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Anne T visited on 18th Jul 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4 An Car Standing Stone, Leckuary: We found this stone on the OS map, and it is also featured on page 130 (walk 17) of the “In The Footsteps of Kings” book. We are advised by the book: “Please call at the farm if you wish to get closer to this stone”. We thought about letting ourselves in through the gates at the bottom of the farm track, next to the road, but there were four gates all tied together with twine. Putting my hand on one of them had the whole lot rocking; no way they’d bear my weight clambering over. We decided to walk up towards the farm to see if there was another way into the field, and ended up at the bottom of the hill where the track climbed up a slope towards the farmhouse. Being almost at the farm, I walked up the track, and heard voices coming from the garden right at the back of the farm. There the farmer, his wife and three friends were enjoying the afternoon sunshine. After apologising for interrupting their afternoon, they were only too pleased to let us see the stone. I got into discussion with the farmer, who did a lot of archaeology with Historic Scotland and Kilmartin Museum. He, in his impressive yellow aviator shades, very kindly gave us directions to a rock art panel, found by him three years ago and currently unrecorded, but about to be included in a survey of rock art sites in the Glen, starting August 2018. The farmer did warn me to be careful when opening and closing the gates: “make sure they don’t fall over!” so he’s obviously aware of the problem with the gates at the bottom of the track. We let ourselves in the field from the gate at the bottom of the hill up to the farmhouse (the farmhouse, looking back from the stone, appears to be on top of a large, flattened mound, which seemed a little like a motte). The sun was low in the sky by now and trying to find the right angle to photograph this stone was interesting. The farmer had heaped a pile of stones around the base of this now leaning standing stone, whether field clearance or to keep it upright, or both; this gave the appearance of being a modern day cairn or grave. I wondered who was buried underneath. Canmore says no one, but I’d prefer to be more romantic about it!

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