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MHG5346 - Cup and ring marked rock - Bernera Farm

Summary

An outcrop of rock bearing a large number of cup marks at Glen Bernera.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

NG82SW 4 8055 2110.

(Area: NG 805 212). A cup-marked stone, with some of the cups connected by channels, is situated a little NW of Iomair nam Fear Mora. It is a large slab of natural rock by the side of a small hazel wood on the right of where a gate crosses the road to Kyle Rhea.
M E M Donaldson 1920. <1>

At NG 8055 2110, at the base of a large flat-surfaced piece of rock outcrop are at least twelve small, shallow cup-marks, one pair joined together in a barbell shape, and five grooves, approximately six inches long.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (R L) 5 October 1966.

John and Trina Wombell submitted further information about this site. The outcrop sits above and to the W of the arable fields of Bernera Farm as shown on the current 1:25,000 OS map, within and on the E edge of an old woodland enclosure, predominantly Hazel and Willow showing evidence of coppicing a long time ago. The rock is of a hard flaky type not recognised by the present recorders. The outcrop slab is orientated ESE, tilting in that direction at c22 degrees from the horizontal, and all the cups and grooves on it face ESE. There are 46 cups still in evidence some well formed, others tiny and very weathered. 4 of these cups are linked in pairs to form 2 bridles. There are also 4 grooves varying between 15cm and 20cm in length, all running down-slope. The exposed part of the outcrop measures c15 m E/W and c 4m N/S. Only the lower S part of the outcrop is decorated, over an area c 3.5m E/W x 4m N/S. A ruinous enclosure wall runs N/S c 2m E of the base of the exposed outcrop. The S side of the exposed outcrop may have been quarried to build the enclosure wall but there is no evidence of either drilling or blasting. The presence of this decorated slab in proximity to the two cairns on the nearby back beach at Bernera is most probably significant. No other decorated stones were found in the immediate area. <2>

The positions of the cups in the submitted photos are marked by orange painted wooden 'buttons' as are the tops and bottoms of the 4 grooves. <3>

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in May 2019. This large bedrock outcrop is situated in rough grazing and young mixed woodland about 100m northeast of the road to the Kylrhea ferry. It is close to the bottom of a low northeast facing hill about 10m northwest of a drainage ditch and wire fence into fields of improved grazing in the valley floor. An old stone dyke runs northeast-southwest at the base of the panel. There are views south and west to the sea and Glenelg. There are more exposed areas of the same outcrop about 5m along the hillside to the north, and up the slope to the west, but no carvings were noted on these slaps. A small alder tree is growing out of the north edge of the panel.

This large area of exposed schist bedrock measures about 4.5 x 3 metres, and is flush with the hillside which slopes at about 25 degrees to the northeast. The exposed bedrock extends for at least 6m up the slope, but no carvings were noted on other, rougher areas of the outcrop. The panel has a flat, relatively smooth surface which is criss-crossed with numerous fine linear fissures, some of which divide the panel into triangular and zig-zag shapes. Some chunks of the surface have been exfoliated after the carvings were created, as one of the cupmarks is truncated. The panel is divided into two sections by a large fissure. On the south section there are 39 definite cupmarks, 2 dumbells and 5 courgette motifs. The courgettes and dumbells are all situated along the base of the panel. The north section of the panel has 9 cupmarks and 3 courgettes, as well as a wide, horseshoe shaped groove. There are also at least 14 possible cupmarks. Some of the cups form alignments, and several are placed along the fissures. <4>

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 80570 21110 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG82SW
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	GLENELG

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External Links (2)