GLADMAN

Haytor Rocks loom on the skyline across the footprint of main northern cairn. There is a trio of large cairns not too far that-a-way.

Main northern cairn from the northern-most..

The northern-most cairn... possessing a wondrous outlook. There’s a stone row and another cairn – heavily disguised by Nature from the passing attentions of holidaymakers in her own – down there, too. Not easy to find in high summer 2017.

Main northern cairn.

Main northern cairn showing the grassy base.

The main northern cairn... loose stone piled upon a significant grassy footprint, the latter betraying the ancient pedigree.

The iconic profile of Haytor Rocks from Black Hill. I knew the angle I wanted... and I guess the wondrous creatures knew, too, refusing to move... yet calmly allowing me into their midst.

The siting overlooking Loch Slapin is pretty special. But then again, so are many upon Skye....

Northern flank.

Highlighting the surviving drystone defences from the neighbouring rocky knoll to the south. To be fair, these are pretty impressive.

The northern flank is less well preserved.... but more naturally protected anyway. Besides, as Les Hamilton – TMA doyen of these sites – may well attest, more often than not it is the sheer landscape context which demands a visit.

Initial thoughts would be ‘chambered tomb’... if you didn’t know better.

Approaching from the approx west. Now, even with all the incalculable literary gifts of Shakespeare at my disposal – even with such heavyweights as Shelley, Keats and Byron on call – I cannot begin to describe that ‘green’. Or whatever it may be.

If, by some currently unfathomable violation of the laws of physics, spirits do exist... it is at moments like this that those associated with upland cairns must surely manifest themselves. Looking toward Beinn na Caillich from the An Sithean chambered cairn.

Beinn na Caillich rises beyond, crowned by a massive, legendary cairn.

Beinn na Caillich’s cairn is so large it can be seen from here........

There are better chambered cairns... but I reckon few with a finer backdrop than that of Beinn na Cailleach. If any.

Note the bridge carrying the A87 across the River Haultin. The best access from the road would appear to be to the immediate left of this.....

This massive chambered cairn sits beside the River Haultin as it meanders toward Loch Eyre... looking from a’top the cairn.

The sheer size of the monument is not really apparent until the traveller gets up close and personal. Yeah, it’s a monster. But a nice monster. As in Monsters Inc... as opposed to Giger’s misanthropic alien.

In my experience this massive, forgotten stone pile is up there with Scotland’s finest.

The monument possesses an exquisite vista toward The Black Cuillin.

Looking to Ardtreck Point across the loch, complete with lighthouse. There’s also a broch well worth visiting......

Very aesthetic stones, these.

The initial illusion of a three stone row is dispelled by the fallen stone, foreground.

The incomparable – at least within Britain – Black Cuillin rise top right.

Looking across the dammed waters of the Abhainn Cille Mhaire (not forgetting the efforts of numerous contributing streams)

Perhaps distilling the essence of northern Scotland...

From approx south-west