LesHamilton

Visited: May 2, 2017

This fine prehistoric example of rock art, a granite boulder over a metre tall, bears over 30 cup-marks on its east-facing surface. On my visit, it was shortly after noon, and the oblique illumination showed the cup-marks to best effect.

Access is by the drive leading to Treetops House. As you approach the house, you pass a tall hedge on your left till finally a grassy path leads left into the field beyond. From here, follow the path for a few metres and look left behind the hedge, where you will see the stone.

The position of the stone is shown by the red marker on the map below.

Visited: May 19, 2012

The Rubh an Dunain promontory semi-broch is a classic site of its type. All that remains to be seen nowadays is a well built drystone wall, 3½ metres tall, that separates the level tip of the promontory from its hinterland. Probably walling was never required around its perimeter, as it is defended by sheer cliffs on all other sides.

You can read an extensive treatise on this site at Canmore.

To access the broch requires a delightful 5½ kilometre walk from the Glen Brittle Campsite, along the southern shore of Loch Brittle, mainly on well-defined paths. Stream crossing can be a problem in wet conditions, but on a sunny day the walk is most enjoyable.

After visiting the broch, further interest is afforded by the Chambered Cairn close to the northwest corner of Loch na h-Airde.

But the highlight of the day is certainly the return walk towards the Campsite, facing the Cuillin Mountains, surely one of the most scenic coastal excursions in Scotland.

Loch na h-Airde and the ‘Viking Canal‘
Immediately below the broch is an artificial channel 100 metres long that links Loch na h-Airde with the sea. Believed to date from the Viking era, this enabled small boats to harbour in the loch at high tide (mediaeval boat timbers were discovered on the northern edge of the loch in 2000 and 2008).

It’s a fascinating story, which is related in detail at Canmore

Further Reading

Rubh an Dunain Data Structure Report 2009

Visited: April 10, 2017

Following Drew’s rediscovery of the Migvie Cupmarked Stone, I took the first opportunity to check it out for myself.

On the map below, the orange marker points to the stone’s original location (where it had lain for over a century), and the red marker indicates its new location within the confines of the kirkyard. The blue marker indicates Migvie kirk.
 

Visited: April 7, 2017

Just a short distance east from Clune Hill Stone Circle lie several cairns.

Canmore states: “At least four cairns were recorded in mature woodland just E of the stone circle and ring cairn. They seem to be associated with ceremonial monuments rather than being the products of clearance.”

 
This map shows the 10 metre OS reference square (green rectangle) and the position of the stone circle (blue marker).

The ground here is extremely hummocky, most of the small mounds being either moss-covered tree stumps of mature grassy tussocks. Additionally, almost everything was covered by dead bracken and the usual forestry detritus. In the event, I located just one likely candidate for a cairn.

The mound in the photographs, though, was made of sterner stuff: measuring approximately 2½×1½ metres and not far short of a metre in height, it proved to be solid. And although no evidence of a kerb was visible, probing around its base did hit stone at a couple of locations.

6000 Year Old Skeletons Unearthed in Nieuwigein
(Nieuwegein is a municipality and city just south of the Dutch city of Utrecht)

During the construction of ‘Het Klooster’ Business Park in Nieuwigein during the summer of 2016, archaeological research was undertaken, mainly by drilling cores to locate potential sites of interest.

These cores showed evidence of a possible stone age site covering some 6,500 square metres, and trial trenching followed by excavation took place through November and December. This revealed a site that gave a virtually undisturbed picture of habitation during the Swifterbant Culture (5300 BCE to 3400 BCE). Sites of this period are rare, and finds here included almost 800 pieces of worked flint, chisels of animal bone, a piece of grinding stone and decorated pottery, including three fairly intact pots, complete with leftovers from meals.

Of particular note was a fine jet ornament which had been pierced with a flint tool for wearing as a pendant. Jet is not found in The Netherlands, so this piece must have been imported, most probably from England or France.

The highlight in terms of finds were three human skeletons buried in a thick layer of clay. Uniquely for The Netherlands, the bones were all well preserved because they had been surrounded by wet clay, and not sand as is more usual in this part of Europe.

In December 2016, the almost complete skeleton of a man, accompanied by leg bones and a jaw which could have been from a juvenile or a woman were unearthed. And not far away was a skull, probably belonging to the latter.

Then, in late January 2017, in another part of the site, archaeologists discovered a third Stone Age grave, which proved to be a milestone in Nieuwegein history, because it was a fully intact male skeleton dating from around 4000 BCE.

All the skeletons were excavated in blocks of the surrounding clay and taken to Stichting RAAP (Netherlands Archaeological Agency) in Leiden for detailed examination.

It is intended that the finds will eventually be put on display to the public.

You can view an 8 minute YouTube video which illustrates the discovery of these skeletons. Although the commentary is in Dutch, the images speak for themselves.

This is a follow-up to the News Item by ‘Sweetcheat‘

A 2010 excavation of the remains of a Franciscan monastery that stood below Alkmaar’s present-day Paardenmarkt between 1448 to 1574, uncovered a mass grave dating from 1573, the year when Alkmaar was besieged by the Spaniards.

But more excitingly, further research below a layer of drift sand revealed a unique prehistoric tomb dating back to the Iron Age – around 700 BCE.

The sandy soils of the Netherlands rarely preserve remains of this age (not even bones), but remarkably, a silhouette was discovered, in the customary squatting interment position of that era. The silhouette was protected by a coating of lacquer and removed in its entirety for preservation.

You read more about these excavations in this Leiden University report (in English).

Visited: March 13, 2017

Canmore visited this site in late 2002 and reported a scatter of small cairns. But the forest floor here is a dense jumble of debris ranging from twigs to fallen branches and stumps of an earlier generation of trees making it hard to detect anything. Small cairns could easily be missed.

I used the path shown on Canmore’s map as a guide and did discover a likely candidate for a cairn about 7 to 8 metres north of the path. This elevated area was around 4 metres wide, under half a metre tall and surrounded by several earthfast stones to its south and east suggestive of the remnants of a kerb.

Unfortunately, even on ‘Power Search’, my camera was unable to check the GPS coordinates.

A challenge, perhaps, for Drew with his GPS compass!

Visited: May 3, 2011

Hunebed D29 Buinen stands just 37 metres south of its twin, D28, in the same wooded area. Measuring 7.5 × 3.1 metres, this passage grave consists of a full set of eight sidestones and two endstones and still possesses two of its original three capstones and a two stone entrance portal.

Interestingly, these capstones (one of which has slipped into the interior of the grave) are exceptionally flat, and some archaeologists consider that they were once part of the same erratic boulder. If this is the case, then the hunebed builders must have possessed advanced fission techniques in order to be able to cleave the boulder in two. How is unknown, but one suggestion is that the boulder could have been repeatedly heated by fire then cooled with water until it cracked in two; another is that wedges could have been driven into existing cracks. It is a fact that many of the hunebedden throughout Drenthe are built from stones with almost perfectly flat sides.

Visited: May 3, 2011

Hunebed D28 Buinen is a medium sized monument with impressively bulky capstones. It measures 7.5 metres long by 3.4 metres wide, and is almost complete, consisting of a full set of eight sidestones and two endstones. The easternmost of the original four capstones is missing but the other three remain firmly on their supports.

Although this hunebed lies within the administrative area of the village of Buinen, it actually lies much closer to the town of Borger than to Buinen, and can be reached by following the main N374 highway for exactly one kilometre eastward from its junction with Hoofdstraat (in Borger). A walk of under 15 minutes takes you past the Vakanzieparck Hunzedal recreation park, where, on the south of the highway, surrounded by arable farmland, lies a small grassy area surrounded by mature trees. The hunebed is clearly visible beneath these trees, just 110 metres from the roadside, with its twin, D29 a further 37 metres to the south. (Note: D28 is the northernmost of this hunebed pair, and is the one you encounter first: not D29 as stated by Jane)

During a 1927 investigation of D28, Albert van Giffen discovered—in addition to the usual finds of pottery and flints—two coils of copper wire, which proved to be the oldest pieces metal jewelry ever found in Dutch soil. The copper coils indicate that some objects in use by the Funnel Beaker farmers had come from distant places, since these rings most likely originated from somewhere in either central or southwest Europe.

December 22, 2016

The Migvie Cup-Marked Stone has been repositioned

After visiting the Tom Dubh Cairns 800 metres east of Migvie Church with Drew we stopped off at the site of the well-known Migvie Cup-Marked Stone—close by the west end of the neighbouring farmhouse at ‘The Glack‘.

But it wasn’t there!

The verge where this stone formerly stood has clearly been scooped away, the stone with it. It transpired that the stone had been repositioned in a safer location within Migvie Churchyard (details in report above).

Backhill of Drachlaw, West Circle

Fred Coles referred to Backhill of Drachlaw, West Circle in his Report on the Stone Circles of Northeast Scotland in 1903. Although this circle still appeared on the 1905 Ordnance Survey map as a Circle of six stones, it was dismantled during the 19th century. Coles stated that:

“... many years ago one of these six stones, then forming a Circle, close to which the farm-steadings came to be built, was removed by a neighbouring farmer who ‘required’ a block of good stone out of which to make lintels ... the remaining five stones were subsequently removed from their original positions and placed in the line of two dikes.”

I was recently contacted by Bob Seddon, who currently occupies the steading at the Backhill of Drachlaw, who believes that he has located seven of the original stones, four of which have been incorporated into walls around the steading (as noted below by Drew) and another three which were buried in the ground. These three stones (identified as nos 5, 6 and 7) had been incorporated into a culvert which is thought to have been constructed in the late 19th century: they only came to light during the past year when a neighbour recovered them whilst he was undertaking some fieldwork and water course improvement works.
Bob states that it is his intention to return these three stones to the approximate position of the original Drachlaw West stone circle, but to retain the existing stones (which are embedded in the north perimeter wall of the steading) in their current positions, as it is believed they are at, or close to, their original location. Sadly, no detailed records or plans of the original site can be found.

As the name suggests, the Backhill of Drachlaw West site is approximately 200 metres to the west of the main Backhill of Drachlaw stone circle.

Visited: August 22, 2016

To visit Dùn Gerashader take the A855 north out of Portree for just over a kilometre and park your vehicle immediately before the turn off to Torvaig. Do not scale the barbed wire fence. Walk up to the junction, turn right over the bridge and, 100 metres on, a gate to the right provides access to gentle grassy slopes that lead to the base of the rise bearing the fort. There is a small stream to cross (stepping stones) followed by a steepish rise to Gerashader.

I contoured left on the ascent and was amazed when I reached the southern defences of the fort: three rows of simply huge blocks, described by Canmore as ‘the remains of 3 lines of obstructions‘, arranged like rows of dentures, each one about a metre wide and 1½ metres or more in height. The mind boggles to understand how, two millennia ago, men could locate such stones and move them uphill into place. Above these is the tumbled southern wall, some four metres broad.

Beyond this rocky rampart is the relatively level grassy interior, dotted with stones that have probably tumbled from the much higher wall on the north rim of the hill, and beyond that, on a rise, the wide northern wall of the fort. Though much tumbled, stretches of the original masonry courses are still evident.

Visited: August 22, 2016

Not to be confused with the broch of the same name at Loch Mealt, Dun Grianan south of Inver Tote on the east coast of Trotternish is a dilapidated fort.

The starting point for a visit is the large car-park beside the Lealt Gorge at Inver Tote. Follow the road south, across the bridge, for 250 metres, where a gate on the left leads on to the old road serving the tiny community of Lower Tote. Head to the right and follow this road for 190 metres, when you will encounter sheep pens on your left. Immediately before these pens, a well defined path heads east (left) to a gate, beyond which a walkers’ path heads on to the coast.

Once above the clifftops, head south (right) following a path parallel with the fence and after less than 1½ kilometres from the car-park, you reach Dun Grianan.

Dun Grianan stood on the flat top of a knoll close to the cliff edge and was protected by a wall, 31 metres long, on its western flank. Today only a scattering of facing stones remain, but the entrance, about mid way along the wall, is well defined, 1.6 metres wide and flanked on each side by set stones. The grassy summit is unexpectedly narrow, and Canmore suggests that the eastern side of the fort has fallen away

Visited: August 24, 2016

It’s little surprise that no mention has previously been made of Dùn Kraiknish on this site as it is probably the most remote stone fort on the Isle of Skye. From the start of the Glen Brittle Forest Trail at Grulla, near the northeast shore of Loch Eynort (blue marker), the round trip to the dùn is 17.5 kilometres (11 miles). The walking is excellent, however, with a metalled forestry road for most of the distance (as far as the summit of Cnoc an Teine, just a kilometre short of your goal).

From here, Dùn Kraiknish lies a further kilometre to the northwest, but cannot be seen from this location. The final walk to the dùn is overland, across springy grass dotted with heather and bog myrtle. You can simply pick your own way since faint tracks – if any – are hard to find. There are no hidden tussocks to trip you nor bogs to ensnare you: this is one of the most gentle and enjoyable walks anywhere. Dùn Kraiknish is indicated by the red marker, but you will not see it until you are within a hundred metres or so as it is shielded by a steep rise to its east.

The metalled path, as far as the summit of Cnoc an Teine (about 90 metres elevation), is indicated on the map below by the yellow line.

Beware the OS Map, however: Sheet 32 (South Skye & Cuillin Hills) indicates a split in the track, with the western branch hugging the coast, effectively a short-cut to Kraiknish Farm. I can confirm that this track has long ago been totally consumed by the forest, and that no remnant of it exists today. The forest is well-nigh impenetrable making a short-cut impossible now. Consequently, you must follow a loop in the main track, first east, to gain the bridge over the Allt Dabhoch (stream) then west towards Kraiknish Farm (yellow marker).

At length, you reach the forest edge and arrive at a gate labelled ‘Kraiknish Farm’. Although sheep still graze on the hillsides and you will pass sheep pens on your way, Kraiknish Farm is no more. All that remains, partly obscured in a clump of trees 150 metres to the west of the gate, are the low ruins of some stone-built farm buildings—under a metre in height—and a prominent chimney breast that defiantly braves the elements to this day.

Dùn Kraiknish itself stands on a level, grass-covered promontory on the western coast of the peninsula and is protected by undercut 16-metre high cliffs. It measures approximately 18 by 16 metres, and is defended by a stone wall at least three metres wide along its landward side. Considerable stretches of neat walling still remain, up to eight courses on the exterior wall south of the entrance and seven courses on the internal wall to the north. The entrance sits part-way along on the eastern flank of the dun and measures 1½ metres in width. The passage, can be followed through the wall, though partly obscured by tumble.

Inside the dun wall is a level grassy area from which the walling on the seaward side has almost totally disappeared over time.

Some 200 metres northeast of the dun are the remains of a  township (Laimhrig Na Moine), ruined since becoming deserted during the Clearances of the mid 19th century. It is highly likely that Dùn Kraiknish was extensively robbed in order to construct the township.

You can read more about this fort on Canmore.

Visited: August 22, 2016

Located just 300 metres south of the entrance to Upper Tote on the A855, Tot nan Druidhean is unmistakable as a prominent, very large cairn 40 metres east of the road. There is ample space to park a vehicle opposite Upper Tote.

The cairn is a prominent grass-covered cone situated on a mound and rising high above the moor. Access is through a gate, whence a metalled track heads south a short distance from the cairn. What appear to be two 2-metre tall ramparts circle round and abut the cairn like a giant pair of pincers.

Visited: August 10, 2016

What a difference a few months makes.

Visiting again in early August, I had a hard time locating the cairn. Rank growth of vegetation had all but obliterated it from view. If this had been my first visit to this site it is doubtful if I would have recognised it.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Grafheuvel No 13 in the Westerheide is one of the most attractive of all. It’s also the one the casual visitor is most likely to miss as it stands in a sheltered tree-lined glade just off the main heathland. Although not actually hard to find (if you are looking for it), it cannot be seen from the main path that follows the tree-line. It lies almost equidistant between Grave Mounds 9 and 7.

This barrow is a symmetrical grassy dome, rising to about 2 metres, and with a spread of approximately 15 metres.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Grave Mound 12 on the Westerheide has, despite a probable height of two metres, an extremely low profile as it rises very gradually. This is the most extensive mound in the heathland, with a width that I estimated to be at least 30 metres.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Grafheuvel No 11 in the Westerheide is small and inconspicuous. Completely heather covered, it could well be mistaken for a mere undulation in the heathland, rising to about 2 metres and around 10 metres wide.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Westerheide 10 is the most easterly of the grave mounds in this area, and is found on the edge of woodland, 300 metres along the main path north through the reserve and approximately 50 metres to the left.

This is a low, grassy mound, struggling to attain a height of one metre, and rather less than ten metres in width.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Grave Mound No 6 is the most northerly in the Westerheide, and a walk of 1½ kilometres from the starting point beside Mounds No 8/9. It’s a shapely grassy mound that must be close to three metres high and about 14 metres wide, easily seen on approach. Almost the entire approach is on good paths and only the final 50 metres requires a tramp through heather.

Visited: June 17, 2015

This is a tight cluster of four barrows occupying an area of 60 × 50 metres.

Westerheide Mound No 2
The terrain in Westerheide provides excellent walking over short heather and grasses so, if you are confident of your directions, you can simply make straight for the mound. Alternatively, there is a choice of paths that will take you close to it.
On approach, this green grassy mound—the southernmost of the group—stands out well against the heather, and looks rather bigger than it really is because it is perched on a natural rise in the terrain. There is actually a path that traverses it. The barrow is between 2 and 3 metres tall and some 15 metres wide.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Westerheide Mound No 3, the northernmost, is a substantial mound almost 3 metres in height and about 20 metres in width, and a virtual twin of Mound 2. The barrow is between 2 and 3 metres tall and some 18 metres wide.

Westerheide Mound No 4 is a small barrow, barely one metre tall and about 5 metres wide.

Westerheide Mound No5 is another diminuitive barrow, about 1½ metres tall, lying just a handful of metres southwest of No 4. It’s about 5 metres in width.

Visited: July 1, 2016

This is a fairly conspicuous Grave Mound, rising from the heath to a height of approximately 2½ metres. Its lower slopes are clad in heather but it has a conspicuous broad, green and grassy summit.

The map shows the walking route from the entrance to the reserve, a distance of 650 metres on good paths followed by a 50 metre walk across short heather.

Visited: July 1, 2016

Hoornboegse Heide is an area of heathland in het Gooi Nature Reserve, situated on the southern margin of Hilversum, popular with walkers, many exercising their dogs. It is easily accessible by following Utrechtseweg for 1.6 kilometres south of the city then heading to the right along Horneboeglaan. This is a narrow woodland road serving several properties on its south, but after 500 metres the trees to the north peter out and the heath (heide) is revealed.

Almost immediately two huge mounds come into view, Grave Mounds No 1 and No 2, which are so close together that they virtually overlap. The pair are fenced off, but I estimate both to be around four metres high and in the region of 20+ metres wide.

No more than 100 metres to the north, Grave Mounds 3 to 6 stretch in an east-west row. All are smaller heathery mounds roughly 2 metres tall, none exhibiting any noteworthy characteristics.

Finally, another hundred metres or so to the northwest, is Grave Mound No 7. This is wholly unspectacular and, were it not for its surrounding fence, would almost certainly disappear into anonymity as just a low vegetated undulation in the heathland.

The numbering of the mounds follows the maps of the area prepared by Museum ‘Oer’, located in Ulft, Netherlands.

Visited: July 1, 2016

De Zeven Bergjes (The Seven Little Hills) is a group of seven round barrows located in the Zuiderheide, a section of het Gooi Nature Reserve located to the northeast of Hilversum. They form a compact grouping, occupying an area measuring approximately 300 × 400 metres.

Three of the barrows (Nos 1, 2 and 7) are sizeable, and probably all in excess of three metres tall; the other four are significantly smaller. None, however, has any striking individuality, and one image only of each is included here.

Nevertheless, this area is easily accessible by a 15 minute walk from the Poolsterstraat bus halt (No 108 bus from Hilversum station), and provides pleasant walking on excellent paths. In a leisurely stroll, I visited all the barrows in three-quarters of an hour.

The grave mounds are about 4,000 years old and date from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. In and around them have been found urns, a dagger, an axe and a beaker.

The numbering of the mounds follows the maps of the area prepared by Museum ‘Oer’, located in Ulft, Netherlands.

Visited: July 2, 2016

You will almost certainly encounter hunebed D51 Noord Sleen en route to its much better preserved twin, D50, which lies about 100 metres farther along on the opposite side of the road (Hunebedweg).

D51 is very much the poor relation in this hunebed pair: it is somewhat smaller (at 12.3 × 3.5 metres), completely lacks a ring of kerbstones, and has clearly been the target of stone robbers over the ages. All but one of the original 14 sidestones remain in place though, but of the complement of capstones, only two of the assumed seven originals are still to be seen, one still supported and the other partly slumped into the crypt. There is an entrance portal with three of its original four stones still present.

Visited: July 2, 2016

Hunebed D50 Noord Sleen is in many respects the most spectacular of all the hunebedden, not only for its sheer bulk (it measures 17 metres in length, almost 4.5 metres in width and consists of 16 sidestones and 7 of the original 8 capstones), but because it is surrounded by the most complete set of kerbstones of any hunebed. It is this ring of kerbstones that immediately catches the eye, as many of them are as tall as the sidestones in the hunebed itself, in contrast with the rather diminuitive kerbstones found at other hunebedden.

The circle is also noteworthy for the close packing of its stones which, at several places round the hunebed, stand virtually shoulder to shoulder with each other.

Hunebed D50 possesses just a single remaining stone of its entrance passage. The three missing ones have been marked by concrete slabs by Albert van Giffen.

I first visited here in 2011, and have been waiting for a sunny day to do photographing it justice on several trips to Drenthe since. This seemed to be the day, as I had just visited the Stone of Noordbarge in hot sunshine, but as I took the bus the few kilometres up the road to Noord Sleen, dark clouds gathered. I just had time to take a few photographs of D50 in reasonable light before the rain came, and then I had to beat a hasty retreat as wind and rain lashed the area.

You can read more about Hunebed D50 on Hans Meijer’s website.

This updates the link (below) provided by Jayne, which is now ‘dead’.

Visited: July 2, 2016

I finally got around to visiting this huge erratic boulder after failing miserably, on an earlier trip, to photograph it from the window of a moving bus.

I had been visiting Emmen’s zoo, Wildlands, newly relocated to a spacious park on the western boundary of the town. At the end of the visit, I set out on foot for the Steen van Noordbarge, a pleasant 20-minute walk.

The stone is easily located as it lies on Emmerweg, just a few metres east of the sign indicating the western boundary of Emmen/Noordbarge. It lies in a shallow grassy hollow, and measures 4.15 × 3.40 metres. Efforts had clearly been made in antiquity to shatter the stone for building purposes, as there is evidence of seven boreholes in it.

D27 Borger viewed from a Drone

Wiebe de Jager has filmed D27 Borger, Netherland’s largest hunebed, using his DJI Phantom 2 drone fitted with a GoPro Hero 4 video camera.

The video can be viewed on YouTube.

Visited: May 25, 2016

The scant remains of Dun Tom na h-Uraich stand on the very lip of the sea cliffs at the point where the A855 turns west towards Duntulm at the far north of the Trotternish Peninsula.

The site is barely 50 metres northwest of the remains of a prominent stone-built structure—the remains of a wartime radar station—on the summit of Tom na h-Uraich hill: an imposing landmark, seen from the road. Parking is available just a few metres past this, and a good track leads to the top of the hill, a superb lookout point.

Very little of the original stone walling of the dun remains, most of it almost certainly having been robbed in centuries past to build field dykes.

Visited: May 25, 2016

Located on a mound, rising 25 metres above the Kilmaluag river and about half a kilometre due east of the tiny community of Conasta, Dun Hollan lies close to the road at the point where it makes a sharp right-angle turn to the west. Here, a field gate leads to a path that makes towards the dun.

From the west the dun shows as a gentle rise above the surrounding moor, but once its summit is reached it is clear that it is a signiicant elevation, plunging steeply towards the river beyond. Very little remains to be seen, but the southern half of the mound still retains the grassy saucer shape that characterises numerous dilapidated duns. Several original stones peek through at its southern end, and the grassy bank trending round the southwestern margin probably conceals more of the foundation course.

According to Canmore, stones visible on the northern part of the dun are in fact remains of ancient field dykes that were built over the mound.

Dun Smail stands on a prominent mound, immediately adjacent to the last house to the west in the small community of Clachan, less than a kilometre south of Staffin. There is little remaining of this dun except for intermittent remnants of a wall near the top of the mound.

The mound is easily accessed from the west, where it is a gentle stroll to its summit, which affords splendid views of the Quiraing.

Visited: May 27, 2016

Very much neglected because of the magnificence of the Dun Beag broch close to the roadside near Struanmore, the Fort of Dun Mor, 800 metres to its north is well worth a visit, and not just for the amazing aerial view it provides over the broch lower down the hillside.

From Dun Beag, Dun Mor lies across a heathery moor, but easy walking can be found by following grassy tongues. The fort is well defended on all sides
except the east by vertical 20 metre crags, but is most easily ascended by gentle slopes from the northeast.

Clearly the one weak point in its situation, the entire eastern edge of the fort is marked by a huge tumble of largely fallen masonry, about 2 metres high by 5 metres broad, that must once have been a wall of considerable proportions. In several places, the original stonework is still in place to a height of two courses.

At its southern end, the tumble gives way to a grassy bank which continues above the cliffs surrounding much of the perimeter of the fort, with footing stones of a former wall peeking out of it.

Visited: May 25, 2016

Dun Druim nan Slochd is perched atop an impressive rock buttress overlooking the Flodigarry Hotel.

Little remains of this fort save for a wall, four courses high, which marks its northern boundary. On all other sides, there is a severe vertical drop.

Access to the site might at first appear problematic, but is straightforward from the ridge frm the north. Walk north from the Flodigarry Hotel until you reach a gate marked ‘SEASCAPE’ the name of a private property beyond, protected by an electric fence.

Immediately adjacent, to the north, is a farm gate, which is your point of access. Just make for the ridge using an obvious walkers’ path, then head south till the dun wall appears. Although there is little of the dun remaining, it is a superb site, affording sweeping views of the Trotternish Ridge and Skye’s eastern coast.

Visited: May 23, 2016

As you walk towards Greshornish Point following the eastern shore of Loch Greshornish, you encounter, after approximately two kilometres, a steep rocky eminence, almost cut off by the sea. Oval in shape and girdled by steep cliffs, particularly on the north and east, its summit slopes significantly from north to south. A tumble of fallen masonry marks the western rim of the summit, although several sections of original walling, several courses deep and up to a metre in height can be identified, as can the entranceway.

You can read much more about Dun na h-Airde on Canmore.

Visited: May 23, 2016

Just two kilometres north of Dunan an Aisilidh at the tip of the Braes peninsula, and just north of the mouth of the Ollach River, stands Dun Vlargveg, which consists of a stone wall positioned along the top of a rock outcrop overlooking a cliff-girt promontory.

This wall is almost twenty metres in length, and its outer facing rises to three courses in places. Canmore states that Dun Vlargveg is connected to the mainland by a natural rock arch, but the topography is so steep that I dared not descend from the neighbourhood of the wall towards the level grassy area to confirm this. I would suggest that safety ropes would be required by those wishing to make the descent, which is down steep grass on which a slip could well prove fatal.

Visited: April 20, 2016

This site is listed in Canmore as Auchlee Stone Circle (not to be confused with the nearby Auchlee Recumbent Stone Circle), although Canmore’s map shows it as the remains of a Ring Cairn.

As there is only one large stone of note in the ring, situated on the bank to the west, the latter is probably most appropriate.
Canmore states:

This enclosure is situated on a low knoll 260m NNE of Auchlee farmhouse. It measures 10.3m in diameter within a stony bank 1.3m in thickness by 0.3m in height, and on the W a large slab, measuring 1.4m by 0.5m and 1.2m in height, stands on the line of the bank.

The way to the cairn starts at a farm gate at NO 894968 on the minor road signposted ‘Cairnwell’, just south of Portlethen on the A90, and follows an excellent farm track north across the field. At the far side of the field, cross into the next field, where Auchlee Ring Cairn can be found in the thick gorse scrub on the immediate left. It’s best to circle around the gorse for about sixty metres or so until it thins, and you will find the cairn on your left.

Visited: April 8, 2016

Credit for this site really belongs to Drew because it was originally his initiative to search for it. Just the day before, he, Ashley, Bess and myself spent an enjoyable time visiting stone circles and cairns in the area. And although we had no trouble locating the giant 3 metre tall Upper Shampher round cairn, we failed to track down this lesser-known kerbed cairn because we lacked an adequately detailed map.

The following day promised superb weather and, after checking my maps, I set out to climb Scolty Hill, including a short detour to search for Upper Shampher Kerbed Cairn. This was accomplished following a 45 minute walk from the FC car-park.

Upper Shampher Kerbed Cairn is reputed, by Canmore, to have been robbed, but nevertheless is an attractive mound, probably only half a metre in height, but exhibiting a robust kerb, somewhat tumbledown on the south, but otherwise essentially complete. The ring is filled with sizeable, moss-covered boulders, though whether they belong to the original cairn, or result from field clearance, is probably anyone’s guess.

The route to the cairn starts at the Forestry car-park for Scolty. and follows the gently rising low-level path that contours round the north side of the hill, eventually reaching a col at NO 674 936. Ahead, a substantial wall stretches off to the west, and a well-worn path follows it on its north side. Five minutes walking brings you to a gate in the wall. Go through the gate and the cairn lies just 40 metres beyond, to the southwest.

More information from Canmore.

Visited: March 17, 2016

I have frequently walked around Loch Kinord, near Dinnet on Deeside and, though I knew full well that there were a number of hut circles in the area, had never bothered to make their acquaintance. But with time on my hands on a warm and sunny March day, I diverted north in the direction of Loch Davan to view the hut circles at Old Kinord. They lie in a small clearing in the birch woodland, 110 metres east of the point where the boundary dyke makes a sudden right-angle turn to the west. The centres of the two larger of the three hut circles are shown on the Google Map below. The coordinates of the first circle are 57.08969°N, 2.91798°W.

These are massively constructed hut circles, the like of which I had never encountered previously. The westernmost circle (the largest) appears as a huge, sunken saucer. Standing at its centre, the surrounding rampart, which is two to three metres in width, rises to eye-level, and must be at least 1½ metres tall. It consists of a mixture of earth, large stones and quite massive boulders. Pacing across the central hollow, I estimated it to be between 10-12 metres in diameter.

The second circle, just a few paces to the east, is equally impressive. Slightly farther east is the third circle, slightly smaller than its fellows, and with a somewhat less impressive surrounding rampart.

If you view the area using Bing Maps, you can zoom in close enough to see the two larger circles quite clearly.

Visited: March 14, 2016

Situated on the Angus coast just north of Boddin, roughly five kilometres south of Montrose, stands an amazing rocky promontory known as Elephant Rock. Very similar in most respects to the Dunnicaer Promontory south of Stonehaven, two wave-worn natural arches through this rock give it a profile reminiscent of an elephant: but there is no record that I can find of Elephant Rock ever being the site of a Fort like Dunnicaer.

From Boddin, head north just before the last house on the left at the end of the public road, behind a whitewashed cottage and some ruined cottages, following the cliff-tops for about half a kilometre till you come to a small, ruined graveyard. Elephant Rock is unmistakable, jutting out to sea from this point.

There is, apparently, a rough path up to the summit of Elephant Rock, but it will take a steadier head then mine to take the risk as the exposure is extreme.

You can read more on the BBC Coast website.