Achnabreck
Cup and ring marked stones
NR 855 906 and NR 857 906
This is quite an amazing site on Forestry Commission land where there are dozens of carvings on a series of rock outcrops. The site is signposted from the main road and the parking place is convenient for the ˝ km walk up to the sites. There are superb views of the coast towards Lochs Gilp and Fyne, perhaps the reason for the site being selected to be so sacred and important to the early carvers. The carvings can be seen in two main outcrops, the first you come to forms the most extensive and impressive group in Scotland. There is a third site at NR 856 905 140 metres southeast of the first site but they are very faint.
The
carvings include multi-ringed and guttered cups, with up to seven rings,
accompanied by networks of grooves. At the base of the first section of
the first outcrop are four large cupmarks in a row. In the centre group
can be seen on of the largest cup and ring marks in Scotland measuring
almost 1 metre in diameter. It was not easy to photograph as it is quite
faint and for once, bright sunlight didn’t help one bit.
In
the upper group there are double and triple spirals and several multiple
rings.
The second outcrop of carvings is 150 metres to the east on a clear path from the first site. These are not as defined as the first outcrop but there are at least 15 multi-ringed cupmarks.
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