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From the standing stone south of the B8085 I headed back, north, towards the church, crossed the road and walked past the hotel on the track heading towards the aptly named Turraman Loch. Long before the well named loch head west, following a fence, at Scalasaig Farm. A short walk of no more than 100m awaits.

Thanks to the gorse I spied the stone when I was directly below the site. (You can see the top of the stone from the B8085.) Luckily you can get to the stone via some clearings.

It is an impressive stone standing at 2m high and 2m wide. The smaller stone in the Canmore photos is still there.

Towering over me to the north west is Dun Eibhinn, a decent climb ahead.

Visited 11/08/2024.

From the Dun at Scalasaig head back to ferry port then walk west following the B8086. Directly opposite the hotel there is a road to the church, follow this track south for about 500m then head west. I could only see one standing, another stone I spied was a boulder and another possible standing stone mentioned in Canmore was invisible.

The stone that remains is just over 1m tall and has great all round views despite being slightly hidden by the undulating land. Dun Eibhinn, dominates the skyline to the north and was to be my big target for the day. Before that, another standing stone.

Visited 11/08/2024.

Every petrol station on Colonsay should have a dun, there is only one petrol station on the island. Parking is very easy, there is a car park at the post office and excellent shop. Simply walk across the road and jump into the ferns behind the pumps.

There are large rocks marking the dun’s edge to the south and east, not much stonework remains elsewhere. A gap in a ruined bit of wall is probably the entrance in the north east section.

Not that much to see, the covering ferns didn’t help but a good start to the looking around Scalasaig’s prehistoric monuments.

Visited 11/08/2024.

To get a birds eye view of Dun Meadhonach I decided to climb to the top of Beinn Na Caorach. It’s a worthwhile thing to do as the views are magnificent, you also look straight down (or north) to the dun plus the nearby Limpet Stones.

The summit of Caorach can be seen from the Limpets, a reasonably steep climb going up various wee valleys. Colonsay’s dry spell meant that underfoot conditions were good so it was a pleasant summer’s stroll up and then down to the dun.

As can be seen from the birds eye photo the dun is nearly oval shaped being 21m long by 13m wide. Walls still survive, best kept on the west. Some courses of stonework can still be seen. A gap on the north east would, to me, indicate an entrance but at this point the walls are badly ruined.

A great site and an opportunity to spy some other sites from high vantage point.

Visited 11/08/2024.

This has to be one of the easiest fieldnotes to write. From the house in Kilchattan walk 200m south, crossing the B8086, there is a gate leading into the field.

A great way to start every morning with Dun Meadhonach, slightly to the south west.

They say there was a stone circle here at one point, maybe yes or maybe no, one thing definite is that the two stones are in clear view Loch Fada, to the east, and the stony beach at Port Mor to the west.

Slightly to the west there appears to be remnants of a cairn, there is no kerb, however there is one large stone that might or might not have stood. Almost feels like Cultoon Stone Circle in Islay and its nearby site.

Time to head south west.

Visited 11/08/2024.

Cretshengan is a beautifully situated coastal standing stone. Achahoish is also in a fantastic location, next to the River Allt Cinn-locha, at certain angles it looks well camouflaged as a small tree covered in moss, sits amongst old looking trees and stands near a small graveyard. All these things give a sense of age.

From Cretshengan follow the B8024 as it heads north east, the spectacular views continue along the coastal road. Keep going until the first minor road heading north west. I parked at Lochead Farm, crossed the road and asked permission to visit the stone from the owner at Ceannloch House.

A track heading south leads almost to the stone, when a hut is reached head west past the small graveyard.

The moss and lichen covered stone stands at over 2m tall.

Despite injuries, a great day and great sites.

Visited 09/08/2024

The farm at Cretshengan proved an easy place to find, even better I was given permission to park. From there walk back to road and head south for a few metres. Through the gate and head west, gentle slopes and short grass made the walk, thankfully, easy.

This is a stunning place place with stunning views over to the island of Jura and north towards Kilberry.

The stone stands at 1.6m tall and probably was used by the ancient peoples to mark a safe place to land. Below on the beach, windsurfers were having a great time so perhaps the old stone is still doing its job.

After standing for quite a while to savour the view, also to rest the increasingly sore leg, I made my way back to car and decided that one more stop would be enough. Nearby sites can also wait until 2025.

Visited 09/08/2024.

Leaving the standing stones Carse I followed the B8024 as it headed north. I asked permission to park at Keppoch farmhouse which was kindly given. Also kindly given were some painkillers as by this time I was starting to limp noticeably.

Fortunately, the route to the site was easy – 300m, gates and short grass. The cairn itself is a grass covered mound standing at over 17m wide and is 1m tall. Canmore says that cists are all removed, one stone remains visible that looks like it might have been part of a cist.

After a short look around I headed back to the car, thought about heading back to Tarbert, thought again and continued on. Nearby sites can wait until 2025, I was going to press on to an impressive coastal standing stone.

Visited 09/08/2024.

From Achadh-Chaorann I headed back to the B8024 and headed west to park near the entrance to the old church at Carse.

A pair of stones and a single stone, about 110 metres to the west, contribute to this site. They are easily found and gates provide easy access.

The 2 eastern stones are both almost 2.5m high, the furthest west stone is slightly smaller being 2.3m tall. Some choke stones can be seen at the west stone, fortunately field clearence mentioned in Canmore has been removed.

Superb site.

Visited 09/08/2024.

My next stop exploring the south side of the B8024 would be to follow the first minor road heading south. As soon as a clearing in the trees is reached look south east, Achadh-Chaorann Standing Stone should be easily spotted.

The well shaped slab stands at 2.1m high in a field which has been well maintained by the local greenkeepers. Cup marks are still there but barely visible almost weathered to invisibility. Plenty room to park at the first corner south of the site.

Nearby Ardpatrick, a hillfort, can wait until 2025, the legs weren’t feeling very happy.

Visited 09/08/2024.

This year’s plan, 2024, was to visit the sites on the south or west side of the B8024, in 2025 it will be north and east side of the road. Barr Na Cour is on the west side.

Finding a place to park is easy, follow the road from Avinagillan until you pass the Dunmore Farm, look for a forestry commission road on the north side, plenty room. Directly opposite there is a barn, during my visit men were working improving the old barn, one of whom gave me directions to dun. He mentioned that I would be the first person to climb the hill since a field visit by people from Historic Scotland in 1982.

Be warned there is no path, there might have been such a thing a long time ago, but not now. The first thing I was told look for was a stile, which after battering my way through all types of vegetation I found. As soon as I put my foot on the stile, it fell down with me quickly following. Picking myself up I climbed the deer fence and stepped onto a dry stane dyke which like the stile promptly fell down. Unluckily for me some of the stones changed the colour of my legs.

However, the wall leads to the top of hill alongside a deer fence. Parts of the wall can be walked on when the vegetation becomes too dense. Eventually a cliff face is reached, this forms the northwest part of the dun. As soon as I put my foot on the fence, like the stile and wall -it fell down – once again I followed it to the ground.

Head to the northeast, to avoid climbing the cliff, and the entrance will be found. Facer stones can be found along with little guard rooms creating the galleried section. Sadly, the entrance and small rooms are filled with fallen stonework. The dun is 14m by 10m, the surrounding wall in parts reaching over 1.3m in height. As the walls head west, they become more ruinous until they vanish almost altogether on the northwest. Outer walls also reach a height of 1m and over but is obscured by massive ferns.

It must have been impressive when built, and in a way it still is. How it survives is something of a miracle – it has been robbed, used to build nearby dykes, fallen over the cliff edge and somehow survived me standing on it, previous man-made structures hadn’t coped so well.

Finding my way back was easy enough, a trail of destruction and flattened vegetation.

Visited 09/08/2024.