With a close proximity to the road and the unfortunate location of neds’r’us (Aryshire branch) Ballochmyle feels doomed. The sheer disrespect of someone who feels compelled to carve their name onto such a unique and ancient piece of art is both astounding and deeply deeply depressing. Erosion so noticable around the bottom part of the wall will probably get it eventually if human folly, Buckfast and a closed mind don’t get it first.
It _is_ intially hard to find but once you know where it is you notice that there are paths to it. The one friendly local who went out of his way to show it to us left us with the dire warning ‘don’t tell anyone how to get to it or those kids will find out and destroy it’. Sadly this is so true. It would have been better if that fabled dog walker who discovered it had been turned back because the rain came on.
On a happier note some of the vandalism seen on earlier pictures (black paint and crayon) seems to have been washed away.
The sheer variety and frenzied activity of the two walls here, for me, denotes an extremely important site. It’s just my opinion but I reckon this was a stopping point on a route around the area to other sacred sites, a ‘station’ if you will.
For me this site far outstrips Achnabreck and Cairnbaan and is well worth a visit if only to scare the ‘neds’ off!