pebblesfromheaven

Just like to say this is in the running for my favourite circle.
Cute and perfectly formed (perhaps too perfect?)
And it has nice memories for me.
And I found the cist.

.o0O0o.

Been to Dumfries lots of times but hadn’t been here before! Very overcast day but clouds somehow comforting. Stopped for lunch here, very quiet spot but quite near a major road. Not many decent hills overlook the site.
A couple of the stones are fairly big, but some are about the same size as the sheep!

BTW I could only count 11.

.o0O0o.

This hillfort views Humbleton hillfort to the north-west.

Beside The Kettles fort there is a rock outcrop called the King’s Chair, which got it’s name from a local legend that a Scottish king once sat here during a battle between the Scots and English in the valley below. There are no records of this battle... although there was one near Humbleton.

The valley beneath was a once-busy passageway including a spring called the Pin Well, which got it’s name from the local tradition of visiting the well on Fair days, throwing in pins and making a wish.

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St Cuthbert’s Cave 11-1-2003

Took a brisk walk up here from the car park, lovely place, a dingly-dell with a wonderful feel. Set in a wooded copse, this place serves as a burial site for the old landowner, who’s family then donated it to the National Trust. It’s actually quite an impressive size. A bit used and abused now sadly, with lots of graffiti of various sorts, including one a bit tasty of a cool little yellow drude in a cave-painty stylee. No older rock art visible sadly.

Behind the cave on top of the hill there is a fantastic viewpoint with more rock features, and some wonderful natural weathering, including plenty of examples of why and how lichen protects sandstone from wind damage! View spans right over local landscape taking in Doddington Moor and the Cheviots, and back to Holy Island.
One the way back down, passed three young local types going up there to camp, presumably in the cave. You’re not telling me they didn’t do that 3,000 years ago!

.o0O0o.

4-8-2002CE

This stone is in Hepburn Wood (Forestry land), which has a good car park and planned walks; the stone is marked on a map at the start, however it’s easy to miss the signs and the path is overgrown.

The setting of the stone is very peaceful, lots of good woodland plants, ferns, mosses, etc.

There is also a replica cist on one of the woodland walks, and you can walk to Ros Castle from here.

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Ros Castle 11-1-2003CE

It was too good a day to miss, clear day, not much wind, perfect conditions. Glad I took my wellies… nice black bog to cross, still mostly frozen thankfully.

National Trust site, with a replica fort and memorial obelisk for an old politician (?)

I’m glad I went up there… the views today were fantastic. Could see Bamburgh castle and the Farne Islands, Lindesfarne castle and Holy Island, the ridge of Simonside, the snowy Cheviot… lovely.

Didn’t know there was rock art until I came to post these pictures – I looked around, as you can’t help it, and I didn’t see any. Maybe next time.

.o0O0o.

Visited on 25-04-2002. Signposted off the main route through the town of Aviemore, easy to find.
The surrounding hills are visible, and it’s still possible to imagine what it used to look like before the houses and tourists moved in. Yes, it’s had an estate built around it, but I imagine it’d be great having this as a neighbour.

Visited on 28-04-2002, and it was tipping it down! Lovely site though.