thelonious

03/01/2022 – Start of a new year, hopefully this one turns out a bit more ‘normal’. A few days of walking in the Sidlaw Hills sounded as good a way to kick off the year as any. Kinpurney Hill is a fine hill. Good parking in Newtyle. Walked down road to Denend and then took the sign posted path up the Den. This is a lovely, wooded walk by a stream, bit muddy but very pretty. Coming out of the trees, the path heads up the hill. Bit steep and a little slippy in places but nothing too bad.

The fort is enclosed by a single rampart and ditch. It’s a fair-sized interior, area of 6.6ha making this the largest hillfort in Angus. Kinpurney Hill is probably better known for the tower on top. It’s an observatory, built 1774. There is a low grass bank surrounding the tower, probably unrelated to the hillfort.

Some have this hillfort as ‘unfinished’. Also maybe vitrified, but probably not as the rocks are volcanic (best seen at base of tower).

Really worth the walk up. The views are fantastic from the top. The big snowy hills to the west and north looked great.

26/09/2021 – A fine walk today. Starting from Strathpeffer, first up to the trig on Cnoc Mor, then a nice visit to Bealachnancorr chambered cairn (liked this one very much). Next we headed over the top of Cnoc a’ Mhuilinn-Thairbh to see if we could find this chambered cairn in Brahan Wood. The wood is really lovely and on a sunny day like today the stroll between the two cairns was very nice indeed. There are lots of tracks in this area so take a map, easy to get a bit lost. The cairn is in a quiet area of the wood. Not too hard to find. There is not much left of the cairn, like Bealachnancorr, just the remaining stones of the chamber. Not really that tall, hiding away a little in the grass and moss. What I first thought was the passage looked too wide and more like a second chamber. This could have been a big old cairn back in the day. There’s a big stone between the two chambers and another large stone lying just outside. The cairn sits on a small terrace and would have had a wonderful view out across the land I think. It’s within a wood now and on a sunny day just looked fantastic. We plonked ourselves down beside the cairn to have our sandwiches and a brew. Bit tired as the day was warm and humid. Such a peaceful vibe to the place. Soon felt a bit sleepy. The tall grasses picking up the light from the sun, the tree tops gently moving with the light breeze, just wonderful. The ground was full of life. We daydreamed a bit and watched spiders and bugs go about their daily business. Up and over our socks and on past our discarded boots to some important destination only known to them. Even the odd wasp that went by seemed pretty chilled out today. We really had such a lovely time here. There are better cairns around but today this one and its setting felt pretty perfect to us. Finally we left to walk the quiet road round Loch Ussie to visit the wonderful vitrified fort on Knock Farril. Then back to Strathpeffer via the very nice Touchstone Maze (built in the 90’s using rocks from all over Scotland. It’s really well done with lots of alignments for summer, winter etc). Top day out.

26/09/2021 – Scotland has a great access code but sometimes it can be tricky finding the best path to take out of a village or town. The start of a walk can be the hardest part I think. Core paths are a great help for this. Link below to map in case it’s of use to anyone.

Map of core paths in Scotland
nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/routes-explore/local-path-networks

Straight up signposted core path from Strathpeffer to first head for Cnoc Mor then paths heading down to the chambered cairn. Route was pretty overgrown and finding the site was fun. Lots of twisty paths through the trees.

The cairn is really nice. Just the stones of the passage and chamber left. The location is good and very peaceful. We stayed for a good bit, waiting on the sun to shine. It was playing hide and seek behind the clouds this morning.

Really glad we went looking for this one. Good stones with a nice vibe. I do like an Orkney-Cromarty cairn. Missed it last time we visited the trig on Cnoc Mor. The area is fine for walking, short stroll or a full day out. Like most places, best on a sunny day, take your time if you go.

12/09/2021 – Jarlshof – just saying the word out loud makes me happy. I love it round here. The whole area, Old Scatness, Ness of Burgi, Jarlshof and up to Sumburgh Head which has my favourite trigpoint. The beaches, cliffs, even the airport, hotel and coffee shop. The bottom bit of Shetland is just great. As fine a place for a long weekend as you could wish for. Summer’s best for birds. Even in mid September there’s stuff still about. We were lucky and saw minke whale the day before in the bay.

This was our first big adventure since March 2020 when half way through a trip to Wales, lockdown loomed and we had to head home. 18 months of not really mixing with folk, we were nervous setting off on our trip. Picked Orkney and Shetland as we love these places and thought they should be quiet. We had been lucky to visit Sumburgh a couple of times before. Ending our big trip at Jarlshof seemed perfect.

We stayed at the Sumburgh Hotel. It’s a really nice place. Proper friendly and right next to Jarlshof. Room 32 has a great view of the site and the bay.

We visited Jarlshof the day before in the rain. As today was our last day, we thought we’d go again. Visitor centre is closed at the moment but you can still walk round. We got up early. Jarlshof before breakfast sounded good to me.

Jarlshof has to be one of my favourite sites. The history here is amazing. It’s a 4000 year timeline that you get to walk around. But most of all, I love the stones. The colours and shapes are just so good. Revisiting places, you always see things you missed the first time. The broch has a ‘well’ like the one we had seen in Broch of Gurness just a few days back. I didn’t remember this from last time. I like all the twisting paths, doorways and curved walls. Very exciting to walk around. Soon it was time to head back and pack for our trip home. We stood for a while, looking out to sea, Sumburgh Head and far away Fair Isle. It felt good to be adventuring again.

10/09/2021 – Overnight ferry from Orkney to Shetland. Early morning, off the boat and on to the number 9 bus that goes to Walls. It’s a lovely bus route and if you don’t have a car, you could use it to visit the big sites like Scord of Brouster and with a bit of a walk, Stanydale Temple. Worth doing just for the scenery.

Today we were heading for Weisdale Hill. We had a bit of history with this one. Back in 2014 we were on the way here and had to turn back due to car problems. I’ve been wanting to get back and give it another go. Bus driver was proper friendly, asked where we were going. Dropped us off at Scord of Sound, the high part of the road just next to the track going up the hill. The feet were very grateful as it saved us 100m gain and we had full loads today with the rucksacks. Day 8 of the trip, we were tired. I’m starting to feel old for this backpacking game.

Slow plod up the track to the aerials on Hill of Sound then a pathless walk of about 1.2km to the top of Weisdale Hill. Nothing too bad underfoot. Pretty easy going. Weather wasn’t great today. Low cloud base so visibility wasn’t great but at least the rain was holding off.

Canmore has this cairn as a ‘a rubble pile covered in peat, which could be a prehistoric summit cairn’. Doesn’t make it sound that exciting. It’s a good size maybe 8-10m in diameter and over 2m high. There’s a small modern cairn on top. To my eyes it looked prehistory. It’s definitely built, not natural. The south side is covered in peat to a height over 2m. I’ve read the rate of peat accumulation is roughly 1mm per year, though could be slower this far north in Shetland. A depth of 2m would have taken 2,000 years or more. It’s an old cairn.

Bit of a shame it was cloudy today as the view from here would be very nice.

We didn’t stay too long, as it wasn’t a day for sitting. We headed back and into Tresta to wait for the bus back.

A nice day out.

09/09/2021 – Rainy start to the day so we had a look round Kirkwall. St Magnus cathedral is very impressive and the museum across the way is worth a visit. Lots of prehistory items from sites round Orkney. The museum in Stromness is smaller but also nice and has the The Skara Brae Buddo. Both good places for a wet day. The rain had eased by the afternoon so we took the bus out to Evie to visit Broch of Gurness.

We got off the bus at Evie School and took the road signposted to the Broch. As an added bonus there’s chambered cairns either side of the road. We had a look at the one on the right. Pretty grassed over with a big stone showing. Looks a decent size extending into the next field I think. It’s a quiet road to walk down and before long we were at the carpark for the Broch.

I’d wanted to visit here last time we were in Orkney but just ran out of time, too many great places to visit round here! Excited to finally make it. The broch and surrounding settlement are very good. There were a few other visitors today but quiet really and lots of space. The ditches round the settlement surprised me. They are big. I think I liked walking round the different buildings of the settlement more than the actual broch. All very interesting. It must have been a busy place to live. It’s easy to imagine the hustle and bustle of daily life as you walk about. The broch still has good sized walls and the well is a bit mysterious. The views from the broch are good. There’s a nice bench near the carpark to sit and look out to sea. Misty Rousay looked inviting across the water. The appearance of layers in the landscape on Rousay reminded me of the layers on the outside of chambered cairns like Wideford etc.

I have to mention that we got to meet BC the broch cat too. It’s the friendliest cat. It hangs out at the broch, showing people round. Keep an eye out for BC if you go.

08/09/2021 – The Dwarfie Hamars are a wonderful backdrop for the Dwarfie Stane.

In an article about the Dwarfie Stane on Orkneyjar they mention a cave high up in the Hamars.
orkneyjar.com/history/tombs/dwarfiestane/index.html

“Could it be that the cave itself, although not necessarily the dwelling place of the workers, was somehow involved in the rituals surrounding the stone?”

Canmore also have this entry –
canmore.org.uk/site/308221/hoy-dwarfie-hamars

“A visual assessment and exploration of part of the Hamars led to the discovery of a rock shelter (c9 x 5m and 2.5m high) at the NE end (HY 25013 00479) that may have been used in prehistory. No evidence of occupation was visible on the floor of the shelter but this could be buried below loose rock that has fallen from the roof.”

The Rock Shelter listed on Canmore isn’t the easiest to get to. A little bit of scrambling needed at times. Is it the same place as the cave mentioned on Orkneyjar? Does it have any connection to the people who carved out the Dwarfie Stane? Is it just a coincidence that if you stand in front of the entrance to the Dwarfie Stance and look up you are staring straight towards this Rock Shelter? So many questions about the landscape round the Stane, sure makes you wonder whilst there. It’s one of my favourite areas I think. Just a great place to spend the day looking at stuff.

08/09/2021 – About 300m west of the Dwarfie Stane is this large erratic stone. This is surely the St. Patrick’s Stone mentioned in a post by Rhiannon (hope they don’t mind me reposting on here).

“Some 900 feet further up the slope, to the south of the Stone, rise the Dwarfie Hamars, a crescent-shaped range of cliffs 700 feet above the sea level and facing the north-west, from under which there is said to be a very fine echo. The Stone appears to have fallen down from this cliff. Mr. Moodie Heddle, the proprietor of the island, informs me that there is a similarly sized stone further west along the same hill face, which, as far as he can ascertain, has always been called the “Patrick Stone,” or “St. Patrick’s Stone,” a fact hitherto unknown outside of Hoy.In A W Johnstone’s ‘Dwarfie Stone of Hoy’ article in the Reliquary, April 1896.”

It’s a good size and has a spring next to it which is often the case for named stones connected to saints.

Wideford posted

“A heads up to look for a 6’ sandstone cube ~200 yards to the south – in a 1997 book John Bremner calls this the Patrick Stane and reports the faint presence of cup-and-ring marks on the top”

I couldn’t make out any marks. Just a lot of natural holes on the top.

It’s a very nice stone.

08/09/2021 – Going back for a second time is always a risk. First visit was back in 2013. Seeing the Dwarfie Stane for the first time was close to perfect. Returning had me worried. It just couldn’t be as good and I didn’t want anything to mess with my memory of that day.

We hadn’t planned another trip to Hoy this week (we were there just two days back walking on the hill Cuilags). The pull of the stone proved too strong. We took the 7.30am ferry from Stromness to Hoy and with the whole day ahead of us, we made our way to the site. Weather was good today and it’s a nice walk on a quiet road round Ward Hill to the signposted path off to the Dwarfie Stane. Midges were a little nippy this morning though.

The approach is good over boardwalks and builds the anticipation nicely. No one there when we reached the stone. Just us, the stone and the quiet landscape. It’s a really peaceful location. Felt like meeting an old friend. Still very, very good. The rock-cut tomb is a wonder and a must visit if you get the chance. Outside the entrance is the blocking stone. What I missed the first time was a ‘rejected’ blocking stone laying some 30m ESE. It’s a good one. The setting with the Dwarfie Hamars behind is wow.

We headed west to look for a big stone I remembered seeing last time. I guessed it was the St Patrick’s Stone mentioned by both wideford and Rhiannon in earlier posts. It’s about 300m away from the Dwarfie Stane. I couldn’t see any cup marks on it, holes yes but all looking natural to me. It’s a nice erratic.

Next we made the short but tough walk SE to climb Dwarfie Hamars. I really wanted to see the Dwarfie Stane from up above the Hamars. It was worth the effort. The view down is just fantastic and seeing the stane’s setting within the landscape is very special. The top is a very good place to sit and rest. Maybe not great in breeding season due to dive bombing bonxies and eagles also nest on Dwarfie Hamars so best to avoid at these times.

After a brew and a snack, we carried on along the edge to our next stop. I’d read about a cave high up on the Hamars on Canmore and also Orkneyjar. A rock shelter maybe used in prehistory by the folk who cut out the Dwarfie Stane? People are just guessing but I like an adventure. We looped passed the last of the crags and turned back across the side of the hill to make our way to the grid reference we had. It’s a bit tricky to get there and a little scrambly at times, nothing too bad. The ‘Rock Shelter’ was nice with a fine view.

We headed back over rough ground to the Dwarfie Stane for one last view and to say goodbye before making our way along the road again to the ferry to the mainland. Worth mentioning the lovely Beneth’ill Cafe near the pier, it’s good.

I’ll post up a few photos of the St Patrick’s Stone and the cave.

It’s a proper adventure to get to, the Dwarfie Stane is a amazing place. I shouldn’t have worried about visiting again. The wonder and magic of this site is always going to be here.

05/09/2021 – We took the early bus from Stromness to Stenness (where the Maeshowe Visitor Centre is now, public toilets there too). After a fine morning spent ambling round Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar and a stop by Loch of Stenness for lunch (there’s a nice bench there overlooking the loch, take the track passed Salt Knowe), we decided to walk back to Stromness instead of catching the bus. Buses are pretty frequent but I like to connect places by walking if we can and the afternoon weather was good so why rush. The road back is pretty much the main road in Orkney but still OK to walk down, not too busy. We got a wave off everyone who drove passed, friendly folk round here. To break up the walk, we had two stops. First was the lovely ice cream shop in Stenness. Well worth a visit and cone in hand we set off to our second stop – Unstan Chambered Cairn.

I’d not been to this one before. Signposted off the main road, track passed a house to a small carpark. The grassed over cairn is just beyond. A fine setting with Loch of Stenness as a backdrop. Nice passage way in, which was a bit longer than expected. Inside is great. It’s one of those concrete roof jobs but it doesn’t really detract. Stones are pretty mossy now and it gives the cairn a darker feel which I liked. Nice stalled cairn with a little side chamber with good roof. Really enjoyed my visit to this one.

After a nice time spent with the cairn, we had it to ourselves, it was back on the road and off to Strommess. A bit of cake and coffee were calling.