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Court Cairn, The May was an important cairn where criminals were brought to trial according to Canmore ID 62914 (go to Links). However the cairn has been robbed out and only a low grassy mound remains on the top of a natural knoll adjacent to The May farmhouse. The cairn is around 10 yards in diameter and I yard high with the unwelcome addition of a 2 foot modern cairn on top. Some large field clearance stones have been dumped on the cairn, adding insult to injury.
I found a flat dressed stone, 4 x 2 x 0.5 feet 20 yards W of the cairn, which may have been a kerb stone.

Court Cairn is one of a small cluster of cairns at The May consisting of Court Cairn, The May and Lang Rigs.

Directions: At the top of the A75 Glenluce Bypass take the A747 Port William road. After 3.5 miles pass through Auchenmalg continuing along the coast to the Rocks of Garheugh, a series of sharp corners uphill. Take the next L signposted as B7005 Wigtown. After 2.5 miles turn L at Culshabbin for Kirkcowan via Drumwalt. Court Cairn, The May is 0.4 miles on the L at The May farm. There is room to park in a gateway adjacent to the field.

Cairn Buy is one of a pair of cairns sited on moorland above Rocks of Garheuch (known locally as Rocks o’ the Garchy) on Luce Bay. It lies c. 400 yards W of Green House Bridge Cairn which is listed separately in TMA. Cairn Buy is c.10 feet high by 45 feet across. It is almost intact except for a small excavation on the summit of the cairn. There is a thick moss carpet on the cairn lending it a patina of antiquity. Cairn Buy is listed under Canmore ID 62202 (go to Links).

Directions: At the top of the A75 Glenluce Bypass take the A747 Port William road. After 3.5 miles pass through Auchenmalg continuing along the coast to the Rocks of Garheugh, a series of sharp corners uphill. Park in the lay-by on the L 100 yards around the first corner. Walk back W for c. 300 yards to reach a gateway into a narrow field. Head E over stepping stones in a stream near the gate and keep E up a rough slope. After a few minutes the ground flattens into extensive moorland and Green House Bridge cairn should be visible ahead. Around 20 yards W of Green House Bridge Cairn there is a fork in the path at a boulder. Take the fainter L track heading W to Cairn Buy on the horizon.

Green House Bridge cairn is one of a pair of cairns sited on moorland above Rocks of Garheuch (known locally as Rocks o’ the Garchy) on Luce Bay. It is c.10 feet high by 50 feet across. The cairn has been robbed on the S side to reveal a cist covered by a 4 x 5x 1 foot capstone. There is a narrow gap allowing one to photograph the inside of the cist.
There is a similar cairn, Cairn Buy (listed separately in TMA), 400 yards E of Green House Bridge Cairn easily accessed by following a rough track.
Canmore ID 62201 (go to Links) also lists an enclosure 200 yards N of Green House Bridge cairn with substantial wall remnants.
Directions: At the top of the A75 Glenluce Bypass take the A747 Port William road. After 3.5 miles pass through Auchenmalg continuing along the coast to the Rocks of Garheugh, a series of sharp corners uphill. Park in the lay-by on the L 100 yards around the first corner. Walk back W for c. 300 yards to reach a gateway into a narrow field. Head E over stepping stones in a stream near the gate and keep E up a rough slope. After a few minutes the ground flattens into extensive moorland and Green House Bridge cairn should be visible ahead.

I was travelling to Scrabster in 2014 when I decided to visit Carn Liath, Shurrery while I was nearby. It is a robbed cairn beside Forss Water. There are only a small jumble of stones and two orthostats on the cairn which is around 30 yards across and 4 feet high. Carn Liath, Shurrery lies 400 yards W of a narrow dead end road heading for Loch Shurrery.
Further information on Carn Liath, Shurrery is available in Canmore ID 7737 (go to Links) which lists Shurrery, Forss Water, Forse Water and Tigh A’ Bheannaich as alternative names. So many names for such a disappointing cairn.

I’ve had an ambition to visit Rutherford’s Witnesses for some time however its apparent inaccessibility always thwarted an attempt. I am not enamoured of Samuel Rutherford himself, a religious Zealot, but I wanted to solve the mystery.
As I was perusing OS Maps recently I found a track which led to the vicinity of Rutherford’s Witnesses.
Travelling from Stranraer on the A75 I took the first L for Anwoth around 1 mile after passing The Teapot at Skyreburn. There is a lay-by to park in just around the corner. Walk back down to the junction and turn R up a narrow un-signed farm track. After around 0.5 mile I passed beside a small cottage (Hard Croft) and continued up the hill. After around 300 yards there was a faint track heading L downhill. I ignored this track, heading straight on. The track then bears N becoming vague in places heading uphill though rough whins for around 500 yards. I was lucky enough to see two groups of Fallow Deer, surprised to get a visitor. The path runs out in a rectangular flat clearing surrounded by whins. This could be the football pitch mentioned in the account. Using my GPS I zeroed in on the co-ordinates taken from the Camore map. Canmore has pinpointed 3 stones at Rutherford’s Witnesses, a pair at NX 572674 55608 and NX 57267 55609 with one stone c. 20 metres E located at NX 57253 55603. After some searching amongst the ferns I found three stones some 20 yards NE of the ‘football pitch’. There was a pair of stones at NX 57268 55613 and NX 57269 55616 with a third stone 25 yards W at NX 57256 55611.
These stones are within 10 metres of the expected grid references so it is not unreasonable to propose them as Rutherford’s Witnesses. The stones are between 1.5 and 2 foot high which is not huge but they are the only stones left in a cleared area.

Many TMA’ers will have driven past this cairn, sited in a field E of Alness on the A9. I saw what I imagined to be a cairn surrounded by a ring of trees. Just for once I was correct.
Canmore ID 13615 (go to Links) confirms the existence of a 60 ft cairn which was removed about 1810. A substantial capstone was left covering a 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 ft cist.
A circular stone wall was built inside the cairn boundary and trees were planted round the levelled interior.
These trees have grown tall but the level grassy interior and central cist and capstone are still preserved. Somehow the ring of mature trees round the naked cist give this site a sacred aspect.

Directions: Turn off the A9 to Alness, turn L along Obsdale Road, turn L into Kendall Crescent then L again into Salvesson Crescent. The cairn lies within 150 yards E of this location.

Barclye Rocking Stone is a boulder perched on the edge of a rock ledge on Barclye Moor. The ground on the E of the stone has been eroded leaving a 2 foot overhang. Barclye Rocking Stone is almost cuboid in shape. It measures 5.5 feet high, 5.5 feet wide and 4.5 feet broad. The boulder has 5 natural hollows: 1 on the N face, 3 on the E face and 1 on the S face. There are 4 drilled holes: 1 on the E face and a group of 3 on the W face.
The stone is situated in moorland with tussocks, marsh, and deep holes. Walking in this terrain is difficult and a walking stick is advisable.

Directions: From Newton Stewart cross the Cree Bridge into Minnigaff and turn L after 50 yards. Stay on this road for 0.5 mile, turn L for Wood of Cree Reserve. Follow this narrow single track road for 0.5 until you reach Boreland Wood. Turn R at Knockman Wood Path, go through a gate up to the car park. Follow the pink route past Boreland Cairn uphill until you reach a gate on the edge of Knockman Wood 1.75 miles later. Turn L, following the edge of the wood through rough ground for around 300 yards until you reach a silver gate. You will see a high deer fence on your R. Climb the deer style into a small plantation. Follow the deer fence downhill for 300 yards through boggy ground until you reach a ruined dry stane dyke. There is a knoll 30 yards W of you (45 degrees to the deer fence). Climb the knoll, look W and Barclye Rocking Stone is 300 yards away. Make your own way carefully through pathless difficult terrain. It may be easier to skirt the dry stane dyke for the first section but you still have to cross a boggy section E of the stone.