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Scotland
East Mainland
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Sites in this group:
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6 posts
Backland Broch |
10 posts
Berstane Broch Broch |
1 post
Breck |
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3 posts
The Brough Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
8 posts
Castle Howe Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
5 posts
Craw Howe Cairn(s) |
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10 posts
Dingieshowe Broch |
7 posts
Eves Howe Broch |
9 posts
The Five Hillocks Barrow / Cairn Cemetery |
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6 posts
Hall of Gorn Barrow / Cairn Cemetery |
7 posts
Hawell Burnt Mound / Fulacht Fia |
10 posts
2 sites Hillhead |
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1 post
Howe of Staneloof Long Barrow |
5 posts
The Howie of The Manse Broch |
9 posts
Hurnip's Point Chambered Cairn (Destroyed) |
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14 posts
Lamb Holm Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
6 posts
Laughton's Knowe Round Barrow(s) |
17 posts
Loch of Tankerness Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
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56 posts
Long Cairn Long Cairn |
15 posts
Long Howe Cairn(s) |
46 posts
Mine Howe Burial Chamber |
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14 posts
Mussaquoy Artificial Mound |
7 posts
Newark Souterrain |
11 posts
North Howe Chambered Cairn |
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12 posts
Round Howe Broch (Destroyed) |
10 posts
Stembister Standing Stone / Menhir |
8 posts
St. Mary's Broch Broch |
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11 posts
St. Peter's Bay Broch |
7 posts
St Peter's Kirk Burnt Mound / Fulacht Fia |
8 posts
Tower of Clett Burnt Mound / Fulacht Fia |
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11 posts
Venikelday Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
1 post
Yinstay Souterrain (Destroyed) |
Sites of disputed antiquity:
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3 posts
Burn of Langskaill Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork |
5 posts
The Cairn Artificial Mound |
4 posts
Comely Cairn(s) |
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7 posts
The Five Hillocks Barrow / Cairn Cemetery |
4 posts
Mecigar Standing Stones |
4 posts
Nearhouse Artificial Mound |
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5 posts
Scapa Round Barrow(s) |
4 posts
Staneloof Cairn(s) |
3 posts
Ston Loe Round Barrow(s) |
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1 post
St. Nicholas Church Cup Marked Stone (Destroyed) |
6 posts
Whitecleat |
News |
 Add news |
Brough of DeernessThe promised excavations are finally underway. The head is in favour of a Viking chief's settlement, the traditional view is an early Viking monastery, but they don't rule out something previous http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/scotland_aod... continues... |
Posted by wideford8th July 2008ce Edited 8th July 2008ce |
Fieldnotes |
Add fieldnotes |
| Coming up on the road from south to Stem Howe with a low autumn sun delineating the various shapes made by the knowes and picking out features on them. The whole is so much sculpted that it is no longer a moraine, if ever it was. Seem to be various levels too. Thought this to be only the upper part but this is an ilusion of time passing sentence on the steeper bits. Partway up the southern edge where it nears the the road the harsh sunlight brings into relief a low ridge, only a couple of feet across a few inches high, forming an edge to the mound as if to stop visitors falling unawares. This looks to stop just where the most man-alters bit starts. I notice it begins at the top end of a twisted rectangular hollow or depression, which doesn't look to be from antiquarian investigation, though possibly a long scoop. |
Posted by wideford 1st November 2010ce |
Latest posts for East Mainland |
Showing 1-10 of 422 posts. Most recent first | Next 10 
Mine Howe (Burial Chamber) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 This is a strange old place. We parked in the car park and myself and Dafydd walked into the cabin which acts as a ‘visitor centre’. There wasn’t much to see other than a series of press cuttings attached to notice boards and a small tray of ‘finds’. It certainly doesn’t have the ‘polish’ of the other Orkney sites you have to pay to visit. No guidebook here. The girl behind the desk was pleasant enough but seemed rather bored. We picked up our hard hats and headed across the field towards the burial chamber. The first thing you come to is a fenced off dug out area which shows a section of the original ditch which surrounded the chamber, although this had started to become overgrown. It is a bit of an eye opener to see how deep and wide these ditches were. We then walked up to what looks like an old fashioned out-house but which in fact is the protected entranceway into the tomb. The steps were wet and steep. Water dripped down through the stone passageway. I have never been to a site like this before – it reminded me more of a cave than a burial chamber. It didn’t have the ‘finish’ of all the other Orkney sites I had visited. There is a handrail to help you down the steps with strip lighting attached. It is easier to go down backwards. Half way down the steps is a small side chamber on your right. We worked our way down to the bottom where there is an extra deep step onto the bottom. Looking up from the bottom it again reminded me of being in a cave. Now Dafydd has been in many burial chambers in his 4 years and has always appeared ‘at home’ – however narrow, deep or dark they are. For the first time ever he said to me ‘I don’t like it in here’ and wanted to get out. We headed back up the steps and I took him back to the car. I returned on my own to go down again – it is an odd feeling being alone in the chamber looking up the dark, wet narrow steps with only the sound of dripping water for company. I remember watching a Time Team special when Tony Robinson was stood in exactly the same place and said he felt ‘uneasy’ and was quick to leave. I can’t say I felt any ‘bad vibes’ but it did ‘feel’ different from other burial chambers I have visited. I returned my hard hat and jumped over the gate to visit the Time Team reconstruction in the next field. It is fenced off so I guess they don’t actually want people to go inside – but there you go. There was certainly no one around to stop me! The Time Team effort is about a quarter scale and is completely dry. In fact this ‘tomb’ has a better finish to it than the rough and ready real one. I would say Mine Howe is a ‘must see’ as it is so different to the other burial tombs on Orkney (or elsewhere for that matter). There isn’t a massive amount to see and the whole site is a bit ‘rough and ready’ but worth a visit nonetheless. |
Posted by CARL 17th July 2012ce |
Tower of Clett (Burnt Mound / Fulacht Fia) — Fieldnotes |
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View from road 8.6.12 The burnt mound is easily seen from the road The mound is completely covered in grass. I didn’t stop. |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Dingieshowe (Broch) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 Unless you knew better you would think this was no more than a very large grass covered sand dune. It is right next to a house and you can’t miss it. The nearby toilets came in handy! |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Mecigar (Standing Stones) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 Somehow I was unable to spot this stone. I thought I was looking in the right but obviously I wasn’t (Unless it has since fallen down!) |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Round Howe (Broch) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 There is little left of this Broch which is now no more than a 1 metre high mangled mound covered in rough grass. We parked on the verge and I hopped over the fence for a quick inspection. Other than several stones sticking out of the grass there is little else to report. If you didn’t know it was here you would easily drive right past without as much as a look. Not really worth stopping for. |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
The Five Hillocks (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Fieldnotes |
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The weather was still against me so I settled for a ‘drive by’ look. From the A961 to the south I could see two grass covered mounds. A visit on a dry day would be in order. |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
The Five Hillocks (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Fieldnotes |
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The weather was foul this morning (strong wind and rain) so I had no intention of traipsing across a field and settled to see what I could see from the road – which turned out to be very little. All I could see from the road was one mound away in the distance |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Newark (Souterrain) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 We parked in the car park right next to the beach and despite being windy the weather was fine. Karen, Sophie and Dafydd played on the beach while I followed the sign posted path (Aikerskaill road) around the headland to the site of the ruined chapel. It is only a 5 minute walk. The Souterrain was easy to spot; near the beach and blocked up with brieze blocks and stones. It looks as though the Souterrain has been exposed due to coastal erosion? A family of ducks paddled past, battling against the wind – good luck to them! If you are ever in this area try to also take in a visit to the nearby St Ninian’s church (Hogg-back grave) and the Gloup sea cave – both worth a visit in their own right. |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Hall of Gorn (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Fieldnotes |
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Road side view 8.6.12 The barrow can be easily seen from the road as a large grass covered mound when heading north. It is behind some farm buildings |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
St. Mary's Broch — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 8.6.12 There is room to park opposite a B+B. The Broch is in a nice loch side location but is now no more than a rough grass covered mound approximately 2 metres high x 50 metres across. It appears to have been cut through the middle at some point in the past? |
Posted by CARL 16th July 2012ce |
Showing 1-10 of 422 posts. Most recent first | Next 10
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