Tag: Grampians

Dunruchan Hill, Muthill, Perthshire

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Cairnfield:  OS Grid Reference – NN 790 168 (centred)

Getting Here

Cairn NE of Dunruchan ‘E’

Simply follow the directions to reach the Dunruchan monoliths ‘D’ and ‘E’ and then zigzag through the heather to their immediate south—from just a few dozen yards away, to up to 300 yards west.  Keep your eyes peeled for the stoney little rises in the heather as you walk back and forth and you’ll see at least some of these cairns.

Archaeology & History

Not to be confused with the large cairn scatter on the grassy plain of Aodann Mhor a short distance north-west (whereon stands the magisterial Dunruchan A monolith), many of which which may be just field clearance cairns.  This small group found a short distance east, south and west of Dunruchan stones ‘D’ and ‘E’ are more typical burial cairns.  They each average between five and six yards across and none are more than three feet high.  We first noticed them about ten years ago and on subsequent visits kept looking them over, but the deep heather ensured they were hard to see.  But, after a recent heather-burning exercise on the moors, they are at thankfully visible—for a short time at least.

Cairn SE of Dunruchan ‘D’
Cairn S of Dunruchan ‘D’

At the time of writing, probably the best one to see is found 40 yards south of Dunruchan D and 47 yards north-east of Dunruchan E and may have the astronomers amongst you running for the theodolites!  It has that distinct look about it when you see it in context with the landscape and adjacent standing stones.  The westernmost cairn that’s (presently) known here is 300 yards west of the Dunruchan E stone, just past the Dunruchan enclosure, at NN 7873 1676.  It’s likely that there are other unrecorded prehistoric sites in this area.

Low line of ancient walling

Amidst this section of the moors is a line of very low walling that runs a short distance east-to-west, towards the Dunruchan ‘E’ stone.  A lot of old walling exists hereby, mainly visible in the fields to the east, but this particular line is much smaller and of a different age by the look of things, presumably older.  It has the appearance of walling more usually associated with prehistoric hut circles, but in this case runs in a straight line towards the standing stone.  Curious…

Folklore

The standing stones on this plain and the cairns here are said to be the graves of fallen Roman soldiers, slain by our tribal Scots two thousand years ago.  In all honesty though, these are likely to be much older than any of those Roman savages.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Dunruchan ‘F’, Muthill, Perthshire

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Standing Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – NN 795 168

Archaeology & History

When Fred Coles (1911) visited the giant impressive Dunruchan standing stones, he told that “some distance to the east” of the Dunruchan E stone, “near the unnamed stream…my friend Mr James Simpson has seen another great Stone, but lying prostrate.”  When he visited the area the weather beat him back (easily done up here!) and prevented him “from wandering far over the moor, and therefore this Stone was not observed.”  It remains lost.  (the grid-reference given for this site is an approximation)

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire, Principally Strathearn,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 45, 1911.
  2. Finlayson, Andrew, The Stones of Strathearn, One Tree Island: Comrie 2010.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Clunskea Burn, Glen Brerachan, Moulin, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – NO 003 650

Archaeology & History

When you’ve visited the impressive cup-marked stone at Dalnavaid, this long lost carving might be worth seeking out by the real explorers among you.  It’s not been seen for a hundred years and was only reported in brief by the reputable local historian Hugh Mitchell (1923).  It’s located a mile north of the Dalnavaid carving, up in the hills on the other side of the road, “on the East side of Clunskea Burn, and on the West shoulder of Ben Skievie.” He described the carving as “having some 16 or 18 cups, and at present it forms part of a grouse butt.”

So if we locate the grouse-butt (they’re usually not too difficult to find), the carving will obviously follow.  Mitchell gave us an extra piece of info regarding its location.  He described the existence of several other seemingly prehistoric remains within a few yards of the grouse-butt, curious “pit dwellings”, three of them:

“they are of circular shape, about 9 feet in diameter and nearly 5 feet below the surface of the ground, and had evidently been roofed over at one time.  The entrance to each is at the lowest level and acts as a drain, to keep the house dry.  They are almost the only examples in the district of neolithic dwellings.”

Let us know if you find it!

References:

  1. Mitchell, Hugh, Pitlochry District: Its Topography, Archaeology and History, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1923.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Dalnavaid (1), Glen Brerachan, Moulin, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NO 0089 6351

Getting Here

Dalnavaid (1) petroglyph

The quickest and easiest route is to take the A924 road from Pitlochry to Kirkmichael.  It’s a gorgeous route in itself!  Anyhoo… Once you’re out past the houses of Pitlochry and Moulin, you begin to make the real ascent up the winding road, past the hairpin bend and, 5 miles up where the road has levelled out and the craggy moorlands surround you, green fields begin to appear on your left.  The first farm on your left is Dalnacarn and less than a half-mile past here, on your right, a small track takes you to Dalnavaid house. Walk along here, past the house and into the field, then the next field where a section rises up towards the fencing.  On top of this are several rocks.  You can’t really miss it!

Archaeology & History

This typically female rounded rock has, unusually, a series of cups in almost three rows along its easternmost slope, with one or two single cups on its top and southern side.  It was first described by Fred Cole (1908) merely as “a small boulder, with a remarkable triple row of cup-marks, resting on a cairn-like mound”; but it wasn’t until John Dixon (1921) came here that a full description appeared.  He told us,

Primary rows of cups
Long worked (?) line

“About 200 yards due east of (Dalnavaid) house a ridge or spit of land juts out from the adjoining hillside on to an almost level field. The ridge has sloping sides, and the nearly flat top is 10 or 12 feet above the general surface of the field.  Near the end of the ridge stands the cup-marked stone…  The dimensions of the stone are: length 4 feet 8 inches; width 3 feet; height from 1 foot 11 inches to 2 feet 4 inches.  The cups are all near the north-east side of the upper surface of the stone, and are more or less in rows.  Some are large, with a diameter of 3 inches and a depth of nearly 1 inch; others are much weathered, and vary from small, scarcely measurable, hollows, to cups 2 inches in diameter and ½ inch deep.  The hollows are no doubt cups almost obliterated by ages of weathering. Reckoning them so, there are in all thirty or thirty-one cups.  All are of the plain type, without rings or connecting grooves.”

Looking (roughly) west

A few years later Mitchell (1923) counted 26 cups on it.  Along the western side of the stone are two natural cracks that run across it roughly north-south.  It wasn’t until I crouched down to look at what seemed to be another cup on its vertical face that I noticed how these lines appeared to have been enhanced by human hands.

For petroglyph enthusiasts, this is a decent carving well worth the visit.  What looks to be a cup-and-ring design is found on a stone due south of here and, in all probability, others are hiding away nearby—the “lost” cup-marked stone of the Clunskea Burn, a mile north of here, being one such place.  Let us know if y’ find it!

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire – North Eastern Section,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries Scotland, volume 42, 1908.
  2. Dixon, John H. “The Balvarran Cupped Stone, the “Bloody Stone” of Dunfallandy, and a Cup-Marked Stone in Glen Brerachan,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries Scotland, volume 55, 1921.
  3. Dixon, John H., Pitlochry, Past and Present, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1925.
  4. Mitchell, Hugh, Pitlochry District: Its Topography, Archaeology and History, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1923.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Holy Moor, Holymoorside, Derbyshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SK 3211 6866

Getting Here

The stone in question!

From Holymoorside, take the long straight Loads Road running west out of the town into Longside Road. ¾-mile along, past Home View and just before Well Lane (on the right), there’s a public footpath sign pointing into the fields on your left. Walk dead straight, dead south along the wallside for 450 yards, then walk straight left again along the other wall until you reach the tiny bit of moorland less than 150 yards away.  The carved rock is just on the other side of the stile at the edge of the old walling.  You’ll find it.

Archaeology & History

Rediscovered sometime in 2002, this would seem to be an isolated cup-and-ring stone.  It was first mentioned in John Barnatt’s (2003) short gazetteer of Peakland petroglyphs, where he wrote,

“This irregularly-shaped small boulder was identified recently lying amongst post-medieval field clearance adjacent to a field corner and footpath… Its upper parts ar covered with 40-46 cupmarks.  On the exposed irregular top they are badly worn and sometimes uncertainly identified.  In one instance a cup is partly encircled by a worn ring, while a second partial ring nearby may be fortuituous.  On a ledge near one edge of the boulder preservation is better and the cups are clearly defined and densely arranged.”

The stone looks as if it’s been moved into its present location, obviously for use in the walling.  It’s original position would have been somewhere close by, but we know not where that might be.

References:

  1. Barnatt, John & Robinson, F., “Prehistoric Rock Art in Ashover School and Further New Discoveries Elsewhere in the Peak District,” in Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, 123, 2003.

Links:

  1. Pecsaetan – Holymoorside Cup-and-Ring Marked Boulder 

Acknowledgements:  Huge thanks to Geoff Watson for use of the photos in this site profile.  It wouldn’t have been written without them.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Cnoc Brannan, Glen Artney, Comrie, Perthshire

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Standing Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 7266 1627

Also Known as:

  1. Brannan Stone

Getting Here

Into the eve of western hills

Make a day out of this one, visiting several old places on the way.  From Comrie take the B827 road to Braco, turning right at the tiny Glen Artney road a half-mile along (easy to miss).  3 miles along, pass the derelict Dalness cottage, you can follow the directions to get to the Mailer Fuar (2) cup-and-ring stone; and from here go up the field past the Mailer Fuar (1) carving, through the gate and follow the fence to your right.  Keep going till your reach the Allt na Drochaide cup-and-ring stone.  From here you’re heading (south) towards the rounded crags of Cnoc Brannan.  It’s boggy as fuck in parts so cautiously zigzag through this section up towards the small grassy rise about 350 yards from the cup-and-ring stone.  You’ll find it!

Archaeology & History

From the old stone, gazing S

On one of the gentle rises below the northern slope of Cnoc Brannan we find this sturdy old fella, 3-4 feet tall (I didn’t measure it), looking across the stunning landscapes north, east and west along Glen Artney.  Not previously recorded and seemingly isolated from other prehistoric remains, he looks all alone at first sight, but laid down in the grassy rushes (Juncus conglomeratus) to his side, is a slender seven-foot long stone which may have stood upright in the not-too-distant past, giving us another double stone setting in this area (at least two others existed in this area—the closest being at Craggish, 3.7 miles northeast).  I have little doubt that other undiscovered prehistoric remains are hiding in the area. (there are a number of single cup-marked stones in the locale, although I tend to leave such examples off the catalogues as they can be somewhat dubious [and many are].  I mention this just in case any rock art students want to forage the area.)

Dedication: This one’s for Pete & Sharon

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Allt na Drochaide (1), Glen Artney, Comrie, Perthshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 72780 16532

Getting Here

Allt na Drochaide (1) stone

From Comrie take the B827 road to Braco, passing the large Roman Stone monolith, turning right at the tiny Glen Artney road a half-mile along (easy to miss).  3 miles on, pass the derelict Dalness cottage, you can follow the directions to get to the Mailer Fuar (2) cup-and-ring stone; and from here go up the field past the Mailer Fuar (1) carving, through the gate and follow the fence to your right, then drop down into the great boggy reeds, over the burn and up as if you’re heading to the rounded hill of Cnoc Brannan.  On a grassy knoll a hundred yards or so up the slope, you’ll see a rock or two.  It’s thereby!

Archaeology & History

The stone in its setting

I came across this petroglyph not too long ago on the same day I found the Cnoc Brannan standing stone a little further up the slope from here.  Covered in cup-markings over all except the northeastern portion of its surface, a faint ring seems to be around one of them on its northern side.  Of the twenty-two cups on the stone, the majority of them, as the photos show, are clustered alongside a curved natural scar that runs across the topmost section of the rock.  There are less pronounced faded cups on the more northern and western portions of the rock, with what looks like one on its near-vertical southern face.  Despite its lack of complexity, it has an impressive feel to it.

Main cluster of cups

The home of this carving in its natural setting is what stands out when you’re up here and is certainly what gives it that vibe!  The wooded greenery of Glen Artney stretches ahead of you to the east and west, with the craggish mountains of Beinn Dearg, Halton and their compatriots drawing you to the northern side.   Tis a gorgeous arena indeed!  So, if you’re going to visit its near neighbors at Mailer Fuar a half-mile below, stick this one on your itinerary and, if you’re the roving type, get your feet wet and look around for some more of them.  There’ll be others, as yet unknown, hiding away nearby…

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Mailer Fuar (1), Glen Artney, Comrie, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 72995 17004

Getting Here

Mailer Fuar CR1 stone

From Comrie take the B827 road to Braco and less than a mile out of town take the tiny Glen Artney road on your right.  Past the derelict Dalness cottage 3 miles on, a half-mile further, there’s a gated road veering downhill on your right. Park in the small parking-spot at the left.  Walk along 100 yards to the gate on your left and walk up the old path which bends back on itself before leveling out. As it does so, just where the Mailer Fuar (2) carving lives, head uphill to the derelict house and, before reaching the fence, check out the several isolated stones on your right.  You’ll find it!

Archaeology & History

Several faint cupmarks

This is nowt special to look at and, as I always tend to say with carvings such as this, it’s probably only gonna be of interest to the petroglyphic puritans amongst you.  It was described by George Currie (2006) as possessing just one cup-mark, but there are in fact at least three of them on this sloping rock face, possibly four.  One of them may—may—have a half-ring around it, but this is very hard to see and might be little more than a trick of the light and just a forlorn hope of something better…  It’s worth a brief look before you venture further uphill to the much more impressive Allt na Drochaide carving.

References:

  1. Currie, George, “Mailer Fuar, Perth & Kinross (Comrie parish): Cup-marked Rock,” in Discovery & Excavtion Scotland, vol. 7, 2006.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Mailer Fuar (2), Glen Artney, Comrie, Perthshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 72936 17198

Getting Here

The carving in the landscape

From Comrie take the B827 road to Braco and less than a mile out of town keep your eyes peeled for the tiny Glen Artney road on your right.  Past the derelict Dalness cottage 3 miles on, a half-mile further, just where you hit a track-road veering downhill on your right, you need to park up in the small parking-spot on your left.  Walk along the road 100 yards, keeping your eyes peeled again for the gate set back on your left (easy to miss!); go thru here, walk up the old path which bends back on itself before leveling out and, as it does, two or three small boulders lie just off the pathway on your right, one with its own petroglyph.

Archaeology & History

There are cups, rings and lines on this old stone, with the lines in particular being somewhat troublesome when it comes to working out their origin: some are natural, some made by modern farming implements (about a hundred years back), and some that were carved thousands of years ago—and it’s not that easy to work out which is which.  You’ll be able to see what I mean by looking at the photos.

Rediscovered, it would seem, by M.D. King in 1991, he described it plainly as a simple

“recumbent cup-marked stone 1900mm by 1200mm by 300mm…found in a stone dyke running down the hill from the deserted farm of Mailer Fuar.  The stone may have been moved down from its original position for inclusion in the now ruinous stone dyke.  Fourteen cup-marks were visible on the stone.”

Complete cup-and-rings
CnRs and various lines

But there’s much more to it than that!  There are rings around the cups for starters.  Four of them.  Two cup-and-rings next to each other at the southeast portion of the stone are just about complete, as you can see (right); the various lines that run either side and into them seem to be a mix of early and more recent scratches—although I think we’re best asking a petromorphologist to tell us which is which!  We have a similar problem for another cup-and-ring near the centre of the stone, for it has two lines going right through its centre: one of them running almost the full north-south length of the stone giving the impression it was carved a long time back, yet looking much less ancient when it comes to its form and erosion; whilst the other line—almost at right-angles to the first—has a decidedly more archaic worn appearance.

General design in low light
Long line, curving at top

One of the more assured “ancient” carved lines is on the eastern section of the stone. (left)  It’s an odd looking thing, not very clear on the photo, comprising an elongated curved line, with a fork at the bottom, almost like short legs on an elongated stick-man like the ones we drew as kids.  The long line seems to eventually curve over and into one of the cup-marks.  Adjacent to the bottom of this forked curve is a cup and faint incomplete ring with a faint line running out of its centre to a smaller faint cup to its west.  You can see this reasonably well in the lower photo (right)

The carving needs a lot of attention if we’re to work out its original design, as the photos show.  Even the millionaire computer-tech work of the Scottish rock art club didn’t really suss out the differences regarding chronological elements in this carving (I don’t think they even mentioned it), which shows how difficult some of these buggers can be!  Personally, I’d love to see the impression of some good artists at this stone when the light’s just right and see what their mind’s eye brings to the fore.

After all this I’ve not even mentioned its position in the landscape.  Go check it out and see for y’selves.  It’s a bittova beauty!  And then wander a little further uphill to look at the Allt na Drochaide (1) carving I found not long ago.  The view’s even better from there!

References:

  1. King, M.D., “Mailer Fuar (Comrie parish): Cup-marked Stone”, in Discovery Excavation Scotland, 1992.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Balnasuim (3), Kenmore, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 66075 39622

Getting Here

Take the directions to the Balnasuim (1) carving, then up and across to Balnasuim (2).  From here, walk diagonally uphill to your right (NE) for about 150 yards and head to the the very top-corner of this field.  You’ll see the large embedded rock emerging out of the ground, just ten yards away from a small stream.  You’re there!

Archaeology & History

As Officer Barbrady likes to put it, “move along people, there’s nothing to see here!“—and that’s really the case with this, another of Balnasuim’s petroglyphs.  This lichen-encrusted rock has just two simple cup-marks, barely visible when the daylight’s poor – and it’s almost as disappointing when the day is good!  In all honesty, in wilfully visiting this site and its geographical compatriots, I can sincerely understand how people can tell us petroglyph-nuts that we “really have nothing better to do” with our time!

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian