Scottish Tour Guide's Blog » Kilmartin

Tour West of Scotland, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:39:26 +0000

Ben Lomond, Loch Lomond, Scotland

This morning I collected guests from Argyll Hotel in Glasgow and then headed north-west visiting the following sites:

Loch Lomond where we stopped to photograph a snow-capped Ben Lomond.

Visit Callanish Stone Circle, Visit Isle of Lewis

catswhiskers — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:02:22 +0000

Callanish Stones, Lewis, Hebrides

This evening, I am indulging my keen interest in prehistoric stone circles with focus on one of the most famous in Scotland, namely Callanish I.

Prehistoric Rock Art of British Isles

catswhiskers — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:27:09 +0000

Rock Art, Achnabreck, Scotland

This evening, Iam focusing on one of key interests in the form of prehistory and a particular subset thereof in the form of so-called Rock Art which can be found widely distributed around the British Isles. The images on this post emanate from three sites, namely Achnabreck ( W .Scotland), Isle of Arran ( W.Scotland) and Ireland. Dating of the carvings is very difficult but they probably range between 3000 and 5000 years old. The rationale behind the designs is not known because we cannot get into the minds of the people who spent may hours chipping away with stone tools to make them. Many of the carvings appear on rock outcrops on high ground which may have been adjacent to ancient trails. The shape and surface of the rocks appear to be significant relative to the acutal designs with the latter possibly enhancing the rocks’ position in the landscape. It may be that the carvings had some territorial or mapping function or may have recorded special events such as weddings, funerals, feasts or cosmic events, we may never know. However, its nice to pause for a minute and try to get into the minds of our Stone Age ancestors.

Stones Circles, Scotland

catswhiskers — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:18:31 +0000

Today, the thaw has at long last set in with temperature creeping above zero for the first time in ages. That is the good news. The downside is (a) grey and overcast weather, obvioulsy not conducive to photography, and (b) a domestic crisis in the form of burst water pipes consequent upon the thaw.

Read more on Stones Circles, Scotland…

Visit Inveraray, Scotland

catswhiskers — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:15:10 +0000

This evening, my theme is Inveraray, a fascinating -and unusual-planned 18th century town on the shores of Loch Fyne in the West of Scotland.

I usually incorporate a visit/overnight in Inveraray in course of my Scotland tours. It fits nicely when coming down from Oban and Kilmartin Glen on the way to Glasgow. In peak season the town can be very busy with visitors. Many coach tours stop here.

Read more on Visit Inveraray, Scotland…

Prehistory in Ireland

catswhiskers — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:10:18 +0000

This evening. I am dipping into one of my key interests, namely the prehistory evidence in the British Isles as manifested in the numerous stone circles, burial cairns and rock carvings which survive from that era.

Visit Scottish Glens

catswhiskers — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:01:39 +0000

This evening, my theme is Scottish Glens. ‘Glen’ is a Scots word for valley. Because of the mountainous terrain Scotland is very well populated with Glens and valleys. I am going to focus on seven glens with which I am familiar and feature on my tours and travels.

Temple Wood Stone Circles, Kilmartin Glen, Scotland

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:34:00 +0000

This afternoon, I am posting information on the prehistoric, Temple Wood circles which form part of the Kilmartin Glen prehistoric landscape in Argyll, West of Scotland.

This site has a long history dating back to 3500 BC and was in use for about 2000 years. The site comprises two circles of which the northern site (image immediately below this text) was erected first, probably using wood. Like many stone circles it may have had an observatory function.

The second (main) circle to the south (image no 2 and video) was constructed about 3000BC subsequent to which burials in cists were added. In one of the cists was found a pottery beaker with arrowheads and these can viewed at the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life in Glasgow.

Carbon dating indicates that the site was still in use about 1400BC.

Archaeological investigations have revealed considerable, detailed knowledge of this site which is easy to access.

Ballymeanoch Stones, Kilmartin Glen, Scotland

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:58:00 +0000

This evening, I am posting images and information concerning just one facet of the Scotland’s major prehistoric site, Kilmartin Glen, Argyll.

These images show the remaining six out of at least seven original standing stones. It is evident they are grouped in two parallel lines, each running south east-north west. The line consisting of four stones includes two stones which are decorated with cup marks and cup-and-ring marks. For detail of these marks see video below. Remember that these carvings were patiently chipped out with only rock tools and hence the carvings required a significant amount of time and skill resources. It appears that each stone in the line of four is slightly shorter than its neighbour, a feature found in standing stones elsewhere in the country. The two stones which stand together are undecorated.

Cremated bone was found under the stump of the missing seventh stone.

These stones may once have formed part of a much larger complex of monuments and earthworks.

An interesting site, which should be viewed in context of the wider Kilmartin Glen prehistoric landscape.

Kilmartin Church, Argyll, Scotland

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:16:00 +0000

This evening, I am focusing on the extensive collection of medieval grave slabs at Kilmartin Church, Argyll in the West of Scotland. The slabs shown in the videos below date from the 14th-15th centuries and are classified as from the Loch Awe School. It will be noted that the carvings show swords, crosses and armoured figures. However, inscriptions are rare and hence little is known of the slabs’ social context.

For visitors planning to tour the prehistory sites in Kilmartin Glen, a stop at the church is worthwhile, both to view the slabs and view the Glen (valley) from a high aspect. The church is close to the museum and information centre at head of the Glen.