times this small part of Harris seems to have been well populated.

Visited 30/7/2017.

From Leverburgh take the coastal road signposted Carminish, The Strond and Borrisdale. Three beautiful sites are on or near this road and on this afternoon two would be visited.

The first was Dun Innisgall and we parked just before the hamlet of Carminish. For a change luck was on my side and the tide was out which meant I could jump across mud spreads normally covered in sea water. This didn’t please A but it was perfectly safe, as I approached from the south and clambered onto the island of Eilean Nam Stiubhartach to walk northwards until I was just to the west of the dun. The reason for all this chancy stuff was to walk across the 2m wide causeway, I’d never walked on a sea causeway before.

Perched on top of a rock the dun is over 16m wide and must have had huge walls, at least 3m wide, going by the amount of rocks fallen on top of the mud. A lot of these rocks have also been used to built walls on the tidal island across the causeway. The dun’s walls are at their best on the south side. On the north some of the island has been washed away thanks to erosion.

My imagination often runs wild at these places and this wasn’t helped when the ferry appeared on its way to nearby Leverburgh. imagining they were nasty Vikings I scrambled back to the island to the west and then retraced my steps across the mud spreads to the shore. Looking back the tide had started to turn, somehow my timing had been flukily perfect.

Visited 30/7/2017.

After drying the old legs at Loch Bhalariop we climbed to the south west to overlook more magical scenery this time to the promontory fort and islands to the south. The terrain here is very good thanks to very warm weather. One or two streams to jump and field systems to cross are the only problems on the short journey south.

One striking thing about the fort is the amount of loose stones lying about everywhere. Some of these have been used to make various walls, shelters, enclosures, defences and graves (a Canmore suggestion). Inside the fort is mostly flat rock which resembles a couple of nearby duns, Rodelpark and Dun Boraigeo.

Only a couple of photos as I’d ran the camera dry and had left the rucksack at the church to pick up on the way back to our chalet. I’ll take more when I get back.

Visited 30/7/2017.

On a beautiful early and sunny morning we headed east then north on the road beyond Rodel Church. (I drove on this road later in week which leads to The Golden Road, absolutely brilliant!!) When the dun is immediately to your west, a ruined croft next to the road almost marks the spot, head straight east. This will lead over a small boggy part at first then on to undulating heathery ground. Field systems are easy to spot here, they are everywhere. Cross the valley and climb the hill in front. This will lead to lovely views of the beautiful Loch Bhalairiop, home to the crannog.

The climb down gradually leads to a small promontory on the west of the loch. Today the water is a wonderful colour highlighting the 10m wide crannog. A beautiful unspoilt place completely quiet until I started to splash across the water in an attempt to get to the crannog. There probably is a causeway of sorts but it was elusive so back I splashed to the shore much to the amusement of the two onlookers and several bemused birds.

Visited 30/7/2017.

The first night in Rodel (Roghadal) provided an excellent opportunity to visit both the famous church and the nearby dun at Rodelpark. As you see the Rodel signpost, look up, the first thing that grabs your attention is the dun to the south, turn the corner then the church comes into view.

Walking up from the church is the easiest route, or use the path indicated for the church handily placed opposite the wooden chalet were we were living about a mile north, handy for Leverburgh as well on the A859. This path winds itself through some beautiful countryside on the shores of Loch Thorsagearraidh and past some artificial mounds. As the path, along with A and B, headed south towards St Clement’s Church I headed east towards the badly ruined dun.

The entrance to the dun is on the north amongst the stones of ruined walls. Stones also cover the floor of the 13m wide dun. Various types of enclosure, mural and sheilings have all existed here at some point. In the middle of the dun is one these small mounds, of which there are several in the area. It would interesting to know how old these are.

The views are stunning, to the east The Minch, to the south North Uist and hundreds of small islands, to the west Rodel Church, the magical promontory Dun Stuiadh and the Atlantic and to the north the A859 as it heads up the moody Gleann Shranndabhal. Looking down into valley below I can see A and B leaving the church, just as I leave the sun comes out, lighting up the sea making every island clear. The reason for the dun being built in the first place.

Even the most ruinous sites are magical, this is one of them!

Visited 29/7/2017.

We parked in the same place as GW and walked up the hill to the walled graveyard. Sadly since his visit the place has somewhat fallen apart.

Make and ask permission from the people living cottage to visit the site. Even before the graveyard you can see that it is really a shambles. The entrance arch is impressive enough but sadly it is overrun with the biggest bramble branches I have ever seen, hundreds of them. The gate was open so we walked carefully in and picked our way though various horrible looking plants.

As for the chamber it obviously still remains in the same place but also is grown over. It is a pity as this could and should be a wonderful place as is shown in the Canmore photo. Makes me wonder why Historic Scotland or some local heritage group haven’t cleaned the place up.

A sad but worthwhile place to visit.

Visited 28/7/2017.