“Walkers to Stone Circle welcome”
Now there’s a sign you don’t often see on fieldgates but that’s what it says at this site.
This lovely six-stone circle has been restored by the local society.
Access Park at the parking area for the hill monument thing (NJ883307) and walk east to the access track prior to South Ythsie farm.
Visited 19 March 2005
The seven stones here form an oval with an outlier but Thom interpreted them as the remains of two concentric circles plus an outlier.
Burl says it “may” have been an RSC with ring cairn now lacking its recumbent.
Either way it’s definitely one to see.
Visited 15 March 2005
An accessible but questionable site.
The stones, in their embanked platform, stand at the four cardinal points. Each has a metal ring embedded in it which, in 1900, held guy ropes to support a flagstaff. It has the air of a reconstructed site about it.
Access. You can park outside it and access to it from the road is along a roped off path which separates you from the horses which now occupy the field.
Visited 14 March 2005
The same height as the nearby Langstane o’ Craigearn (3.4m), this one is more imposing but suffers from being surrounded by trees.
Access. On the map this looks like it sits in a clear area between two lines of plantation. It doesn’t. That clear area has been planted with trees now over 2m high. The stone itself sits in a clearing. Park at NJ712132, up the track NE then over two fences. I’d recommend having a GPS as there are no landmarks to follow.
Visited 16 March 2005
Around noon, even in mid-March, is not a good time to visit a cup and ring-marked rock. But here the carvings are so strong that they still show up well in the mid-day sun.
This boulder is only a short distance from the RSC at Rothiemay which also carries cup and ring marks.
The views are not good; forestry on two sides one of them obscuring a view of Knock Hill to the N.
Access. Easy. Parking at NJ537468 then through two gates.
Visited 17 March 2005
I’ve not mentioned hills much in these posts because it would become a bit repetitive (and they’re all in the book anyway) but this one is possibly worthy of mention in that it is (I think) the only RSC where any of the major significant hills (Tap O’Noth in this case) is the hill which would be seen over the recumbent from the centre of the circle. The conical Knock Hill is also visible – 10km to the N.
The saddle-backed recumbent and two fallen stones are all that survive here.
There are markings on the recumbent which mark the line of the major southern moonset but they looked a bit glacial to me.
Access. Quite easy. Park at the houses at the railway bridge then through one gate and up a short steepish hill.
Visited 17 march 2005
“The stones of this circle ... are so inconspicuous that most persons would walk past them unheeding.”
So said Fred Coles in 1900 so it’s hardly surprising that we have difficulty recognising it today!
I don’t think I was any more successful than Merrick or Moth. I’ve posted a couple of pics of what there was to see.
They seem to match Merrick’s description and presumably what Moth saw but it is difficult to make much sense of what’s there.
From Coles’ 1900 description (if you ignore his dimensions which he seems to have a problem with), this could well be an RSC.
He describes three almost concentric circles which are probably the inner and outer faces of the ring cairn and the outer circle of stones. It seems to bear a strong resemblance to nearby Auchquhorthies.
Not a mystery, just a mess.
Visited 14 March 2005
Agreed Moth, this one should be better known (or, at least, documented) given its surviving condition and accessibility.
Open views on the recumbent side; in addition to the recumbent and flankers, three other stones remain standing. Not bad for a forestry site.
Being a Kincardineshire RSC, it is orientated towards the SE quadrant – 168 degrees.
Visited 14 March 2005
Sites affect you differently.
More than halfway through the trip, I’d seen a few RSCs by now but this one really stopped me in my tracks.
Maybe it’s the size and the way it leans towards you, beckoning you to come closer. Maybe its the fact that there are no circle stones so these three stones get your full attention.
Standing on its own with no distracting trees or fences (or ponies!) certainly helps.
This is the site that no advance reading had prepared me for. Minimalistic .... but then I like that.
3.9m long recumbent; flankers 2.5m and 2.8m. It’s also one of many sites where the most interesting or best dressed side of the recumbent stone is on the outside. To be seen by the moon not the participants.
Visited 18 March 2005
Second visit here. The first time (1999) the visit was rather curtailed due to the attention of the cattle which appear in some of the images.
It’s such a wonderful site that I had to come back and this time I had the place to myself.
Access. . I agree with pebblesfromheaven about driving up to the site – although I can see that some might. But it is possible to drive to NJ864128 and park beside the cottages.
Visited 18 March 2005
This is Loanhead of Daviot’s next-door-neighbour.... about 1km away.
I had read the earlier fieldnotes before I left but had forgotten them .... maybe just as well.
Suffice to say, there is nothing threatening here now (apart from an electric fence round the stones – why?) but then I went in from the W.
Visited 17 March 2005
Anything with a recumbent and both flankers in place is, in my view, worth a visit.
This is a nicely preserved site with possibly all of the stones still standing ..... but it’s so frustrating.
The setting, surrounded by the farmyard and trees, makes it impossible to experience it as a circle in its landscape.
But go and see it .... it makes a good little trio of northern RSCs along with Berrybrae and Strichen.
Visited 19 March 2005
A fairly average RSC with a 3.3m long recumbent.
What makes the site interesting are the results of the Burl excavation which showed that, half a millennium or more after the circle was built, some stones were damaged and the ring cairn was destroyed in a redesign of the monument.
Access Parking at the nearby crossroads. Through the field gate and then the gate to the copse.
Visited 19 March 2005
This is a rather good recumbent stone circle.
Both flankers are there although the west one is broken and only a stump remains.
Particularly impressive are the remains of the internal ring cairn which is linked by slabs to the recumbent.
Access It would be possible to reach the site from Tomnagorn farm but there is a track from the road N of the site (to Bankhead) and this may be the preferred access route. Park at NJ654081, go down the track for 50m and then take the right turn. At the double fence, head uphill and to the right.
Visited 15 March 2005
This is certainly one of the smaller RSCs – a recumbent of only 1.4m. But still worth seeking out.
Were there other circle stones? You wonder why they might have been removed but not the relatively small recumbent and flankers.
Parish records often talk about the destruction of circles and other sites but not here. Other RSCs have a similar absence of documentation and this has led to the view that, at some sites, only the recumbent and flankers were installed.
Access Near the road with parking nearby.
Visited 20 March 2005
I’d been here several times but I’d never looked at the outlier stones.
The north one, in the woods just up from the car park, is a beauty. The west one, disappointingly, is described by Canmore as a cattle rubbing stone.
Visited 20 March 2005
After its restoration, this is now a rather good recumbent stone circle. Quite a lot of the internal ring cairn is now visible.
This is another one I haven’t seen for 18 years. Before restoration (see photo), the flankers had fallen but otherwise it looked ok.
The circle lies at the W edge of the distribution of RSCs. It also has the most westerly orientation of the recumbent (235 degrees).
Access. A Historic Scotland site with all the usual car parking and picnic tables. No obstacles between the car park and the site.
Visited 20 March 2005
When I was last here (1987), there was no wood – at least surrounding the circle. So it’s the opposite of Aikey Brae. Win some, lose some.
Not a great site – and not helped by the trees. Recumbent, one upright and one fallen flanker and two other upright stones.
See it if you’re in the area.
Access. Park at NJ 957 504. Follow the forest tracks, as shown on Landranger, to approach the circle from the S. On the track into the forest to reach the site, watch out for a left turn after about 50m. Easily missed! One gate but rather rough going in the forest.
Visited 19th March 2005
Not been here since 1987. A bit more overgrown since then but, otherwise, looking good. The circle, that is.
Reconstructed in 1981, it’s a good example of recumbents in this area – especially, the embanked circle.
For some reason, it failed to uplift me. I think I felt the same the last time. Perhaps it’s the surroundings, especially that spooky ruined house!
2.8m recumbent + flankers + 6 other stones.
Access. There’s a path from the Gamekeeper’s Cottage which is the building off the track running NE from Strichen Mains. You can drive here. It was muddy but ok. Alternatively, you can park at Strichen Country Park (the lake at the other end of that track) and walk in. One gate and one stile.
Visited 19th March 2005
This has to have the most beautifully proportioned recumbent and flankers of all the RSCs.
The flankers (pushing 3m) are amongst the tallest and the recumbent is over 4m long. Together they make a wonderful composition – especially given the bulging shape of the recumbent.
It would be great to see them against the horizon but, sadly, the trees get in the way.
The recumbent has four cupmarks.
Enough circle stones survive to give the line of the circle. The recumbent and flankers are way off this circle line suggesting that they may have been built first using a wider community effort leaving the local community to add the smaller circle stones. Other circles eg Loanhead of Daviot exhibit a similar feature.
Access. Just to add to the previous comments, another way in is from the most southerly part of the wood. Vehicle tracks from there lead straight to the circle. No fences, gates etc.
Visited 16 March 2005
Another “top ten” recumbent stone circle.
Level recumbent, framed horizon, dressed outer faces .... it’s all here. With a couple of outliers thrown in for interest.
Here the recumbent is about 2m long – amongst the smallest. Four other circle stones remain.
Access. Park at Backhill and go through the gate at the east end of the plantation. If the field is in crop, it is easy to walk through the plantation to get a close view.
Visited 16 March 2005
You have to close your eyes to the mess elsewhere in the circle but the recumbent and flankers here are a joy to behold.
It happens to be the heaviest recumbent (53 tons and nearly 5m long) but what really makes it special is the recumbent’s smooth outer face and the level top.
From inside this circle you can get a good impression of that classic RSC outlook. The recumbent just below the horizon with the flankers breaking the horizon line. A window through which to view the moon.
Access. Merrick has given the directions. I’ll just add that there is a disused roadside quarry providing a handy parking place opposite the point where you enter the wood.
Visited 16th March 2005
Ruined but still impressive.
If you want to see the longest recumbent, this is it – 5.2m. No west flanker and only two other upright stones.
Great views.
Access. Close to the road – from where you can get a good view even if the field is in crop. Nearby passing place big enough to park in.
Visited 15th March 2005
An excellent recumbent stone circle. The west flanker has fallen but it remains an evocative site with its massive recumbent and largely open outlook.
What a difference from when I was last here in 1987 when the circle was completely surrounded by trees (see posted image).
Access. a23’s directions are spot on. The parking place is at NJ 9561 4706.
Visited 19th March 2005
This is a splendid stone.
It lies about 2km S of the other decorated stones at Menteith and has been moved slightly from its original location.
Located at an altitude of 25m it could be the lowest lying cup and ring stone.
GPS reading (12m accuracy) NS 56421 99536.
Access Ask at Malling Farm. They get a few visitors a year and seem happy to let you walk down to it.
Visited 13 January 2005
I can’t resist a superlative!
“...at 342m, [this is] by far the longest chambered cairn in Britain ...” PSAS 132 p118
This enigmatic and unexcavated site has only in the last decade or so been interpreted as a chambered cairn. The higher and wider S end is seen as a Clyde cairn to which a long “tail” of a cairn has been added.
There is certainly a very clear chamber towards the S end and some partly visible stones at the extreme S end which could be part of another chamber.
It is, of course, the length which makes the site special and worth seeing – and comparisons have been made with the cursus monument tradition.
Aerial views can be seen on the Canmore website.
Access Easiest access is via the Keltie Caravan Site which is signposted just E of Callander.
Visited 13 January 2005
One of, I think, the few cup and ring-marked large boulders in Scotland – there’s another at Newbigging. Most carvings are on outcrop or smaller stones.
Had a long and interesting chat with the farmer who had been there for over 40 years. He remembered Morris coming to first record the site. His most recent visitors were “two dutchmen”. That must have been you Jan and Gus!
GPS reading NS 49507 95044.
There is a cup-marked stone at NS 491 951.
Access. Very easy. You can drive up to and park at NS 4960 9514 then follow S bank of stream to the stone. A drop down a steep bank is necessary if you want a close view.
Visited 15 December 2004
This 1.1m high stone sits amongst the gravestones in the parish churchyard. Just inside the entrance slightly to your right.
Visited 15 December 2004
A 1.2m high stone clearly visible from the A891.
A cremation urn was found at its base when the stone was re-erected in 1982.
Visited 15 December 2004
THE SAD TALE OF THE COCHNO STONE
NMRS Number NS57SW 32
The Cochno Stone is one of the most extensively decorated and most interesting rock art sites in this part of Scotland.
The good news is that the rock still exists in its original location; the bad news (for some) is that, around 50 years ago, it was covered by about a metre of soil to protect it from further vandalism.
The worse news is that it does not seem to have been properly recorded before it was covered. Morris refers to several drawings of the site which are consistent in recording the main features but contain many differences on the minor ones.
As well as a splendid array of cup and ring-markings, there are spirals, a circled cross, two four-toed feet and a lot more.
He produced a drawing for The Prehistoric Rock Art of Southern Scotland (posted) incorporating as many features from the different drawings as he thought reasonable but this can be no substitute for a proper recording.
If you visit the site, you can get an impression of its immense size from the surrounding wall which remains.
See NS88NE 10
Some good stuff here – all very clear. NS 85710 87969 on the GPS.
At the S end of the rock is a group of five motifs (including a 50 cm cup and five rings with a “budding” cup and two rings) and a further two are at the N end.
If approaching from the farm, they are roughy 100m from the gate on your right hidden behind a gorse bush on a shelf on the edge of the ridge. Just E of the telegraph wires.
Visited 28 November 2004
There are two sites here
- NS88NE 9 which has a lightly-pecked (possibly partly finished) cup and one ring and
- NS88NE 53 (known as Castleton 2b) which has cup marks only.
They lie almost adjacent to each other at NS 85818 88303 on the far end of the first rocky ridge N of the farm. Under the telegraph wires. 2b is the easier to spot.
Visited 28 November 2004
Although it’s only 40 minutes away, I’d put off a visit to this site for some time. After all, if you’re going to look at a relatively rare cup and nine rings (amongst other things), you want the conditions to be just right.
The weather looked good for the day so now was the time to go for it. Low sun and virtually cloud-free. Excellent.
The visit got off to a good start. I met the farm owner just as she was leaving. Yes I could wander around and it was ok to park up at the farm.
There are 10 main areas of rock art here. I’ve listed them under Miscellaneous. Many of the references are around 20 years old so we can expect vegetation and weathering to have taken its toll.
I did not try to visit all of them. I was able to find Castleton 2, Castleton 3 and Castleton 7 and have created sub-sites for these.
I searched for but could not find Castleton 1, 4 and 5. I’m sure there is a lot more to see here – even in the areas where my search drew a blank.
Visited 28 November 2004
See NMRS NS88NE 30
This was the one I really wanted to find. Cup and nine rings – not many of them around.
My expectations were low. I had only a six-figure grid reference and the briefest of descriptions to go by and they were nearly 20 years old. Surely the site would be covered over by now.
However, I can confirm that is is there .... and looking wonderful. The rings and the seven radial grooves were very clear in the low sun. It measures 60 cm across.
Quite easy to find. It is in an open area between the gorse bushes at the far end of the ridge which runs NW from the farm. NS 85523 88185
This is site 7a in Canmore. All that you can see are the cup and nine rings and a cup and four rings. Their outer rings appear to be joined.
There should be a lot more here but it is probably covered and I was not going to start stripping the turf.
I could not locate the nearby 7b and 7c but I was happy. I’d found the main reason for the trip.
Visited 28 November 2004
This massive stone – 2.6m high and about 4m circumference at the base – sits close to the River Irvine.
Not the most attractive standing stone I’ve seen!
Visited 19 November 2004
At one end of the main square in Darvel sits the bust of local-boy-done-well Sir Alexander Fleming. At the other end sits this curious piece of work described below by Rhiannon.
Can’t add much to her comments on the name except to say that I’ve read Dagon has been called the god of crop fertility and the inventor of the plough and that this is a very agricultural area.
Visited 19 November 2004
Nicely proportioned standing stone 2.1m tall.
In a field just off the A71. Convenient parking spot and gate close by.
Visited 19 November 2004
“Seen one, seen them all.”
That’s largely what Dr Johnson said of this Clava passage grave when he came here with Boswell in 1773.
At least, he probably got a good view of it – which is more than can be said now. On paper, this is a great site. Five stones of the surrounding circle remain upright.
But it is covered in vegetation making access and appreciation very difficult. “A visual disaster” – as Burl says.
Access. . Roadside parking then it’s a case of finding the line of least resistance. Not easy.
Visited 2 November 2004
Strange, is it not, that someone looking for a location for a family burial ground should choose an area incorporating the remains of a neolithic burial cairn. But that’s what’s happened here.
So it was largely curiosity (and the fact that the site is on the way to Heights of Brae) which led me here despite unpromising reports about access and surviving remains.
The burial ground was, as anticipated, surrounded by a wall, gated and padlocked but, in the corner where the cairn sits, you can just see over the wall.
As for the surviving remains, if you don’t expect a lot, you won’t be disappointed!
Access. Park in Contin village. Short walk.
Visited 31 October 2004
Another Orkney-Cromarty cairn in an elevated position – 240m. The most visible remains are four stones from a polygonal chamber standing 1 to 1.5m high. Look around and you can see some low surviving stones from a second, rectangular, chamber which adds to the interest.
Nice site with great views and reasonably accessible.
You are supposed to be able to see Balnacrae from here (4 km NNE) but we forgot to look!
Access. Easy. From the Dingwall/Strathpeffer road (A834) take the turning for the memorial to writer Neil Gunn and park at the memorial car park. Follow the farm track immediately E of the car park to the site. Several gates but all easily opened.
Visited 31 October 2004
An unusual and interesting variation on the general Orkney-Cromarty plan.
The chamber here is at right angles to the passage – they are usually on the same axis. There is also clear evidence of a facade running to the SW.
Nice site with good open views and some tall stones (up to 1.5m).
Access. . Easy but we had to climb the gate into the field. Ask at Braedown. Room to park opposite their drive.
Visited 31 October 2004
There are some really big stones at this Orkney-Cromarty cairn – large enough not to be dominated by the tree which grows out of the chamber.
Mostly chamber stones remaining with the hint of a facade.
Access. Easy. Ask at house. Cairn to W of the drive.
Visited 31 October 2004
An attractive Orkney-Cromarty cairn sitting in an elevated position in a forest clearing with tremendous views over towards the Sgurr Mor mountains.
Most of the cairn material has gone but the chamber stones survive – the tallest being 1.75m high.
Access. There is a waymarked path into the forest through Beallachnagore Farm. If you come this way, turn left when you enter the forest then, a small distance up hill, look for the track to the stones on the right.
Unsure about parking, we came in from the E having parked at NH497562. I don’t think we’d have found it without the GPS from this direction. Eventually, we joined up with the route above.
Visited 30 October 2004
The scant remains of this site lie behind a barn and are covered in farm debris.
It is near the road and on the way to Muir of Conan and Cairn Irenan but, otherwise, hardly worth the trouble.
Visited 29 October 2004
I wasn’t sure what to expect here but it turned out to be good and bad news.
The last published account said that, in 1996, the site was covered in broom and brambles so the printed plan reverted to one made 40 years earlier. This showed quite substantial remains.
The good news is that the broom and brambles are no longer there. The bad news is that neither are the substantial remains – at least anything visible above ground.
Hardly worth a visit then unless it was en route to nearby Cairn Irenan. It’s close to the road.
Visited 29 October 2004
There are some massive stones here. It’s not clear whether they are the remains of one chamber or two but it’s fun trying to work it out.
It sits just outside the forest so there are splendid open views on three sides from its 250m OD position.
Access. You need to allow a bit of time to do this one – plan for a two hour round trip. Take the Swordale road out of Evanton and drive to the end of the metalled road near Milton Lodge – plenty of room to park.
Walk up past Fannyfield (stop sniggering!) then onto the forest track which is mostly through more open country than the map suggests. The last stage after the “ruin” was a bit wet underfoot but the final challenge comes as you reach the site.
A deer fence runs along the edge of the forest which looks unclimbable. Persist and you will come to a spot where a tree which has fallen onto the fence allows you to clamber over.
Visited 30 October 2004
This splendid example of a Clava passage grave sits isolated amongst the Orkney-Cromarty cairns in the area. Probably the most northerly surviving example of this type of cairn.
It is in the corner of a croft. A little overgrown especially around the passage area but you can still clearly see the inner and outer edges of the cairn.
Four of the stones of the surrounding stone circle still remain upright, the tallest being nearly 2m high. Three have fallen.
Access. Ask at the croft. No Sunday visitors please.
Visited 29 October 2004
Set in a forestry clearing, this is a good example of the features of a typical Orkney-Cromarty passage and chamber – not much of the cairn survives.
The less well preserved Scotsburn Wood East also sits in the forest at NH726768 but was not visited due to an outbreak of CBA.
Access. Several possibilities but we parked at NH733763, followed the Right of Way west for about 1 km then N up the rather wet forest track. Easy walking but two stiles to cross.
Visited 1 November 2004
Not much to see here. A ruined Orkney-Cromarty cairn with only a couple of chamber orthostats visible in a cairn surrounded by a fence and topped with a telegraph pole.
Worth a visit though as part of a trip to the much more interesting Boath Long and Short.
Access. Across the road from the Boath cairns. Stiles into the field and over the cairn fence.
Visited 1 November 2004
On the east coast of Scotland between the Dornoch Firth and the Moray Firth (known as the Firthlands) is a high concentration of chambered cairns. Around 47 surviving – about one every eight square miles.
Most are the passage grave type known (rather unsatisfactorily) as Orkney-Cromarty.
Boath Short is probably the best preserved example in the Firthlands. If you are in the area, it would be worth visiting for that reason alone but add to that its beautiful open setting, its easy access from the nearest road and two other chambered cairns just a stone’s throw away and you have even more reason to see it.
The cairn (round on a “horned” platform) survives to roof level and it is through the roof that you enter the chamber. No Historic Scotland ladders here so you need to be pretty agile to get back out!
For more on the preservation within the chamber – see the photo captions.
Boath Long lies some 200m to the SW. An impressive 70m long but heavily robbed in the middle. Only a few chamber orthostats can be seen at its NE end.
Access. Easy. Room to park opposite the entrance to East Ballone Farm and tracks lead up to the cairns.
Visited 1 November 2004