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Dumfries and Galloway

Drumtroddan Cup and Ring Marked Rocks

Rings cut into bare rock four thousand years ago, in a field near Port William.

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Welcome

In a field above Port William, three outcrops of whinstone break the surface, and all three are covered in carvings: shallow cups, and rings cut round them, one inside another, with grooves running out from the middle.

Nobody knows what they are for. They are Bronze Age, cut somewhere between about 2000 and 1500 BC, and the same marks appear across Britain and Ireland and into Iberia, which means the idea travelled even if the meaning did not survive. They are best in the wet, when water gathers in the cups and picks the rings out. In the next field stand three stones in a line, one upright and two fallen, put up by the same people or their neighbours. There is nothing else here: a gate, a track, and a field with something four thousand years old in it.

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The Daily for 9 November, from Scotland with love. an autumn-wooded loch reflected in still water, rocks breaking the surface in the foreground
Not farBladnoch DistilleryA Lowland malt whisky distillery on the River Bladnoch near Wigtown, with tours and a café.8 milesSee itCopper pot stills in a row in the still house at Bladnoch Distillery, under a timber ceiling, with the spirit safe beyond.

Before you go

How long
Half an hour to an hour
Cost
Free
Getting there
Park on the verge by the farm track; the rocks are a short walk across a field, often wet.

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Where it is

In fields off the B7021 near Drumtroddan, north-east of Port William.

Close byThe rest of Dumfries and Galloway, near at hand.
  1. Whithorn Priory and MuseumWhithorn Priory and Museum9 miles 14 min by road
  2. WhithornWhithornA small town on the Machars where St Ninian founded Scotland's first Christian church, with a long main street, the Pend and the priory.9 miles 14 min by road
  3. Inside ReadingLasses: shelves of new books by women writers on one side, and the café counter on the other, with cakes under glass domes, a chandelier and bottles on a shelf above.ReadingLassesA bookshop and café on South Main Street in Wigtown, specialising in books by and about women, with homemade cakes.9 miles as the crow flies
  4. The Old Bank BookshopThe Old Bank BookshopA secondhand bookshop of six rooms in Wigtown's old Custom House and bank on South Main Street, with a whole room of sheet music.9 miles as the crow flies
  5. The Open BookThe Open BookA bookshop in Wigtown with a holiday flat above, where guests run the shop for the length of their stay.11 miles 18 min by road
Directions
Copper pot stills in a row in the still house at Bladnoch Distillery, under a timber ceiling, with the spirit safe beyond.AttractionsBladnoch Distillery8.3 miles
Whitewashed cottage row with green doors and hanging flower baskets on a village streetShoppingWell-Read Books of Wigtown11 miles
Green-fronted shop front reading "The Book Shop, Largest in Scotland, www.the-bookshop.com, 01988 402499AttractionsWigtown11 miles
Stone cottage with a green Celtic knot sign, seen through a leafy tunnelShoppingByre Books, Wigtown11 miles
Vintage typewriter and stacked leather books beside a tartan-cushioned armchair in a libraryShoppingThe Book Shop, Wigtown11 miles
Landing craft 433 unloads vehicles onto a Mulberry harbour pontoon causewayAttractionsGarlieston Mulberry Harbour12 miles

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