A few photos from one of the more bizarre spots in the Lomond Hills; the Bunnet Stane (or Bonnet Stone) near Gateside. This outcrop of sandstone has been weathered by wind, ice and rain since the glaciers retreated and has left wonderful rock sculptures as a result.
Today it's sat in a farmer's field with sheep grazing on and around it. The interior of the rock has also been carved by humans into a cave called the 'Maiden's Bower'. The story attached to the cave goes something along the lines of: boy meets girl, fathers of boy and girl are rivals and don't approve, father of girl kills boy, girl refuses to come home and lives the rest of her life in the cave as a hermit.
Whatever the origins of the cave might be, you can see what I think are the cut marks made during excavation. Now it's an atmospheric wee chamber with an odd green hue and a spooky sheep skull sat on a ledge.
There's also a rusting old stove in the corner of the cave that has clearly been used as a source of heat in the past. A chimney has been carved from the sandstone and in the last of these photos you can see the hole in the ceiling where the smoke is drawn out. A nice piece of living history where you can feel the company of all those who have sought shelter here.
We visited the stane at the weekend on what was a wonderfully moody day with fog shrouding it as we approached. It's well known locally but is never super-busy, so we had it all to ourselves :)
If you fancy seeing plenty of other weird rock formations in this part of the world then take a look at the piece I wrote last year:
Discover Fife rocks and realise that Fife...erm....rocks!
Discover Fife rocks and realise that Fife....erm....rocks!
I really enjoy walking over there, partly because it's fairly close to home and ridiculously easy to get to, but also 'cause there are some curious rock formations that I could easily spend a whole day exploring. You can find something new every visit.
We're very lucky in Scotland to have such diverse geology, and you don't have to go up to the Highlands or the coast in order to see it. Even Fife, that much-lambasted land of mines and farms, has a lot to offer if you know where to look.
First up, we have the Devil's Burdens. A wide exposure of rocks and gravel on the southern flanks of West Lomond:
They're completely hidden if you approach them from the West Lomond side and would be something of a surprise, but if you look up from Glen Vale then they're noticeable, albeit dwarfed by the hill behind:
Few people come here, so if like me you like the peace & quiet then it's a fantastic wee spot to wile away a couple of hours. Well, it's quiet all year round except for one day in January when the 'Devil's Burdens Relay' race is on. I found this map online of the race route. The Burdens are towards the middle-left of the map, just southwest of West Lomond:
Should you pick that day for your visit, you're likely to encounter a steady stream of pale, wiry red-faced folk wearing little else than shorts and a warm hat. Loons!
Anyway I promise you they're beautifully quiet for the rest of the time, as it's off the beaten track and not necessarily on the way to anywhere itself. Personally I love spending sunny afternoons up there, as you can always find somewhere out of the wind amongst the jumble of rocks and boulders. I was about to then say you can just sit and watch the world go by.....but there's nothing 'going by' per se, more you just look out over Bishop Hill and out to Loch Leven. Tis beautiful!
Anyway the rocks are volcanic and sandstone, I think, which is what much of the rock is around here. They've since been easily weathered by wind and rain and frost and wotnot.
This rock is my favourite among the Burdens. A tower of four sections which, when you look at it from this angle appears to be part of the hillside.
But when you head around the back you notice that is in fact free-standing, with just a few rocks that have fallen down the back:
You can't help getting the sense that it's poised to fall on top of you. And tucked around the back is a stone wedged between the rocks, which would make a perfect bivvy site if you were so inclined and didn't mind lying on sheep poo:
Further along from the wedged rock is a cantilever stone, balancing apparently precariously. Here's me inspecting it up close, and no doubt had it moved then I'd have instantly won this year's Darwin Award:
Once you step away from the rocks and start heading back down the slope, you notice something striking when you look back up:
I know it's a natural unconscious reaction for human beings to try and find hidden faces in everything they see......but really, these ones were a tad on the blatant side.
I've decided to call them 'The Faces of Fife'. Our very own Easter Island ;-)
Heading down the slope into Glen Vale you see the fate that has befallen much of the rock over the years; tumbling down the hillside as & when it comes free. There are loads of rabbit warrens up there too, which probably isn't helping the situation:
Just a little east of the Burdens I found this fantastic rock all by itself. It had cleaved perfectly straight down the middle:
Remote and off-track as it was, I still found a few chocolate wrappers stuffed into that crack, which I duly removed:
Heading west now, down into Glen Vale, the weathering process is apparent in this curious mini-arch on the north side of the glen:
This is a view over to the Ochils, west of Kinross:
A view south to the slopes of Bishop Hill, with Loch Leven just visible:
Once you head out of Glen Vale you join the minor road to Strathmiglo. Head northeast for a couple of kilometres and before long you see the sign for the Bunnet Stane. Cutting up a land rover track you eventually see a jumble of rocks on the northern slopes of West Lomond, slap bang in the middle of a working field:
And then when you're up close you find yourself standing and staring with confusion at the Bunnet Stane itself; the weird anvil-shaped protrusion that begs you to make the leap across:
I didn't. It looks nice and close in photos but once you're stood there it's just a tad further than it looks....and has been worn smooth by folk presumably leaping and bouncing off to their deaths ;-)
One for another time perhaps.
Perhaps the most impressive in terms of situation and sheer 'oh wow' factor is Carlin Maggie, found on the very steep slopes of Bishop Hill:
I think 'carlin' is a word for 'witch'. This particular witch was called Maggie, who apparently did something the Devil didn't like and so he promptly turned her to stone with a lightning bolt. You wouldn't think the Devil would need a reason, but there you go.
Whatever, it's now an impressive 60ft high dolerite column that now stands isolated from the steep slopes behind it. Quite a sight:
And there you have it. The geological interest in just one wee corner of Fife. Not bad eh?
FIFE ROCKS!
There's loads more to see of course and we have a stunning rocky coastline to boot, but pretty much anywhere in Scotland can yield things of interest like this.
