drewbhoy

drewbhoy

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Muir Of Conan

drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 10, 2023

We arrived on a very dreich morning to visit the non chamber cairn, chamber cairns are everywhere in this area, situated in its own wood glade, mist and trees making for an eerie enhancing atmosphere.

At Milbuie Primary School we took the minor road heading westish and took the first farm road heading west parking at some stables.

Follow the track and the cairn will appear in a clearing slightly to the north. Sitting at over 12m wide and standing at 1m tall, quite an impressive sight / site. Cairn material is moss covered. There might not be a chamber according to Canmore, and they say there are no kerbs. Several boulders, however, manage to impersonate kerbs reasonably well.

A nice site, well situated.

Visited 20/10/2022.

Folklore

Easter Rarichie
Hillfort
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 10, 2023

Close to the fort of Rarichie “Tobar na h-Iù” [“The Yew Tree Well”] can be found. In the folklore of the area it was a Danish Fort or a fairy-fort but it is a fort from the time of the Picts. According to Watson’s book the Picts used to say “Tiugamaid ’bhàn ’dhèanamh rotha riachagan,” [“Let’s go down to make rows of scratches [to sow seeds in],”] they used to live at Cadha an Ruigh’, closer to the slopes of Ben Nigg. The well had healing properties and it would be used for “White Swelling.” At the base of the fort the well could be found. There is a verse connected to this well:

“Tobar na h-iù, Tobar na h-iù,
’S ann duit bu chumha bhi uasal:
Tha leabaidh deis ann an iuthairnn
Do ’n fhear a ghearr a’ chraobh mu d’ chluasan.”

[“Well of the Yew, Well of the Yew.
To thee it is that honour is due;
A bed in hell is prepared for him
Who cut the tree around thy ears.”]

A Yew Tree used to be close to this well, with its branches hanging above the well but it was chopped down some time a long time ago, I haven’t found a story to see if it was chopped down by someone, or what happend to the person after they chopped the tree down!

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