Hob

It’s completely different kind of stone when compared to those at Machrie. It would look more at home on the Isle of Lewis.

It’s a damn good one. Nice shape, size, good lichen, nice views, fairly easy to get to, with the fallen twin hiding in the grass as a bonus. It’s lovely and sculptural.

It’s easy to get to from the farmhouse halfway up to Auchencar, where the folks were happy to dispense permission for tromping across the field. Beware though, dodgy narrow track and not much space to turn a vehicle.

Small stone by Arran standards, which just adds to the incongruity of its location, on neatly manicured grass at the edge of a small car park. I’d not read the RCAHMS stuff below when I visited, but even without that, the idea that this may be the sole survivor of a cairn seemed plausible, there are a few in the immediate vicinity. There’s bog all else to suggest it on the ground though, I guess the road and carpark have eradicated anything above ground. I can’t recall any linear ridgey feature such as is mentioned below.

The other points of note are the views of the strange little island of Pladda, just offshore, and the lurking cone of Ailsa Craig on the horizon.

RCAHMS says:

The ONB (1864) gives an alternative name of “Tumulus” for this feature, the surveyor’s comments being “I have no authority for this object beyond its general appearance to warrant it being called a tumulus. There is a large standing stone, 3ft 7 ins x 3ft 6 ins x 6 ins (Balfour 1910) on the N side of it, with a smaller stone adjoining (not noticed by Balfour) The whole object is higher than the adjacent ground although partly levelled for the road.” The words “giving the appearance of the remains of a stone circle” have been added by the examiner. Balfour adds “a stone circle, known to have existed here at one time, was removed when making the road”.

A standing stone situated in a level grassy area and located approximately 30.0m from the edge of the coastal cliff. It is a plain weathered stone 1.1m high, 0.9m broad and 0.2m thick. A small (0.3m high) scarp runs southwestwards from the stone for 9.0m; it is not clear if this is artificial or merely an undulation in the ground. There is no surface evidence of either a cairn, a stone circle or the second “smaller” stone.

You pass this little stone box on the wooded hillock just to your left as you go from Ri Cruin to Templewood. A quick scramble up from the rusted gate involves hopping about in the mud.

It looks strange at first, as the side facing Ri Cruin is exposed, with the side slab popped out, giving the impression it could be some sort of letterboxed cairn-viewing-platform for very small people. Apparently it’s not though. Seemingly there are enough traces of jointed grooves to indicate that when it was built, it had four sides, as per normal cist construction. No cups visible on the capstone. Bruach na Cuirte means ‘Brae (hill) of the Court’.

The RCAHMS entry can be found here.

Visited August 2005

This one gets half marks for accessibility. It’s right next to the track up to the main bit of the moor, so you can’t miss it, but it has an annoying gate that prevents easy wheelchair access.

It’s one of the most tightly manicured lawns I’ve seen at a site in a good while. Quite a contrast to the other bits and bobs on the moor, which have a nicer wooly ambience.

I can’t think of much to say about this stone. It’s definitely not difficult to find, and being about 2 feet from the road, it’s very accessible. I got the feeling that it’s placement had to be something to do with this spot being at the narrowest point of the island, but can’t quite explain why.

The one thing I feel I can say is this is a much nicer stone than the one at the south of the island at Cathan’s Church. Shame it’s been a bit broken, but it does make it a nice shape.

Visited August 2006

It’s definitely got Ogham, but is it prehistoric? I dunno. It’s right next to a very old churchy spot, complete with very old ruined church, so it’s got that feel of ‘Christianised site’ a bit like what I imagine Manx Keeils are like. A bit of reading has got me fairly sure this is the Cnoc-a’-Charra, or ‘the hill of the pillar.‘

It’s quite unlike the confirmed prehistoric stone up to the north of the island. This one is much more dressed looking. It’s also not in it’s original position.

I was slightly miffed that I didn’t get time to go looking for the similarly unmappped 14ft fallen stone known as the ‘Achadh-a’-Charra’, to the west of St. Cathan’s, currently on drain-cover duties.

I’d hoped to find the two other stones nearby, apparently known as ‘The Cailleach and the Bodach’, but they aren’t mapped, I had no guide, and it was getting dark. I bottled out.

In retrospect, I wonder if the plethora of names which seem to be applied to stones on Gigha might mask the fact that this stone and that covering the drain nearby, might not in fact be the Cailleach and the Bodach.

There’s a likelihood that this is the Pauperhaugh stone, as described here:
keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N2904
and here:
rockart.ncl.ac.uk/panel_detail.asp?pi=495

I’ve visited the Black Burn, and apart from a very conspicuous (but probably natural) mound and lots of muddy water, there was indeed nothing to be found. Pauperhaugh is close to Longfamlington, and the findspot reported in Keys To The Past matches up with Pebbles’ description above.

The main thing that struck me about this place was how different all the stones are. Red ones, smooth ones, grey ones, crinkly ones, quartzy ones, allsorts. A couple of them looked to have possible cups, but on closer inspection, these proved to be totally natural.

Halfway up a hill seems an odd spot for such a thing, but there must have been a reason, makes it easier to get to for one thing. If you’re passing from Machrie to head to Ardrossan or Brodick (or vice versa), it’s worth stopping and making the short hop up from the road.

Visited July 2006

I was slightly disappointed with my experience of this stone, though that was largely due to the poor light in which I saw it. It was more or less mid-day, with bright summer sunlight. This made the motifs (mostly cups, but with a couple of rings) difficult to see. They are quite worn, they do have quite a covering of lichen, so it was difficult to reconcile it with the diagram in Stan Beckinsall’s book.

On the plus side, the stone is easy to find, being just to the left of the forestry track. In a better light, it should be easier to see the arkings. Given that the views are to the east, morning would probably be the best time. Evening would probably not be a good time, as immediately to the west, there is naught but hillside, so the stone would be in shadow.

(A word of warning, the whopping great trucks come belting down that track at some speed, as they aren’t expecting to see anyone. The stone is on a bend, so don’t be tempted to leave anything hanging about on the track, lest it get flattened)

It’s only taken 14 years, but I finally seen the darn thing in the real.

I reckon it was made by the same person who did the one at Dod Law Hillfort.

The heather burning has come within 3m of the panel. Careful with that fire! Burn not the carvings, for they are nice.

Harelaw Crags featured as the bonus site at the 2006 Rock Art Meet, and as such probably saw more visitors in one afternoon than it had in the previous year.

One of the most frequently remarked observations was that the carvings on this low ridge of outcrop seem to be the survivors of quarrying. Leading to much speculation about how much rock art may have once been there.

Another much noted aspect of the site was the fact that the trees do not half get in the way of an otherwise excellent view of the Cheviot to the south.

As was discovered at RAM06, if you keep walking down to the bottom of the cleared patch between the trees, there is a gate, saving much snagging-on-the-wire.

The suspiciously flat bottomed cup just has to be an enhanced natural feature. No-one could peck such a flat cup.

Midway between the two panels, is a possible ‘sname‘, (a shallow, fire-reddened bowl). Or something that looks like one. If they exist. Which they might not. And even if they do, they might not be archaeologically significant. And even if they are, they might not be prehistoric, let alone contemporary with the rock art.

Visible from the road leading to Doddington, this bit of carved outcrop has been pretty heavily weathered, it’s in a very exposed location. But this means the view over the Millfield plain is excellent, in the olden days, this would have overlooked a henge or three, as there’s shedloads of the on the plain. The view also gives a nice profile of the Cheviot and her pals, whilst maintaining a visual link with the other rock art sites on Doddington Moor.

It’s currently used as a soapbox by sheep who want to bleat at the passing traffic, and for target practise by the local avian community (Maybe they’re actually aiming at the proseletising sheep?)

Gled Law is the name given to the southern side plateau of Doddington Moor. From the moor, up on the hillfort, or by the main panel of rock art at Dod Law, Gled Law seems to be low lying, but this is deceptive. From the fancy panels on the edge, the view across to the Cheviot massif gives the opposite impression.

It’s possible to approach from the north, dipping down off the edge of Dod Law via the path down from the sheperds house, or it’s just as straightforward to park a car down at the bend between High Weetwood and Weetwood Hall.

The path up from Weetwood involves clambering over a strange raised metal sheep-baffling device, which also serves to make buggy/wheelchair access a bit of a serious (but not insurmountable) problem.

There were once a number of cairns in the field, which were still there when Canon Greenwell did his stuff, but which are now untraceable.

The carvings are excellent examples, and in a good light are easily spotted, amongst some of the finest in Northumberland. In a poor light, they seem to recede into the surface of the rock, not in the same ghostly way as those at Chatton, seeming more camouflaged than faint.

As well as the rock art on the hill, Ros Castle (as the name suggests) also is the site of a prehistoric fort. The hillfort earthworks are difficult to discern, not helped by being sliced in two by a boundary wall, with a lot of heather on each side. The road runs quite close, and whilst there are a couple of steep patches, it’s probably worth a detour this way for anyone heading from the Cheviots to the A1. The ground underfoot is loose sandy soil with rocky protuberances, not suitable for wheeled contrivances, and looks like it would need extra care in the wet.

The view is excellent, with the most of Bewick Moor stretching to the south, I think it’s just possible to make out Old Bewick Hillfort. The vista is edged on the south east by Hepburn crags, with it’s cupmarked cairns, cists, and a small hillfort. To the east, the coast is easily visible, and Bamburgh castle stands out like a sore thumb. To my minor chagrin, the long cairn at Ox eye isn’t visible, though it may well have been if the trees weren’t there. To the north, the lost carvings of Amerside Law also hide behind conifererous screening, with the Lammermuirs clearly visible on the horizon, I’d think it would be possible to see as far as Edin’s Hall broch. To the west is the Cheviot Massif, an omnipresent silhouette, best viewed from the smaller hills to the east, such as Ros Castle.

The cottage is now inhabited again, so it’s the sensible place to ask for permission to go check the gatepost.

The gatepost is at the far side of the field to the left of the cottage as you approach from the road.

Shame it’s not in situ, as the vicinity affords good views down Allendale and along the Tyne valley, so there may have been more. It does look as if the marked stone this gatepost came from was bigger.

It’s got to be possible that it came from a cist rather than the presumed outcrop, as it’s reminiscent in form to the cist cover at Stanniston Hill, which ain’t all that far away.

Visited July 1998

Small thing, but with some nice quartzy bits. I remember a poor choice of route, assuming that following the path through the (now feled) plantation just uphill from the ford at Wester Gorton was the shortest route. Piffle is it. It means yomping uphill through serious heather and boggy bits. There were traces of seashells on the peat, presumably part of some long forgotten farmng. Much more sensible route is to head straight up to the crest of the ridge and walk down. It makes a circular walk taking in the nearby cairn and cist more of a ‘T’ shape than a circle, but I reckon it’d be quicker than the yomping.

Seem to remember there were also traces of a large carnivore in some of the hut circles. Which is partly why I legged it back home before it got dark. Just in case.

Visited July 1998

We were well chuffed to see the signpost on the main road. Bonus stones! At the time I was under the impression that it was a bona fide stone circle, and was mildly puzzled by the extra bits off to the side. Not putting two and two together, and unlike the sensible Ms Mofflinson – not reading the plaque, it wasn’t for a couple of years that I saw it in a list of Clava cairns and the penny dropped. Given it’s proximity to the houses, it makes a lot of sense that the remains of the inner bits were turfed over.

It’s a nice set of stones. But in retrospect I’m niggled at by the thought that there may have been a cup marked stone, and it might still be hiding somewhere nearby. I shan’t bother to check though, as a negative result would spoil my enjoyment of the possibility. That and the fact that it’s miles away.

I’ll echo TomBo’s comments below about memory overlap. I lost track of which of these circles was which, and after 6 months I’m left with a sense of jaggedy swirly silhouetted shapes that makes me sigh contentedly to recall.

I will also heartily endorse the Clarkian nomenclature for those unable to pronounce the proper names. ‘Gary’ is so much nicer than a soul-less roman numeral.

Sited on the edge of the MoD firing ranges, in an area dripping with prehistoric remains, the Drake Stone is a 30 foot tall sandstone erratic perched conspicuously on a ridge above Coquetdale. It’s prominent profile makes it easily visible as you travel through the valley, and affords the stone itself an extensive view north to the Cheviot massif. It’s not far from the road, but the last 40m or so are very tricky going. It’s easiest to take the path through the trees, and circle around the stone making the last approach from the west rather than the obvious, but very awkward route from the east.

A short distance (10m or so) to the NW is a circular depression in the outcrop which may have been metal-tooled, it’s difficult to say as nearby outcrop bears the same marks, which could be the result of erosion through the strangely convoluted matrix of the sandstone.

Alternatively, just to the west of the stone (Altitude:273m NT 91985, 04435, accuracy: 7m, Garmin E-trex) is a earthfast boulder which could fit the bill for a small bullaun type basin, similar to those described by Beckensall as enhanced natural basins, of which there a couple, each associated with rock art, one a couple of miles to the east at Lordenshaw, and another a similar distance to the NE at Football Cairn.

Neither of the basins near the Drake Stone have been recorded on the Beckensall archive, but if that’s because no-one has heard of them, or because no-one has looked, or if it’s because they looked and discounted the basins, I do not know. See the reference to a ‘Drudical rock basin’ in the folklore post below, either of these basins could be the one mentioned by Murray, although it’s possible that neither of them are the thing he mentioned. To my mind, the smaller of the two is the more likely of the two presented here, as there were faint traces of what could be interpreted as peck marks consistent with those seen on other prehistoric carvings on similar stone. There is the possibility that slightly different punctuation in Murray’s description alters the location of the basin. If the sentence is read: “..the Draag Stone of the Druids, by a small tarn. Near it is a druidical rock basin.” Then the basin is nearer the stone than it is to the lough. I couldn’t find anything nearer to the lough than to the stone, though subsequent visits may prove otherwise (I’m still hoping that there may be there more definite rock art in the vicinity, as there are near the basins at North Lordenshaw and Football Cairn (e))

Regarding the significance of the Drake Stone itself in prehistory, in conjunction with the local folklore about healing children, it seems to me to have been a very likely spot for use throughout the ages. The outcrops around the erratic form natural shelters, making it a high quality vantage point and suitable for Mesolithic wanderers keeping an eye out for animals drinking on the edges of the gravel terraces of the river Coquet. It’s placed on the putative edge of two Bronze Age territories, as is evidenced by the cross dyke a mile or so to the east, for whatever that implies. Equally, it could be just as useful as an Iron Age lookout, having a good view of a major route from the hills to the sea, with intervisibility to a number of beacon hills. This possible use could presumably have continued as recently as the 17thC when one takes into account the endemic Border Reiver activities in the area. Given the position as a good route to pass unobserved from Coquetdale to Redesdale across what is now the MoD ranges, this seems fairly likely.

Regarding any possible ‘ritual’ significance in prehistory, the 19thC reference to druids is obviously an artefact of the predilections of the Victorian craze for all things druidic. But then there’s the tentative idea that the stone’s proximity to Harbottle Lough may have afforded it significance to anyone to whom lakes were somehow connected to the underworld. It would also have been one heck of a platform for any priestly character who was nimble enough to climb it. They’d be silhouetted very well when viewed by a crowd in the valley below. I can see why Murray was happy to accept it as a ‘druidical’ site; it just has that kind of feel to it. If the druids didn’t use this stone, well shame on them, they missed a good venue for a gig. These days it displays a mysterious offering much different from those one normally finds at a bonafide prehistoric site. Instead of flowers, crystals or whatever left by neopagans, there is a small bundle consisting of a metal rod and two brushes tied with a shoelace, presumably left by a member of the strange cult of ‘Bouldering’.

After a child friendly visit during the day, we went back in the dark, with a big lamp, to see if side-lighting would pick out the putative cup mark on the central stone (See Kammer’s photo). Unfortunately, no joy, the photos were blurry and filled with noise.

In retrospect, it was easier to see the possible cupmark in daylight. It’s definitely a small circular depression, but is it natural or man made? Without other examples of cup marks in gneiss to use as points of reference, I think it’s impossible to say one way or the other. A close study of the occurance of similar features may indicate statistical corellation, but even then I supppose that’s not proof of artificial origin.

Stone circles are extra-wonderful places when experienced in the dark. Both here and Avebury give out a totally diffferent type of somethingness when visited at night compared to that which they give out during the day.

August 2006

Summertime again, but this time low overcast, terrible light for viewing rock art. Headed home before it got properly dark, precluding fancy photos.

Still enjoyed it though. Made the acquiaintance of a couple of supremely weird looking Germanic fellas, who had visited not to see the rock carvings per se, but because they had been told that from this spot, the whirlpool of Coryvreckan could be seen. This ties in with thoughts of spiral motifs both here and at Templewood. For apparently Coryvreckan is a formidable natural feature, maybe worthy of note back in the days of rock carving and circle building.

August 2005

Summertime, clear sky, late evening, just before the sun hits the horizon, midge central, but the light hits at the perfect angle, and no-one else there. Lovely.

If you ain’t into climbing over the railings, the camera-onna-stick method of monopod assisted photography can get some nice closeups. I was interested in some motifs which looked like they’d been ‘had at’ in ancient times. As if their meaning or creator had become unwanted, resulting in the deliberate and public desecration (if that’s an applicable word?) of the carvings.

As far as I’m concerned, Achnabreck lived up to the hype.

(But it still dunt beat Ketley Crag for sheer CnR loveliness!)

Even when it’s windy, the walls are high enough to make a nice relaxed picnic quite possible.

This is such a wonderfully secluded and cozy valley, well worth the scary drive up the unfeasibly twisty-steep road to get here. It’s a bit easier from Skye, via a slightly less twisty road, and with the added advantage of the spinning ferry.

Disabled access
Not good for wheelchairs, the incline is steep and uneven. It’s close to the road though, about 20 yards, so quite visitable by those who can’t easily walk far.

August 2006 :-

Had a good mooch about here on a number of occasions over the space of a week at Slockavullin. The top couple of houses of Slockavullin are the ones visible up the bank from the circle. Not far at all, offering the opportunity to easily visit at night.

It has a much nicer atmosphere in the dark. Had the place to myself for hours. Must be careful on those loose cobbles in the nightime rain though.

Much of the time there was spent pondering the possible connection between the spiral carvings here, and the whilpool/waterspout at the nearby Gulf of Corryvreckan. Supposedly, it’s sometimes possible to hear the roaring of the whirlpool from around Kilmartin.

I’m not convinced the double ring is totally artificial. It looks like ‘enhanced natural’ at best. Maybe it’s one of these ones that needs the right light.

August 2005 :-

In terms of accessibility for wheelchairs/buggies, templewood is about as good as it gets. I was immensey chuffed to see it has it’s own disabled parking bay, though it’s also accessible via the car park for the Nether Largie stones (The great X), though this involves a substantially longer route, but then any route would be longer as the Templewood disabled bay couldn’t really be any closer without being in the circle.

Oh, and the spirals are nice too.

One thing that struck me about this place was the excellent view that standing the terrace to the north would give. I didn’t have the time or inclination to run up to check it out, but I bet a good view of the remains of the cairn could be had from up there.

The ground around the cairn is ridiculously uneven, the fairly dry parts were ankle-twistingly rutted, the surface obscured by grass, and the boggier bits were at least 8 inches deep in quagmire (They may have been deeper, but I pulled my foot out).

Yet the cairn itself is rather nice. I’d love to see it in winter when the undergrowth is asleep.

The way the outcrop seems to be the edge of a ledge, got me to wondering if the whole ‘terraced’ aspect of the Kilmartin landscape might have been subtly different in ages gone by. Particularly in that at some point, there may have been lots more outcrop, before the soil built up. The theorised processional routes may have been lined with stone ridges I got to thinking. Then again, it could be that the edge here is the result of quarrying at some point? That happens a lot with Northumbrian rock art, but I don’t know if Kilmartin rock art ever suffered in the same way.

Wheelchair access is not good, even though the path is fenced off from here to Dunchraigaig cairn, it’s on a serious camber, so chairs would probably tip to the side.

The carpark opposite the cairn is the starting point to visit the cairn, then to the left north), Baluachraig and then to the right, Ballymeanoch stones and henge. Paths lead from Dunchraigaig to each of the other sites.

Disabled access to Dunchraigaig is possible, but involves a short hop over the main road, which could be a bit hairy.

Dunchraigaig cairn has a couple of cists, the outer one easiest to see, with another peeking from the top. There’s also a small group of stones to the left of the cairn (as you’re looking from the road), I have no idea what these might be, but they may be connected with the cairn in some way.

We found this site barely accessible with a 3-wheeler buggy. It’s pretty steep and rocky on the way up, and very rough, bumpy stuff up at the top. Some of the bumps and ridges between the two panels have hints of natural features used as enclosure/boundaries. Difficult to say though as he natural strata appear to just go their own way and not ay heed to what humans might expect them to do.

The first panel you come to is the one which is allegedly makes use of natural cracks in the schist to create a fishlike motif. It takes a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but I suppose it could be a fish, but only just. It’s not exactly fishlike in the way that the Australian rock engravings look like fish, but I suspect the person who first suggested the fish theme may well have seen some of the Aboriginal motifs and may have just imposed the idea onto some otherwise random cracks in the surface at Cairnbaan.

The top panel is a joy to behold. I loved the way the different elements contribute and connect into the whole. High quality rock art.

Careful not to Park in the hotel car park, as the signs indicate that they might get a bit miffed. The space in front of the row of houses is fine though, the path up to the carvings is between the hotel and the houses.

Despite being well known, well signposted and right close to the road, this site isn’t really accessible to wheelchairs or buggies, though it would be no problem to carry a bairn the short distance from the road, it’s on too much of a slope to get a chair to a position where you could see the carvings.

I wish I’d noticed Rockartuk’s photo of Panel 2, which looks rather special. As it is, I didn’t, so it will have to wait ‘till next time.

I’m pretty sure there are also few cup-marks just above the main panel, outside the lovely metal fence.

This stone is greeeeeeen. It also has bits of offerings on the top. In the form of coins, ribbons and a pebble with the word ‘Futhark’, written all runey.

No sign of any of the alleged missing stones, but on the edge of the trees, a very clear view of the silhouette of Simonside is visible. In this bit of the world, no prehistoric monument is complete without close proximity such a view. Shame the trees block it from the stone.

August 2006

Went and had a look a few times this year, over the space of a week, but can’t convince myself about the second ring I thought I’d seen previously, despite a number of different lighting conditions, both natural and artificial.

August 2005

Wheelchair/buggy access here is very good (as it is at most of the main Kilmartin sites). The dedicated parking space is only a few hundred metres away, the ground is fairly flat, with no big bumps, gates are sensible, and there is a nice even bridge over the stream.

It seems to get a bit busy though, even on weekdays, we hung about for an hour or so, and spotted at least 7 groups of other visitors, most of whom were in a bit of a hurry. It’s quite fun to watch folk doing the circuit from here to Nether Largie south, via Temlpewood, it looked like quite a nice little walk. So we eventually got up and did the same.
It’s a nice way to see these 3 sites, as it gives you the chance to see the X from a number of perspectives, but isn’t strenuous in the least.

I got the idea into my head that there are two rings around one of the cups, but it could just be a trick of the light. There are’t any double rings on any of the diagrams I’ve seen.

This is high quality rock art. Interestingy different motifs, from the kind found in Argyle or Galloway, a distinct Arran style? Emphasis on the double channels leading down-slope from the cups and rings. It left me hoping that there must be more on the island somewhere. The motifs even percolated into my dreams the night after visiting.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing things is the possible anthropomorphic carving. Fans of The Sons of TC Lethridge are directed towards the track ‘A Pilot’s Eyes’, which mentions the site and the possibilities of sightlines being formed via avenues cut through the trees. Goat Fell would probably be a contender for such an sightline avenue, but of course there’s no hard evidence for such, but it’s an appealling idea nonetheless.

We found the site with no bother, you just follow the track, it’s the only outcrop, difficult to miss, just over the brow of the hill.

The trees are a bit densely planted, but despite this don’t seem too oppressive. Shame about the effect on the view though.

Access for wheelchairs and/or buggies, like most of the high profile monuments in Kilmartin, is pretty good, no awkward kissing gates, decent going on the paths.

Beware wary if encouraging small children to stick their heads out of the gap at the front of the chamber to shout hello at their Mum. My daughter did this, and nearly gave the fella sitting on top of the cairn a heart attack.

Greywether’s directions are effective. Found the carvings without problems, sans gps despite high undergrowth and the moss on the outcrop.

Looking at rockartUK’s photos and comparing them with Greywether’s, and then with what I found, I’d say the moss is still creeping over these carvings. I visited just over a year after GW, and there was a noticeable increase in the amount of the carvings covered. The temptation to have a scrub of the moss was strong, but I figured it should be left to do it’s thing.

Access for wheelchairs/buggies isn’t too bad. There are no kissing gates, and the two gates that you must go through are quite straightforward.

There’s few hundred metres of fairly rough ground though, not too boggy, but a bit bumpy. Wheeled contrivances would need about 4-5 inches clearance below the axle.

The size difference between the central stone and those surrounding it prompted my daughter to inform me that this was a school for rocks, and that the one in the middle was the teacher, and the small ones in a circle around it were the children, she wouldn’t elucidate as to what the lesson was about.

The Bowden Doors are a double ridge of cliffs on the NE side of the Till valley. They run roughly SSW to NNW and are quite visible from many (if not all) of the main panels of rock art in the area. In particular, they may have some sort of bearing on the slightly odd placement of the stone circle at Doddington Moor.

Almost every other ridge in the area has rock art, yet this prominent and eminently suitable outcrop seems to have none. This, and the unusual nature of it’s contours on the map, originally drew my attention to this site.

It’s suitability for inclusion on TMA is a bit tenuous, but is provenanced by the finding of mesolithic artifacts at the base of the upper cliff. It could be classified as a rock shelter, as there are a number of spots along the ridges that would fit the bill perfectly, however pinpointing them isn’t yet possible, as no excavations have been done (and it would seem a lessening of the sense of place were this to happen). Even a quick visit here is sufficient to appreciate it’s suitability as a site for hunter-gatherer types. It’s nicely sheltered, yet strangely manages to also afford excellent views over the both Cheviot to the west, and east to the coast, in particular to Lindisfarne and Bamburgh. The ridges also overlook bucketloads of rock art sites.

The place also has some of the finest crazy rock weathering I’ve yet seen in Northumberland, with unusual features including a gigantic ‘cup-mark’ and a strange ‘pulpit’ feature, as well as some of the strange vein-like patterns seen in the cave below Dod Law. ‘Tis very special place, with a powerful sense of presence.

The cliffs have been popular with climbers, and some of these have told me that there was once an excavation of some mounds which found remains of burials. I’ve searched and searched, but haven’t yet found any references to this.

The other possible point of interest (from a megalithic perspective), is the fluted outcrop at Raven Crag, just in front of the lower ridge. This natural feature is very conspicuous, and in my mind makes the place a possible candidate for a quarry site for some of the fluted standing stones which are found in this bit of Northumberland, such as Duddo circle. It is stretching things a tad to suggest that the stones of Duddo may have come from The Bowden Doors, but the Raven Crag outcrop gives a nice example of what the standing stones may have looked like before they were quarried for use in monuments.

Both are in a great place to be noticed by anyone coming inland. Anyone doing so may have easily noticed the cairns silhouetted against the sky, perhaps they would then continue up into the rock art strewn landscape to the north, maybe even eventually arriving at Glenquickan. It would be great to have the time to walk such a route, but it would probably be a bit bleak and boggy these days.

Overall, I think it’s nice as it is now, that toothy jaggedyness isn’t quite as oppressive as I’d thought it would be from looking at photos. And there’s even rock art. Hoorah!

I was also chuffed that the chamber in Cairnholy2 is big enough to be able to stick your head in and look through to the sea. I dunno why, but I still am.

Martin’s comments on the scary road are spot on. Steep hairpin bends to make your toes curl.

But if you’re on Skye, it’s possible to get here via the rather unique turntable ferry at Kylerhea (sp?) just up from Glenelg. It’s a short hop, only about 5 mins on the ferry. Alternatively, if you are heading to Skye, and are prepared to brave the road from Shiel Bridge, this is an excellent spot to stop off and have a break in Glen Beag before getting the ferry over to Skye.

This is just about viewable from the path to the main concentration of stones. It’s next to a modern memorial stone, the latter placed in memory of a fella who evidently loved the moor. Nice to think he’s sort of joined the ancestral landscape in a way. Shame about the wooden fence erected around the modern thing detracts from the solitary ambience of the ancient stone, but a few thousand years of weathering may take care of that.

The old stone seems very much a solitary affair, and I certaintly couldn’t see any trace of the remains of a circle which was once alleged to be here.

You can’t easily see this one when the bracken is up. It peeks out, barely visible, and even up close, it’s almost impossible to make out anything beyond the upright stones. It seems to be one of a couple of remnants that mark the start of the megalithic patch of the moor, possibly, being closer to the road, it’s been more prone to having bits nicked than have the monuments further into the moor.

But it’s not far from the track, so it’s worth checking, albeit briefly in my case.

Access for wheelchairs/buggies isn’t all that bad (if you can avoid the presents left by the sheep) until you’re nearly at the good bit. Then it’s ruined by an awkward gate thing, which in our case involved some lifting over a wire topped fence. You don’t half get a lot of old rocks for the effort though.

I was slightly saddened to see that a crude symbol had been hastily scratched into the lichen on one of the stones, it didn’t look deep enough to have done much damage to the actual stone itself.

Couldn’t figure out what was going on with the things that look like abandoned millstones. We spent a good couple of hours mooching about, but still felt like we needed twice that amount of time, there’s just so much to see.

The new improved access Rhiannon mentions above seems to be a great improvement.

There is now a small sign on the road heading east out of the village, it’s only about A4, and is almost obscured by a hedge, but it’s there, and it shows the permitted route. The last bit is still through crops, following the tractor tyre gaps. Not exactly easy for wheeled contrivances such as buggies and wheelchairs, more’s the pity. We did manage to get a big 3-wheeler buggy up there though.

The area around the stones is now crop-free, so future plough damage is likely to be nil.

On the down side, someone had deposited a can of beer in one of th grooves of the northernmost stone. Unusual form of ‘offering’, but compared to the usual dried wildflowers, at least it seems to have a bit more of an element of genuinely sacrificing something treasued by the offeree.

I wouldn’t care to comment on the structural aspects of this site, I know nowt of chambered cairns, and this seems to be a fairly non-standard, complex one.

What I can say is that it’s easy to get to, and it’s worth a quick wander about the immediate vicinity, as there are traces of features lurking in the long-grass.

A patch of overgown outcrop about 2m from the road. It’s just by the steam, directly below the telegraph pole. I spotted 2 sets of carvings, quite clear they are too. Only got pics of the top one on the flat the other is below it, to the left as you’re looking towards the road. It surprised me to see a cup with 5 rings, yet the overall diameter was only about 30cm. Quite a tightly executed bit of rock art, precision stuff, very discrete. Especially when compared to the larger, more easily visible 5 ring motifs that exist in Northumberland and Argyll. They’re so neatly done, I couldn’t quite convince myself that they weren’t incised, rather than pecked.

It’s almost in a different ‘tradition’ entirely. Made me think about the theories that RA was intended for a limited audience, and that needing to know the location of a panel was an integral part of the meaning of the things. Allegedly, the more complex a motif, the smaller the intended/permitted audience.

The Ordnance Survey and Garmin have seriously undermined that aspect of these enigmatic carvings, but even with the internet adding to this effect (NX 6033 4836), ‘limited audience’ is probably still quite applicable. I reckon it’s just nice to know they’re still where they’ve always been, even after all these years.

It’s a proper subliminal CnR this one is.

Just down from Kirkudbright, on the west side of the bay, there’s a line of rock art sites, and this is the southern end of the line, the closest to the sea. Supposedly proximity/views of the sea is an important factor with the RA in this neck of the woods.

I couldn’t sea the coast from here, but it’s such a tiny, ‘blink-and-you-miss-it’ motif, amidst oodles of likely looking outcrops, so it was tempting to think that this may just be the tip of the iceberg, and that more impressive panels would be found in the higher areas with wider views. But I did’nt get to check the other nearby stones, so I couldn’t comment.

There’s a sort of sheepfoldy/storage thing where it’s possible to park, and the stone is flushwith the ground, so easy to miss. It’s near a more conspicuous natural outcrop with a possible cup mark.

Strange anomaly in one of the stones here. It has a sort of ‘hole’ in its surface, revealing a chunk of crystally quartzy stuff. It tempted me to wonder if the whole stone was a big chunk of quartz, with a layer of something else covering the crystal. Admittedly not very likely, but an entertaining thought to mull over whilst moping about the stones in the pouring rain.

Couldn’t help but wish the HS enclosure fence was a bit larger, the poor stones seemed to be a bit hemmed in. But at least they’re being looked after.

If it wasn’t for the gate, wheelchair access would be a doddle, being as it is, right next to the road.

The main motif is clear enough, but the others are rather faint. It’s north facing position isn’t exactly the best to show up the fainter carvings, as it looks as if it’s usually in the shadow of the building.

It’s worth a visit, as the centre has a nice little exhibition of local finds, not many, but recompense for this exists in the form of the various informative video screens detailing the heritage of the valley, with a strong emphasis on archaeology. It’s a good spot to start from if you want to explore the high density of reasonably well preserved prehistoric settlement nearby. Also a good spot to pick up a replica bronze age pot, should you like such things.

This place attracted my notice on the map as it appeared to have a contour line all to itself. But it did not say ‘rems of’. Which is a bit misleading, as there are others on the Black Isle which do, but are in much better condition than this one. It’s apparently the remains of a chambered cairn. You wouldn’t know to look at it, and that’s assuming you could see it hiding behind all the bracken and other assorted thorny bushes.

If you were to get that far, I’d assume you had navigated a safe route past the very interested looking male bovines who were edging ever slightly closer when I visited, but in that manner that precludes any actual movement whilst one is looking at them. Rather they waited until they weren’t being watched, then sidled closer.

Having said that, Mulchaich has got enigmatic traces of bits and bobs that an enthusiast would possibly enjoy making sense of. There’s a linear stone thing going on to the east side, and a couple of the big middle stones remain in situ, perhaps sufficient for someone who knew their stuff to deduce a bit more about the original placement. All I could think about this was that it was in a prominent spot, easily viewed from all around. But then you could probably work that out from looking at the map.

Irritatingly, I found on return home, that there is a cup marked stone here too. I even photographed the blighter without knowing it. Except I photographed the wrong side, as the cupmarked side faces outwards, which was hidden by bracken. Hmpf!

Fairly easy to get to, only about 30m or so from the road, but there is a hop over a wire fence, then some pretty boggy and uneven ground, with the odd deephole down into the peat.

However, if you’re passing, give it a shot. There’s something very proud about these two piles of tumbled stones. I don’t know how the idea that they have chambers got started, but that is the recieved wisdom. But I do agree with Mr Cope on this one, it’s nice to see a couple of monuments that have been left intact. It really adds to the feel of the place. Very brooding and slightly ominous at sunset. Hollow hills? Aye, probably.

Compared to many Brochs on Skye, this is in pretty good nick. It’s not just a pile of loose stones indicating where a Broch once stood. But compared to those in nearby Glen Elg, it’s a bit of a dissapointment.

It has a good 4ft of wall left, all the way around the circumference, and there are a couple of side chambers plainly visible and reasonably intact. It has a fair view of the Cuillins, which must have been even better when it was taller.

It also as a souterrain a couple of hundred metres to the NW, on the other side of the road. It’s even got it’s own little parking space and an HS interpretative board. Fenced off with a one of those annoyingly narrow kissing gates that won’t admit anything wheeled.