Tag Archives: Prehistoric Remains

Kilmartin Glen – Land of History and Mystery

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Kilmartin Glen - Land of History and Mystery

Lying just to the north of Knapdale in Argyll is Kilmartin Glen, one of the most enigmatic areas of Scotland. The valley contains a rich collection of historic and prehistoric monuments that include ancient burial grounds, standing stones and even rock carvings. Individually, these monuments may not have the same visual impact as the Callanish Standing Stones on Lewis or the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney perhaps, but collectively, they make up the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland.

There are at least 350 ancient monuments within a six mile radius of Kilmartin village, and some sources claim that there are as many as 800. As I have no intention of traipsing through the valley with a clipboard checking out what the true figure is, I’ll just say that there are lots of them.

Not all of these ancient monuments are prehistoric by any means, and in amongst the cairns and carvings is Dunadd. Rising from the morass of the Moine Mhòr, this hillfort was one of the most important sites in the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata, so come on a journey back in time to a place that I hope will intrigue you as much as it does me.

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Originally posted 2022-06-05 13:36:42.

Dartmoor – The Final Chapter

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Dartmoor - The Final Chapter

I’ve never made any secret of the fact that Dartmoor has always been a special place for me: If you’ve been following my posts, you would have learnt how the iconic tors were formed, delved into some of the moor’s spooky myths and legends and even got an insight into its notorious prison: You would have also explored some of the quaint villages, fascinating pubs and the upper reaches of the River Dart, and in this final look at ‘Southern England’s last great wilderness’ I’m going to leave you with a few more reasons why I regard Dartmoor as somewhere special.

The Dart isn’t the only Devon river to begin life on Dartmoor and that’s because the high rainfall leaves behind a boggy morass on the high plateau. Depending on who’s counting them, figures vary as to how many rivers there are, but about a dozen or so begin their journey seeping out of the peat bogs, with the majority travelling south and ending up in the English Channel.

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Originally posted 2023-09-01 11:31:30.