markj99

Visited 06.02.23

Drumduff Cairn is a sub-circular low mound, c. 4 miles S of Ballantrae in South Ayrshire. It is a green oasis in open moorland. A horseshoe of reeds delineate the cairn, leaving the W Arc clear. I estimated a diameter of 20 yards and a height of 2 feet. Canmore ID 60858 describes an “oval cairn measuring 19m by 17.5m and 0.6m in height”. There are no stones visible on Drumduff Cairn. The grassy surface is flat and featureless.

Visited 06.02.23

There is a ruined cairn on the summit of Carlock Hill, c. 3.5 miles S of Ballantrae in South Ayrshire. The remains of the cairn are located c. 0.5 miles NE of the N end of Glen App.
Carlock Hill Cairn stones were used to construct dry stane dykes in the 19th Century according to Canmore ID 60852. Canmore also states that “human bones of enormous size (Name Book 1856) were found” during the robbing.
A dry stane dyke, running on a NNE-SSW Axis, bisects the original footprint of Carlock Hill Cairn. The N & W quadrants of the cairn have been erased, leaving a grassy semicircle in the E & S quadrants. The semicircle, which measures c. 7 yards in radius is delineated by an outer grassy bank. This bank measures c. 3 feet wide by up to 1 foot high. The flat interior of the semicircle has patches of reeds on a grassy surface.

Visited 05.02.23

There is a round grassy cairn on the summit of Penderry Hill, c. 4.5 miles S of Ballantrae in South Ayrshire. Penderry Hill is c. 0.7 miles NW of Glenapp Church. The cairn measures c. 7 yards in diameter and 1 foot high. There are no visible stones on Penderry Hill Cairn. The green grass circle stands out from the brown moorland grass. An OS Trig Point has been constructed on the centre of the cairn. It is listed as Canmore ID 60859.

Craigbirnoch NW Cairn is located on a knoll in open boggy moorland c. 450 yards NE of a passing place (NX 17641 69180) on the New Luce to Barrhill single-track road in Dumfries and Galloway. The grassy round mound measures c. 12 yards in diameter and 5 feet high. The cairn is intact except for a quarry pit in the N half of the mound. There are only a few visible small stones on the surface of the cairn, embedded in the centre. Craigbirnoch NW Cairn is listed as Canmore ID 61367.

Craigbirnoch NW Cairn is one of a cluster of cairns E of Craigbirnoch Farm. Craigbirnoch NE Cairn is located c. 100 yards ESE of Craigbirnoch NW Cairn.

Craigbirnoch NE Cairn is located in open boggy moorland c. 500 yards NE of a passing place (NX 17641 69180) on the New Luce to Barrhill single-track road in Dumfries and Galloway. The grassy round cairn, which lies c. 80 yards W of the Cross Water of Luce, measures c. 20 yards in diameter and 2 feet high. The largely quarried cairn has an irregular grassy surface in the centre, with original cairn stones, covered in a patina of moss, preserved on the E and W Arcs. Craigbirnoch NE Cairn is listed as Canmore ID 61392.

Craigbirnoch NE Cairn is one of a cluster of cairns E of Craigbirnoch Farm. Craigbirnoch NW Cairn is located c. 100 yards WNW of Craigbirnoch NE Cairn.

Craigbirnoch Central NW Cairn is located c. 300 yards NNE of the junction of Craigbirnoch Farm Track with the New Luce to Barrhill single-track road. It is c. 80 yards N of a passing place (NX 17641 69180) on a sharp corner in open boggy moorland. Canmore ID 61403 states that a cist was exposed when Craigbirnoch Central NW Cairn was robbed for road metal in 1914. The cist was excavated in 1916, revealing evidence of a cremation. There are no visible signs of a cist in the remains of the cairn. The round cairn, which measures c. 14 yards in diameter and 2 feet high, survives as a grassy horseshoe bank with a central hollow. The outer bank varies from 2-3 yards wide around the perimeter with a gap in the NE Arc. The interior of the cairn is grassy with a group of embedded small stones in the N half.

Craigbirnoch Central NW Cairn is one of a cluster of cairns E of Craigbirnoch Farm. Craigbirnoch Central SE Cairn is located c. 70 yards SSE of Craigbirnoch Central NW Cairn.