Kilmartin Glen

Within about 10 km of the village of Kilmartin there are more than 800 ancient monuments, around 150 of them prehistoric. The heart of the glen is the Nether Largie “linear cemetery” of five burial cairns; Nether Largie South is regarded as the oldest and probably dates from the fourth millennium BC. There are also stone circles at Temple Wood, standing stones and rock carvings of cups and rings, for example at Achnabreck. South of the glen lies Dunadd, once the royal seat of Dál Riata, with a footprint carved into the rock. In 2021, animal carvings were discovered inside Dunchraigaig Cairn, thought to be Neolithic or Early Bronze Age.

Start at Kilmartin Museum, which reopened in 2023 after a redevelopment and tells the story of the glen and its finds. Walking routes from the village link many of the sites; the ground can be very wet. A car park lies about 1.6 km south of the village on the A816, near Temple Wood and Nether Largie South. Check the museum’s website for its opening times.