📌 Kilmartin, Argyll & Bute
★★★
🛠️ Hatch to Nether Largie North Cairn not currently accessible – view from exterior only. All other sites on this page open (checked April 2024)
If you’re only ever going to visit one Neolithic and Bronze Age site in mainland Scotland, it should be Kilmartin Glen. Few places in the world boast such a dense concentration of prehistoric relics, liberally scattered along the valley between Kilmartin village towards the head of the valley and Cairnbaan near its foot. Central to the attractions are several huge burial cairns, built between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago but dominating the landscape even today. Five of the cairns lie in a very deliberate chain extending down the glen from Kilmartin; these are described below as the “linear cairns” and can all be explored on a straightforward half-day walk from the village – by far the best way to visit them as there’s only limited parking near each one. The other mentioned here (though there are others too) is an outlier, close to the main road and a little further south.
💬 The list features the 5 linear cairns from north to south, followed by the single outlier (Dunchraigaig Cairn).
Glebe Cairn ★★
🌍 Location
📌 10-min walk west of Kilmartin village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 833989
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.133791,-5.488838
🚌 Bus to Kilmartin
🚗 Car park in Kilmartin village centre
📝 Key info
💬 Northernmost of the Kilmartin burial cairns, overlooked by the museum.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 10-min walk (each way) to the cairn, following the start of this walk route (even better, follow the whole route).
Nether Largie North Cairn ★★★
🌍 Location
📌 15-min walk southwest of Kilmartin village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 831985
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.129490,-5.491766
🚌 Bus to Kilmartin (0.5 mi)
🚗 Car park in Kilmartin village centre
📝 Key info
💬 Second of the linear cairns, with the interior burial chamber accessed by a sliding door.
⌚ Open daily
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the cairn, following the start of this walk route (even better, follow the whole route).
Nether Largie Mid Cairn ★★
🌍 Location
📌 15-min walk south of Kilmartin village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 830983
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.128040,-5.492580
🚌 Bus to Kilmartin (0.5 mi)
🚗 Car park in Kilmartin village centre
📝 Key info
💬 Middle of the linear cairns.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the cairn, following the start of this walk route (even better, follow the whole route).
Nether Largie South Cairn ★★
🌍 Location
📌 Off minor road 0.5 mi south of Kilmartin village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 829979
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.124558,-5.495123
🚌 Extremely infrequent bus to Slockavulin nearby, or better service to Kilmartin (1 mi)
🚗 Lady Glassary Wood car park at 🧭 NR 830976 / 🛰️ 56.121401,-5.493408
📝 Key info
💬 Probably the oldest of the cairns, constructed over 5,000 years ago.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 10-min walk (each way) to the cairn. Cross the road & footbridge to reach the Nether Largie Standing Stones. Turn right (north), with the cairn soon visible ahead.
Ri Cruin Cairn ★★
🌍 Location
📌 Off minor road at Ri Cruin House, 1 mi south of Kilmartin
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 825971
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.117139,-5.499489
🚌 Extremely infrequent bus to Slockavulin (0.5 mi), or better service to Kilmartin (1.5 mi)
🚗 Verge parking at at 🧭 NR 826973 / 🛰️ 56.119246,-5.498144
📝 Key info
💬 Southernmost of the linear cairns, though damaged during the 1700s and 1800s.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From Ri Cruin House it’s a 5-min walk to the cairn on a clear path.
Dunchraigaig Cairn ★★
🌍 Location
📌 By the A816 1 mi south of Kilmartin
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 833968
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.114724,-5.487056
❌ Buses pass by the cairn but there is no official stop – bus stop in Kilmartin village is just over 1 mi away
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
💬 4,000-year-old “outlier” cairn standing apart from the linear chain. The remains of up to 10 people were found in one of the cists during excavations, & animal carvings were discovered in 2021. While you’re here, it’s only a few minutes’ walk to the Baluachraig Rock Art.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
