Hob

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.

This is a good contender for the title of ‘smallest standing stone’.

Or mebbe not. Could it actually be a giant stone, over 6ft tall buried in the peat so that only the tip is showing? Well, OK, fair enough, probably not.

It is fairly close to the road, with only a small wire fence to hop over, and there’s a cairn about 80m to the NNW. So at least that’s something.

Accessible indeed! Roadside stones, in the verge.

Even if you’re in a hurry, it’s probably worth the tiny detour past the little row of houses you can see from the A-road. I barely had time to jump out and bob about for a minute or two, so I was left with a strong sense of wishing I’d had longer to try and ponder these stones in relation to the putative circle and the landscape around it.

I enjoyed visiting this site more than any of the other cairns in the area.

It was totally deserted, and very peaceful. The axehead carvings in the south cist are very nice, and I was quite taken with the capstone of the west cist.

I couldn’t make out any traces of a cup-and-ring on the stone of the south cist, as is shown chalked in Greywether’s photo, but then, maybe the light has to be just right for it to appear. I find it nicer to think it may actually be there, hiding in plain view.

This place would have commanded a fantastic view if there were no trees about. You can’t see much of the surrounding area due to the trees and the house, but it’s in what I believe they call ‘a prominent position’. It would have been visible for quite a distance I’d think.

There are a few larger stones lurking about in the field, some down the bottom of a steep slope that forms the western edge of the field. Another is about 50m to the north, these may have been part of the structure, I don’t know enough about these kind of monuments to pass judgement on the matter.

What I do know is that it has a nice feel, and the Oak doesn’t detract from the place at all. In fact, I’d love to see the place in the winter, it would look fantastic in the snow at sunset.

The folks at the house were more than happy to allow access, providing visitors ask.

Time for a break from all the rock art. So I went to see some standing stones. The 3 Kings is in a nice sheltered spot, and I’m pleased to say that whilst it requires a bit of a walk through pine plantation, the plantation has been managed well, so the trees aren’t packed too close, so that on a sunny say, it’s actually quite pleasant. It’s not a long walk from the car-park at Blakehopeburnheugh where the WC is, and there have even been handrails placed on the precipitous parts, and there are small marked posts to keep you on the right path. It’s easy to miss one of them ,so if you find yourself back at the River Rede, after reaching the point where the path becomes a track, turn back and head uphill.

On the map, it looks as if a shorter route would be from Cottonshopeburnfoot caravan/camp site. It is, but the owners are a bit miserable, and don’t like people parking there if they aren’t pitching a tent.

The four poster itself is quite nice. Gnarly old stones, lichen covered an all that. There are still 4 stones, but one is having a rest. The cairn is still quite clear. The only down side is that the trees have grown back, so the view is limited. It’s a good sun-trap though and makes a smart spot to just sit and relax.