drewbhoy

The second Reedie cairn is almost 400 meters west of its neighbour. Simply keep following the deer fence and the Reedie Strip.

Sadly this cairn has been battered and shattered. The bumpy remains stand at about 20 meters in width and are over 1 meter in height. Cairn material is strewn everywhere underneath the gorse (jabby things for the more technical of us). Still it has the same views as the first Reedie cairn.

If walking west along the track from Reedie1 look for the first curve in the track, then look south. The cairn is easily spotted and is crowned with the aforementioned jabby stuff.

Visited 12/7/2016.

From Meams Hill I headed back south until I reached the B955. Take the B951 heading west until the minor road heading south just after the car park for Loch Of Kinnordy. About 1 mile south there is a crossroads, from here walk to the west. The first part of the track has recently planted trees on both sides, not on the OS map. Keep going until open space, on both sides of the track, widens. To the south there is a deer fence. Walk a short distance west and the cairn will shortly appear.

The cairn stands at 15 meters and is 1 meter tall. It is turf covered with one or two bits of cairn poking through. Still it is a nice cairn with lovely views north, views to the south being blocked by the Reedie Strip, a wood.

Still it is much better condition than its friend a wee bit further west.

Visited 12/7/2016.

To find the hillfort from the Castle Hill is relatively, simply head north and climb uphill. Today this was lovely fairly warm and dry traipse to the oddly shaped hill.

The remnants of ramparts partially surround the for three sides with the south being protected by a steep drop. At the western end of the drop and the small rampart is a small gap probably indicating the front door. In the middle the trig is sat on top of a wee cairn/mound (NO3616 5681) which sits at almost 7 meters wide and 1 meter tall. Once again tremendous views south including over the River Tay into Fife. The Lomonds being the most obvious landmark.

After another good look round it was time to head back to the road and head south to the final destination of the day.

Visited 12/7/2016.

From the Meams Hill ring cairn, and its two nearby pals, I headed back west following the track back past the barn graveyard to the minor road. On reaching the road I headed 100 meters south until another farm track heading west. To head to the hillfort first is the easy option, so I decided to look for the cairn.

Keep heading uphill going past the remnants of buildings, jump over the gate and keep going until a single tree. From here veer south until a line of trees heading west can be seen. Follow this line of trees until they slightly curve northwards, the cairn is in this arc.

At 16 meters wide and 1.5 meters tall the site has wonderful views south towards the Sidlaws, Craigowl and beyond. Cairn material, looking like large pebbles, poke their noses through the turf. As usual a bit of houking has been done but this doesn’t detract from the site or its shape.

A wonderful cairn with wonderful views with a hillfort to the north beckoning.

Visited 12/7/2016.

Head east from the Meams Farm cairn basically following a track made by cows. This leads straight to the battered remains of the Balnagarrow cairn. Nothing much to see except a couple of kerbs remaining in place in a site which once stood at over 10 meters. Still it has good views to the north of Kirriemuir and eastern Angus.

With that done it was over to Castle Hill for yet more wonderful scenery.

Visited 12/7/2016.

To the north east of the ring cairn you can see the top of a small hill. On this there is a 17 meters wide cairn which stands at just under 1 meter tall. Several boulders mark a kerb on the east. In fact several boulders are at the rest of the cairns edge but most of the stones seem to have gone except for some in the centre.

Once again a very easy walk, of no more than 200 meters, if you are on the correct hill.

Visited 12/7/2016.

Meams Hill ring cairn was a totally unexpected but wonderful discovery after making a pretty big mistake. In a return to climbing the wrong hill form I climbed the wrong hill. From the Caddam Stone I headed west and then headed north at the junction. Just after Meams farm there is a quarry with plenty of parking space. Thinking that Meams Hill was heading east up the track I promptly climbed and looked all over the hill finding nothing except quite a few left overs from glaciers. At this point I looked at the OS map and discovered I’d gone wrong. I should have taken the next track east which is fairly flat and had two other cairns.

The track is in pretty good condition and starts by going through what looks like a graveyard for torn down barns. Once past that keep going until the trees, the remnants of Meams Wood, with the ring cairn on a small rise being slightly to the south of the track.

This cairn has 18 boulders all of which are earthfast forming the outer circle, still standing proudly looking all over Angus. The inner circle, still there, is covered in grass sitting amongst the cairns 10 meter diameter. Like a lot of sites nearby this area is covered in prehistory, 2 cairns further east and a fort and hill to the west.

With the map reading skills returned to normal these proved fairly easy to find. Great site!!!

I headed west from the Gallows Hillock heading past previous hikes and visits. It will easier to give the directions from Kirriemuir than give a huge list of wee villages and roads. From Kirriemuir head north on the B955 and take the third minor heading west. This leads past the north side of the Hill Of Redhall. After passing the trees pull into the first gate on the south side of the road. The cairn sits further to the south.

This cairn must have been some size and it still sits at 25 meters by 2 meters high. Nowadays it is turf covered with one or two stones poking through. Damage has been done by the usual houking and various excavations. Finds included a couple of cists, necklace, armlet and an urn. Set amongst beautiful it has wonderful views to the north west in an area teeming with prehistory.

A very easy walk on tractor tracks with the cairn clearly visible from the road.

Visited 12/7/216.

From Balzeordie follow the minor road rest then double back at the junction at Tigerton (pronounced Tigger). I pulled in about a 1/2 mile along this road. The cairn is situated in the wood to the north.

This is a very beautiful site and amazing that it is still there at all. After jumping the fence and basically doing all the usuals through the fir trees, hands and knees etc. the cairn is found at the small hills summit. Set in a bonny wee clearing the cairn has a wonderful atmosphere. A great place to contemplate the world.

The cairn is almost 11 meters wide and at its highest is 1 meter. Some rocks survive in the hollowed out centre suggesting a once possible cist. Also some rocks survive round the outer edges giving a hint of a kerb.

For me, a beautiful place!

Visited 12/7/2016.

Leave Edzell on the southern minor road heading south west signposted Menmuir. At the crossroads with the Catheruns head south then take the first west. The entrance to Balzeordie Farm is the first farm track north. Ask permission if going for a wee look.

From the aerial photo on Canmore the fort can be seen in the cropmarks north east of the Balzeordie Farm. On the day of my visit tatties covered the site so no indicators for me.

Fortunately the farmer was a source of good information. When ploughing the soil is often a different colour due to fire ash etc, it changes colour when drying to show where any defences would have been and to the north the Catheruns look down on the site. Possibly this was an outer fort for its higher neighbours. He also said that the farm name means Geordie’s farm. Natural defences are in the north east with a gentler slope to the south.

One thing the farmer didn’t know was about the cairn on Gallows Hillock, my next stop.

Visited 12/7/2016.

Keeping heading north west on the Glen Esk road until the track to Waggles, a wee farm on the eastern side which overlooks the road and River Esk. Just before the farm the artificial mound can be easily spotted.

There are great views of all the surrounding mountains, hills and further up Glen Esk. As Mr Mann suggests there are indeed kerbs poking through the turf of the 20 by almost 3 meters high mound. As usual the site has been houked, in the south west this time.

Sadly on the way from The Burn I had a look for the Auchmull cairn which for me led to the ‘no trace’ description. As for the Waggles, its still waggling away nicely.

Visited 12/7/2016.

From Fettercairn take the B966 west until the sign pointing north indicating Glen Esk. Go past the first minor road, heading east, and pull in shortly afterwards at the crossroads of two estate roads. The road to the west leads to gardens of Burn House. Look for the garden wall, follow the track and where it heads south westish keep going straight on. This will lead to a clearing where two large stones can be seen. These might or might not have anything to do with cairn but it certainly helps finding the site.

Sadly there isn’t to much to see here. Intermittent kerbs remain in the much trashed site. Cairn material surrounds the tree which has taken up residence in the middle of the monument. It measures very approximately at 20 meters and is 0.7 meters at its highest. Another site for the ‘back in the day’ category.

Visited 12/7/2016.

Tom a Chaisteil basically means castle on a hill and this site is on the eastern side of Beinn Mhor (hill not cairn.) From Beinn Mhor cairn we walked eastwards until the small hillock and headed north. By this time the weather was closing in, underfoot conditions were boggy and overhead it had turned very cloudy and wet. Still we plodded north until the wee hill at the side of the big hill came into view. Another single tree, which sits in the middle of the fort on the wee hill, is what to aim for. We squelched past the eastern defences and entered the fort from the north.

The eastern defences/walls have fallen over the side of the cliff. Most of the rest of the circular wall can be seen but it is almost all in a fallen state. We approached from the north but the entrance is in the west. A trench, as mentioned by Canmore, is some 10 meters to the north. Not much remains except for a lonely tree located within the 33 by 31 meters fort. Like Hob we spotted circular features which could possibly have been hut circles. After a good look round, why are places so impressive in the rain and mist!, it was back to plodding across the heather to the forest gate from which we started.

From this gate the eastern cliff can easily be seen to the north west. This is a fantastic place regardless of weather and with that it was back down to the car at Glenbeg, the end of a long, injury free, but brilliant day.

Visited 9/7/2016.

Big Mountain.

From Grantown On Spey take the A95 heading west and take the first minor road which heads in a north westerly direction. Keep going until the road runs out and it becomes a track. A few hundred yards up the track is Glenbeg hostel/farm which has plenty of parking.

We walked further up the track and kept going in a north westerly direction until it ends. This is fairly steep in bits but nothing to difficult. Also the tracks condition worsens but it is still in pretty good state by the time the forestry gate is reached which also marks the end of the trees and the beginning of the heather. Also by this time the usual recent weather had returned.

For the cairn follow track mainly south over a small hill then head west. Keep heading west over a small hillock, past some clearance cairns in the distance a green patch amongst the heather can be seen. Also look for a single rowan tree.

The cairn still sits at 15 meters wide and is 1 meter high. Unlike its near neighbour at Laggan the cist is situated underneath a jabby bush so no photos, sadly, but it is there. Shelters have been made from cairn stones along with nearby walls. Canmore say no kerbs but I disagree, three seem to survive on the north side. On a clear day this would be a beautiful site, on a foggy, rainy day it is an atmospheric place with Laggan Hills masts looming to the south west.

After some time quite literally soaking up the atmosphere it was time to locate Tom A Chaistiel, to the north.

Visited 9/7/2016.

Pool Of Heather.

From the car park at the foot of Dun Davie I walked back up thru the village and crossed the busy dual carriaged A9. Climb the fence and head east until the field ends. Look down and the promontory fort can be seen. Jump the fence at this point and head back north following the fence line until the ground evens out so heading east is possible without falling down the hill.

Head south towards the promontory which was defended by a wall of which very little remains. Keep heading south and some trees mark the start of the internal fort. I originally thought there had been ramparts but the site is naturally hollowed out. Steep cliffs are also at the southern end which drop straight into the River Nairn. Hard to describe the views here as the scenery is wonderful but only direction of any distance that can be seen is south. Take care this is a dangerous place with no fences at the cliff edge.

With that it was the climb back up and over to other side of the A9 where my travelling companions had taken advantage of missing my useful information and had a nap instead.

Visited 9/7/2016.

From Mid Craggie we joined the B9154 and headed west reaching the A9. Head north until the first minor road west which leads to the small village of Daviot, with its picturesque white church. Go past the church and just before the entrance to the quarry there is a car park.

The fort looms overhead to the west and I wonder if a Clatchard Craig will happen here as the quarrying seems to be gobbling up the whole hill. For the moment the section with the fort is still there. Take the track from the car park and proceed uphill looking for a not so well used path heading to the top of the hill and fort. The path stops at a fence with warnings for anybody daft to enough the climb the fence at the forts eastern and southern edges.

Underneath the fern bits of rampart still survive surrounding the oval shaped fort. The trig is situated in the south west area of the almost 30 meters by 18 meters site.

Superb all round views from this defensive position including the Craggie Cairns to east and the busy A9. Funnily enough the one site that can’t be seen is the promontory fort Poll An Fhraioch, my next stop.

Visited 9/7/2016.

From the Bell Hillock, on the Hill Of Redhall, I headed south towards Kirriemuir taking the first left. The stone is about 100 meters up and near the north side of the road. Impressive views north to the Meams, Redhall and Castle Hills, all of which have prehistoric sites.

Visited 12/7/2016.

Mid Craggie is situated amongst several cairns and forts near Daviot. We continued south from South Culdoich and parked near the junction at Craggie. On the opposite side of the road is the Craggie cairn. Crossing a wee area, looks like a barn might be built, of bare land we climbed the short distance north east to the cairn. Nothing to climb or jump this time.

In amongst the ferns many large kerbs encircle the cairn which sits at 12 meters wide and 0.8 meters tall. Small brown and white butterflies accompanied us round the monument. Winter time would be a good time to visit. Fast approaching winter skies defeated us the previous visit.

It should also be remembered that Balnurain and its Clavas are nearby, a short 4 or 5 miles north. However the Craggies are stunning in their own way and are a gateway to sites further west.

Visited 9/7/2016.

From the Clava cairns at Balnurain follow the road west and keep going until it ends. We headed south west at the junction and pulled in at the railway bridge at Easter Daltullich where there is plenty of parking space. From there we headed a short walk back up the road until a rusty gate. Jump this, climb the wee hill, keep going south jumping a couple fences and the cairn will be in front.

The cairn is built high above the Allt Ruidhne Moire burn having magnificent views north over the Moray Firth into the Black Isle. To see this view you look over the glen housing its illustrious neighbours. Various kerbs lie round the cairn and a possible fallen standing stone rests on the east side. As usual a bit of houking has been done.

A wonderful site to start the day!

Visited 9/7/2016.

Taras’s fieldnotes are spot on and it looks like they had a beautiful day. I headed south on the A957, much more widely known as The Slug Road in these parts, and I had a very rainy day. Undeterred I followed the track as it wound its way up the hill. Now this track is in very good condition until the final climb when it veers west. Severe floods in the NE, including here, have washed away much of the top section until just before the masts. So if walking up in the near future take care as this is an ankle breaker.

The cairn is lovely except for the obvious minus points i,e. the trig, the concrete slab. It still stands at 17 meters wide and is 3 meters tall. Now I like the heavy mist and the masts loomed like huge giants. Being quite tall I felt at home. It also makes the site feel timeless. Even the little buildings nearby don’t detract from this special place.

After quite a long time looking around it was time to go back down the hill in near zero visibility amongst the swirling clouds.

Visited 26/5/2016.

At last the hunt for Finglenny is over. Heaven knows how I managed to miss this place but I’ll blame the camouflage. From the henge at Wormy Hillock cross the bridge and then head south. However instead of following the track we headed into the woods and walked up the middle between the Ealaiche Burn and the track. Approximately 500 meters up stream you will walk straight into the cairn.

The cairn is well camouflaged by green moss and ferns. On the south east side it is over 2 meters in height. The main reason for walking past this site is that on the north west it is practically flat. When the forest wasn’t there the views of Tap O Noth would have been stunning. After a good look round we went back up onto the track for further Drew training. Sorry I mean dog training.

Visited 23/5/2016.

The Leith Hall mound has three different height sections and is surrounded by large stones and a built up bank some 37 by 19 meters being almost 2 meters in height. In the middle is the obvious top section. Three large trees sit in the site making it easy to find. sadly damage has been done as can be seen by the pictures. It also is being used as an agricultural rubbish dump.

Still it is a very pretty place with good views. If you peek between the trees Tap O Noth can be seen to the south west.

Heading west from the village of Kennethmont on the B9002 the road veers north. I parked opposite the first minor road heading west. From here follow the wee track heading east and jump the gate. The mound is to the south east.

Visited 19/5/2016.

I headed south from the remnants of the cairn, crossed the track, jumped the fence and headed west. A fence runs through the middle of the 9 meter wide hut circle. The circular wall of the hut can be clearly seen, when at the site, and I somehow managed to walk through the front door which is in the east. Some of the wall is over 2 meters wide but is no more than 70-80 centimetres high.

Good views south to Cairn Mon Earn and Blarourie (a hill I will have a good look at very soon).

From the hut circle I made my way down to the minor road and headed west. The Nine Stanes RSC can be seen from the road. Just round the corner is the car park where the walk started.

Visited 14/4/2016.

Seven years ago I sadly predicted that this cairn would be completely trashed. That prediction has happened as the top of Whitecross has had all of the heavy vegetation i.e gorse, whins, small trees completely obliterated. This in turn means the cairn has all but been removed unlike its near neighbour at East Law. (they took great care to protect that cairn)

Still the view remains the same and B had great fun looking down badger holes. Same directions as last time. This time there was a blizzard on the way down. Great fun!!

Re-visited 25/4/2016.

Same directions as before with the exception of the cairn being clearly visible. After complaining a few times to the ‘people in power’ and the local museum it looks like they have finally cleaned it up. (I managed to get other people to nag them as well) A massive improvement to the cairn which has never been opened.

Sadly it looks like somebody has had a wee houk at the top of the cairn but otherwise it is in pretty good shape.

Re-visited 19/4/2016.

After a failed attempt the previous week I decided to try and find this cairn with help from the maps and aerial shots sent to me by Les Hamilton.

The previous week saw us approach from the east end of Mulloch Hill but the cairn remained hidden. We had probably missed the site by 20 to 30 meters.

This time I approached from the Nine Stanes end, west, and followed the forestry track heading north east. There is a choice of track fairly soon, I took the track heading south east. After about 500 meters I headed uphill to the top and headed east. The big trees finish and smaller younger tightly planted trees appear. Without damaging anything (meaning trees, my legs different story) I ploughed my way through, sometimes crawling in the hope that I’d bump into the cairn eventually. This plan almost worked, with the help of Mr Hamilton and a grid reference app the site was found.

Sadly the site has been smashed, trashed and planted on in a small clearing. In this sad state it still exists sitting at about 10 meters wide and at its highest 1 meter. Several stones remain earthfast, the probable remains of a kerb. Meanwhile the rest of cairn lies mostly strewn all over the place. This is another site that will soon vanish from view as the forest agriculture will take over.

If approaching from the east look for the 2 trees standing by themselves. Find the mid-point and walk about 100 meters into the dense stuff. Then head south and walk, fall or stumble on to the cairn.

Still the walks round Mulloch Hill are very good and the three nearby stone circles make up for the state of the cairn.

Visited 14/4/2016.

Go south from Ferness, on the B9007, and take the first minor road west. (same road leads to Daless) The fort is the first hill just south of the road. Don’t bother to try parking at Dunearn Farm as there are No Parking signs. I parked just before, on the eastern side, of the fort at a wee quarry.

From here I walked west back towards to the fort. This includes a sharp downhill, jumping a wee burn and then climbing quite steeply towards the top. This a huge fort built in what looks like three sections. Sadly the flatness of the fort also proved its downfall as it was cultivated until 1906. Still the remnants of a rampart can be traced all around the 300 meters, including terraces, long fort. It is 45 meters wide. To add to the forts woes it was used as an artillery base during WW2. However it is a perfectly positioned site with superb all round views including the River Findhorn, which seems to have played a big part in recent hikes.

This left enough time and daylight to hike to a nearby fort but by the time I got back the car the fog had completely closed causing poor visibility. The rain was still coming down and the weather was only getting worse. So the hikes were over, plenty other days to come back.

Visited 6/4/2016.

This site is a nightmare to get to by foot or car. First go south of Ferness on the B9007 and take the first minor road heading west going past the Dunearn Hillfort. This goes over the Dulsie Bridge, another tremendous feat of engineering. Take the road heading west at Dulsie Farm which follows the River Findhorn. This is a twisty single track road which leads to the severe corners at Drynachan Lodge. I parked here, after a bit of fun crossing the very narrow bridge over the Findhorn. There is a bridge that crosses the Meuir Bheoil burn which says severe road conditions until Daless Farm. This is the understatement of all time so I walked. It has massive potholes, is partially washed away and has severe climbs/drops. Eventually Daless Farm can be seen beyond the Ailt Breac burn and to get to it a ford (possibly the road has been washed clean away) must be crossed. Long legs are a good help!!!

From the farm follow the track until a group of trees can be seen, a small sand quarry is to the north. Look for a small rising covered in dark green vegetation. This is the cairn and several kerbs can be seen especially to the west. Some can felt under the turf also. The oval shaped cairn sits at about 8 meters wide and is over 0.5 meters tall. The improved pasture Canmore mention is a hopeful to say the least. Small trees now grow here and fairly soon this cairn will be hidden from view.

Not hidden from view is the scenery. This is a stunning place with various burns, the River Findhorn and surrounding mountains adding to the sense of age. It was time to face the trek back to the car on the equally stunning track as the mist grew deeper and the rain heavier.

Visited 6/4/2016.

Relugas is a stunning fort in a stunning location. I drove from Dun Earn heading south amongst spectacular scenery, Daltullich Bridge is a fantastic work of architecture and engineering, near the fort and where I parked is the equally stunning Randolph’s Leap (The River Findhorn passes through a narrow gorge, narrow enough to jump. This should be called Cumming’s Leap as he and three of his men leaped as Randolph’s men did the chasing. Complicated times during the time of Robert the Bruce)

I approached from the B9007 in the north and climbed the first small but steep slope. Then climbed the second small but equally steep slope. Once on top keep heading south until a track is found. From here head uphill as the oval shaped fort is above. Some of the track is in a rampart which winds its way up.

Once on top you enter the fort by passing a pile of stones, apparently a type of rock garden. Fairly modern walls sit on top of ramparts giving an idea of what the fort defences looked like. Vitrified rock has been found here. Water also plays it part as the River Findhorn is to the west, the River Divie is to the east and swings north into the Findhorn. The aforementioned steep slopes are also very handy for the defender but not to the climber.

What a superb place for a fort! What a place full stop!

Visited 6/4/2016.

Dun Earn has been badly damaged by the forestry people. Ramparts have all but vanished and these may have been created by the waste thrown out when making the ditch. The ditch which arcs round the fort has been filled in by dead trees and tracks but still exists in some parts as I can testify as I slid down its side on several occasions. Still, on this occasion, the feet managed to stay dry. Also acting as defences are steep slopes especially in the east, these drop into the River Findhorn and to the north where the slopes fall into the fast flowing Dunearn burn. Nowadays the fort is situated amongst dense highland woodland. Today, being misty, it had added atmosphere.

From the small village of Conicavel head south on the minor road. Follow the signposts to the Dun Earn Woodland walks. Once in the car park walk south on the track, then take the first track north east until a severe arc. The fort is just to the south. Take care not to fall into any burns, rivers or ditches. Not much to see, however the scenery is glorious even in the fog!

Visited 6/4/2016.

Downie Hillock, back in the day, would have been a superbly situated Iron Age hillfort and it still is except that it is now surrounded by Downie Wood.

Heading west from Forres, on the A96, head north west on the minor road at the visitor centre (actually a very expensive shop) and keep going until the wood after the first crossroads. This is Downie Wood and the fort is to the west. I parked in the furthest north of the forestry car parks and walked west. There is a path of sorts which almost leads straight to the fort. Easily spotted as it is the only hilly thing there.

There are traces of rampart on the southern edges with a sort of terrace also. I can confirm the ditch as I fell into it. The forestry people have done the site a massive favour by clearing all the trees so a clear idea of shape, oval 30 by 18 meters, can be seen.

After a good look round and a check of the old legs it was back to the car with the incessant rain and mist for company.

Visited 6/4/2016.

Forres has a lot of well known history i.e. all the Macbeth stuff, the infamous Witches Stones, the Pictish Sueno and Rodney Stones but hardly any mention of the fort. Some locals, as I found out, still refer to the hill as a fort rather than Nelson’s Tower which was built close by.

I left the B9010, St Leonards Road, at the lodge to the cemetery and kept going until a wee car park. By this time the torrential rain had abated to a downpour and I was on the wrong side of the hill. Luckily for me a local told me the directions and more interestingly referred to the hill as a fort. Old legends and myth are alive in Forres.

From here I walked until the track cuts back on itself and then headed east through the graveyard. Keep going until the far exit and follow the track up hill. A sign marked Nelsons Tower should be followed until the tower is reached. Look south and a gap in the trees can be seen. The fort is on the other side.

Sadly with the graveyard and tower this is a very popular place and a public park with the ramparts of the fort all but gone. Still on another day the views would be superb and the forts defences made all the more difficult by their steepness and today the driving rain. Reports from the 1830s suggest it must have been a huge fort.

With that it was back to the car and it still chucked it down.

Visited 4/4/2016.

As Canmore says this is a badly damaged site as the cairn some which is 13 meters wide and is at least 30 meters in length has taken a battering. As I remember the visit took place on a freezing morning. (I posted the picture much later in year completely forgetting I’d visited the site and then promptly forgot the fieldnotes.) Still it survives with it’s stone row friend which also has been shoved around and in 4 cases toppled. The nearby circle is hiding in a nearby garden.

Coming from the east of Auldearn, on the A96, take the B9101 towards the village then take the first minor road heading south east. The cairn and stone row are in the field immediately after Roundall Wood. Look west and visit on a warmer day.

Visited 3/2/2009.

On day of looking for sites, getting drenched and getting lost this was a very easy but lovely site to find.

The man made mound (according to the farmer at Cauldcots) sits at 27 meters wide and is over 3 meters high. As Canmore describes it has been levelled at some point which leaves to top sitting at some 9 meters in width. Some damage has been done by wildlife on the eastern side and not to be out done there is some man made houking on the northern side but none of this detracts from the site. In fact it shows how the site was constructed. On a clearer day this place would have fantastic all round views, but on this day it was very atmospheric almost as if it wanted to have a private conversation with nature. Then I turned up :-)

From Fettercairn follow the road to the excellent distillery (somehow I managed not to stop) and keep going until Cauldcots Farm. The mound is slightly further on with a track leading to it. Lovely place, lovely area and lots of nearby sites to visit.

Visited 26/3/2016.

Now there is a big problem getting to this site if you visit the eastern site first. I looked for a path thru the bog and found one. It led straight into a bog. So back to the eastern bank and walk south to the manmade loch. Walk on top of the dam, heading west, as far as possible. A tractor tyre will be seen so take a jump and aim for that. The ground is drier so head towards the fence and climb towards what looks like a small rubbish dump. Climb over the next fence and head towards the track, the nearby croft is called Denside.

Looking west a small wood can be seen which contains the Neolithic flint mine. Several mines exist over quite a large area and once again flint can be found everywhere. Astonishingly these sites were discovered in 1991 and now have achieved ‘show site’ status. Several trenches and hollows can be seen. Nearby ploughed fields are littered with flint.

Now the sensible thing to do would be go back to the track and find the way back to the starting point. Somehow I managed to get lost, jump over burns, climb hills I hadn’t seen and damaged a leg before eventually finding something that looked familiar i.e. the car.

To be fair recent storm weather i.e. the floods have wreaked havoc to the paths making some of them flooded at best and totally gone at their worst. The track to the car park could be best described as a mud bath. This does not detract from the significance of these places. These were a clever people with an eye on trading and they were obviously good at their job. Fantastic site and a must visit. Added adventures are a bonus!!

Visited 22/3/2016.

The Meethill Cairn is situated in a clearing in the Invernettie area of Peterhead, near to the prison. From the A982 follow South Road until the aptly named Monument Crescent. I parked here and walked back a short distance to a tarred track. This track leads up the hill to the Reform Tower.

Sadly during the 1830s the once large cairn was battered and flattened. To make matters worse they built a tower on top of it dedicated to the Whigs, this being built in answer to another building dedicated to the Tories. Fortunately the people of Peterhead have ‘wisened up’!!

All that remains of the cairn now lies under the tower, probably a lot of the stones have been used to built it. However one thing they couldn’t do was remove its location. Superb views all round including south towards the flint mines at the Den Of Boddam.

Visited 22/3/2016.

The Den of Boddam can be found just to the south of Peterhead near the A9. Enter Stirling, the real one in Aberdeenshire, and take the first minor road heading east, signposted Den Of Boddam. The village of Boddam and its power station are to the east. Follow the road west passing Lendrum Terrace and take the first farm track road south. This should lead to a small car park but today it didn’t as the track was flooded so I parked at the first track heading west.

This would mean an alternative and interesting route to the first mines. Basically I followed the top of the eastern valley until I came to a lonely shepherd’s house and headed west to bare slopes. Masts are also to the east.

Flint (chalky, yellow and brown in colour) can be found everywhere. Scrapers finished, unfinished, flakes, wee knife like objects are lying about everywhere. Heading half way down open cast surface mining can be seen and on the valley floor large areas have been worked. Basically the whole area is a large factory covered in hollows. This ridge of high ground runs ten miles inland to Skelmuir Hill near Auchnagatt, home to a standing stone (and in the past a stone circle).

After finding a few nice flints it was time to cross the valley floor or bog to the next flint factory area. Some place!!!

Visited 21/3/2016

Unlike Theolonius who approached from the south I decided to climb the hill from the east starting at East Tillylair. After being given permission to park, at the farm, I headed west climbing the fairly gentle slopes. Towards the summit it gets slightly steeper but nothing difficult hides amongst the trees.

Not much remains of the defences, what there is can be seen to the north west hidden amongst the heather. What can be seen is a cairn built to the Marquis Of Huntly. It is a safe bet that a lot of the forts walls have been used to build this feature.

A nice wee climb in an area surrounded in various prehistoric sites, some of which are lined up for a visit.

Visited 3/3/2016.

Sadly not much remains of the Goauch Wood cairn. It has been battered by forestry agriculture and more recently heavy storms which uprooted trees causing damage to its northern side.

The cairn is very well hidden amongst the trees of Blackhall Forest. Take the B974, Strachan/Cairn O Mount road, south from Banchory and take the first minor road heading west. This is signposted with the Scolty Hill walks. (a nice walk to a nice tower). Keep heading west on the minor road, more an avoid the potholes assault course, until a small car park near the roads end. From here walk south, take the western fork, head sharp west at the next junction then head south. After about 100 meters heading south look east and hopefully an uprooted tree near a fallen tree will be spotted. The cairn is situated between these trees.

I think the forestry people are trying to protect the cairn as trees have been marked in a circle surrounding the monument. What remains of the cairn sits at 9 meters wide, 0.5 meters tall. The stones are almost all moss covered. Sadly the northern side is damaged by an upturned tree but at least it lets us see how the cairn was constructed.

After that it was a good walk up the hill to the tower, and after that it was a long walk back to the car accompanied by heavy snow and hail. Great fun!

Visited 25/2/3016.

In the field next to the bus stop, just beyond is where we parked, the kerb cairn at Craggie is easily spotted sitting on top of a small hillock which is crowned with some nice looking trees.

A lot of damage has been to the west of the cairn but the kerbs are mostly in place in what was once another impressive site. It still survives at 11 meters wide is over 0.5 meters tall.

Another 3 cairns and Dun Davie will have to wait for another day as darkness was rapidly coming down. Also the lure of the nearby Clava Cairns had to be shown to ALC and the cairn finding dog.

Visited 4/1/2016.

Mid Craggie is a wonderful kerb cairn situated next to what is fast becoming an agricultural rubbish dump. This is a tragedy considering the beauty of the area, to the west the Dun Davie Hillfort with the fast flowing Craggie Burn to the north.

The cairn is overgrown with turf and gorse but it still stands at an impressive 13 meters wide being 1.5 meters tall. Several kerbs remain in place especially on the south facing side. A bit of howking on top does not detract from the site.

Heading north on the B9154, from Tomatin, stop at the bus stop near the first minor road heading north. There is plenty of parking space. Walk back to first track north which leads to Mid Craggie farm. Look over the unused machinery and cairn can be spotted in the field to the north.

Visited 4/1/2016.

Druim An Tuirc could mean Ridge Of The Boars or Ridge Of The Turkeys. Boars are believable but the thought of turkeys running up and down this hill is hard to believe.

From Banchor we headed back to the minor road and went north to the famous whisky village of Tomatin. Just as the village is entered take the minor road east, indicated Balvraid, going under the rail bridge and the A9 trunk road. Go as far as the second track that heads north westish, just after Inverbrough Lodge. Go down a slight dip to an interesting looking bridge crossing the Allt Bruchaig burn, more like raging torrent. The only real flooding we saw that day was on this narrow, scary metal bridge and after a few moments of thinking what to do I drove straight across and parked at the meeting place of several tracks.

From here we walked almost to Edinchat, then swung north walking past the trees (a pheasant rearing place and fenced) to the south heading to the top of the hill.

Drium An Tuirc is 9 meters wide and 0.4 meters high. Several kerbs encircle the cairn which has a hill climbers’ cairn plonked in its centre. Easy to see why this was built as the views are stunning. Less easy to imagine are turkeys running about.

After the a good look round we headed back down this time heading north of the trees where – surprise surprise!! – a track led down to the track heading east to Edinchat and west to the warmth of the car.

Visited 4/1/2016.

as well as the two cairns at Banchor (and the cairn at Dalarossie) there is a field system with nice a hut circle with the same outstanding views. The hut circle is to the east of the cairns.

Stones stand at width of 15 meters and has a possible front door on the north east side. A small pile of ancient, most likely, field clearance stands near the entrance.

There is an another hut circle further along what was once a road but the field it was in was somewhat submerged.

With that it was back to the car and a meeting with the local ghillie who just parked beside the great unwashed. This poor chap has a lot of worries to keep him occupied over the next few weeks, loss of livestock, buildings, winter crop, no deliveries, no road etc etc, in an area that had no news coverage at all.

Visited 4/1/2016.

ALC, assisted by the cairn finding dog, found this cairn by continuing to walk westwards following the deer fence. It sits at almost 11 meters wide and is almost 1 meter tall being situated next to the deer fence on the southern side. Cairn material can be seen poking through the turf with maybe a couple of stones being the remnants of a kerb, the centre has received the normal houking.

To get to the cairns I climbed the deer fence, however to west of Banchor 2 there is a gap which made the walk to Dalarossie much easier.

Visited 4/1/2015.

From the A9 take the first minor heading west north of The Slochd, the highest point of this road, signposted Tomatin. Take the first minor road, Carse is on the sign, heading west/south and keep going until.........Now this is a wonderful road following the River Findhorn retracing its flow west. On maps the minor road runs out but keep going and go thru the mud bath that is Easter Strathnoon. Here the tarred road is replaced by hardcore as it has been washed away in recent years. Soon it returns to tar until the Wester Strathnoon Burn. This burn must have been ferocious as the road has been washed clean away in recent days.

Still plenty room to park the car and on we walked over the washed away section until normal road returned. Look for Dalarossie Church, on the north side of the river, and jump the fence heading south.

Head to the top of the hill and on the other side of the deer fence the cairn can be seen. This is a magnificent monument situated amongst a field system. A short wall of 3 meters runs to west, probably built with cairn stones, might be a wind break or grouse butt. As usual the centre of the cairn has been houked. It still stands at 12 meters wide and is just over 0.5 meters in height. Superb views over the River Findhorn and surrounding mountains can be seen. Harder to see is the nearby cairn but ALC solved that problem.

Visited 4/1/2015.

Like Fitz, I like this site despite the houses being nearby and perhaps that is a good thing as it allows your imagination to take over which is probably the reason the henge was built in the first place.

From the A92 take the B969 heading west, then take the first road south, Huntsman’s Road, then the first street east, Kilmichael Road and finally the second street heading in a southerly direction fittingly called, ‘The Henge’.

Visited 30/12/2105.

Head north on the B9130, from Markinch, and take the first minor road east which leads straight to Markinch cemetery.

The cairn is situated in the cemetery on its southern side. Trees, reported in 1955, have gone and the cairn now rests (it is a graveyard) beneath a well looked after green turf. It still sits at about 20 meters wide and is 1 meter high. Nearby is Balgonie Castle which is well worth a look and to the west The Lomonds are clearly visible.

Visited 30/12/2015.

Excavations took place on the small hill at Newton Of Balbirnie during 2009 and an Iron Age fort was discovered as part of the Markinch Heritage digs.

Luckily, for me, I met the farmer at Newton who described the digs in detail. Various ditches, ramparts and entrances had been found. He also added that after ploughing he’d contact members of the group so that they could look for artefacts that may have been ploughed up. Several finds have been recorded thanks to this, some from World War 2 also.

From the circle at Balbirnie head back up to minor road and follow this as it heads south east. Newton Of Balbirnie can be found on the first minor road that heads east.

Good to learn that some people are genuinely interested in what’s on their land. All good stuff!!

Visited 30/12/2015.

Heading south on the A92 take the first minor road east south of the B969 junction. Take the first street south, called Tofthill, and at the first corner the circle can be found.

After wondering what it would have looked like in its original position I think this is a wonderful reconstruction and along with the nearby henge at Balfarg is a fantastic introduction to prehistory.

Glenrothes might be described as a new town but its fairly obvious that a settlement has been here for a long long time.

Visited 30/12/2015.

As Mr Brand says, this is a dangerous site to take photographs as drivers seem intent in breaking all sorts of speed records on the A911 east of Leslie. To north east and west both Lomonds can be seen from the standing stone. Nearby, to the east, once stood the Gallant Knowe rumoured to be a Four Poster stone circle. Strathendry could be the sole survivor from that site.

Still this stone remains perched on the bank on the south side of the road standing at over 1.5 meters in height. Park at the house just to the east of the site.

Visited 30/12/2015.