drewbhoy

Walking north from Old Ulva you’ll find the entrance to Coshandrochaid, also the name of a nearby dun, and looking east from there you’ll see a small clump of trees which marks the location of Carn Mor. It looks easy to get to – it is if you keep out of boggy bits or don’t fall into marsh. Another problem could be the water or the sometimes water of An Grinan, fortunately for my water levels were low.

Once I’d gracefully (more like luckily) managed to pick my way through the bog I found drier land, on this land is Carn Mor. If the builders had wanted to pick a spot that could easily be seen, this would have had to have somewhere near the top of the list.

Carn Mor sits at over 21 meters wide and is over 1m high, there are kerbs on the north side, all covered in grass. There are also possibly two cists but excavation would be required to confirm this. Not many people have been here recently, OS / Canmore last visited in 1977.

Once again on the way back to the road I gracefully (more like clumsily) avoided all hazards and returned to firmer ground with dry boots.

The weather had been kind, worth checking before attempting to reach this very interesting site.

Visited 03/04/2023.

One the easier places to find, the burial cairn at Old Ulva is situated near the west side road, B8025.

Park near the the minor road that leads to Danna and walk back up the road to the gate. The cairn is clearly visible housed among short grass and reed clumps.

It is almost 6m wide and at its highest 1m. Best viewed from the south west looking east several kerbs are still in place but as usual a fair amount of houking has taken place, also as usual field clearance has been dumped on top. There are a lot of dry stane dykes in the area so no guessing where the material came from. Also there is a large slab which looks like it has been shoved aside, a possible capstone for a cist perhaps.

Nice easy site if on your way to or back from the end of the B8025. The former small harbour at Keillmore has two piers, one for boats and the other for cows that had swam across from Jura.

Visited 03/04/2023.

After reaching the B8025 in Tayvallich from Dun A’ Chogaidh walk the short distance past the shop, church and the handy public toilets, jump the fence and head west uphill. Not a serious climb, another fence will be reached, over that and walk another 200m approximately west, the fort will appear on top of a small rocky knoll.

The fort is reasonably well defended by steep climbs all round except from the east. Vitrified rock might well be here but today it was cunningly disguised as turf. The entrance is a gap on the east side. Good all round views, one of which is the bay below where the fort gets its name. Bhealaich, meaning narrow gap, could well mean the entrance to the natural harbour.

As is usual with these places there is always an easier way down. As you reach the second fence mentioned, follow it east, it turns into a path which takes you back to the centre of Tayvallich.

Two forts either side of a harbour, it was well guarded.

Visited 03/04/2023.

The fort at Dun A’ Chogaidh can easily be spotted from Tayvallich thanks to a Millennium Cairn built within the site.

There are two routes I discovered, the way up was harder of the two. Walk through the caravan site then head west, clamber up through the trees, jump a fence and enter the fort from the south side. This will lead to the entrance.

The builders used natural defence and built huge walls especially on the west side, almost 3m wide. These surround the 49m by 27m oval shaped fort. A gap in the north east wall indicates another entrance. Somehow massive boulders have been also been used. A superb look out point as well as you look down onto the natural harbour below, leading to Loch Sween, to the west another beach at Carsaig, clear views to sea and Jura beyond.

On the way down head for the nicely cropped grass to the south west, this will lead to a gate which in turn leads to the B8025 in Tayvallich. Far easier than the way up.

Reasonably easy climb, very easy on the way down.

Visited 03/04/2023.