<< Our Photo Pages >> Carman Hill cairn - Chambered Cairn in Scotland in West Dunbartonshire
Submitted by AstroGeologist on Thursday, 02 May 2019 Page Views: 8681
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Carman Hill cairn Alternative Name: Walton FarmCountry: Scotland County: West Dunbartonshire Type: Chambered Cairn
Nearest Town: Dumbarton Nearest Village: Cardross
Map Ref: NS36357815
Latitude: 55.968378N Longitude: 4.623651W
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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AstroGeologist visited on 22nd Apr 2019 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 2 Carman Hill Cairn: A decent sized Portal Menhir made from Gneiss, a small Basalt Standing Stone, and a small pile of boulders are all that remains of this Neolithic Clyde-Carlingford type Cairn, not far from the summit of Carman Hill.
Located about 142m above sea level, it is situated in what is now a fenced off livestock field, and has been dated to about 2,500~3,000bc.
As l approached from the North, coming from the HillFort at the summit of Carman Hill, l noticed a slight Silvery-Gold shimmer to the surface of the Menhir, Sol was getting ready to set over the Arrochar Alps to the West.
l recorded some measurements and directions, and noticed the Menhir has rough alignments to the cardinal points.
It is slightly triangular shaped, with the largest face oriented South, the other two sides face NE and NW, so where these three sides meet show rough alignment to E, N & W
An excavation in 1954 by "J.G. Scot" noted there was 2 Portal Stones and 2 Slab Stones making a sort of passage way that appeared to indicate a Burial Chamber. He measured the Cairn as being 4.5m long, and found 50 Quartz Pebbles and the butt of a broken, polished Greywacke Axehead inside.
By 1963 when OS visited the site they reported the Cairn had been greatly disturbed, by excavation(s) and tree removal (The Cairn once being at the Southern end of Walton Woods) and the shape of the Cairn was no longer traceable, and that was nearly 60 years ago.
Even now when l compare the current state of the site to photographs taken 5 years ago, there has been even more of a disturbance at the Cairn, with most the boulders now appearing to have been moved or displaced.
The most recent tree removal was unnecessary in my opinion, the photo from 1992, when it shows the Cairn with a tree on either side and a few bushes adds some atmosphere and character to what is now pretty much a bare field. The close proximity of the trees to the Cairn and the removal of it's roots probably destroyed much of the remaining shape of the Cairn, although to a trained eye you can see a slight resemblance and shape of what it might have been.
It would have been quite the sight 5,000 years ago though, with the now demolished Cairn enjoying spectacular views up and down the River Clyde.
While l was there l was lucky enough to experience the Sun setting behind the Mountains in the West. And it dawned on me how significant the positioning and alignment of the burial chamber was, roughly aligned WNW, it faces the Sun each evening as the Sun "Symbolically Dies" (The Sun sets against these Mountains in Cowal every day of the year)
custer visited on 22nd Sep 2012 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 2.5
Stones at edge of field near wall. Prominent position on the hillside viewing down onto the Clyde. The largest stone is on the eastern end of the rest. Views from here great up the Clyde to Glasgow, out over the Firth of Clyde and Ardmore point and up the Gareloch. Marked on OS map Explorer 347.
This grave was probably constructed in the Neolithic. When the site was excavated in 1954, fifty quartz pebbles were found, as well as a polished stone axe-head, which is now in a museum.
The cairn has been subjected to considerable disturbance, including the removal of trees (the cairn is located in what was the southern end of Walton Wood, now gone), and some unauthorised digging (see final paragraph), so that the shape of the cairn is no longer evident. See NS3678 : Walton Farm chambered cairn for yet more disturbance.
The largest upright stone is 1.65m tall, and is composed of metamorphic rock (it appears to be gneiss). To its right is another stone, and a pit is evident next to the latter stone.
More details at Canmore
Page originally by Custer, with additions.
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