thelonious

05/08/2017 – Evening stroll from Castlebay to have a look round Allt Chrisal. What a wonderful place it turned out to be. This multi-period site starts near the road with a neolithic settlement behind the ruins of a house (right of stream), then a little higher up is a wheelhouse (left of stream), climb a little higher from here and stone huts are found (keep very close to stream). From here head across the stream and climb up the hillside to above and behind the biggest rock you can see on the right of the stream to a Bronze Age cairn (I think it was near the 130m contour line).

From the road the site is easy to miss if you are driving. There are nice information boards at the start. I did find the map a little hard to follow and the higher up places a bit tricky to find.

The whole hillside is great to just potter about on and the sites very interesting. I really liked the wheelhouse and the placement of the high up cairn. The evening sun was lovely and the view south to Vatersay and beyond just wonderful. I was very taken with the place, so much so that it pulled us back for a further two visits the following week.

21/06/2017 – How many times I’ve driven past this one, oblivious to its existence, I couldn’t tell you. It’s right next to the A9. Noticed it on the 1:25000 OS map recently by chance and as I was in the area last week thought I’d have a look.

Quickest way is probably to park in a layby on the A9 (there are ones either side of the road nearby) and head straight for it but there is a barb wire fence to cross.

Much better is the walk round Loch Alvie. We parked just west of the Rowan Tree hotel on the B9152 (small layby). Head past the hotel and take the track (black gates, access OK) to Loch Alvie. The track loops round the loch (Ospreys fishing at this time of year). Turn left before the house and then left again just before the track goes under the A9. This leads straight to the cairn. This approach hides the A9 from you and gives a better feel to the visit.

What a fine ring cairn this is. Good kerb stones on the west side. East side ones have gone. Lovely views across the Loch and to the big hills. I liked this one.

17/06/2017 – As this site had got the Greywether/Gladman/Drew seal of approval I had been looking forward to my visit.

A few ways to this one. We decided to make a little walk of it and start from Boat of Garten. Heading down the Speyside Way first and then carrying straight on were the Speyside Way turns left under the trainline. After about 1km we took the track west to visit the lovely cairn at Avielochan then back again to head SW for another 1km to Granish Clava Cairn.

This really is a good one. A large cairn surrounded by heather, very different to the grassy setting of the smaller Avielochan cairn nearby. I loved the tree in the middle. We sat for a good while just taking in the view and feel of the place with a brew and a butty or 3.

A visit to Granish and Avielochan makes for a fine walk. Even better maybe take the steam train from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and then walk back via these two, sounds a good day out to me. Very impressed with both cairns.

17/06/2017 – Really liked this one. Good access. We came from the east, across the bridge over the train track. Doesn’t look much on approach, just a grassy knoll with a few nice trees on top. Taking the field edge to the knoll, the cairn seemed to appear out of the grasses from nowhere. Lovely setting. Fine kerb stones and I liked the small slope down into the centre. Well worth a visit.

26/05/17 – We started from Lauder on what proved to be as hot a day for walking as I can remember in a long while. Bit too hot to be honest (yes, I know I shouldn’t really grumble). Following the Southern Upland Way, we headed NE past Thirlestane Castle (looks impressive) to the start of the wood just after Wanton Walls. From there we headed north through Edgarhope Wood and on to Dabshead Hill (hillfort & standing stone here). No access problems.

Borrowston Rigg stone circle is about a mile NE of Dabshead Hill. It’s an easy stroll across. Once away from the hillfort, the feeling of the landscape changed to one of a peaceful open moorland with big skies and gentle bird song as we walked along. Head for the old sheep pen, visible from a good distance and the circle is just beyond.

Listed as having 30-32 small stones. We did a quick count and got to 20. Too sleepy to look for more, it was enough. I just wanted to sit down and relax by the stones in the sunshine. It’s a lovely setting and makes for a nice visit on a good weather day.

Quicker access is from Burncastle if needed. Well worth the trip. I was very taken with the whole place.

26/05/17 – Borrowston Rig South cairn is just south of the stone circle. Not in great condition but it does have two nice earthfast stones in the centre. Canmore mentions ‘cup marks’ on the larger stone but like the marks on the standing stone on Dabshead hill nearby, looked more like natural weathering to me.

26/05/17 – I like a little head-scratcher on a walk and this site fits the bill nicely. About 200m SE of the stone circle (easy fence to cross), the ‘Burrow Stones’ are classed as a stone setting.

On a slightly sloping area of the moor is a smattering of small stones, not dissimilar to the ones used in the stone circle nearby. If you completely ignore the inconveniently positioned ones that ruin the plan you can get some nice long straightish rows of stones :-)

Worth a look if you are visiting the circle nearby.

26/05/17 – At the centre of the Hillfort on Dabshead Hill is this standing(ish) stone. It’s got some lean to it now and is supported by a modern cairn at the base. The stone is tall, about 3.5m and would look pretty impressive if straightened up a little.

Questions marks over its age and ‘cup marks’.

Canmore states that it was erected to commemorate a marriage in the 19th century but also that it was moved there from the moorland near Borrowston Rigg stone circle, so it could have first been a standing stone there. Classified as Prehistoric. Its height is quite different to the rest of the stones on the moor. Old OS maps have the fort marked on them but no mention of the standing stone anywhere.

Large ‘cups marks’ on the stone but looked natural to me.

Worth a visit for the view and it’s a nice walk.

26/05/17 – Decent sized hillfort on top of Dabshead Hill. We came from Lauder via Edgarhope Wood but if time is short it’s quicker to start from Burncastle. Ramparts and ditches can be made out OK. Views very good. Trigpoint and big standing stone at the centre.

04/05/2017 – I didn’t know about this site until tsc posted his photos a few years back and I’ve been wanting to visit ever since. They turned out to be the last cairns on our trip north and what a way to finish. Ord North is good one.

Starting from the lovely Ferrycroft Visitor Centre (Coffee tick, cakes tick, icecreams tick – that will do me). There’s two walks do to, one north to the broch and the other up The Ord to see the cairns. Ord North cairn is in really good condition and in a fantastic location. Great views all round. Lovely Ord South just a short distance away as well.

The whole walk round here is lovely and we were lucky with the weather. This site is really worth a visit and pretty accessible. A fine place for a sunny day stroll.

04/05/2017 – Balcharn chambered cairn. Not a great lot to see but the chamber can be made out by the outline of 4 stones in the middle. Access is fine, just off the side of a quiet road.