thelonious
10/08/2017 – We got dropped off by the bus at Eoligarry. Walked along the road NE to where it turns N and then it was just a short climb S up to the little hill with Dun Scurrival on top. This galleried dun / broch (?) is in a very prominent location. Looks like it could get a bit breezy at times. If you were looking for a bit of privacy I doubt you’d build your dun here. Great views all round, north to the Uists and south along the lovely beach to the rest of Barra
Still walls to be made out but the interior is pretty much covered by fallen stones.
Took me a bit to get going today so I don’t think I gave it my best attention. My brain was like the skies up above – a little cloudy this morning.
Link to small book mentioned in greywether’s field notes.
The Lost Wheelhouses of Uist – a guide to some of the excavated wheelhouses of North & South Uist
08/08/2017 – Before the start of our trip I was hoping for just one good weather day for this walk amongst the hills and stones in the middle of Barra. It had been raining on and off the first two days but the forecast looked great for today so off we went.
Starting from Castlebay, we headed NE up the road to the high point and then climbed up to Heabhal (bit of a slog). Then up and down a few minor tops to make the steep descent to Beul a’ Bhealaich, where a lovely standing stone (now fallen) is positioned at the top of the pass. From here we climbed Grianan (Good views and a fine place for a brew). After a rest, we went NW to visit Tigh Talamhanta aisled house and then SW to the wonderful Dun Bharpa chambered cairn. A brief diversion to the top of Beinn Mhartainn (nice top) and then back past Dun Bharpa to Balnacraig chambered cairn. There’s a small cairn marked on the OS 1:25000 south of Dun Bharpa but it’s not that exciting.
Tired by the time we reached the last cairn but the sun was still shinning and the stones of Balnacraig looked so nice against the sunlit hills behind. Hard to make out the original shape but I think I could see where the chamber stood. Well worth a visit along with the excellent Dun Bharpa.
We headed west down the track to the main road to start a slow plod back to Castlebay. Very good day out.
08/08/2017 – Tricky to know what to write about this one other than my usual waffle. The cairn deserves better and I ain’t got the words in my head to do it anywhere near justice.
So I’ll keep this short. Easy access from lots of directions. Easy to find (it’s hard to miss!). Location is near perfect, Barra’s central hills make for a fantastic backdrop. The cairn itself is one of the best I’ve been to and I’ve been to a few, just wonderful. Must see site? Yep. Do you need to come visit? Yes I’m afraid you do :-)
08/08/2017 – Distant shot from Grianan. Dun is on the left side of the loch.
08/08/2017 – Tigh Talamhanta aisled house. We came from Grianan, to the SE, but it looks like there is an old waymarked walk with posts probably starting at the cemetery parking to the NW and heading here via Dun Cuidhir (looks a nice way to reach here). Ground is a little boggy in places near the site. Canmore states the site’s important as it “demonstrates the layout of a complete Iron Age farm”. Looks like the name ‘Tigh Talamhanta’ means ‘the underground house’. Wish I’d read a bit more about it before I went as it was hard to make out what was going on and there does seem to be a lot going on. Nice location for this one with good views.
08/08/2017 – Might not look it from the photo but it’s a 16ft wonder.
08/08/2017 – Looking down to the pass and its sleeping stone.
08/08/2017 – View up to the col where the stone would have stood. It would have been visible from quite a distance away.
08/08/2017 – Canmore only have a very general grid reference for this one but I guessed by its name, if it was going to be anywhere it was at the top of the pass that has the same name. Heading down from Hartabhal to the col before it rises again to Grianan, the stone came in to sight. Fallen now but the stone is still impressive even in its sleeping state. A good 16ft long and not that wide. When standing it would have looked quite fantastic from a good distance away to folk using the old path across the hills.
I’d guess the pass through Beul A’ Bhealaich, connecting the east to the west side of Barra has been used for a very long time. It was used in the 19th century by folk living in the West to cross the hills to the Church on the east side each week.
heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=179
(sorry about the link and little plug for ScotWays here but I think they do a great job and the Heritage Paths website is very good)
07/08/2017 – Small chambered cairn with a fine view out to sea. A little passage and the layout of the chamber can be made out. Easy access from either way along the coast, there’s a path round.
07/08/2017 – View past stone to the wonderful island of Mingulay in the far distance.
07/08/2017 – On the way to Cuithe Heillanish standing stone
07/08/2017 – Small cairn with possible kerb. Just to the north of here are a couple of interesting stone settings (I had no clue to what they were but I liked them).
07/08/2017 – Very little to see on top of the rocky outcrop. The walk across the beach to get there is worth it though. Fantastic setting. There’s a cairn just below, NW of the Dun.
Fine area for a walk. The Dun is surrounded by lovely beaches and the wild flowers on the machair are wonderful and so colourful at this time of year. The walk from the Dun to the beach to the south and back is great. Nice coffee shop to the north .
07/08/2017 – Dun A’ Chaolais in the background. I’ve included this photo mainly for the stones in the foreground. Barra and Vatersay seem to have a lot of these curious stone settings everywhere you go, very mysterious.
07/08/2017 – Of all the duns/brochs we visited on Barra and Vatersay this was my favourite I think. Easy access from just south of the cattle grid. Position is great on its own knoll with great views all around. Canmore has it as a probable ground-galleried broch. Good wall round it with the gallery visible. Worth a walk up the hill (Heiseabhal Mor) behind if you have time as the views are breathtaking.
06/08/2017 – Gave up waiting for the rain to pass, so off we went for a circular walk of Beinn Tangabhal in pretty wet conditions. We were on foot from Castlebay but there is good parking opposite the phonebox on the main road at Tangasdal. Waymarked walk over the dunes then coastline to Dun Ban. Easy going and lovely views.
By the time we got to the site it was chucking it down. We tried to find a bit of shelter behind the walls but it wasn’t great so it was soggy butties, a cup of tea did help a little.
Location is good on a rocky outcrop. It has some nice walls. I get a bit mixed up on the differences between forts, duns, brochs etc so didn’t quite know what I was looking at but nothing new there then.
It’s a fine walk and a worthwhile site to visit.
After a look around and a bite to eat we headed on up into the mist to climb Beinn Tangabhal.