drewbhoy

I remember this stone when it sat all alone looking back at its ‘once upon a time’ home Bennachie. Now it sits in the middle of some fairly recently built houses. Approaching from the east on the B993, I turned left just after the Bennachie Lodge (this used to be a really good pub) up Bogbeth Road and parked at the sports ground. From here I walked further along until the 2nd road leading up into the houses. At the top of the hill the Deil’s Stone should also be looking back down.

It truly is a massive triangular shaped stone reckoned to weigh 250 tonnes. Certainly the Devil must be strong and certainly a better aim than Jock O Bennachie. Good views to Bennachie and the Green/White Hills in an area full of prehistory. Also known as the Grey Stone.

Visited 29/1/2015.

Yet another site pretty close to Turriff I’d never heard about until recently. The re-emergence of drewbhoy has led to several people speaking about prehistoric sites close to where they live. Newells and Blockie come into that category as does Dillyminnen. Dillyminnen or Dillymoenan (as some local people still spell it) means pit dwelling, according to the people at Silverhillocks, Canmore agrees. So fresh with new found information it was time to go look.

I parked at Tarlair Swimming Pool, Macduff, which continues to fall into neglect :-( Still further east from Tarlair and up the hill is Cleaved Head, a beautiful little fort situated near the 13th hole on Tarlair Golf course. I’ve always liked this place and the vibe as usual is one of peace and calm. This feeling sadly ends until Dillyminnen is reached as it is the end of any decent path.

Head east from Cleaved Head until the golf course ends and move onto the coastal path. This path is nothing short of a death trap. It is pitted, full of ankle breakers, erosion, etc. Simply it should be closed before something serious happens. The path far below on the beach/shore is hardly much better and at some point re-joins the cliff top path. Both are to be avoided. This is a disgrace and I feel deeply ashamed that this has been allowed to happen.

Still the fort looks good and like Cleaved Head a special place. A natural harbour sits on the west side whilst on the east is a good place for smashing boats. There seems to be an argument about ditches, ramparts etc. That is easily settled, they are there but badly damaged. Farming has cleared the southern parts but near the fort and path the remnants of these structures can be clearly seen. The ditch that Canmore mentions is certainly there as the sides of it are eroded and the unwary walker might fall in. Fortunately the old sticks ensured that I did not.

With the winds getting stronger and inclement weather encroaching I avoided the so called path and jumped the fence and walked the 1 mile back (several fences and 2 burns/ditches to be jumped) to the golf course walking past Cleaved Head to Tarlair. An alternative would be to call in at Silverhillocks Farm and take the public footpath which almost leads straight to the fort. Far better than chancing the Moray Coastal Walk.

Visited 26/1/2015.

Yet another cairn on my doorstep I didn’t know about until recently. It has taken a fair battering especially on the west side as the farm road has removed a lot of the site. However it does have some remaining features. There is the remnants of something circular which I took to be a kerb (hut circle?) as a wee dunt with a boot found rock. The centre has been houked as usual and various cairn material is scattered. There are some big stones nearby including one that could have easily been used for a capstone and at least several that might look good standing up. Originally the site must have been close to 15 meters in width and nowadays is 0.5 meters at it’s tallest. On the west side the farm track has taken care of the cairn in a bad way but at least it reveals how the cairn was constructed. Still on a day like today, with the snow, ice, sun and no wind it was quite easy to imagine how things might have been. This area is good for prehistory so another piece of the jigsaw fitted.

Just north of Oldmeldrum (heading to Turriff) on the A947 there is a crossroads. Take the Balgove road. The Newells farm is well signposted about 3/4’s of a mile from the junction. At this point I parked my car as the farm track was sheet ice and walked thru the field to the tallest clump of trees underneath which is the cairn.

Visited 24/1/2015.

Blockie Head is a fantastic cliff fort situated amongst some beautiful scenery e.g. The Pot, the Bullers Of Buchan and some of the most stunning coast line in Scotland. Today was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky except for the massive black cloud of smoke to the north. A huge factory fire had broken out in Peterhead and smoke could be seen for miles. It certainly added to the colour of the place as the sun was creating beautiful colours on the cliffs, sea and grass.

Why this fort isn’t more famous baffles me as the ditches/trenches/ramparts, at least four, near the causeway are clearly visible. Signs of seven small ramparts surround the main fort even if the cliffs provide an inaccessible protection. At 60 meters in length and at the most 13 meters wide (at the least 8 meters) this is almost the perfect cliff fort. A natural harbour to the north is also included, so a well chosen spot.

As Les pointed out for The Pot, birdlife is in abundance here and this must be an incredibly noisy place when the young birds are on the go.

I left the A90, Peterhead road, just south of Longhaven and took the A975 towards Cruden Bay. There is a car park at the Bullers O Buchan. No cars are allowed beyond this point as the Bullers O Buchan is actually a small village as well and only residents cars are allowed.

Follow the path and head north, past The Pot, past the first place which looks like a tiny fort (the path to this is not to be advised as it is gradually eroding away) until a better path, on the causeway, heading east into the fort can be seen. Take care at the fort’s edge, the cliffs are straight.

To get to the natural harbour, advised, if only to see the changing colours on the rocks, keep heading north on the path. The path to the pebbly beach is the next track east. Sadly this seems to be a graveyard for plastic bottles but it doesn’t detract from the stunning scenery and the atmosphere. With night coming down, the blackness of the fort against the remaining sun is a truly magical sight.

Visited 17/1/2015

One of my pupils played a wee concert at the castle the previous week and said that they’d seen a standing stone just up from the wooden drum kit in the play area. Quite how I missed this stone I don’t really know having played here a few times myself and enjoyed a wee stroll or two.

Drum Castle is well sign posted. Leave the A93 just before Drumoak following the minor road north. The next turning west leads straight to the castle car park.

From here keep heading west past the wooden drum kit and head to the top of the small hill. A small passing type of place for tractors etc will be seen to the south, the stone will be seen just to other side of the fence.

The stone is almost 1 meter tall and 1 meter broad/0.6 wide. Luckily the stone wasn’t used for a plaque. Instead it was used to set the height of the Drum Castle tower and luckily it still stands near the top of Cowie Hill.

An easy short walk to the stone but take advantage of the place. Visit the castle then go for a hike around the many paths. So job done, the pupil was spot on, then somebody said that there is possibly a couple of standing stones close by. Next week then.......................

Visited 18/1/2015.

The Pot can be found just to east of the path, straight after the wee village of the Buller’s O Buchan, heading towards the cliff fort. This was once a massive cave until its roof fell in. Now there is a ‘pot’ like shape with a truly spectacular entrance. Today it was fairly calm but on a rough day it must be a quite a sight with spray and foam everywhere.

A pathway around the ‘Pot’ is not really to be advised as there are sheer drops both sides and bits of erosion. Add in a bit of snow and ice, the danger is obvious. Not a place for children.

Very spectacular tho and the view from the main path is excellent.

Visited 17/1/2015.

I must have driven past this place quite literally hundreds of times but never spotted it. Fortunately on this occasion the eagle eyed HG spotted it almost immediately on the banks of the River Dee. To many places on this river have police signs not allowing people to park, so I ignored their advice and parked just above the cairn to the west of Carnaquheen on the A93. The cairn is amongst the trees next to the beautiful River Dee, a short walk downhill of about 100 meters (over a gate and over a fence).

To be fair, they chose a good place to build their castle, the ancients thought of the idea first and I like their place better.

The cairn itself is 11 meters wide and almost 1.5 meters high. Cairn stones are clearly visible but slight erosion on the river side has happened. This place must have seen some amount of flooding. It has been recycled in more recent times and used as a place of memorial for those fighting in war. Also it was the rallying place for the Clan Faquharson (who have close links with the Shaws/Chattan) who fought against Westminster rule in 1715 (the Standard Of Rebellion was raised proudly in Braemar just along the road) and 1746 (more than 300 fought at Culloden), as mentioned on the memorial slab erected in 1972. The top of the cairn had, at one point, been re-arranged to hold a flag pole. However the flag and it’s pole have long gone. So an important place in Scotland’s history. But with the very old looking trees and magnificent surrounding mountains it feels ancient. Hopefully back in those ancient days it was maybe less violent.

With that it was back up the hill. The car was still there, and Braemar and the Linn Of Dee beckoned. No disturbence by the Royals so all was well :-)

Visited on 10/4/2013.

Yet another cairn that has taking a tremendous battering but somehow it survives. It’s taken me ages to get here but at long last I’ve made it. Agriculture, cows and erosion have taken their toll. Long ago children were, sadly, buried here. Fortunately none of this list of damages was here today and the cairn/barrow seems to be happy enough despite all that has befallen it.

The cairn is 14 meters wide and originally stood at almost a meter high, then it had a barrow plonked on top of it as well. Good views, to the east the North Sea, to the west is the impressive Hare Cairn, to the south Aberdeen and to the north Balmedie (and its tremendous beach, further up the coast is the Trump’s golf disaster, sorry course :-( :-( ). Still the dunes would have been moving recently and today, pretty windy.

Just south of Balmedie, or north of Aberdeen and to the east of the A90, on Hatton farm land. There is a junction here and much safer to come from the north. Saves crossing the dual carriageway.

Visited 15/1/2015.

Leave the B9001 north of Inverurie at the Oldmeldrum/Pitcaple crossroads heading towards Pitcaple. Take the first farm track heading south (after the minor road) and park at Resthivet. Walk further up the track until a small wood. A wee path leads up the hill, keep going until at the top and look north. The rock should be about 50 meters away.

The large sloping rock has 3 decent sized cup marks and was discovered by G. Currie in 2007. Still I found it by chance after going for a stroll to look for cup marks, poor light prevented some decent pics but I’ll go back and try to do better.

Visited 8/1/2015.

From the hut circles we headed south following the fence line. Thru a gate and keep heading in the same direction. A stream will be reached which can be crossed by heading west and at the next fence a railway beam crosses the water. Be careful here as the electric fence might be switched on. Thankfully it wasn’t so none of us fell in. After that look for the gap in the trees, go thru this and head west. The circle will be straight in front.

Three stones remain here, one of the them heavily cup marked, one triangular and last one is having a rest. Sadly the sun hid behind the western hills about 20 seconds before we reached a spot to get a pic of the sunset. Still the gathering darkness added to atmosphere at the end of another fantastic day.

So the end of 5 days climbing up and down in Angus/Perthshire, no accidents and spoke to some nice people along the way. Plenty more to discover so hopefully my guide for 3 of the afternoons will be available as well :-)

Visited 3/1/2105.

Walk in a north westerly (or march since you will walking past a military base) direction heading towards a gate in the distance. This is the lower reaches of Craigowl Hill easily recognised by all the masts on top of if.

There are 2 similarly sized hut circles both around 8-9 meters in width with tremendous views looking south towards the Tay. Both seem to be in reasonable condition.

Visited 3/1/2015.

The brown coloured stone is at NO3900339667. 7 cups, 5 of which are ringed, with channels leading from 2 of the rings.

NO3900839661 has 6 cup marks.

Both near the Coldstream military base.

Visited 3/1/2015.

Head straight down from the cup marked rocks to buildings in front. This is the former British military base called Coldstream, which has seen better days. It is still being used except this time it’s by cows.

Just before the camp there are 2 hut circles.

NO3893039693 at 6.5 meters wide.

NO3891639663 at 9 meters wide.

Visited 3/1/2015.

Down the hill and slightly west from the ‘quarry’ stone Tiompan discovered this.

Boulder is 0.7 by 0.7m
16 cups of various sizes. 2 rings. Part of an embankment aligned N-S.

Yet another beautiful stone.

Visited 3/1/2015.

From the cist and roundhouses we kept heading further west until we were under the huge radio mast that dominates Gallow Hill. The rock is on the eastern edge of a quarry about a 100 meters or so down from the mast.

Tiompans description :

Sandstone rock 1m by 0.7m.
16 cup marks of various sizes.
2 cups have triple rings and abut.
1 cup with triple ring abuts, an oculus with 2 rings.

Fantastic stone and a privilege to see it with the person who found it.

Visited 3/1/2015.

Walk in north west direction from the roundhouse on the narrow path. Right beside is a small cairn, only 3 meters wide by 0.4 high. It has been houked revealing what looks to be a remnants of a cist.

Also discovered by Tiompan around the same time as the roundhouses nearby.

Visited 3/1/2015.

Head in a north west direction from the Tealing Stones across the fields until the fence. (1k approx.) Over the gate and follow the track until slightly beyond the trees, you should see the fence heading directly west.

Tiompan found these roundhouses several years ago and has hasn’t filed a report. There are 2 roundhouses, 1 fairly massive and other slightly smaller (far to big to be hut circles) with tremendous views south.

Worth a mention as it ties in with the next small site.

Visited 3/1/2015.

From the ring and cup marked rock we followed the fence east until it made a T junction with another fence. The track behind probably comes up from the cottages where the car is parked. Obviously we took the scenic route :-)

No changes here, it is still overgrown and with the height of the vegetation hard to spot so keep an eye out for the tree standing by itself.

Visited 3/1/2015.

Head east from Huntingfaulds Cairn. Luckily I have the stone’s finder so no problems here. 13 cups with 4 ringed. Found by Tiompan during 2004.

Visited 3/1/2015.

After a ‘fair nicht oot’ a good walk was required so Tealing Hill and the Sidlaws provided the answer. Once again Tiompan was my guide which took in an area of varied prehistory.

Turn west towards Tealing from the A90 (heading north), go past the famous souterrain and take the first minor road heading north. A row of cottages provides plenty car parking.

Walk up the hill thru Huntingfaulds Farm and just east of the track the cairn can seen. Unbelievably the farmer has erected a protective fence around the site complete with a gate. Sadly the cairn is much damaged, one or two kerbs might remain and there are hints of a cist. The remnants are 9 meters wide and 0.5m tall. Situated nicely on top of a hillock there are lovely all round views.

Visited 3/1/2015.

The final climb of another superb day in the Angus Hills, the afternoon being spent again in the great company of Tiompan whose knowledge of the area is unsurpassed. West Mains was our final destination.

At Auchterhouse on the B954 take the minor road west which turns into a minor road, go past East Mains and follow sign to West Mains. We stopped at the first gap in the hedge and parked.

Head up the hill thru the fields until the rough pasture. A track leads to the top of the hill. Once again lovely scenery as the shades of night came down. Sadly two sheepdogs were interested in us trying to ‘nip’ our legs, their owner barely tried to stop them as they harried our progress. Why people like this are allowed dogs beggars belief.

The cairn is at the top of the hill and has fantastic all round views, even as the sun was fading. Even better the moon came out to play. The cairn is approximately 22 meters wide and 1.5 meters high and according to Canmore remains ‘intact’. A double cist was excavated during the late 1800s and the spoil from this somewhat ironically used to build the more modern cairn. Also on top of the cairn is a trig point.

The end of a magnificent day with great company. A night of music and refreshment in Fife to come and some sleep. The next day we will do more exploring.

Visited 2/1/2015.

Once back down the hill at Arniefoul we headed back to the A928 and south to the Mains Of Ogilvie. Here we turned west and kept going until Upper Middleton farm. With permission granted to park the ‘great unwashed’ we proceeded to climb the hill. Carlunie Hill is quite a steep climb but on the whole not to difficult. As well as quarries to fall into beware of lots of wee holes.

This is a beautiful place made all the more spectacular thanks to a covering of snow. I love the snow as it brings a different atmosphere and obviously improves the scenery on a nice sunny day. On Arniefoul it snowed quite a lot, but here it was clear. The view north to Denoon Hillfort is stunning, as is the view everywhere from the summit.

The cairn itself is 14 meters wide and 2 meters high. It has been houked a bit on the south side but today it looked perfect despite the fences meeting place on top of it. Great place!!!

Visited 2/1/2015.

Head north west on the A928 from the A90 (north of Tealing) and take the first minor road east, then next minor road south. Today road conditions were quite tricky thanks to heavy snow but taking our time we arrived at our destination near The Wreaths farm at the first house.

From here its on foot and head east basically thru the fields, over fences, heather and flurries of snow. There is another trap awaiting the unwary. Quarries aplenty up here so lots of quarried stones to look at. In fact these places are worth a good look. Most of the dry stane dykes in the area appear to come from here going by the stone shapes and sizes.

Once at the top, in amongst these quarries, look for a small clump of trees. The cairn is underneath these trees and continues to the south. Some kerbs remain on the south side. The cairn itself is 21 meters wide and 1.8 meters tall.

Visited 2/1/2015.

This might look like a massive cairn but it isn’t. It is a natural mound some 30 meters wide by 4 meters high. The cairn is the top bit some 12 meters wide and 1 meter high. It is situated in a beautiful place with beautiful views, the River Isla to the south and the Highlands to the north. Going by the field there is a fair chance the mound was an island as the Isla seemed to be returning to normal after recent flooding in the area. Certainly the walk to the mound created a lot of misery for the old boots. Formerly it was used, as normal, as a place of justice.

However the sun came out and it became a very calm and warm place. Within another hour things would somewhat change.

Leave Coupar Angus heading in a northern direction on the A923. Cross the River Isla and stop at the first crossroads then look east.

Visited 2/1/2015.

Also known as Baldowrie Farm the stone is what everybody else says so I’ll mention the cairn instead.

The cairn is kept intact by a wall covering the east/north/west curve. Superb views north, today the highlands are white but the snow is coming my way later on. Sitting at 13 meters wide and 0.7 meters tall the cairn has had several cists removed. Prehistoric discoveries have also been made in nearby fields.

So a nice place in a nice setting!

Visited 2/1/2015.

I headed along, west, from the artificial mound at Newbigging and turned west at the crossroads. About 300 meters or so along the road I pulled and promptly waddled into the biggest mud bath I’ve been in for a while. The cairn is only 200-300 meters from the road but today with all the rain and melted snow it’s a bit of a nightmare.

The cairn is 27 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. It most likely has the remnants of cist in the middle. Certainly the correct shaped stones are still there, but you do well to notice them given the vegetation. Views north are superb, but at this time the continuing snow on the hills blocked the view. Happily the weather was about to improve for a wee while.

Visited 2/1/2015.

From Belliduff I headed south on the B954 and then took the first minor road heading west. Take the first minor road south west. Near the end of the long straight the mound can be seen in the field to the north. I parked at Auchtertyre farm and walked back down the road. With all the rain the field had become a mudbath so I squelched merrily along to the mound with sound affects.

The mound is 10 meters and 1.5 meters tall. Trees have been planted on top. The wall that is meant to surround the site seems to have vanished. Wonderful views north do exist but they were obscured by heavy snow.

Visited 2/1/2015.

Leave Meigle heading south on the B954. There is a wall on the west side of the road just after the houses come to an end. Stop at the first gap in the wall. The cairn is a very short walk from the main road on the other side.

Yet another bit of the Macbeth saga is found. (how many times did this guy die ? :-) )

The cairn stands at 15 meters wide and is 1.5 meters. Cists have been opened here and their stones might be here but there is also a lot of field clearance. It is heavily overgrown with a walkers worst enemy, bramble bushes. Still its a nice site with the various vegetation giving some wonderful colour.

Visited 2/1/2015.

I approached from the north after leaving Melgund and headed south pulling in at Carsegownie. Luckily enough the farmer appeared at the same time so permission to see the cairn was granted. I wonder if he did read Gladman’s note :-) Nothing much more to report except that there seems to be more field clearance dumped.

Visited 2/1/2014.

Head south west from Brechin on the B9134. If looking for nearby Court Law don’t bother it has gone. Keep going this direction thru Netherton and take the first farm track to Melgund. I parked at the junction to Melgund Cottage.

The cairn is in the field immediately south. I walked first to the cottage and was given permission to view the site. In an area with lots of big cairns this is no exception, it sits at 30 meters wide and is 2 meters high. There doesn’t appear to be a kerb. Quite a lot of field clearance has been dumped here as well. Still the trees add to atmosphere as does the fort at Bogardo to the south west.

Visited 2/1/2015.

First stop and daylight pokes its head out near Brechin at Kintrockat Cairn. During the drive down there had been heavy snow and very heavy rain but when I park at the woodcutters hut the sun comes out. The snow I’d see later.

Leaving A90 take the A935 to Brechin, go round the roundabout until you are heading back to the A90 south. Just before reaching the A90 take the minor road heading south. This takes you past a lodge, I parked at the woodcutters place 200 meters approx south. From here I continued walking south and followed the road to Kintrockat House. Just before the house there is a track, or mudbath. Follow this round and the cairn will come into view. Unfortunately the woodcutter has been busy and branches are all over the place some on the cairn itself.

This well shaped cairn is almost 9 meters wide and 4 meters tall. It is made up of earth and stones. Local folklore mentions that markets were held nearby. So a lovely start to the day.

Visited 2/1/2015.

So the final visit on Bractullo Hill or Labothie Hill or Bractullo Moor was another small but nicely situated cairn which can see both the Hatton and Hare cairns. Quite difficult to find, I thought, but my guide had no difficulties as we walked in a south westerly direction from the Hare Cairn. Sitting at 12 meters wide and 0.5 meters high as usual it has been dug into. Some kerbs appear to remain but they might just be simple cairn material.

With that it was head back to the car after an excellent afternoon walking all over whatever this place is called :-)

Visited 30/12/2014.

From Labothie head towards the fence and promptly walk west. This takes you the remnants of a badly disturbed cairn. It has been houked and battered. To add to it’s misery a fence goes straight thru the middle of it.

Still it must have been massive in its day. Today it stands at 25 meters wide and 1 meter tall. Scattered stones might be kerbs then again they might not.

Visited 30/12/2014.

The Labothie cairn is a bit of a mystery. Instead of one massive cairn it appears to be two similar cairns. Both are around 8 meters in width and 1 meter high. Both have been dug into and both have at least a couple of kerbs.

After some serious looking at maps and on Canmore’s own site we concluded that Canmore has got it wrong.

Very easy to find from the Hatton Cairn. Spy a rather fine and intact black pill box and head straight for it.

Visited 30/12/2014.

This cairn has also taken a bit of a beating but still has some kerbs in place. Still it is 21 meters in width and sits at 0.5 meters tall. The usual hillwalkers cairn sits in the middle. Various bumps and humps within the cairn are spoil heaps.

After taking the extended road e.g. getting lost, phone runs out of power, I finally made it to my guides house. Bractullo Muir and its several cairns was the venue of choice.

We pulled in at a wee car park near Carrot Hill and headed east on a track. Basically head to the top of the hill and the cairn can be found. Nothing difficult with this and nice scenery as well. Loads of birds of prey flying about was nice as well.

Visited 30/12/2014.

Not really much to see here except a badly battered and quarried barrow. However they certainly have found loads of discoveries hence the link.

Travelling north of the House Of Dun I parked at the entrance to the Fordhouse farm. Crossed the bridge over the Den Burn, nice walks here, and jumped the fence. You should practically land on the barrow.

Visited 30/12/2014.

Very easy to find this cairn is it is in the field in front of the House of Dun. Take the A935 west from Montrose and follow the signs to the House. The cairn is in the field and can’t be missed. Several wee information boards give info on the site.

It is 25 meters wide, 1.5 meters high and has a 12 meter flat section on top. Kerbs to poke their noses thru the turf. And as for the lintel left on top I’ve no idea what that’s for :-)

Visited 30/12/2014.

At 35 meters wide and 3 meters tall I would have liked to see how this place stood originally. Much damage has been done to east and south sides but it still is an impressive place. The trees seem to add to status and age here. Neolithic discoveries prove that this is a very old site. Built to dominate the skyline it overlooks the Montrose (River South Esk runs into here) Basin and Montrose but can’t really be seen because of the trees. However a fantastic place to build a cairn with excellent all round views, to the east the North Sea and the west has the Grampians/Cairngorms. So a significant place for a significant feature.

South of Montrose take the A934 west and park at the war memorial near Maryton Farm. Walk up the minor road in front, then after the first corner go over the gate and climb westwards. The cairn is at the top of the hill westwards.

Visited 30/12/2014.

Leave Kirriemuir on the B955 heading north east and take the first minor road north. Then take the 2nd minor road heading east, then take the next minor road west. This cairn is only 200 meters or so further along and is easily seen right next to the road.

It is an oval cairn measuring 26 by 22 and is over 2 meters in height. Plenty of cairn material sticks thru the grass but I didn’t see any kerbs. Cists have been found here and there is a hint of a depression on top of the cairn which probably marks the location of one of them.

Beautiful site set amongst beautiful scenery, Culhawk Hill dominating the view. The snow was an added bonus.

Visited 27/12/2014.

What a weird and wonderful place this is!!! Canmore say it is a kerb cairn but it looks like a four poster. People who know more than me can argue amongst themselves. It survives right next to the road near East Campsie farm.

Basically head north on the minor road at Airlie and keep going. Or the first minor road south after Lintrathen cairn.

At least 3 stones appear to be properly standing and a 4th appears to have taken a dunt. Several stones are in the cairn, which is around 4 meters in width, might be kerbs. An intriguing little place and worth a visit.

Visited 27/12/2014.

The last climb of the day proved to be the best and worst. Scenery around here is stunning, snow covered mountains to north, lochs north and south, superb walks near Lintrathen Loch and a cairn to finish. There the good news almost stops.

The fact that the cairn still survives is good but sadly it has taken one hell of a hammering. Robbed and multilated, further insult is added by the building of a small concrete block hut. Heaven knows what this is for. To the east all sorts of things have appeared another concrete thing, pipes sticking out of the ground etc etc.

Still it survives at 13 meters wide and 1 meter. Scattered rocks look like possible kerbs including one at the south side. But impossible to tell such is the damage. But yet it has the scenery which is a compensation.

Head east from Lintrathen church and pull in at the small reservoir. Luckily a nice stepped path heads up the hill. Keep going after the reservoir, go past the pile of field clearance and the cairn is over the fence. Easily spotted thanks to the wee building.

Visited 27/12/2014.

By pure chance I’d written down the wrong map ref for this (not the first time) and looked in completely the wrong place (a common nuisance). Still this proved fortunate as the farmer appeared in his tractor as I was climbing the fence half way up the Knock Of Formal and promptly said that the stone was next to my car.

The stone is now gradually getting covered in moss and grass. It might possibly be forgotten about altogether. Still the farmer has other ideas and wants to re-erect the stone at some point. So HS have been emailed with all the contact stuff so fingers crossed that they pull the finger out.

It is a nice shaped stone being over two meters in length and is a meter wide. Couldn’t see any markings once I’d cleaned the snow away. Hopefully the next time I come here it might maybe be standing.

Visited 27/12/2014.

You can find parking at Kilry school during holidays. Walk across the Burn of Kilry past the Standing Stone cottage and a wee path leads to the stone.

Set amongst the trees this is a beautiful place with the Knock Of Formal providing a wonderful backdrop. Add a touch of snow and frost and the atmosphere totally changes.

A good place to spend a bit of time being quiet to soak in the surroundings.

Visited 27/12/2014.

Unlike Nick I parked at the Bruceton entrance jumped the wee dyke and strolled down the slope to the stone. The carvings are now barely visible. Still another lovely stone in a lovely setting.

Went back up to the road and walked west to the Shanzie souterrain, which needed another look.

Visited 27/12/2014.

Lovely stone in a lovely setting. The snow and frost certainly add to the atmosphere around this re-erected stone. I parked further along than the two other fieldnotes (first wide bit in road after the lodge heading west). Spying a handily placed tree I climbed up and jumped over the fence.

Visited 27/12/2014.

First stop of an another long but good day. Coming from the east on the A926, to Kirriemuir from the A90, take the minor road south at Maryton then the first farm track east. I stopped at two cottages, the second of which appeared to used as a rubbish dump.

Both of these stones have fallen and are 3 meters in length and over a meter wide. Chokes lay about underneath. It might have been a circle (if it was it would have been impressive to see the other stones all standing as well) according to Canmore.

Also known as Fletcherfield there seems to be a lot of destroyed souterrains in the area. Still, decent souterrains aren’t faraway. Tealing, Airlie, Shanzie etc.

Visited 27/12/2014.

After reading Rhiannon’s folklore about this place I’ve always wanted to go. Check out a bit of Arthurian legend etc.

This is a stunning place with stunning views and friendly cows. I approached from the west heading north from Alyth (not a very good baker) on the B954 stopping between the Hill Of Loyal (west) and Barry Hill (east). The western climb is a steep effort but worthwhile from my point of view as it showed that my fitness is coming back. Plus it takes you past the small pond. The fort itself is some 78 meters in length and 23 meters wide and now contains some wind shelters built with rampart stones. On the south east rampart the entrance can be found.

Several ramparts have been constructed some reaching four meters in height and some 15 meters in width. The inner defences are made from rocks and anything they could get their hands on. Defences on west are natural as I found out!

The pond on the western side (is fenced) is inside the ramparts on a plateau and once again old Mr Easson was right as he mentioned this place as well. Canmore described it as an outer fort. So they had a water supply.

From the air this place must be stunning as the Canmore notes state. Being the last stop of a very long and early day I wandered all around the fort several times. This fort is a remarkable achievement, like Barmkyn up in my corner, and simply amazed me. Best to look for yourselves if possible.

By the time I’d finished wandering it was getting dangerously dark so it was back down the hill and into the car to head back up to the NE.

Visited 22/12/2014.

If ever a site could be restored this might go down as a possible contender. A fantastic site with an uncovered souterrain. Fortunately the cross lintels, or at least some of the them are still there. In between the walls amongst the grass there is some form of flooring. There seems to have been entrances at both ends with some kind storage room in the middle, on the inside of the curve. If Barns of Airlie is 19 meters in length then Shanzie appears to me to be well over twenty meters. I tried looking for cup marks but unfortunately couldn’t see any as the light was gradually beginning to fade.

Set on a wee hill across from Shanzie Farm this is a tremendous site with nice views south. With that done it was the odd route to the standing stone on the overlooking hill.

Thanks to John Easson and his father for this one. Spot on. The other sites they mentioned will be visited on the next visit to Angus/Perthshire. Park with permission at the farm. Once again the friendly owner told me of a few places including Barry Hill.

Visited 22/12/2014.

Entering Alyth from the east I parked just after the golf course at the first house. From here a track heads south which leads to a golf practise area. Jump the fence the standing stone should be 300 meters approximately away to the east.

Lovely stone and the paint that Nick mentions has now faded completely. Good time to visit.........no golfers.

Visited 22/12/2014.

From the souterrain I headed straight up Drumderrach Hill. A fairly steep climb with loads of nasty trees with branches at the wrong height and jabby things. However I eventually reached a path, probably used by pheasant shooters, and headed back east which led to the stone.

Fantastic views looking south towards the River Isla and beyond. From here it’s straight down the hill as in Nick’s notes which I should have used in the first place.

Visited 22/12/2014.