If you can make your way to the Stroness (2) carving, then walk down the slope for less than 50 yards past quite a few other earthfast stones, you’ll eventually run into the stone shown here in the photos. You’ll find it easily enough.
Archaeology & History
This carving was found when I was heading down the hillside to meet up with my antiquarian colleague 500 yards lower down. The sun was just setting, so visibility wasn’t good, but as I rushed from stone to stone feeling each one in the hope of finding a carving, this one gave my fingers that distinct feedback of a cup-marking; then another; and what seemed like another. I had a small amount of water left in a bottle and quickly sprayed it over the surface of the stone and saw that there were indeed a number of cups on it. Two or three certainly – but possibly as many as five. I laid on the wet ground and looked across its even surface from several angles and caught what seemed to be a very faint semi-circle around one of the cups. But I wasn’t sure it was real. However, on a number of quick photos I took, several of them do appear to show such an arc around one of the cups. But I’m very cautious about it. Only when we (or you) go back up and have a look at it in good light will we be able to affirm or discount it.
One additional feature that needs mentioning is a small low arc of walling just above this stone. It’s man-made, it’s very old, but I couldn’t work out what it might be: hut circle, cairn (there’s one further up the hill), enclosure walling. I’m not sure, but it needs to be looked at when we have a full day.
The minor road that runs roughly north-south between the hamlets of Fowlis Wester and Buchanty is probably your best bet. Nearly 2 miles north of the village up the tiny winding lane, where the moorland at the roadside finishes and the fields begin – is where to take the track, left, up onto the hillside. But after just 75 yards, go left over the rickety-gate and follow the walling until your reach the burn. Follow this up all the way to its source (it’s boggy as hell) and, once you’re there, walk due north for 250 yards until you reach a cluster of rocks. Look around!
Archaeology & History
It’s a long way to come to see such a simplistic design —but for the real petroglyph researchers among you, it’s worth it the trek. It’s had scant attention. George Currie (2004) seems to have been the only person to mention this stone, giving the standard bland description typifying archaeology. He wrote:
“SE-facing slope, 1.2m long pointed rock aligned E-W; three shallow cups, 30-40 x 6-10mm.”
Inspiring stuff, ey?! Anyhow… As usual, there’s more to it than that. If we assume that the carving described above is the same one I visited yesterday (Mr Currie’s grid-ref is slightly different), even despite the poor daylight, it was obvious there was more than three cup-marks on this.
Lower cups & upper cups
Cups on top
When I got to this stone, the evening sun was literally touching the horizon and so the light cutting across half the rock highlighted very little indeed. I was rushing, trying to fondle and see as much as I could before the darkening sky clouded everything, and as I almost frenetically sprayed showers of water across its surface, the two or three cups that I could see near the crown of the stone suddenly doubled in number. Two cups along one edge became three; whilst the sloping surface above these that had one cup suddenly seemed to have a companion. On the highest part of this gently sloping stone, the form of one of the two distinct cup-marks that first caught my eye seemed to slowly morph into one of the carved “footprint” designs, akin to those clustered on the Ardoch (2) carving 1½ miles south-west of here. However, this element needs looking at again, as it may have been a curious playful trick between stone and light showing me something that wasn’t there! Things like that happen with stones.
Altogether there are at least six cup-marks on here, but perhaps as many as eight. Obviously, if we (or you) visit the site when the light is much better, an even larger design might emerge from this old rock.
I spent perhaps just five minutes here, before heading back down to meet my companion 500 yards below in the midst of the boggy moorland. Usually a carving gets my fondles for a an hour or two, but conditions weren’t good for us to form a healthy relationship. And so, as I headed downhill, another unrecorded cup-marked stone appeared beneath my rushing feet (Stroness [3] carving)— and I spoke with that for only a couple of minutes. We need to come back up here and zigzag to find other companions that lay sleeping, forgotten for countless centuries…
References:
Currie, George, ‘Buchanty Hill (Fowlis Wester parish): Cup-marked Rocks’, in Discovery & Excavation Scotland, volume 5, 2004.
Take the A85 road east out of Crieff and after roughly 2 miles at Gilmerton, turn left up the A822 Dunkeld road. Go along here for nearly 2½ miles, where you’ll reach the Foulford golf course on the right-hand side of the road. Directly opposite the entrance into the golf course, a dirt-track leads you into the fields where, laying alone and standing out like a sore thumb about 300 yards away, you’ll see a large rounded boulder sitting there minding it’s own business. You can see it quite clearly from the roadside. Nice n’ easy.
Archaeology & History
For such a large conspicuous stone, you’d think there’d be quite a lot written about it as well as hope for a good ornate design—but alas!, both hopeful expectations are lacking. Although, as usual, there’s more to it than is described in the official records—although not much more….
Long stone & its cupmarks
Cups along the spine
As you walk towards it, it seems as if a rounded earthfast boulder is in front of you, but once you reach it you realise that it’s nothing of the sort. Indeed, the more you looked at the stone, the more it seems as if it might have stood upright not too many centuries ago; the prevalence of other standing stones in the area being well known. But, along the spine of this long stone, a number of cup-marks speak out to you: at least seven of them, perhaps eight. There are a number of smaller “cups” roughly along the same length of stone, but these are Nature’s handiwork; but, it looks as if one or two of the man-made cups might have started their lives as Nature’s indentations and been worked into the symbols that still remain to this day.
Faint ring around a cup
Nose of stone, looking E
The official records tell us of the cup-marks, but says nothing of the faint but distinct rings around two or three of the cups. The most notable one, albeit faint, is near the southeastern part of the stone, where the ring seems to be an artistic partnership of Nature and man. You can make it out in the photo, albeit not too clearly. Nearer to the middle of the stone at least one of the cups has a semi-circle around it and, just to the side of it, a natural crack in the stone has been enhanced and carved into a short line. On the whole, it’s not a visually impressive carving and the design is troublesome to see if the lighting isn’t right (as usual), but is worth having a look at if you’re in the area. Very little’s been written about it apart from brief notes in the regional megalithic surveys of both Finlayson (2010) and Watson (2006).
References:
Finlayson, Andrew, The Stones of Strathearn, One Tree Island: Comrie 2010.
Watson, David, A Simple Introduction to the Stone Circles and Standing Stones of Perthshire, Photoprint 2006.
Acknowledgements:Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Take the same direction as if you’re visiting the Ardoch (2) carving, starting from the Foulford golf course on the A822, roughly halfway between Gilmerton and the entrance to the Sma’ Glen. From here, take the track eastwards into the hills and literally ¾-mile along you reach the pylon; keep going along the same track for another 200 yards and on your left watch out for the track-cum-footpath going up the slope past Ardoch (2), onto the hilltop, then through the gate and down the path northeast for about ⅔-mile until you reach the burn. Keep going uphill for 80 yards and through the cronky gate, head 70 yards to your left to the large single rounded boulder.
Archaeology & History
Main scatter of cups
One of several petroglyphs in the area, this is the most notable in terms of its size. It rests just below the two Stroness hut circles which sit on the small level piece of ground nearly 100 yards further up the slope. A considerable scatter of cup-marks cover much of the upper surface of the boulder, some faint, some not so faint, with a number of them painted in a slight cover of lichens at the topmost section of the rock. The carving was first described somewhat blandly by George Currie (2004), who simply wrote:
“Large boulder, 2 x 2m, just W of hut circles; 16+ cups, 40–50 x 14–20mm.”
Faint line near the edge
Cups among the lichens
It’s actually south of the hut circles; and there are certainly more than sixteen cup-marks, as the photos here indicate. At the time of my visit here recently, the sun was falling and was just below the level that permitted a perfect highlighting of the cup-marks, but there seemed to be at least 25 of them, scattered in no particular order over much of its upper surface. One curiosity that seemed apparent was a long carved line running along a long slender edge along on the southern side of the stone, from a large cup-mark down to near the southwestern edge, meeting another smaller cupmark. I not 100% certain that it’s actually been carved and it may just be one of Nature’s scratches along the rock, but it does seem to have that “man-made” stamp on it. Another visit in differing light will show us one way or the other.
References:
Currie, George, ‘Buchanty Hill (Fowlis Wester parish): Cup-marked Rocks’, in Discovery & Excavation Scotland, volume 5, 2004.
Ardoch (2) carving, with Milquhanzie hillfort behind
We took the long route to get here, via Fowlis Wester village, up to the car-park near the standing stones, then walk for 1¾ miles along the track: past the stones, veering right to go downhill then uphill, past the Ardoch (1) petroglyph and bearing right at the next split in the track, then right again at the next split. Then, crossing a small burn and curving round the next bend, keep your eyes peeled for the track-cum-footpath that reaches uphill on your right (NE). A shorter route is via the Foulford golf course (found along the A822 roughly halfway between Gilmerton and the entrance to the Sma’ Glen): take the track from there, eastwards into the hills, and literally ¾-mile along you reach the pylon; keep walking along the track for another 200 yards and on your left watch out for the same track-cum-footpath. Walk up there for about 400 yards and, 35 yards to the right of the fence, you’ll see a large flat stone.
Archaeology & History
This is a most curious design, sitting way up near the top of this unnamed hill on its western face. It’s curious as there are number of odd elongated cup-marks which, to me at least, should be described as footprints. We find such designs on a few carvings (such as the one at Dunadd, and St. Columba’s Stone, etc), but they’re pretty rare. The best can be found on the Cochno Stone a few miles north of Glasgow, with additional toes on the design… but that’s for another site profile – and an essay, perhaps, should I ever get round to writing it! Anyhow…
It was first described, albeit briefly, by a Mr Comrie in 1972, who told us that,
“On a south-west facing slope of Buchanty Hill at 950ft is a boulder measuring 1.60m x 1.40m with 22 cups and 11 dumb-bells, 6 of which are distorted by a fault of quartz in the stone.”
Central “footprints”
“Footprints” & cup-marks
But his description of what he saw as eleven “dumb-bells” is somewhat extravagant. Six, perhaps seven would seem the more probable. I was hoping to find that the Scottish Rock Art Project doods might have spent some of their million quid in doing a computer enhancement of this carving in order to confirm it one way or the other, but this was one of hundreds that they never looked at. Very poor… (and they only described two so-called dumb-bells here!) The only other mention I’ve found of the place is in Finlayson’s (2010) fine survey of local megaliths, but only in passing.
The dumb-bells or “footprints” on this carving are small: fairy footprints, one might say. The main ones are seen near the middle of the stone on its flat smooth surface. Another—perhaps two—occur along a curious geological cut that runs in a straight line, north-south (roughly) over the rock. This curious line has a series of deeply cut elements, mainly cup-marks, which give the impression of being enhanced or worked upon in much more recent centuries, looking almost as if they possessed some utilitarian function. They’re most odd and are certainly much younger than the very worn cup-marks that are scattered across the stone in no particular order. One of them seems to have a very faint ring around it. You can just make it out in one of the photos.
Looking southeast
A nice close-up
So we’re looking at a multi-period carving done (probably) over several centuries. Some of the cup-marks are barely visible unless the light is just right. On my first visit here, the day was grey and overcast and some elements of the design were all but invisible; but on my second visit, one a beautiful evening, then wetting the rock, it shone out in all its splendour…. Well – as good as could be expected considering it may be five thousand years old! But the footprints are the stand-out features of the design.
In a lengthy essay on this motif that’s found on numerous European petroglyphs, Miroslav Verner (1973) points out several traditional and theoretical meanings ascribed to the symbol, which may be relevant to the stone here. The footprints may mark the rock as a pilgrimage site; or a representation of the location of a theophany, or genius loci. In some places it can be a signature of the so-called artist; or a symbol of victory; and even a symbol which possesses the power to cure fevers and other ailments. This latter tradition was known to have been practiced at the mightily impressive Blarnaboard (3) carving near Aberfoyle.
Another important feature of this carving its position in the landscape: more than a thousand feet above sea level, you sit here and the vista ahead of you reaches far far away into the distance from east to south to west. The skies above and around it are open and seemingly endless from here. It’s impressive and, most likely, these attributes are mythically significant to its meaning. Have a look at the place: take a day out and sit here for a while and get your own impression of the place. You’ll like it…
From Fowlis Wester village, head up the road for just over ½ a mile (veering sharp left at a junction) to the dusty car-park on the left-side of the road near the standing stones. From here walk along the track, past the standing stones, veering right to go downhill and cross the burn by the loch near the ruins of Ardoch house; then keeping uphill on the track for another half-mile or so and, just before a split in the dirt-track, you’ll see a reasonably large rounded boulder just a few yards above the track on your right. Y’ can’t really miss it!
Archaeology & History
This previously unrecorded cup-and-ring carving was rediscovered a few years ago by local lady Fiona McLaren: an absolute fount of knowledge when it comes to ancient sites in this area. It’s a pretty basic carving but is certainly worth looking at on your way up to see the much more unusual petroglyph of Ardoch (2).
The cup&ring highlighted
Close-up of the cup&ring
When we visited this stone for the first time recently, the design was difficult to make out due to the grey overcast skies. The first thing you’ll notice is the single cup-marking on the left-side (west) of a natural crack near the top of the rock. It’s pretty easy to make out. But the cup-and-ring immediately left of this is much harder to see—or at least is was when we came here! But spend a bit of time with it, adjusting your sight, wetting the stone and, slowly but surely, you’ll notice the shallow ring surrounding another smaller cup-mark. You can make it out in the photo. A possible smaller cup-mark on the sloping northern face seems more likely to have Nature’s signature on it.
Acknowledgements: Huge thanks to Fiona McLaren of Abercairney for first uncovering this carving and pointing us towards it.
You’re going from Crieff, up the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. And if you’re visiting this stone, you’ve already walked past the carvings of Connachan (2), (4), (5) and (6). So just another 100 yards or so up the dirt-track past Connachan (4), (5) and (6), just where there’s a bend in the track, the land just about levels out (if you’ve reached the gate and fence you’ve gone too far). At this point walk onto the grassland on your right for barely 50 yards, just where the land sweeps back downhill. Look around for a small stone at the edge of some very low indistinct walling. You’ll find it!
Archaeology & History
Cluster of cups
A site that’s shown on the modern OS-map as a “cairn” but which is, by the look of things, actually a hut circle — and a somewhat indistinct hut circle at that! You could very easily walk right through it without even noticing you’d done so. However, the cup-marked stone on the outer edge of its southern wall does grab your attention! Once you’ve found the stone, if you pace round a few times you’ll begin to see the vague outline of this prehistoric, probably Bronze Age abode.
at a slightly different angle
The carving was probably placed here after the hut circle had been built; or perhaps even built deliberately upon the petroglyph itself—but only an excavation would give us the answer. Its incorporation in the hut circle was probably functional, somewhat like the Man Stone carving in North Yorkshire, which is found at the doorway there. But this site is in such a state of neglect (and is somewhat overgrown) that I couldn’t ascertain whether it was at the entrance or not. If it was, then most likely there was a mythic relationship between the design of the cups and the person who lived therein. This relationship was probably a long standing traditional one attached to a particular family, or tribal leader, or even a shaman figure which no doubt stretched over many centuries. (as seems likely with the aforementioned Man Stone)
The carving itself is somewhat basic, as you can see, comprising of a small irregular cluster of between 18 and 20 tightly packed cups on a small stone. The hut circle is about 14 yards across. About 100 yards to the east is a severely robbed-out cairn.
References:
Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.
A couple of miles east of Crieff, take the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. After literally 1¾ miles (2.8km), on the right-side of the road, you can park-up right opposite the dirt-track that leads up to Connachan Farm a half-mile away. Walking up and then past the farm, go past the Connachan (2) petroglyph, keeping on the same track uphill and just past the (Connachan 4) carving the land levels out where the track curves. From here, walk to your right, into the grasses, and about 90 yards along you’ll see a small rise in the ground with two or three fallen stones in the middle.
Archaeology & History
The cairn, looking N
There’s nothing truly notable about this much-overgrown cairn and you could very easily walk past it without noticing it was even there! Much of its original mass has been removed and, no doubt, its stones reused in the old walling a few yards to the north (a long section of that walling appears to have a prehistoric provenance). It measures roughly 10 yards across and its outer edges are clearly visible as a raised grass-covered mound all round, just one or two feet high at the most. Obviously it was much larger when first built, but all that we see now are its final ruins, four or five thousand years after its birth… The one thing of great note here is the view: you’re looking from east to south to west across an awesome landscape for many many miles. Check it out!
References:
Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.
Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NO 262 503
Archaeology & History
In an excursion to the Iron Age Hillfort on Barry Hill in the early 1960s by some members of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, near the very top on its southwestern side they discovered “a small cup marked stone.” (Longworth 1962) It hasn’t been seen since. And whether it was in the walling of the fort, or was a carved earthfast rock, they neglected to tell. When I visited here several years ago I couldn’t find the damn thing and presume that it’s simply been overgrown by the vegetation. In the event that you manage to rediscover the carving, see if you can catch us a good photo or two and stick ’em on our Facebook group.
References:
Longworth, Ian, “Dundee, Angus,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1962.
A couple of miles east of Crieff, take the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. After literally 1¾ miles (2.8km), on the right-side of the road, you can park-up right opposite the dirt-track that leads up to Connachan Farm a half-mile away. Keep walking up past the farm to the Connachan (2) petroglyph, and keep to the track uphill for another 600 yards keeping your eyes peeled for a notable singular rock on your left, about 10 yards into the heather. It’s pretty easy to see. If the track’s levelled out, you’ve gone too far!
Archaeology & History
Perhaps the most attractive of the Connachan petroglyphs is this curvaceous stone with its archetypal double-ringed motif. It seems to have been described firstly by Margaret Stewart (1967), whose description (to me at least) doesn’t quite do it justice; but then, they are somewhat troublesome abstract creations most of the time. She told it to it be,
“a boulder 4’10” x 3’10 x 2′ in height with 6 cups and a grooved circle, which incorporates two more cup marks on its outline. The grooved circle encloses a gapped circle with another cup mark at its centre.”
Connachan (4), looking N
Main face of the carving
So, nine cups in all: one with the double-ring around it, and two of the cups touching the outer ring. The cup-marks are ostensibly as Stewart described them, but there are another two or three which I was unable to capture in the photos, as the daylight wasn’t good when we came here. They’re shallow but very distinct when you see and feel them in the flesh, so to speak, and are closer to the top- and bottom-centre of the stone in the photos here. Well worth checking out if you’re in the area!
References:
Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.
Acknowledgements:Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
