Kammer

Taken 1st August 2004: The tip of one of the stones that remains buried in over a metre of peat.

Taken 1st August 2004: Looking south across the circle, the arrows indicate stones that are visible. There are more to the right and left, but I can’t be sure exactly where.

It’s not entirely clear from this shot, but the place where I’m standing (on the uncut peat) is over a metre higher than the ground beyond the water-logged ditch.

Behind the telegraph pole is the pregnant ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

This is an artist’s reconstruction of the Olcote cairn, depicting how the cairn may have looked during one of its five developmental stages.

The illustration comes from the information board opposite the cairn.

Taken 1st August 2004: Taken as a family snap, this photo gives a good indication of just how trashed Olcote is. What were the authorities thinking when they ran the road through it?!

Taken 1st August 2004: The cist viewed from the north west (or thereabouts).

Taken 1st August 2004: The southerly cairn viewed from the northerly cairn.

In the background is Loch na Beinne Bige, and I think I can just about make out ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (or part of her) on the horizon.

Taken 1st August 2004: To the right of this shot is (what I interpretted as) the northerly cairn. William is striding towards what I think is the southerly cairn.

In the distance, only just visible to the right of William, is Loch na Beinne Bige. I think I can just about make out ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (or part of her) on the horizon.

Taken 1st August 2004: This shot shows the obvious cairn to the east of Airigh Na Beinn (the photo is taken from a position very close to the stone). This is the northerly of the two cairns.

In the background are Loch na Gainmhich and Loch Amhastar.

Taken 1st August 2004: In the centre of this shot is (what I perceive as) the northerly of the two cairns. If I’ve interpreted the site correctly, the photo is taken from the top of the southerly cairn (some of which is visible in the foreground).

Taken 1st August 2004: The top of the remaining standing stone at Airigh Na Beinne Bige, hairy with lichen.

In the distance is Loch Gainmhich.

Taken 1st August 2004: William inspecting part of a dead sheep. Fascinating stuff!

Taken 1st August 2004: Looking approximately south west.

William is helping me out by standing in what Margaret and Gerald Ponting describe as a ‘damp hollow’ representing a probably stone socket.

An approximate plan of Calanais, based on the numbering system devised by Admiral Somerville in 1912. The grey circles indicate stones that are not in their original position (18A is missing and 35 is probably the tip of 28, re-erected).

The missing numbers relate to stones incorporated in the chambered cairn (indicated by the grey square).

Taken 1st August 2004: Stonefield viewed from the south east.

Taken 1st August 2004: Stone number 9 viewed from the south, standing alone to the south west of the circle. One theory for the strange position of this stone is that it forms a lunar alignment with stone 34 (the tooth shaped stone).

In this photo you can barely see stone 34 (it’s the largely obscured stone in the bright sunshine on the right of the shot). More obvious is the central megalith (number 29) and stone 47, both to the right of stone 9.

Taken 1st August 2004: Stone 35, which probably isn’t a standing stone in its own right at all, but part of stone 28.

During excavation in 1981 this stone was found to have been erected in concrete during the 19th Century. It has also been broke at some stage, then mended.

Taken 1st August 2004: An unusual view of stone number 19 as seen from the east, with two large lumps of green-horn (a naturally occurring feature of Lewisian gneiss) sticking out of it.

This is the stone that lost it’s tip in the late 19th Century only to have it reinstated in 1978 after Margaret Curtis (formerly Margaret Ponting) found it in a nearby wall.

Taken 1st August 2004: Stone number 4 (or the Pixie-Hat as I like to call it) viewed from the east.

This is positioned in the northern section of the site, at the southerly end of the eastern row. It’s the penultimate stone before the circle.

Taken 30th July 2004: The stones viewed from the south east.

Taken 30th July 2004: The south easterly stone, viewed from the north west.

Taken 30th July 2004: The stones viewed from the north west.

Taken 30th July 2004: The stones viewed from the road, with Loch Eyre behind them.

Taken 30th July 2004: The two north westerly stones.

Taken 30th July 2004: The middle stone, which is by far the most interesting of the three. It looks like a fair few lumps have come off of it over the centuries.

Taken 30th July 2004: The row viewed from the north west, with our trusty car full of holiday stuff in the background.

Taken 30th July 2004: The largest remaining stone with the Cuillins in the distance.

Taken 30th July 2004: The tomb (or some of it) with Louise standing next to it for scale (Lou is 5 foot 6 inches tall).

Taken 30th July 2004: Cnoc Ullinish viewed from the north west, with the Cuillins in the distance.

Taken 30th July 2004: The view across Loch Bracadale is certainly stunning, but this is a pleasing little site in itself.

Taken 30th July 2004: Against the horizon the remaining stones appear spine-like, but this is a bit deceptive. An Sithean is a difficult site to interpret!

Taken 30th July 2004: An Sithean with Beinn na Caillich behind it (note the thistle – very appropriate).

Taken 30th July 2004: The largest remaining stone at An Sithean, viewed from the north west. From the road this is the most obvious sign that the hill isn’t entirely natural.

Taken 30th July 2004: An Sithean viewed from the south east with Beinn na Caillich towering over it.

Taken 29th July 2004: I don’t think I’m going out on a limb if I say this site is best visited during the winter when there’s no excessive foliage. This rather crappy photograph indicates just how little we could see.

Taken 29th July 2004: As far as I could figure, this fallen stone stands opposite Meg (indicated with a red arrow). It’s not noticeably exceptional, but I wanted to seek it out.

Taken 29th July 2004: One of the distinctive stones on the northern side of the circle, with added Foxgloves.

Taken 21st June 2004: Interesting marks on the western side of the stone.

They almost look like plough marks, but that would suggest that the stone had been re-erected. While they could be damage from farm machinery scraping the stone, I’d have expected this type of damage to produce horizontal grooves.

Taken 21st June 2004: Budloy Stone viewed from the south (or thereabouts).

Taken 21st June 2004: Viewed from (approximately) the north. William was just over one metre tall at the time. Lou is applying suncream to a very reluctant Alfie.

Taken 21st June 2004: Viewed from the east (I think).

Taken 21st June 2004: One of the unusual recumbent corrugated stones.

Taken 21st June 2004: One of the unusual corrugated stones.

Taken 21st June 2004: The two largest remaining ‘standing stones’ viewed from the west.

Taken 21st June 2004: The largest remaining ‘standing stone’ within the circle, viewed from the east.

Taken 21st June 2004: Dyffryn Circle viewed from the south west. Note Louise and the boys on the right, giving an idea of scale.

Taken 21st June 2004: These relatively large lumps of stone are in the hedge bank in the south east corner of the field where Maen-y-Parc ‘A’ stands. They’re probably nothing special, but given the number of sites that once stood in the area there’s the possibility that they represent the remains of a megalith.

Taken 21st June 2004: The stone and its surroundings from (approximately) the north east.

Taken 21st June 2004: Jane’s observation that the stone looks axe like is bourne out by the side-on view from (approximately) the south east. Taken from the hedgebank that runs behind the stone.

Taken 21st June 2004: Viewed from the north, here is the last stone that remains of this possible stone row.

Taken 20th June 2004: The Iron Age defences on the south eastern side of the fort, with William and Lou descending.