markj99

Directions: From the A75 at Dumfries take the A76 Kilmarnock road off the Cuckoo Bridge Roundabout. Stay on the A76 for c. 2 miles. Take the L turn onto the B729 Dunscore/Moniaive opposite Holywood Village. After c. 0.25 miles there is a lay-by on the L side. There is an information panel on a rock. The Twelve Apostles of Hollywood are accessed via a gate at the end of the lay-by.

Visited 06.09.21

I revisited The Twelve Apostles of Hollywood to experience how impressive the scale of the stone circle was. However I was left with a sense of disappointment at how this monument, “the largest stone circle in Scotland” has been neglected. There is no sign off the A76 indicating The Twelve Apostles of Hollywood’s existence despite it being only a quarter of a mile off the road. There is a rock with an information panel on the lay-by at the corner of the B729 but it is far from prominent. It seems to me that only locals and Antiquarians are going to visit this important site. Why is there no Brown Sign on the A76 for the Twelve Apostles?

I read CARL’s Fieldnotes with interest noting that it has been 8 years since any significant contribution on this site. As to his comment on walking counter-clockwise round stone circles there is an alternative Scottish word Widdershins which denotes travelling counter-clockwise as an unlucky or uncanonical direction. Personally, being inexplicably superstitious, I have always chosen to walk clockwise or Sunwise round stone circles and cairns.

I agree with CARL that The Twelve Apostles of Hollywood deserve more visitors but without any signage I wonder how the General Public will find it.

I revisited Drumtroddan yesterday (23.07.21) for the first time in 10 years. Although 2 out of 3 stones are recumbent it still has a presence. There is no sign to the stones, just a blank green post at the foot of a farm track. It’s in the middle of nowhere (actually c. 2 miles ENE of Port William) so I have posted a link to Google Maps. Maybe I will be the first person on TMA to post a what3words address so head for Aced.Riskiest.Ledge to find the Drumtroddan Standing Stone.

Drannandow W Cairn is an extensively robbed round cairn situated c. 900m W of Drannandow Chambered Cairn and 300m N of Drumfern Cairn. According to Canmore ID 63018 (go to Links) it measures c. 34ft in diameter by 4ft high. The N half is turf-covered with a smattering of small stones. The S half has a layer of medium to large stones with a deep excavation in the SE Arc.

Visited 15.07.21

In the grounds of Chapel Finian the well lies c. 10 yards NW of the entrance immediately adjacent to the wall. There is shallow water in the well, possibly recently collected rainwater. There is a channel running NE-SW under the boundary wall. A 2ft square slab is visible in the NW edge of the rectangular stone lined structure.

It is listed as Canmore ID 62103 (go to Links).

Visited 15.07.21

On a visit to Longcastle today (15.07.21) I located two large stones incorporated into the dry stane dyke c. 10 yards SSE of the standing stone. The W stone is a roughly triangular stone flush to the dyke measuring c. 3ft high by 3.5 ft broad at the base tapering to a rounded top c. 3 ins broad. The E stone protrudes c. 1.5ft at 90 degrees to the wall measuring c. 40ins high by c. 1ft broad. The significance of these stones is discussed in Canmore ID 62686 (go to Links).

Visited 14.07.21

Cuff Hill Cairn is difficult to find. The narrow lanes off the B777 E of Beith are un-signposted leading to Cuff Hill Reservoir. Head for KA15 2JW on the SatNav to reach Cuffhill Reservoir. There is space to park between Cuffhill and Kirkleegreen Reservoirs. Walk back to Cuffhill Reservoir to reach a path which winds along the W bank of the reservoir. This runs parallel to a deer fence. Close to the end of the reservoir there is a hollow below the fence big enough to wriggle under. Head N along the fence then c. 200 yards NNE through woodland to reach Cuff Hill Cairn at NS 3859 5509. The grid reference is taken from Canmore ID 42121 (go to Links), which has an extensive description of Cuff Hill Cairn.

Lochrennie Hole Stone is a broken standing stone c. 400 yards N of the A702 between St John’s Town of Dalry and Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway. It is erected on a hilltop c. 120 yards S of a farm track running parallel to the A702 from Lochrennie Farm.

According to Canmore ID 64766 (go to Links) it measures c. 2.5 ft wide by 3ft tall. The breadth of the slab tapers from c. 9 ins at the base to 4 ins at the top. The hole is c. 9 ins from the top with a c. 4.5 ins diameter. Approximately half of the circumference of the hole has been lost due to the top of Lochrennie Hole Stone having fractured. “The upper part of the stone was broken through the perforation about 1840 and is in the possession of the Rev Mr Corrie, U F Minister, Glencairn. The stone is reputed to have been used in connection with “handfasting”.” (Canmore ID 64766).