Culnoag; about crack guys!

Hi Folks,

CULNOAG.

Had a really good day at Culnoag on saturday, one site i have tried to visit on a number of times before but have always had to worry or deal with cows or bulls in the field. This time no such problems, although the weather wasn’t ideal, i managed to get some good images, especially using the side flash, which worked well, picking up details in the very faint carvings. The main panel itself has a number of cracks and fissures, which seem to used within the design of the motifs but also some of the carvings cut into the cracks..

Let me know your thoughts on this one folks..

I also like the main motif which is the deepest of the remaining carvings, and especially the way a cup has been used to cut through one of the outer rings, nice.

Townhead….the special carvings.

Hi Folks,

We were back at Townhead again yesterday looking for one really special carving that is found at the site, but ended up finding two really special carvings. The first one we found is known as panel 3g, or the panel containing the ‘Triskele’, a motif that is not found at any other rock art site in Britain, this alone makes it such a special carving, the quality of the carving, every peck mark still showing, the way you can see how the carver has made the carving, making the ring, making a central cup and then working out from the cup to make the 3 grooves to form the triskele or as some call it the steering wheel. This carving was first found by Kaledon Naddair and his team in 1989, along with most of the unrecorded panels at Townhead, some of the other carvings were found in the same year by Maarten van Hoek. The second really nice carving is known as 3d, this one in more the classic style of carvings, a similar style of motif can be seen at various rock art sites within Britain, but not perhaps as fresh as this one.

Take a look at the pictures, and enjoy….

panel 3g

panel 3d

These and more of the carvings at Townhead can be seen on BRAC & TMA. Please remember this site is on private land, the carvings are all covered apart from Townhead 1, which is open for the public to visit, but special permission was given by the farm owner Mr McCall to visit and record the covered panels. Again enjoy the photographs,and those of you we will see on June 10th have something to look forward to…

Brian & Suzanne

Cairnholy…..

Hi Folks,

I have meant to visit the area above the burial chambers for along time now, to be honest it has been on my list for about a year now. The weather was excellent yesterday so i decided to make it an early start. Got to Cairnholy at about 10.30am, and was soon walking up the path and past the B&B. The first panel numbered 9 is found under a tree in the second field up from the B&B and is really easy to find. The majority of the carvings in the area are found in the next field up, and indeed this field contains the large panel numbered 4, it also contains panels 5 & 8, with 5 being extremely faint until wet and in good light, worth seeing though. Onto the next field up and it contains 6, another nice panel found within a drainage ditch, containing some well pecked and perhaps unfinished carvings. Panel 7 is also located near to 6, but today was unable to find it, perhaps the grid refs being wrong, as there is actually 3 possible grid refs given by different people, all were seached but nothing found.There is also another panel further along from 6 which i called 10, this is one that was discovered by McDavid & Morris in 1981, again i was unable to locate that one..

some of the photos can be seen below, the full story can be seen on BRAC & TMA..

enjoy..

      panel 4

     panel 5

     panel 6

     panel 8

    panel 9

I hope you enjoy the photos of my day out, next time i hope to go back and find the other panels i could not locate, panel 7 and the one i called 10.

There is an interesting story behind panel 3, which i will let Jan add to the Cairnholy site..

enjoy..

Brian

Barharrow or as some call it Bar-Gharabh…

Hi Folks,

Yesterday we decided to take a second look at the area known as Barharrow, an area of land around Barharrow farm, near Borgue. The carvings were first recorded in 1995 by K Naddair and S Willet as part of the research done by The Keltic Research Society. Until 1995 no previous carvings had been recorded, in 2005 i first visited this area trying to find all the 8 previously recorded panels, without much luck, apart from panel number 8, though the marks i found at that time were to my mind completely natural. The fact that i could not find any other carvings, i put down to the panels being covered or that i was not experienced enough to find them. So almost 2 years later , we returned,this time knowing exactly where to look and what to look for…..

This is what Naddair & Willet claim to have found at the 8 locations, and to be fair he does mention the natural cups in his recordings…

Barharrow (Bar-Gharabh)
Nearly all the outcrops in this area are covered with numerous natural solution holes which have in many instances been incorporated into the petroglyph design.
Bar-Gharabh (1), NX 6210 5282.
On a prominent whaleback outcrop riddled with dozens of natural pits, there are c16 cups, 1 with an arching ring and 12 major runnels interconnecting these.
Bar-Gharabh (2), NX 6203 5275.
On the uppermost edge of a flat, pitted outcrop there are 2 (clearly pecked) keyhole rings, plus 3 adjacent cups, the rest of the rock is left to c40 natural pits.
Bar-Gharabh (3), NX 6233 5280.
A fractured, weathered outcrop bears 1 cup unclosed by 3 rings, 1 large cup enclosed by 2 oval rings; 4 cups enclosed by 1 ring each; 1 large shallow cup; 16 solo cups.
Bar-Gharabh (4), NX 6232 5278.
A small outcrop has 1 cup enclosed by 2 rings (the outer ring bisecting another cup and 1 ring); 4 other cups enclosed by 1 ring each; 6 solo cups.
Bar-Gharabh (5), NX 6225 5270.
A rough outcrop features 1 cup enclosed by 1 ring, clustered around which are a further 14 solo cups (1 having a longish runnel).
Bar-Gharabh (6), NX 6223 5265.
An outcrop nearest a field gate has 1 cup enclosed by 2 rings and 1 cup enclosed by 1 ring both bisected by a long runnel; 9 solo cups (1 possibly natural).
Bar-Gharabh (7), NX 6262 5293.
On the Dawn slope of a prominent outcrop (if approached from the gate in dyke, 80 paces to its NE) is a magnificent 5-6 revolution Deasuil spiral in excellent condition and over 12 inches (30cm) in diameter.
Bar-Gharabh (8), NX 6263 5330.
Only 20 yards from main road (A75) over a steep sided ditch on the conical E tip of a long outcrop are some eroded (though still deep motifs): 1 cup enclosed by 1 ring from which radiates 7 runnels (2 of which arch around to connect with 3 other cups). On an adjacent rock panel are several fainter cups and runnels.

This what Suzanne & myself found when we returned today…

On this visit we were were able to find the panels 1,2,3,4,5 & 6….7 again could not be found, and 8 was found on a previous visit.
I am going to show some photographs of panels 1 and 2, which in my opinion are completely natural. All the panels that were recorded in 1995 by Naddair & Willet are all natural, from the cups to the runnels. This whole area, indeed almost every rock outcrop has cups, all natural. From the 2 visits i have made to this area it is impossible to record these marks as man made, all that i found so far are totally natural.

The photographs below are of panels 1 & 2

Panel 1 (cup & ring???)

Panel 2
this shows both panels 1 & 2

As you can see from the photographs taken these marks do look natural, the other panels i located yesterday are exactly the same, infact if you examine almost every outcrop within the 3 fields that contain the recorded carvings, you find natural depressions. I do find it hard to believe that these marks could be recorded as cup marks, but that certainly does seem to be what has happened.
I again could not locate panel 7, the magnificent spiral as Naddair called it, even having the grid refs, the number of paces from the gate, the slope of the rock, and finding the outcrop it should be on, there is nothing there, if it does exist it must be well hidden…again i would perhaps like to check the records for this panel in more detail, and to find out if Naddair & Willet photogaphed the spiral.

Brian & Suzanne

A Golden Oldie found once more……

Hi Folks,

Just to let you know that a long lost carving in Dumfries & Galloway has shown itself again, i will need to wait for permission to show the photographs i took today, hopefully in the next day or so i shall have that permission. The carvings have not been seen for a good few years, and were thought to have been destroyed. As a bonus i was able to locate in the same area another carving which had not been previously recorded.

I hope you can wait for the pictures as they are worth it, believe me..

Brian

 OKAY FOLKS..

I will publish for the time being, or until i get told i can’t…

The site is KIRKCLAUGH, carvings built into a stable wall, which was rebuilt before 1965 and it was thought the carvings had been lost or destroyed. Canmore had been to check the site twice and could not find the carvings, so they were de-listed.

I was able to locate the carvings on the outside wall of the main building at the riding school,not only that but another smaller carving which i believe has not been recorded.

    

Coles was the last person to see the carvings, Morris could not locate it in 1967,  Canmore could not locate it on 2 visits and it was de-listed in 1999. Well it is still there, along with its little brother. The main carving is around 15ft above ground level, the smaller carving 2ft above ground level.

 Hope you all enjoy the pictures which will be on BRAC very soon.

Cheers

Brian

Burial Chamber Cup-Marks…

Hi Folks,

On sunday we decided to take in the scenery of the Galloway hills,  near Newton Stewart up on Drannandow moor. Up on the moor you will find a stone circle, standing stones and numerous burial cairns, including the 5 chamber one named after the moor, Drannandow. The cairn itself is found next to an old ruined cottage, which has a very interesting name, called Napper’s Cottage. Having a good look around the main cist, i instantly noticed two marks on one of the side slabs.  On closer examination , you could clearly see two well defined cup marks, that have not been previously recorded. It is such a remote site, but as you walk around the moor, you are acutally walking past numerous cairns, most still untouched, still complete. This is a special place, almost a place of the dead, a place of burial. This area does need a further examination, who knows there could be more carvings to find…

 

More pics from the day can be seen here Drannandow on BRAC or TMA

Lagganmullan once more……

Hi  Folks,

Yesterday we were back at Lagganmullan looking for the recorded panels numbered 8,9 & 10.  We were able to find those panels in a grouping as recorded by K Naddair in 1995.  The interesting fact is that both panels 8 & 9 actually have the field wall sitting on top of them, indeed you can see the carvings going under the wall.

Panel 8 - below

  

 Panel 9 - below

  

I am sure these images will inspire some replies from some members of the blog…….

Also up on the hills of Lagganmullan we came upon a interesting use of field clearance by the farmer who in some of the fields around has erected standing stones, one actually having cup and ring marks. This time the farmer made a stone circle on the highest point of the fields over looking the area with stunning views.

Take a look and let me know what you think of his work.

Lagganmullan Stone Circle - below

  

I hope you find some of these pictures interesting, i still have some work to do to complete the photographic record for Lagganmullan, and hopefully increase that record with more new finds.

Cheers

Brian

Galtway 5

Hi Folks,

Yesterday, Suzanne and myself took a walk over the Galtway hills, looking for some of the lost carvings. The area of carvings known as Galtway, has 18 recorded panels, though a few of them contain single cup-marks only, which in these types of conditions, of weathered and covered outcrops are hard to find. We did manage to find Galtway 5, a simple panel with mainly cup and single rings.

We did cover the main fields, but were hampered a little by thick fog, which did clear now and then to allow the blue skies and warm sun to shine through.

Although only one panel found, still an amazing place with spectacular views. Another return visit is definately needed, soon.

Take a look at the pics below.

More pics from the day can be seen here Galtway 5

Lagganmullan 7

Hi Folks,

Last friday i decided to take a walk into the Galloway hills, the weather was bad,but i still decided to try and find Lagganmullan 6 & 7. I knew before i went there was a problem with the grid refs for panel 7, the map location i hoped was correct, but the grid refs was not the same as the location on the map, indeed 1/2 mile away. The fields above Lagganmullan house are full of carved rocks, more than i was expecting, and indeed more than most people have actually seen. Maarten van Hoek and Kaledon Naddair being the ones with the recorded panels to their names. I do find it strange that for the same panels, Naddair states he found alot more carvings, infact i would say he was extemely keen with his numbers..

Both panels were recorded as in the same field, so i started off looking for panel 6, i am certain i found the correct panel, but with the fog and bad light i could not make any carvings out. I then started looking for panel 7, after searching all possible grass covered outcrops i was becoming a little frustrated. I decided to head home and try another day when the weather was better…heading down the hill towards the car, i noticed a grass covered outcrop, stopping to take a wee look….there it was, lovely fresh carvings, panel 7a… I worked as fast as i could taking care to remove the turf safely. I then moved onto panel 7b, 7c…and something i wasn’t expecting, west of panel 7b, another carved panel. There are no records of this panel, and i am surprised that Maarten did not locate this panel.

I do feel that this area will reveal more carvings, hopefully when the weather is a bit better i will take a look to see what i can find.

The pictures from my day out can be seen here Lagganmullan 7