Tag: neolithic
-
TrĂ igh Iar and the Shadow of St Maolrubha
A day of fierce wind, restless skies and an early downpour. We turned north again for a circuit of Berneray â once an island, now leashed to North Uist by a causeway built in 1999. The route included two kilometres along TrĂ igh Iar, or West Beach â a stretch of spotless, deserted sand that lived…
-
A Stone that Once Mattered â A Forgotten Boundary
A low-angle view of a nondescript triangular stone, half-buried in a bleak expanse of dry, brown heather. The pale sandstone stands out against the darker, tangled vegetation, with the occasional patch of golden rushes breaking the monotony. In the distance, the low hill of Easby Moor stretch across the horizon, its gentle slopes leading to…
-
From Stone Ruck to Roseberry: Though a Neolithic lens
The recognition of a clustering of rock-art sites around the perimeter of Scugdale has given rise to a hypothesis concerning a plausible ancient prehistoric route encircling the valley. This period corresponds to approximately 5,000 years ago, specifically the Middle Neolithic era, when Scugdale likely comprised a blend of thick woodland and the marshy vestiges of…
-
Long Meg and Her Daughters
On a sodden expedition to one of the remarkable and enigmatic ancient marvels in the north of EnglandâLong Meg and Her Daughters. Long Meg, a towering 4-metre monolith of red sandstone, stands apart from her ‘daughters,’ which form a large circle. Reportedly, there are approximately 68 daughter stones, erratics likely displaced from the Lake District…
-
Three Howes â Heritage in flames
I felt a deep sadness upon coming across this recent burning on a bowl barrow on Gisborough Moor. These bowl barrows are historical landmarks, and government regulations explicitly state that burning âmust not ⊠damage important monumentsâ. I suppose those responsible might argue that the burning was a âcool burnâ, not reaching the peat underneath.…
-
Another final battle between the Macdonalds and MacLeods
The A863 road to Dunvegan, where it crosses the head of Loch Caroy, is quite speedy and most drivers accelerate to maintain their momentum as they ascend the Harlosh Peninsula. Drivers therefore will overlook the two significant stone mounds on the left, situated above the brown moorland. According to tradition, this magnificent location was the…
-
The climb out of Grosmont onto Sleights Moor is steep, very steep, but the effort is well rewarded
The object was High Bride Stones, a group of, it is said, eleven standing stones “possibly the remains of a pair of Bronze Age ‘four poster’ stone circles” dating to the Bronze Age. I must admit I was a tad disappointed. Most of the stones have fallen, and the tallest one has the ignominy of…
-
The Scugdale âLoopâ
I was interested to read of a Neolithic “ritualised route” around Scugdale that was published in the journal of the Teesside Archaeological Society The authors conjecture that the route starts at Sheep Wash near the Cod Beck reservoir, climbs the Red Way estate track on to Near Moor, and follows the skyline of Scugdale eastwards…
-
The Bronze Age funerary landscape of Great Ayton Moor
Great Ayton Moor is well known for its wealth of prehistoric monuments, including a chambered cairn, a large cairnfield and an Iron Age enclosure. The most photogenic feature must be the chambered cairn which I’ve posted about before here, but today was submerged by bracken. In the photo this bracken covered chambered cairn is top…
-
Kilmartin Glen
Overblown with pre-historic monuments â stone circles, cists, cairns, standing stones. So many to chose from, Chille Mhartainn has them in abundance. This is Nether Largie Standing Stones, five tall standing stones arranged in an X-shape, with an outlier 100 metres to the north and the stump of another one 300 metres to the west.…