A well preserved Clava passage grave which can be a bit overgrown in summer.
The chamber and passage were left open after the 1909 excavation and are still very clear. There are no surviving circle stones.
Turn E off the A95 at NH87991680 and park at the end of the houses. Continue along the track to just before the railway bridge. The site is on your left amongst trees. One gate, which was open on this visit.
6.6.05
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An well preserved Clava ring cairn and the most southerly example of a Clava site.
Large outer kerbstones complete for most of the 55m circuit and one upright circle stone 2.9m high. Great views!
Turn W off the A9 at NH85030850 (not on current Landranger). This is immediately after layby 127 (that's precision for you!) if travelling N. If you miss it, the next exit will also do. You can drive up to the site where there is parking for a riding school. There is a stile into the field.
6.6.05
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Not a great standing stone - 1.8m and rather spoilt by its wooden fence.
But worth a stop if on the way to the much more interesting Carse.
Access Parking right opposite the gate - which wasn't locked.
Visited 29 May 2005
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The photos speak for themselves - three tall, elegant stones in a superb location.
In an area with several stone settings (Ballochroy, Escart), this is my favourite.
Access Parking a little W of the stones. Unlocked gates into each of the fields.
Visited 29 May 2005
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I think this may be the best-preserved stone row in Scotland (ignoring things like Callanish avenues, Caithness "fan settings", etc which are not directly comparable).
I'd planned to visit it twice before on trips to Kintyre but always missed the turning - and there never seemed to be time on the way back. This time I was determined to see it and, wired to the moon, was able to anticipate its location much better.
Five stones running NNE/SSW measuring 2.8m,3.3,2.4,2.1 & 1.1 (broken). There is a gap between them at the wall where a sixth probably stood. Said to be aligned on the major southern moonset.
The owner was very friendly and talked about the many visitors he gets.
A excellent site, worth taking in along with Ballochroy.
Access Not much room at the end of the farm drive so we parked at a gate almost opposite. Short walk up one of the best farm roads I've seen!
Visited 29 May 2005
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You pass this stone on the way to Stane Alane where it is a short distance from the road over a low fence.
When it upright, it would have been about the same height as the proverbial double decker bus. Aye!
Visited 29 May 2005
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Nice slender stone whose apearance is enhanced by being on a bank so you are looking up at it.
Access Dead easy. Leave the A816 Kilmartin road just N of the cemetery at NR852897. Space to park at the turn off but you could get closer. No gates or other obstacles.
On the way there, you will pass the recumbent Achnabreck stone.
Visited 29 May 2005
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What a great site to end the trip with!
"Turf covered and overgrown with gorse" was the most recent description I had of this site. Not now though. It's all gone and you can see clearly all the features of a Clyde cairn.
The portal stones and many of the facade stones remain. There is one axial chamber with well-defined compartments and two lateral chambers. All this and views out to Ailsa Craig. Splendid!
Access You can drive down the farm road where there is room to park just one car at the end. Keep going past the caravan and into the field on your left. One locked gate.
Visited 11 May 2005
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A 2.5m high standing stone close to a rather ruined chambered cairn.
A wonderful location with hills on three sides and the open fourth side leading down to Machrie Moor and the sea.
Access. There is a convenient parking space just off the main road on the farm road. You need to go up to the farmhouse to get the footbridge across the stream. There was no reply when I called.
Visited 11 May 2005
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If all four-posters were like this, I could get to like them more.
Situated on top of a small rise in perfect weather, this was a great site to end the day with.
There is a 2m high standing stone in a clearing in the forest to the E of the approach to the circle (NR910345).
Access Park at NR904337 and walk a mile up the forest road. Two gates which could be opened.
Visited 10 May 2005
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Just about believable as a chambered cairn, this jumble of stones lies on the opposite side of Machrie Water from the stone circles.
Visited 10 May 2005
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Said in some accounts to be the remains of a stone circle demolished in 1836, this stone stands 2.7m high near the road.
There is another 2.7m stone nearby (Sannox Bay at NS016456).
Visited 10 May 2005
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One of the few chambered cairns in the mountainous N part of Arran.
The remains of a three-compartment chamber and a cist can be seen. Great views of both the surrounding hills and over the Firth of Clyde.
Access Head for the S end of Sannox village. Climb the rocky slope behind the seat and keep going to the top of the slope. Head for the gate in the deer fence. There was a stile here but it is broken. You can still squeeze through over the gate. There is a prominent stone on the rise in front of you - head slightly left of that towards the cairn.
Visited 10 May 2005
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As I walked up to this site, I thought "You'll not see much here. It's in a forest, Morris couldn't find carvings seen by an earlier researcher and the last report in Canmore talked about advancing heather growth."
How completely and utterly wrong I was!
Both panels are completely clear of vegetation and you can see not just the art recorded by Sommerville and Morris but also superb designs discovered in 1982.
Altogether, there are about 20 cup and ring motifs all deeply carved and with some interesting variations on the more "normal" designs. The length of the "tails" in some cases is particularly striking.
Altogether, this has to rank amongst the best rock art panels in Scotland. It was certainly the highlight of my trip.
Access There is a forest road and path to the site. Access is off the B880 and there is room to park two cars just off the main road. The forest road has a barrier across it but, otherwise, no obstacles.
Visited 10 May 2005
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Not much to see here and, judging from the amount of dead bracken around, there would be even less to see once it starts growing again a few weeks after my visit .
The low-lying stones of a S-facing chamber can be seen with, possibly, a stone to the W representing the end of the facade.
Access Just to add to the notes from Paulus, there is a stile on your left as you approach the ruined house which you should take and then continue in the direction of the house. When you are level with it, turn left and head for the clearing which has been left at the forestry edge - about 100m to the cairn.
Visited 10 May 2005
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You can still see the trenches here of the 1961 excavation of the forecourt area which produced a date of approx 2250 bce for the blocking and end of use of the tomb.
The three-compartment chamber is still open but rather overgrown. The main feature is the pair of portal stones - one 2.4m high.
Worth a visit.
Access In a forest walk near Lamlash and at the other end of the cycle path to Carn Ban.
Visited 9 May 2005
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This "perfect four-poster" (Burl) sits by the side of a branch of the cycle track to Carn Ban. It is signposted.
Could never really get very excited about four-posters, personally. Too low and too few stones. This one is surrounded by trees and was in the shade so it didn't really change my opinion.
Visited 9 May 2005
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You need a bike or a long, long walk to get to this one. It's around a 5 mile trip including the long walk in at the end.
I'm not sure it's worth it. Carn Ban is probably more interesting for what it was than what it is now. It was excavated in the early 20C when the chamber was more or less intact but the excavation was filled in and there is little surface remains to be seen now.
Access The cycle route leaves the Arran circular road (A841) at NR970214. If you continue along it, you will also reach Monamore.
Visited 9 May 2005
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Of all the chambered cairns in Arran (around 25), Historic Scotland have to pick this pathetic specimen as the example to display to the public.
OK, the views are great but there are much better sites than this to demonstrate the architecture and use of these monuments. Giant's Graves, for example, could benefit from some on-site interpretation especially as that and Machrie Moor are the two sites most visited by the general tourist.
Visited 9 May 2005
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This Clyde chambered cairn was not discovered until the mid-1970s so is not included in Henshall's great corpus of Scottish chambered cairns.
It is in reasonable condition. The W lateral chamber still has a roofstone and there is a suggestion of a facade at the S end of the cairn.
Access Not easy to get to. It can be reached from Giant's Graves by heading NE into the forest until you reach the hill of Torr An Loisgte. Contour round the hill towards the N. On a good day, you should be able to spot the clearing in which the cairn stands. A GPS helps!
Visited 9 May 2005
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"Progress was all right. Only it went on too long."
James Thurber
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