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markj99 visited on 22nd Apr 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 On approach there are so many features in Cairnpapple Hill Cairn it is hard to get your head around. After walking round for 30 minutes I managed to get a mental map of the phases of construction. The restoration may seem excessive to some but at least the concrete dome allows safe access to the central cists. It is currently £7.50 to visit during opening hours but I did spend a solitary hour investigating the many facets of the cairn.

AstroGeologist visited on 25th Aug 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 Cairnpapple : The site contains ; *Neolithic Henge & Timber post holes *Bronze Age Cists and Cairns *Iron age burials The main attraction is the Cairn with burial Cists inside. What was once a solid Cairn packed tight with thousands of stones, and burial Cists in the centre, it is now empty and covered by a protective concrete dome, letting us walk amongst the burial chambers. To enter the Cairn you must climb stairs to the summit, turn around, and climb down backwards, as if going down a set of ladders. The Northern grave at the far end has a large Menhir standing at it's Western end. And the Southern Chamber still has a massive Cup Marked Capstone on top of it (Although it is propped open letting us see inside) It is an amazing restoration job they have done, and being alone in the tomb was special, connecting to the spirits of old. Outside is a massive Henge encircling the whole area, between the Henge and Cairn are a series of 14 holes believed to be Timber Postholes, which are impressive in their own right in a strange sort of way, they are now lined with red chips to try and prevent weeds growing through. Between the holes in the East are 4 Graves, two of which are aligned East~West. Surrounding the Cairn is a stone chipped area, surrounded by a massive Stone Circle, made using boulders instead of Menhirs, the guy in the hut told me a few of these rocks were supposedly magnetic, so l tested them all, and found 3 that had slight magnetism. Between this Stone Circle and Cairn are another series of holes, the remains of 13 in all, but these ones are much larger than the ones on the grassy outer henge part. It is a most peculiar site, there is something magical about it. I spent 2 hours there, and watched many people come and go, most people stayed for 15 minutes or so, so even though it was really busy at point's, there were times l had the whole place to myself, which was great. Highly recommended. *Getting There ; Around an 1hr 15m walk from Bathgate train station, which is 5km away. Coming from Knock Stone Circle, continue North on along the country road for 1.05km. There are no turns to take, just a couple of bends in the road, getting here is pretty straightforward. Upon reaching the entrance gate you climb some step's and reach a field with cows & a Bull roaming around, the Bull l saw was massive. At the top of the entrance steps, to the left are some scatteres boulders, it looks to me like they have been placed there, and may be another ancient site, as far as l know it hasnt been excavated/investigated yet. Walk through the Cattle field and enter the Cairnpapple field, which is fenced of to stop the cows destroying the site. An entrance fee is paid at a small visitors hut, which houses some artifacts and the history of the site. The guy l spoke to was very knowledgeable and friendly.

neo_lithic visited on 25th Jul 2018 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Excellent site and interesting commentary from the man in the visitor center. Has been re purposed many times over the years. Again at a high point in the land as seems to be commonplace with many neolithic sites.

Anne T visited on 30th Sep 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Cairnpapple (Chamber), West Lothian: We’d spent quite a lot of time around Cairnpapple and surrounding area, but on this trip had not visited. Andrew had not seen this site before, so we parked and joined the other families visiting in the wind and drizzle, and I managed to buy a guide book and as the other visitors drifted off, went back to talk to the guide. I saw the display showing the cup and cup & ring marked stones in the chamber. The chamber into the concrete dome was open today, but the ladder was really steep, and even Andrew described it as difficult to get down. After he emerged from taking the first batch of photographs, I took him back into the hut to speak to the guide and he clambered back into the chamber and took some more photos. I confess the photograph in the hut made the cup and ring marks a lot more visible than in reality! Then onto our last trip of our holiday, and one I was looking forward to – another of the Torphichen Refuge Stones.

Anne T visited on 18th May 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Cairnpapple Hill, West Lothian: Our first stop of the day, and I was really excited to visit this site after what I’ve read about it. We pulled up in the layby at NS 98968 71832 and made our way up the steps to the grassy field in which the cairn sits. My first reaction was ‘wow, look at those views – what a place to be buried’. The friend I was with told me we could see for 17-20 miles north and east. At first, the mast in the farm nearby seemed to encroach upon the whole of the site, but as our visit progressed, I completely forgot it was there. The door to the Nissen hut was open, so I walked in clutching my ‘English Heritage’ cards to pay and buy a guide book from the gentleman inside. But, he told us he was an electrician, just there to carry out some tests; if the keys he had let us into the burial chamber proper, he would let us in. We followed him up the steps to the top of the mound, but sadly his keys wouldn’t open the black metal doors. What a shame! We did, however, spent about an hour walking about the cairn (I was really disappointed to find out the dome was a modern construction, built to protect the burials), trying to understand it’s layout and the various stages of construction. The interpretation boards said that the timber circle holes were filled with gravel, although there were others filled with grey/light brown gravel that were much bigger. I joked with my friend that the larger holes were big enough for crouch burials, so in fun, he demonstrated, with his mobile phone and glasses as his grave goods. We could see the modern Knock Stone Circle in the distance. We said we’d go back with my friend and his wife when the visitor centre was open (Friday to Monday during summer months); she was brought up in the vicinity and knows the site well.

ModernExplorers visited on 4th Mar 2013 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Interesting site, megalithic stones inside a mound with holes in the ground around the mound. Looked to me like a flying saucer covered in grass

MegalithJunkie visited - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Cairnpapple Hill is located at a point which allows you (on a clear day) to see right across the country from east to west, sea to sea. It's a wonderful place

schwagmyre have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.29 Ambience: 4.29 Access: 3.86

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