from the valley floor these are almost as omnipresent as the Bookan Tomb [to its right on the skyline though actually further uphill] although closer to the hill their bases are hidden. They lie next to the quarry, the track to which is just over the west fence next the tomb. Unfortunately the diarrhoea pills failed to work so foiled again – Brodgar has no toilets anywhere !
wideford
the three Wadbister cairns, HY21SE 9 & 24, as seen from the valley floor
Image credit: wideford
cairns at left, possible N equivalent to Dyke of Sean right [though bank part of hillside]
Image credit: wideford
northwards across top to show possible possible stone axis
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top of northern ‘half’ looking very approx. NE – mostly depression with small humps at centre
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view westwards across mound and bank at northern side
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tomb from behind the excavation scar (rough grass right) – is the view all mound or is the tomb set back into natural ?
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looking along top of excavation scar from inside field looking to Lochview
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tomb’s excavation scar viewed from northern end of roadside section of mound
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seen from Brodgar farm showing great variation in level of ring
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lit strikingly from behind this is how they looked originally I guess
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they really shone so brightly, where’s yer dark and somber monoliths now [no editing but cropping]
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seen from kirk junction. I feel folk would have been more impressed by the bank across their vision as they approached
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odd bumps N of Comets Stone mound (L of image) are low linear feature headed for the west half of it
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brilliant light this week on underwater ‘stepping stones’ running from by NE end of Brodgar bridge diagonally – is this the alleged causeway, if so it looks more headed towards the Barnhouse settlement
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The chambered tomb mound can be seen on 2 photos in “Current Archaeology” April 2010 article on Ness of Brodgar : p.12 behind house, p.15 behind Lochview stones [if these were part of an avenue between the stone circles it would have to be fairly sinuous to go around the mound]
view from north looking to Salt Knowe with Dyke of Sean running across midground
Image credit: wideford
slightly uphill view of western side, southern half is tail end right
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Still think this could be a much denuded Taing of Beeman like settlement even though the possible dividing orthostats run across the mound apparently on the edge of the southern half rather than strictly in-between. Definitely a game of two very different halves. Backing up from the northern edge of the ‘upper’ half to take it in I found that I seemed to be stepping back along some kind of small ‘causeway’ leading up to it. This half consists mostly of a circular depression with a few relaxed stones about it, whereas the southern half has a rather level top with several definite orthostats. Thinking of the Beeman settlement and how it was mistaken for a broch from the air I wondered if the now demoted ‘disc barrow’ nearby might not be still more settlement [with the bank meant to keep the inhabitants out of the myre].
