This area is known locally as “Druid’s Field”, and contains a good variety of neolithic remains. Set in a magnificent arena, this place has to be the ‘must-see’ of Mull!
nickbrand
Three stones, aligned approximately NNW-SSE, the most northern of which is now included in the dyke... and used to anchor some wire fencing. These stones are not being treated as well as their kin just up the hill at Cnoc Fada! They lie just a short distance from the new cemetery, on the brow of a ridge.
This stone row sits just inside a wood on the hillside above Dervaig, and is signposted. Originally 5 stones, oriented NNW-SSE, only two are now upright, but it is still quite a stirring sight. Both the upright stones are around 2.5m in height. Looking down the avenue formed by the trees, they are rather evocative.
As can be seen from the photograph, this field was occupied, so I didn’t make an issue of it and took the bull’s photograph along with the stone, which is over 2m in height and very slim.
A magnificent site, though according to Canmore only one stone was upright in 1800, and the others re-erected at a later date. The kerb around them looks fairly ancient but may in fact have been added at the time the stones were re-erected. It does not detract from their setting, however, and this is a site well worth a look. All three stones are over 2m in height, and quite dramatic in effect.
Canmore debates whether this stone is prehistoric, or whether it is merely a way-marker for pilgrims en route to Iona. It certainly looks genuine to me!
Around 2m in height, aligned NNW-SSE, with a slightly sloping top, it has some field clearance boulders at the base and appears to be yet another popular sheep rubbing post.
This stone is in a field just off the Fionnphort road. It is aligned N-S, and has no markings or carvings, and stands just over 2m tall. Magnificent views all around!
The owner of the guest house here has no problem with people viewing the stone – just ask. This stone is over 2m tall, and stippled with quartz.
Park at the Mull Pottery and take the track just north of the buildings which leads west up-hill. The stones are around 400m in, on a raised platform. There are 3 stones here, the centre one being recumbent. The northern stone is the larger, being just over 2.5m in height. The row runs roughly N-S, and the southern stone is well under 2m. The central recumbent stone looks as if it would have been the largest, it’s around 3m long in its current position.
This is a pretty impressive viewpoint, and worth waking up to on a clear day. Unfortunately our view of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on the mainland was a bit obscured by smoke from burning moorland, which is clearly visible in one of the photographs.
Ask permission at the farm, parking is easy at the road end as there is plenty of room. Not visible from the road from Craignure, you can only see this heading south from Salen.
Set out on a low mound, with a couple of possible kerb stones still in situ, there is one upright stone (about 1.3m tall) and one recumbent here. The ‘kerb stones’ may in fact be other recumbents – it’s a bit hard to tell. Have a look at the photographs and make your own mind up! The stones are aligned NW/SE. There are no significant markings on any of the stones.
There’s a very small area on the north side of the road where it’s possible to park. This is a pretty large chunk of rock, with no discernible markings on it. No stock in the field today, though there was an extremely large bull in the field next door! The stone is no longer in it’s cage, however!
This tree-covered mound lies just beside a track down to a farm. Access is fairly straightforward, though parking can be awkward – I walked back from where I had parked near the single stone. These two large stones lie almost due E-W, in a sheltered location in amongst the trees. No discernible markings on them, though the eastern stone has several deep grooves in it – probably natural weathering.
Quite clearly marked on the Landranger map, about 200 m in from the cottage, near the fence between the hill field and the one you’re in. Sits on a north-facing spur, quite easy to spot (the biggest stone at the end). About 18 cup-marks on the eastern side of the stone, quite clear and not too badly weathered.
Only sheep in the field today, and at the far end, so no being chased by bullocks as per Hamish! There’s a very convenient layby and the stile is great!
The south face of the stone is marked by diagonal grooves, I assume they are weathering but very reminiscent of Tuilyies. Quite a dramatic stone, over 2 m tall.
Right by the roadside, and a bit of difficulty parking – fortunately the lady who runs the B&B just up the road from here was very nice about letting me park in her driveway! This is another stone just by the roadside, about 1.5 m tall and no distinguishing marks on it.
The undergrowth here has been trimmed back withing the past couple of weeks, by the freshness of the stumps. The road’s not busy, and it’s a lovely peaceful little spot.
One of the Scottish Megaraks, George Currie, mentioned this stone to me. It’s not marked on the OS Landranger map, but it’s most definitely there. 200 m or so in from the road, just off a rough track. About 1.7 m tall, and 0.7 m wide, it stands proud with a terrific viewpoint north, west and south, just on the SW shoulder of Drumderg. It’s obviously a great favourite with the sheep, too, as the eroded area round the base and traces of wool on the shaft show. From one angle it looks a bit like an upright axe-head.
This stone is set on a N-S axis, and stands around 7 feet tall. It is of local red sandstone, and there are some possible cup marks on the top – not clearly defined in the photograph I took!
No sign of the boulders Landells mentioned, though the cup marks are very prominent if rather badly weathered. The farmer here leaves a really wide space around the stone unploughed, which is a good thing to see.
This stone is a slab of red sandstone, around 4-1/2 feet tall, and lies on a NNW-SSE axis. It was apparently dislodged by ploughing many years ago but replaced in situ. The ENE face has a ‘girdle’ across it approximately half-way up, but doesn’t show too clearly in the photograph. No other markings appear.
This stone is a block of sandstone, around 4-1/2 feet tall, oriented approximately E-W. There are no visible cup marks on it.
This is the nearest standing stone to where I live, and I didn’t know of its existence until a week ago, when fellow Scottish Megarak George Currie asked if I knew about it....
The stone stands around 1.2m tall, oriented E-W and has no significant markings on it. It is situated near the west gate of Camperdown Park, just west of the first green on Camperdown Golf Course (which is named Druid, funnily enough). I have noted that golfers have little or no imagination – almost every golf course with a standing stone on it names the hole either ‘Druid’ or ‘Witch’ whatever....
This 5’ tall stone, with no significant markings, stands in a field just to the north of the B8079 between Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie.
I can’t believe I’ve never spotted this one before.... Situated right beside Bruar, just off the A9 – my wife and I often call in here as the wee food hall has a terrific selection of cheeses and other goodies! The stone sits proud on a little ridge just beside the Calvine road at the Bruar turning. It’s about 1.5m tall, a metre wide and less than half that deep, with no significant markings except one small area where a clown in the past has carved their initials on it. Not a very spectacular stone, but a pretty nice setting.
The solitary stone is surrounded by a pile of field clearance boulders, which were not part of the original siting – none are earth-fast. The pair in the adjacent field are slightly mis-matched size-wise! The smaller of the two has a couple of cup-marks low down on the side facing the larger stone.
There are a total of six stones in this group, quite widely scattered but worth the effort. There’s more of a description of them in my weblog entry.
The main stone, a large block which leans markedly east, is the Roman Stone itself. Beside it is a small block, and six feet east a larger flat rock with over 20 cup-marks on its surface.
According to CANMORE, the alternative name for this site, Dunmoid, means ‘Hill of Judgement’. This is unconfirmed. Around 1876, a stone kist was found in front of one of the slabs, and also an urn filled with ashes. Only one stone is now upright, and it appears to have two cup-marks on the upper surface – take a look at the photograph and see what you think. It was covered in moss, but the indentations felt fairly regular on tentative exploration!
No sign of any other stones which may have formed a circle, I think this is just a pair myself. The western stone has four distinct cup-marks on it which show up quite well in one of the photographs.
Amazing site – very robbed-out but several central chambers still in situ, and it measures a good 130 feet by 30 feet or so. Unfortunately there’s a telegraph pole planted in the middle and the remains of a fence running through it.... but a very fine situation and well worth a visit. Park beside the two cottages at Kindrochet, and ask at the second cottage – the man who lives there is very friendly (as are his dogs!) and will explain how to approach it if the bull is in a nearby field. Approaching from Dundurn farm is more difficult.
The photographs really don’t show the atmosphere of the place. Looking west along the length of the cairn gives a clear view of Dundurn hill fort.
This stone is situated in a field to the south of the A85 Crieff to Lochearnhead road, near the village of Comrie. There is a small track down the side of the field and you can park here as long as you don’t block the road. The stone itself is around 6-1/2 feet tall, with no discernible markings on it. There were a couple of friendly horses in the field when I visited today, which made photographing the stone rather interesting!
This ring cairn, 9m approx across, sits on a spur on a hill just above the village of Bridgend of Lethnot. There’s a convenient parking space beside a gate – better to use this than risk the electric fence!
This looks like a ring cairn and the remains of a stone circle. A shallow depression at the centre, with no inner kerbstones, but still 5 visible all to the SW, and various others which have become displaced. Two stones remain of the circle, a leaning one on the NE, and a recumbent to the SE.
Excellent views from here!
Mark, who runs the Menmuir Community website (link below) tells me:
“Mid winter sunrise is around the time we pass it on the way to school
and the sun clearly rises, seen from the stones, in the v between the
Caterthuns around the solstice. Sadly in the two years since I noticed this
we haven’t had a cloud free solstice sunrise to capture it on camera.” Thought this was worth passing on.
Take the western road up Glen Prosen, past Bykenhillock (I note this now has an anglicised plaque reading ‘Beacon Hillock’ – obviously not locals...) to the turning for Muir of Pearsie Lodge. Park carefully so as not to block the entrance on the west, and take this track, following it for about a mile (and through a red gate) till you see the stones on the south side of the track.
This is a strange little site. The eastern group may be a four-poster or the remains of a circle – I’m not sure. There are four stones, but all at irregular intervals, two being quite large and two rather smaller. The two western stones, however, would have been quite spectacular when upright, being nearly 8 feet in length. Unfortunately, they are both now prostrate.
There are no noticeable markings on any of the stones.
Take the road from Kilry up past Kilry Lodge and Loanhead farm down the track to Scrushloch. You should be able to park in a corner of the yard. Looking down the hill to the NE you will see the stones on a small promontory. Careful crossing the burn! There is an area of new planting here, and when the trees mature the stones will again be hidden from view – but in a large clearing which will make this quite a delightful spot.
These stones were only recently recorded during a pre-afforestation survey. A lovely little four-poster.
From the A932 from Forfar head east, turning right (south) towards Letham at Chapelton. The road cuts back towards Forfar then there is a side-road on the left (south again) towards Letham. The Girdlestane lies on a bend about 100m south of this, in a small enclosed area just off the road. The stone is labelled “The Girdlestane. Early Bronze Age Cup and Ring Carving 3200 – 1500 BC.”
This hill really has to be seen to be believed! The Scottish Megaraks visited it on 9th February 2003 having been lucky enough to get the farmer’s permission (ScottY knows his daughter), and it is a real megalithic feast – prehistoric barrows, cairns, kerb cairns, hut circles, house platforms, four-posters and a cup marked rock.
There are multiple entries for all of these in Canmore, but the site has not been properly surveyed or excavated. That’s a great pity, as I feel that a lot more could be learned about this area. Strone Hill, which lies just to the NW of Brankam, also has a large amount of sites, and there are many others very close by – Meikle Kenny, Auldallan and Pitmudie, to name but a few.
This stone lies in fields adjacent to the road into Glen Prosen, by Cortachy. Park at the Scottish Woodlands cottage and follow the track up beside the wood. When you reach the top of the slope, look west and you will see the stone about a quarter of a mile away in the distance. It was an interesting stravaig today, as the snow was fairly deep. Tracks of hare and pheasant were clearly visible in places. There is one fence to negotiate.
The stone stands nearly 6 feet tall, with no discernible markings on it. Veins of quartz are visible.
This setting is about 40 yards from the first, and is pretty overgrown and difficult to make out at first. Two stones are fairly prominent but again, the more northerly is virtually buried. CANMORE carries this group as 3 stones of a four-poster, about 4m in diameter, and states that an ‘urn’ was found buried here in the 19th century.
Three small stones forming a rough triangle. Two stand about 2 feet proud of the ground, the most northerly is almost buried. Forestry work has been going on around them, and they are partially covered by felled trees. They stand in a little clearing, and once the lumber has been cleared away they will be a bit more obvious.According to CANMORE they are three stones of a four-poster, about 3.5m in diameter.
I’m not sure if this may have been part of the original circle or not. It’s not too distant from the standing stone, and in the same alignment along the ridge. It’s pretty heavily scarred by ploughs, so may have been buried at some point. Hard to tell, I’ll leave others to make their minds up about this one!
This stone stands around 4’6” in height, with the broad faces aligned NW/SE. There are no significant markings to be seen on it.
This is an interesting little group of sites. There is a single standing stone at the top of a ridge, just beside a small wood and near a trig point – easiest way to find the group is to head up the side of the wood to the trig point. The stone is just a few metres away. Just to the SW of the standing stone is a large recumbent stone, heavily scored by ploughs. Whether this is part of the original circle I’m not sure, but have included it for completeness! Entering the wood to the north east, about 40 yards in is a small group of three stones. Another 40 yards on in the same direction is yet another group of three. Forestry work and natural growth obscure both of the small groups, but it was fairly peacefull there when I visited today, despite the fact that standing out on the ridge I was face-on to a 40+ knot northerly wind, which changed into a blizzard as I descended the ridge!
Visiting this one risks life and limb! It lies on the A911 about a mile west of Leslie, and there are no pavements and very little in the way of a verge... Fife drivers exhibit a blithe disregard for minor impediments like speed restrictions, so be very careful. There is a place to park a little way past the stone in the side road leading south.
This pair stand in the fields of Longloch Farm just north of the Binn Hill at the back of Burntisland. Use your map carefully, I’m not even going to try to describe the route! Permission should be sought at the farm but is readily granted.
Canmore says of them: “These two standing stones are situated on the summit of a gently rising pasture. The ground immediately surrounding their bases may have been made higher. The stones are vertical, stand 19’2” across centres and exactly E-W. The bases of both are packed with small stones. The W stone is a smooth-sided block of quartziferous rock 6’2” high, 12’8” maximum girth. Close to it is a block of stone 1’4” above ground. The E stone is of much weathered whinstone and is 5’7” high. Its greatest girth is 12’9”. Several small circular hollows are attributed to weathering. It is unlikely that the stones formed part of a stone circle.” What you see is pretty much what is described, and there’s no point in adding to it, other than to say that the two stones each have a very unique appearance from each other. The view over the Forth from here, even on a cold and windy winter afternoon, is pretty stunning.
I visited today. This stone stands in a field just on the eastern outskirts of Kirkcaldy, just where the A921 branches from the A92. Parking can be accomplished a couple of hundred metres along this road (a small layby). It is a large lump of sandstone standing just under 2m high, 1m wide, and about 0.6m thick, aligned E-W. There is one small cup mark high on the north face of the stone.
Creich Manse is situated off the A92 between Glenrothes and Dundee, just beside the village of Brunton. The Reverend Collins is the Minister of this parish, and the circle is within the grounds of the manse. He and his wife are friendly and welcoming, and must be approached for permission to view the circle – which is readily given.
These delightful concentric circles were moved from their original position in 1817, and set up exactly as found within the grounds of the manse. Canmore describes it thus: “In the centre of this feature was an upright cylindrical sandstone 14” high by 12” diameter, around which at a distance of 3’ was a circle of 16 upright stones, and beyond that a circle 15’ in diameter consisting of 32 upright stones the number of points in a compass, and in both circles, a stone larger than the rest was placed at each end of the cardinal points. The stones forming the inner circle were of sandstone which could not be obtained nearer than Cupar Moor, seven miles away; the stones of the outer circle were of local whinstone. Due S of the centre, and between it and circle B were two sculptured stones, the remaining space being paved. When being removed, burned human bones and charcoal were found under the inner of the two sculptured stones.” And that’s pretty much what you see today.
The sculptured stones are interesting, if vaguely detailed: a circle, a circle with extensions (ewer?), two raised mounds with a groove between, and a square with circle on top containing a crescent.
This site may have been moved from its original locus, but retains a great deal of charm, even on a cold winter’s morning. Well worth a visit!
A large hill fort, thought to be around 2500 years old, with a massive stone rampart, ditch and outer ramparts – two concentric walls. The inner wall was originally some 12 m thick and several metres high, enclosing an area of about 2 acres. A cup marked stone was found on the west slope of White Caterthun – link to photo
The stone stands nearly 4m tall, and is quite an impressive sight. There are cupmarks on both main faces of the stone, 4 or 5 on the north face, and quite a number on the southern face. Unfortunately, it has also suffered from vandalism with some names and initials carved on the eastern portion, along with (more suitably), a thistle...
This granite slab, which is designated a Class 1 stone and measures 1.98m in height and 1.75m in width at ground level, is set upright in a modern socket-stone on the summit of a cairn. Aligned ENE-WSW, the stone has incised on it an animal, possibly a wolf, at the top, a double-disc and Z-rod in the centre, and a mirror and comb arranged vertically near the base. It is alternatively known as the Baldowie Stone.
Originally this circle stood in New Scone until excavated in 1961 prior to the housing development it is now in the midst of. Seven stones, diameter of the circle about 16-17 feet, graded with the largest stones on the W-SW arc. An urn containing a token cremation was found in the centre during excavation.