thelonious
01/08/2016 – Described on Canmore as a ‘turf-covered long horned cairn of the Orkney-Cromarty group, with a Camster-type chamber.’ This cairn really is a good one. Over 200ft long with the east side looking to be intact. Small entrance to a passage on the cairn but looked too small and dangerous to go in. Setting is just great, looking over Loch Calder. A real favourite. This and the nearby Torr Ban Na Gruagaich chambered cairn are well worth a visit. Access wise we followed the shoreline of the loch from the south and then headed into the forest west to Broubster stone setting.
01/08/2016 – I liked this one. Good location, overlooking Loch Calder. Similar to Tulach Buaile Assery chambered cairn nearby. A fine couple of cairns, well worth the walk.
01/08/2016 – OK I know this isn’t going to win cist photo of the year but trust me it’s there and it’s quite nice in a fine location on a little hilllock.
01/08/2016 – Grassed over chambered cairn. Started from the road to the west (ND 0511 5844, good parking) near Monadh nan Carn. Just follow rides through the trees. Probably just as easy to walk the shoreline of Loch Calder round to the cairn from either north or south. There is a gate just east of the cairn to gain access to the forest from the loch side.
01/08/2016 – Footprint in a rock. Looked natural to me. I want to see toes before I believe :-)
Site record for Port-an-eilein
30/07/2016 – Tried to visit here last year but felt too tired to give it a go when passing. Better to come back another time, a bit more awake. A year on and we got another chance. Probably the shortest route is from the A9 near Upper Latheron but we thought we’d make an afternoon of it and instead started from the north at the parking for Rumster Forest (marked on OS map), just down the road from Loch Stemster. Nice walk south through the forest on good track (two brochs nearby to visit if you want as well). When we got near enough to the circle, we left the track and made our way across. Not far but very boggy! Got there in the end but with wet, grumpy feet. The circle sits just west of the river, a little up stream of where it flows into the loch. Only 3 and a bit stones left of a biggish circle (Canmore states a diameter of about 48m). The location is lovely and we were both very taken with the place. A little out of the way but worth it if you fancy a walk. Lots of other stuff to look at just south if you come from that direction. We looped back over Ben-a-chielt, with its fine views over Caithness.
02/07/2016 – Cup marked stone trying to hide a little but luckily for us we found it.
02/07/2016 – I didn’t think I’d get time to fit a visit to this stone in during my trip but luckily plans worked out well and on the last afternoon we found ourselves in Arisaig, good to go.
We started from the The Land, Sea and Islands Visitor Centre, a lovely small community run visitor centre in Arisaig. Well worth a look around and it has a nice shop. On display there is the Rhu Stone. Link below for more info. Very interesting.
nosasblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/rhu-arisaig-neolithic-hide-and-seek/
It’s a nice walk of about 4 miles to the stone and back on good tracks. Lovely for a sunny afternoon. The stone isn’t hard to find, just off the track at NM 66917 84483. Over 80 cups on it. In the visitor centre there was a notice asking folk to stop putting coins in the cups as it was causing damage. Luckily the cups were empty today. Location is good with fine views of the surrounding hills.
If you have time, make the short walk on to the pebble beach at Camas Ghaoideil, it’s a lovely spot for a brew and a sandwich.
30/06/2016 – Small Viking burial with the larger possible chambered cairn behind.
30/06/2016 – View across the harbour to the Dun. Nothing much to see there now as it’s made way for the cafe and shop.
28/06/2016 – A standing stone. Not on Canmore. Maybe not that old?
EIGG – The Archaeology of a Hebridean Landscape
Nice PDF about Eigg. Map of sites of interest and brief history of Eigg.
29/07/2016 – Loch Nighean Dhughaill – This loch is next to Loch Nam Ban Mora and again has folklore attached to its name –
TMA eds, if this photo is not appropriate here please move or delete, I won’t sulk too much :-)
A sad tale lies behind the name of this loch. It translates to the Loch of Dugald’s daughter. The local girl fell victim to a dreaded Each Uisge (a water-horse) that had taken human form to woo her. Too late she noticed the water plants in his hair and realised his true identity. He snatched her back and dragged her into the loch, never to be seen again.
29/07/2016 – Loch Nam Ban Mora and its little dun with the wonderful An Sgurr in the background.
29/06/2016 – Lovely walk today around high lochs and hill tops on Eigg. Follow the same track as the walk up An Sgurr then leave the path just as it turns to climb the ridge and instead start heading north and spend the day exploring the lochs and rocks of this beautiful area. No paths but easy under foot.
Loch Nam Ban Mora is just past An Sgurr. It’s lovely and its little stone islet with its dun is well worth a visit to see from the shoreline.
If you have time, walk on to the top of Cora-bheinn (not far). It has one of the best views of the island.
I think Loch Nam Ban Mora means ‘The Island of the Big Women’. Interesting folklore about the Loch – infinite-scotland.com/poi/st-donnan-and-the-island-of-the-big-women/
Worth mentioning is a great little book you can pick up in the shop at the Harbour – ‘The geology of Eigg’. Nice to have with you as you walk around (especially if you know as little as me about rocks and stuff). It suggests some good walks/routes at the back.
