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Kilmartin
Valley This is quite an amazing site on Forestry Commission land where there are dozens of carvings on a series of rock outcrops. The site is signposted from the main road and the parking place is convenient for the ˝ km walk up to the sites. There are superb views of the coast towards Lochs Gilp and Fyne, perhaps the reason for the site being selected to be so sacred and important.
Achnabreck Cup and ring marked stones |
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Ri
Cruin Cairn
The cairn has been largely reconstructed but originally measured around 19 metres diameter with intermittent kerbstones on the south and east. There are two cists with huge slabs inside the cairn and one outside. The west end slab of the outer cist is decorated with 8 carved axehead shapes that can be seen quite clearly. The slab on the east wall had what was described as a unique carving depicting something like the ribs of a boat but this was destroyed. The cairn was excavated in 1870. |
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Nether
Largie North Cairn
The huge cover slab measures around 2 by 1 metre and is decorated with 10 axeheads and more than 40 cupmarks. The north end slab of the cist was also decorated. The information board mentions another grave to the NE. The cairn has been restored and you have to slide a door open to get down into the tomb to view the carvings. It is well worth the visit. |
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Baluachraig
Just
250m NW of the Dunchraigaig cairn carpark are three carved rock outcrops.
Follow the path from the cairn to a gate and walk diagonally downhill
across the field to reach them. They are inside a metal fenced area.
The largest and
most decorated rock face has 17 cups with double rings, 15 with single
rings and at least 127 plain cupmarks.
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Nether
Largie
These are easily reached from a signed carpark on a minor road south of Kilmartin. They are just 250m SE of Temple Wood circle and you can easily spend a day here visiting the cairns as well. This is a complex alignment of two settings of stones, one with four stones and the other with five, and two pairs of standing stones stand to each side of them. They are aligned NE to SW and the two pairs of standing stones are about 100m apart with the settings inside. One of the pair to the SW has some cupmarks and is 2.8m high. |
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Ballochmyle,
Ayreshire
Monzie
High
Banks,
Kirkcudbrightshire From Kirkcudbright head south on the A711 and after about 2 miles, just after Mutehill, take a right turn into a lane. After about a mile you come to a junction with a bridge to the left. Bear right here and shortly you come to a right turn signed to High Banks. We parked near here but found that there is a small parking space up at the farm for visitors to the site. The track to the farm is quite rough and is a pleasant walk. When you reach the farm there is a stile on the left that leads uphill to a second stile and on to the outcrop. A sign by the first stile says “No dogs as animals are grazing”.
This flat rock outcrop, some 30m long, is richly decorated by cup and ring markings. In the foreground the largest cup-and-ring is visible, 45cm in diameter, surrounded by dense clusters of plain cups. |
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Home
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Continue
on the A85 towards Perth and take a left after 1.5miles on the A822. After
a short distance turn left, signed Monzie and a little way on you will see
the castle “gatehouse” on the left. Park near here on the verge on the
right and ask permission as the road sign says private. The circle
was very overgrown on our visit and was full of nettles and weeds. This
made it a slightly painful experience clearing the stones to find the
cupmarks! This is a very small kerb circle set on a low mound and consists
of 10 low granite boulders and measures only 5m across. 