<< Our Photo Pages >> Balnacraig Cairn Barra - Chambered Cairn in Scotland in Barra and Vatersay
Submitted by markj99 on Wednesday, 07 October 2020 Page Views: 696
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Balnacraig Cairn BarraCountry: Scotland County: Barra and Vatersay Type: Chambered Cairn
Nearest Town: Castlebay Nearest Village: Borve
Map Ref: NF67620120
Latitude: 56.981990N Longitude: 7.473678W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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markj99 visited on 28th Jun 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Balnacraig Cairn is on Barra, an idyllic small island in the Outer Hebrides. Balnacraig is a ruined chambered cairn on a knoll at the foot of Grianan, a substantial hill. Balnacraig Cairn has been extensively robbed leaving all but a scatter of stones and a collapsed chamber formed by large stones. The location is perhaps more impressive than the cairn itself.
A better preserved cairn Dun Bharpa can be found c. 0.5 mile NNW. I found it convenient to visit both cairns in the same trip.
ravensidhe have visited here
Balnacraig is a chambered cairn around 1 mile E of Borve, Isle of Barra. Or rather it was before it was dismantled by man to build various dwellings with the cairn stones. Remarkably, a cist still exists, probably because the capstone was too massive to move.
Canmore ID 9735 has a detailed analysis of the destruction of the cairn however the remains of Balnacraig are still impressive. Balnacraig Long Cairn may have been 60 yards long by 30 yards wide before people took advantage of its resources.
Directions: Exiting the ferry at Castlebay, turn L on the A888 for Borve. Follow the road for 2.75 miles until you reach Borve then continue for around 0.5 mile to the R turn into Craigston. Keep on this narrow road for 0.5 miles until it ends at a parking circle. Follow this track for around 0.5 mile until it ends. At this point Dun Bharpa lies 0.4 mile N & Balnacraig lies 450 yards ESE. Time has erased my memory of this route so if a path to either cairn presents itself you should take it.
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