We closed for a couple of days so that we could have a day out for Catherine’s birthday. Kilmartin Glen has been on our bucket list for some time.
Kilmartin is 30 miles south of Oban heading towards Lochgilphead. It is an area with one of the richest concentrations of pre-historic monuments and historical sites in Scotland. There are over 800 monuments within a 6 mile radius.
Unfortunately the day was one of mizzle – mist and drizzle. Consequently we ate our picnic in the car and then spent an interesting time in the recently re-opened Kilmartin Museum. We were taken on a journey of the lives of our ancestors inhabiting the area over the last 12,000 years.
One of the most interesting items for us was a necklace made of Whitby (North Yorkshire) jet found in a burial mound at Killy Kiaran. This was a prestigious item and had been imported from Whitby between 2050 and 1800 BC. I wonder how the trade took place for the jet to make the 300 mile journey to Kilmartin?
With the weather being so dreich we took a quick look in the churchyard next door to the museum at the undercover grave makers and crosses.
We were most interested to see the standing stones and ring cup carvings a few miles down the road. When we got there the weather worsened so we made the decision to come back another day when it was drier and sunnier, we also wanted to see a local castle and the Crinan Canal, so we will make another day of it later in the year.
However, we did walk around Dunchraigaig Cairn, a large cist about 4000 – 5000 years old, where between 8 – 10 people were buried and drawings of deer and pottery found.
We finished the day off with fish and chips in Oban.
Kilmartin Glen – we will be back.
