Comment Post

Re: Taing of Beeman by howar on Saturday, 19 February 2005

Pass the Hall of Tankerness junction and on your left go one fieldwall, two fieldwall. Second wall, third field side (nearly opposite top 'end' of loch) a farmtrack goes down to the coast and ends just before. Turn left. Something odd going one with last fieldwall. There is a standing stone jammed between two wall sections as tall orthostat. At its foot lies another standing stone of simlar size but irregular shape. And there is a rectangular gap in the wall getting on for wall height, with a slab across the front of it. First though fallen bit of wall cleaned out. But sides straight and has a long stone acting as a lintel. Distinctly odd.
Large scale on CANMAP makes you think you'll find site and then see lochan diagonally, but you actually see them both at the same time. Definitely not feeling like a broch, though base roughly dimensions of a smallish tower. Could be two hut circles within one mound. The linear structure is at the back rim of the further one. Between two oval hollows a shorter line of stone facing seaward could be an entrance (singular). Resembles broch in association with stream going down to sea, more than one such in this area though. About the stream dip possibly more structural remains.
A stone in top of second mound noted by Raymond might be an indicator of something beneath. Not much further along is a stretch of coast filled almost consecutively with stone heaps - first thought drystane wall demolished, but these stones are far larger than the components of such a wall. If these are from a field clearance it would have to have been either from a sizeable structure or several dwellings.
A propos these heaps I am reminded that the Howie of The Manse, a rather indeterminate site with which Raymond Lamb compared the Taing of Beeman one, is around the lochside from the Loch of Tankerness (burnt mound and) submerged Bronze Age house.

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