Torphichen Churchyard Stone

Trip No.24  Entry No.1  Date Added: 15th May 2017
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Scotland (West Lothian)
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Torphichen Sanctuary Stone, West Lothian: After an exciting day at the filming of Robot Wars yesterday we stayed overnight at daughter and son-in-law's nearby. Torphichen is a lovely little village (Cairnpapple is also signposted further on from here), larger than I expected. The parish church incorporates/is next to the Preceptory of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, which dates from the late 12th century.

The sanctuary stone is in the front of the churchyard (to the left of the gate as you enter, sheltering under a yew tree). There are other boundary stone markers around the area, and I really wanted to go and find these (the Canmore record says that they ‘once sat t a mile radius on each point of the compass. Of which the Gormyre Stone to the east-north-east and the Westfield stone survive’) but we had other priorities for the day. Another visit, probably in September/October.

There were some really interesting tombstones, particularly at the east end of the church – little people/heads/bones. Had some fun photographing these.

The Preceptory wasn’t open until 1pm on the day of our visit, so we missed it. Peering through a grill into the structure, it looked absolutely fascinating. Andrew discovered what looked like a well (similar to the Galilee Well at Durham Cathedral) against the east wall of the church, although I haven’t found any mention of it on any of the historical records (yet) although Canmore says there are 2 wells in the village, one of which supplied the Preceptory.

Torwood Broch

Trip No.24  Entry No.2  Date Added: 16th May 2017
Site Type: Broch or Nuraghe Country: Scotland (Falkirk)
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Tappoch/Torwood Broch, West Lothian: I’d wanted to go in search of the 2 boundary stones near Torphinchen, but was over-ruled in favour of the broch at Tappoch. By the time we’d left Torphinchen, the rain really started to come down, but being equipped with waterproofs, and supposedly sheltered by the tall forest trees, we set off anyway.

Parking on Glen Road, close to the footpath, we set off up the public right of way to Denoven (the car park that is mentioned in the main page is now a new house), then took the path which headed off right and up hill into the forest. It was lovely, soft spongy ground to walk on, with all the pine needles forming a soft covering over the prolific bedrock slabs.

Continuing up the hillside, the rain got heavier, but as we reached the broch, the rain stopped for a short period (just long enough for us to explore the broch).

The easiest way to access the interior of the broch is to take the path to your left, walking round the exterior wall of the broch. An internal staircase comes into view, and it’s easy walking down these few steps. Going straight up the hill was definitely for mountain goats! The interior feels roomy and solid, with sturdy, dry stone walls.

The foresters (or others) have clearly been using this structure, as there were the remains of a stone fire pit and recently burnt wood.

Looking closer at the lumps and bumps around the broch, I think there are other structures attached to this site. There was a very steep drop on the broch’s southern side, clearly excellent for defences.

Well worth a visit, even if it took several hours to dry out afterwards!

Cross Well (Linlithgow)

Trip No.24  Entry No.3  Date Added: 16th May 2017
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: Scotland (West Lothian)
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cross Well, Linlithgow: This was our last stop on this rainy day, and we arrived to find a small market around the well, along with an event happening at the Burgh Halls immediately behind it. Couldn’t really get close to the well itself until later in the afternoon, as there were lots of stallholders, children and dogs. Truly a centre point for the town. No water in the well today – the spout and basin were completely dry. I confess I was disappointed to find such a modern structure - I'd expected something a lot older and less ornate.

We tried to find the Dogwell, walking up Dog Well Wynd as far as the railway line, but nothing.

After photographing the well as best I could, we wandered around the loch, then back round via St. Michael’s church, with its internal walls marked by musket balls and sword sharpening marks from Cromwell’s soldiers.