Cairnholy 03

Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art
NX520543

Nearest town:

Gatehouse Of Fleet (8km ENE)

OS reference:

NX520543

OS sheet:

Latitude:

54° 51' 40.88 N

Longitude:

4° 18' 22.06 W

Added to TMA by

rockartwolf

Images (6)
Fieldnotes (2)

Images

Image of Cairnholy 03 (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by markj99

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone viewed from SSW.(05.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone viewed from NNE. (03.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone viewed from W. (03.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone viewed from W. (03.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Cup & Ring Carving on W Face of Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone. (03.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Cup & Ring Carving on W Face of Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone. (03.04.25)

Image credit: Mark Johnstone

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Articles

Cairnholy 03

Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art

markj99 Apr 14, 2025

Directions to Cairnholy 03

Take the signed Cairn Holy Chambered Cairn turn off the A75 at NX 51646 53037 (///bound.hotel.scrubbing) between Creetown and Gatehouse. Go past the first left turn, instead take the 2nd left for Cairn Holy Chambered Cairn then bear left at the Y junction after c. 100 yards. Continue up the lane to the carpark at Cairnholy. Walk W along the farm track for c. 150 yards to reach a gateway on the right. There is an interesting recumbent stone c. 20 feet W of the gate. Head to a gate in a stone wall c. 80 yards NNE. Follow the path NNE from the gateway for c. 130 yards then walk W for c. 50 yards to a grassy mound in the field. This is listed as Cairnholy Cairn on TMA. Walk NNW for c. 50 yards to a gate in a stone wall. Head NNE for a pair of small clearance cairns c. 100 yards from the gateway. Cairnholy 03 is a large stone on the W edge of a clearance cairn at NX 52000 54282 (///larger.fairway.subplot) c. 35 yards N of here.
It is possible to extend your walk to visit Cairnholy 6 & 7. Cairnholy 6 is located c. 140 yards ENE of Cairnholy Sheepfold in a drainage ditch running parallel to a stone wall. Cairnholy Sheepfold is located at NX 51721 54902 (///critic.jetted.nutty) in the NW corner of a grass field containing a large clearance cairn. Cairnholy 6 is located at NX 51871 54968 (///maker.blunt.downfield).
Cairnholy 7 is located in a grass field containing a large clearance cairn and Cairnholy Sheepfold in the NW corner. Cairnholy 7 is carved on a narrow rock ridge aligned ENE-SSW, c. 75 yards SSE of the sheepfold and c. 30 feet ENE of the stone wall. Cairnholy 7 is located at NX 51758 54840 (///gossiped.cook.valued). My route is viewable as Cairnholy 3,6 & 7.

Cairnholy 03

Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art

markj99 Apr 6, 2025

Visited 03.04.25

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone is located on the W perimeter of a subcircular clearance cairn, c. 250 yards NE of Cairnholy Farm. The clearance cairn measures c. 12 feet in diameter and 1 foot high. It is centrally located in a group of clearance cairns aligned on a N-S axis.

Cairnholy 3 Cup & Ring Carved Stone is an irregular cuboid measuring c. 2 x 2 x 1.5 feet. It lies recumbent on the W edge of the clearance cairn, the long axis aligned E-W. There is a large cup and ring carving on the W face of the stone. The carving consists of a central cup surrounded by 6 equally spaced rings. The diameter of the outside ring is c. 12 inches. The carving is worn but still visible in sunlight.

Further details of Cairnholy 03 Cup & Ring Carved Stone are available in Canmore ID 63725.