📌 Kilmartin Glen, Argyll & Bute
★★★
Evidence of Neolithic activity is found throughout Kilmartin Glen, most obviously in the form of huge burial cairns stretching in a line south from near Kilmartin village. But perhaps the most beautiful remains are the intriguing 5,000-year-old rock carvings found on a number of exposed outcrops throughout the glen. This prehistoric art usually takes the form of circular depressions (or “cup marks”) sometimes surrounded by a number of rings. Cut directly into the rock, they must have taken a significant amount of time to create, and the same patterns exist elsewhere in Britain and beyond. Their purpose remains a mystery, but what is certain is that Kilmartin Glen has some of the most significant outcrops discovered to date, so you should visit at least one of them if you’re passing through the area. The 4 (probable) best examples are listed below.
Achnabreck Rock Art ★★★
🌍 Location
📌 Off the A816 1 mi east of Cairnbaan
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 856907
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.060709,-5.445803
❌ No public transport within 1 mi. Nearest bus stop is at Cairnbaan (1.5 mi)
🚗 Car park at 🧭 NR 852908 / 🛰️ 56.062025,-5.452960 – access via unsurfaced track, signposted from A841 opposite Cairnbaan Lea junction
📝 Key info
💬 Kilmartin Glen’s most impressive cup and ring marks, though perimeter fencing means you can’t see the middle of the main outcrop.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 10-min walk (each way) to the main outcrop on a wide but steep path, with further carvings a little further on.
Baluachraig Rock Art ★
🌍 Location
📌 Close to the A816 1 mi south of Kilmartin
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 831970
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.116076,-5.490231
❌ Buses pass by the rock art but there is no official stop – bus stop in Kilmartin village is just over 1 mi away
🚗 Dunchraigaig Cairn car park at 🧭 NR 834968 / 🛰️ 56.114908,-5.486245
📝 Key info
💬 Small outcrop with a few cup and ring maps – not the most impressive in the area but the closest to the other main sites in Kilmartin Glen.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 5-min walk to the rock art. Carefully cross the road to the cairn, turn right & follow the path through trees then next to the road to the rock outcrop.
Cairnbaan Rock Art ★★
🌍 Location
📌 Off the B841 at Cairnbaan
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 840910
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.063244,-5.471389
🚌 Bus to Cairnbaan
🚗 Small layby on Cairnbaan Lea at 🧭 NR 841908 / 🛰️ 56.061355,-5.470321
📝 Key info
💬 5,000-year-old cup and ring marks split across three rock outcrops.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the layby it’s a 10-min walk (each way) to the main outcrops, with the best art a little further beyond. A woodland path with some steep sections leads uphill from the B841 next to the Cairnbaan Hotel, becoming boggy beyond the main outcrops.
Kilmichael Glassary Rock Art ★★
🌍 Location
📌 Am Baille Mhor, Kilmichael Glassary
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 858935
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.086114,-5.444423
🚌 Bus to Kilmichael Glassary
🚗 Street parking nearby
📝 Key info
💬 Cup, ring and unusual keyhole-shaped carvings in an easily-accessible roadside location.
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
