Howburn Digger

Apocalyptic skies from High Auchenlarie looking over Fleet Bay and Wigtown Bay October 2012. The roofs of the static caravans and holiday lodges at Mossyard glisten in the steadily falling rain.

Weirded out skies over Mynydd Carnguwch on Saturday evening en route to Nant Gwrtheyrn.

From “Prehistoric Edinburgh” by James Grant in “Edinburgh Old and New” Cassell’s 1880’s. The reservoir referred to marked the very end of the massive waterworks (and miracle of Victorian Engineering and Vision) which still runs from Lochs Talla and Fruid in Tweedsmuir near Moffat. The Edinburgh Freshwater Reservoir stood (still stands but unused for reservoir purposes) at the corner of Ramsay Lane (by the Camera Obscura) and is now home to the Tartan Weaving Mill and Exhibition. I stood at the bottom of the (empty reservoir) about twenty years ago before the “Tartanisation” took place. It was very deep indeed and the gravity feed all the way from Tweedsmuir fed fresh water to the Old and New Town from this high spot on Castle Hill.

The bracken-topped cairn watched over by Goat Fell. The cairn is just off the String Road at about 450ft.

The motifs at the top of the lower part of Panel A.

Another motif from the lower part of Panel A.

More of the motifs on the lower part of Panel A.

The deeply incised motif at the base of Panel A,

The carvings at the top left of Panel A. The (17/7/12) newly discovered motif is centre left of the picture. The large “keyhole” motif may well be the longest bit of sculpturing at Stronach Wood – the pecking comes out rather well in this pic. I have added a 2 litre Scottish Fizzy drink bottle for scaling purposes.

A view across the top of Panel A. The little fellow centre left is last night’s newbie....

The most recent (17/7/12) discovery at Stronach Wood – an additional motif for Panel A (like Panel A actually needed any more...). Lovely!

Sannox 2 – a sunny green isle in the dark deep of the forest on Leac Gharbh.

One of the exposed chambers in Sannox 2. There are no less than seven of these chambered cairns recently been identified scatteredacross the forestry plantation on the slopes of Leac Gharbh overlooking the mouth of the North Sannox Burn.

The cist (according to Canmore) is “situated on a small eminence” above a tiny burn.

Rock solid construction.

A look inside the chamber. The Canmore description says the cist is “poorly preserved”. The auld yin looks pretty good to me.

Deep in the rhododendron and bracken of Merkland Wood lies this forgotten cist, swathed in moss and protected by clouds of aggressive midges.

The Blatch Cave Grotto (Chamber Four) after some cavers had been for a visit in 1963.

Photo of the Blatch Cave Grotto (chamber 4 in Wookey Hole Cave) in 1958.

The large stone setting near Lagganmullan 8, 9 and 10. Not sure if it is field clearance or a modern folly.

One cup and ring at Lagganmullan 8 on 3 June 2012.

The motifs nearest the field dyke 3 June 2012.

Pre-Bothy Band album from 1974. Newgrange Spiral on whisky bottles, album sleeves etc. I saw the triple spiral on a rug in a hotel in Letterkenny years ago but I didn’t get a photo.

Sunset on Friday 13 April 2012 looking across the circle to the masts on Cambret Hill. I love the intrusive stamp of our ancient forebears on the 20th Century telecommunications equipment. It’s quite in the spirit of “The Changes” or “Children of the Stones”. A lovely place. I set up half a dozen Red Deer as I turned past the dyke to visit the cist across the burn.

The fine stonework which makes up Glenquicken and Cambret’s dykes may be a clue as to where all the cairn material went...

Looking West over the cist towards Knockeans Hill. Sunset on Friday 13th April 2012.

Nice to have this in your garden eh? What a rockery!

Print from 1838 by Alex Arthur of the Kirkton Manor Stone in its original position. Courtesy of British Heart Foundation Shoppe in Peebles today. It was marked at £1 but I put an extra 50p into the box for good measure.

Two deep ditches lead surprisingly to yet another slighter ditch once you are through the entrance. The green hill in the centre of the picture is Quothquan Law topped by a hillfort.

The main cup and ring is centre picture.

I took this photo blurry on purpose. It helps ease out the detail of all the lichen and weathering and gives more of an idea of the general shapes which this deeply carved motif throws out at you.

The weathered and lichened Barharrow 8. A major cup with one ring has at least seven deep (yellow lichened) runnels running out from it reaching towards another cup.
Although much weathered, these carvings are still fairly deep and their 3D appearance hints at tantalising shapes and interpretations.

The weathered and lichened Barharrow 8. A major cup with one ring has at least seven deep (yellow lichened) runnels running out from it reaching towards another cup.
Although much weathered, these carvings are still deep and their very 3D appearance hints at tantalising shapes and interpretations.

“New” rock art panel (Barharrow 9 ?). Two big cups with major runnels with triangle motif on either side. Top right is a dice like pattern of six cups with a prominent double grooved runnel (like a bent arm) running down to another cup.

This panel was an accidental find by myself on 20 October 2011. Rather difficult to photograph as it is under a gorse bush!

The caged Picts are on the other side of the rock outcrop from the cups.

Torrs 1 gradually mossing up and retreating back into the turf.

Torrs 2 was transformed into this delicate posy of three fine stemmed blossoms. Just add some water and sunshine.
19 October 2011.

A brief spark of sunshine between dark skies gave us a huge double rainbow hanging high as we drove out of Borgue. When we got to the rock art I managed to get the last glimmer of one arc as it faded...

Some flukey, bright sunshine and blue, blue skies for a quick stop at Tongue Croft.

If your failing legs and ailing back simply cannot carry you out to the real High Banks, you can always view this delightful concrete effigy outside the Stewartry Museum in Kirkudbright.