Glen Loth
Glen Loth is a valley that can be reached from the A9, 10 km west of the port of Helmsdale , on the Scottish east coast via a rarely used, unpaved, single-lane road that leads into the Highlands . The Loth Bach flows through the narrow; Valley named after the scattered community of Loth in Sutherland . The name Loth means swampy.
The now almost abandoned Glen is one of those places that show many signs of human habitation from prehistoric times. At the entrance to the valley is the hamlet of Lothbeg and a destroyed chamber grave. A few hundred meters further on is the better preserved Broch Carn Bran. In some places there are menhirs ( English standing stones ). Two thin menhirs about 1.5 m high stand as a pair at the beginning of a side valley. Flat plates on the ground suggest that these are more menhirs. The largest menhir is the "Clach Mhic Mhios", off the road, near the end of the valley. It has a cross section of 1.5 by 0.3 m and is 3.35 m high, making it the second tallest in the county.
The wags
The specialty of the valley is that some of the still little explored wags or "galleried dwellings" are located here:
- Carn nan Uaigh
- Uaigh Bheag
- Druim Dearg
- Carradh nan Clach
They are rectangular or trapezoidal mounds with a rounded end that are found in County Caithness and far fewer in Sutherland.
Carn nan Uaigh
The disturbed and overgrown remains of two wagons lie parallel to one another within a 19th century field enclosed by a drainage ditch. The southern one is better preserved. It measures about five meters in width. Its total length is limited by a rubble wall that was built later and is therefore unclear. Two parallel rows of four menhirs each form a gallery. The place resembles more complete examples in neighboring Caithness. (Location: 58 ° 6 ′ 9.3 ″ N , 3 ° 48 ′ 32.9 ″ W )
Uaigh Bheag
Both show the classic shape and are arranged in a V-shape to one another. They touch at one end and are about 4 meters wide. The western one is 14 m long and the eastern one about 20 m long. At the southern end of the shorter one, three menhirs stand in a line. The other is slightly curved and carries four menhirs, unevenly distributed over its length. (Location: 58 ° 6 ′ 22 ″ N , 3 ° 48 ′ 17.9 ″ W )
Druim Dearg
Another wagon in the same area measures 14 m × 4 m. It also has four menhirs. A farm, named after a neighboring hill, lies parallel.
Carradh nan Clach
This wag lacks the characteristic menhirs. Its shape and proximity to the others suggest that this was also a wagon. It measures approximately 12 m × 4 m, with a semicircular extension at the south end.
Individual evidence
See also
literature
- Robert Gourlay: Sutherland. An Historical guide . Birlinn, Edinburgh 1996, ISBN 1-874744-44-0 p. 85
Web links
Coordinates: 58 ° 5 ′ 19 ″ N , 3 ° 47 ′ 53 ″ W.