Mound &
Round House
The mound is perhaps our most interesting aspect of the reserve, and home to our favourite feature, a tall Scot's Pine which stands proud looking over the whole site.
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Although the mound is for the most part natural, it is likely that the mound may have been shaped by human hand, particularly in the iron age when a roundhouse was in place.
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The roundhouse (or 'Broch') remains can still be seen today, a circle of stones on the flat top. This was a family home in the Bronze Age, a drystone open plan residence with fire in the centre. This wouldn't have been a small dwelling, but a stone tower which would have had a certain level of authority over the surrounding land.
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To the east of the roundhouse, on the side of the mound, you can also find a flat stone which portrays neolithic cup markings. Although not obvious to the eye, if you know where to look, you can see egg-cup shaped hollows in the rock face.
Cup markings are often found with gutters hollowed out between the cup holes, but these aren't apparent in this case.
There is no known purpose of these markings, however, suggestions include a unit of measure, religious pictographs, and star alignments. It has also been suggested that these markings are where stone has been taken to be turned into tools such as axe heads, although this is not considered to be likely due to the intricacy of many designs.
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From the top of the mound you can get great views along the glen, and over the woodland towards Ben More.
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