11 January 2018
Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Braes of Fowlis, 247m/811', Tump P30, OS 52, NN 923249
It was thick fog in the central belt this morning but the forecast for elsewhere was good so I headed to Crieff for this Tump. The interest was not only in the hill itself but also in the Bronze Age monuments near to the summit- one standing stone, one similar sized fallen stone and the remains of a couple of stone circles. There were also the remains of two wartime buildings! This part of Strathearn is particularly good for burial mounds and standing stones; there are more at a farm slightly lower down the hill.
It turned out to be one of these hills where there is very little climbing involved as a road runs across the moor joining the Crieff/Perth road to the Crieff/Aberfeldy road. There was a small car park at the start of the walk, just inside a gate, and a track takes you to the top and beyond. This is grouse shooting country although a local I met said that the birds were in very short supply nowadays.
This is the approach to the monument.....
The standing stone (about 1.8m high) and a circle looking east.....
and looking north with some of the Ben Chonzie hills in the background.....
Despite its lack of height, this is a fine viewpoint. Ben Vorlich was prominent among the higher snow covered hills in the west......
If I'd had more time I would have carried on and climbed another couple of Tumps that are to the north. However, it had been a late start so I just went back stopping on the way to the main road at St Beans church in Fowlis Wester to have a look at a couple of 8th or 9th century Pictish slab-crosses.....
A trip just right for a short January day.
1 comment:
Heard of the Braes but don't think I've been there yet. Must have been some kind of living to be had in that area in the distant past as it does have a rich stone age history and loads of OS antiquity sites.
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