Whinhill Cup Marks

Trip No.15  Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: Scotland (Inverclyde)
Visited: Yes on 21st May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Whinhill Cup Marks :

These Cup Marks are found on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Clyde and are as described in the main site description.

Located on a flattish piece of land on the hillside below Whitelees Moor, the rock is almost totally surrounded on all sides by Gorse, with only a small opening found when facing South. The two times I was there, there was people using the practise hole and the rock is right at the very edge of the putting green. After travelling so far I wasn't about to let them stop me so I set up my camera and started clicking away, the men soon left as the practise green is for club members to warm up on before a round, and these men clearly weren't paying club members, so I didn't feel too bad.

The place is very peaceful and the Rabbits were running from the Gorse and playing on the putting green once the men had left, apart from the Midges it is a very pleasant site. The Cup Mark on the very top of the rock (Usually hidden under Moss and other vegetative debris) is 5cm in diameter, and just over 1cm deep. The oblong carving is quite peculiar, it isn't smooth the way most (Not all) Cup Marks are. It has some rugged surfaces on the interior the oblong shape. It is approx 7cm x 14cm.
And on the other side of the rock across from the oblong shape is some sort of other depression/carving. It is quite possibly natural, but if it isn't natural and is man made it looks like someone started to make another oblong and gave up half way through chipping the rock out.

*Getting there ; Access the golf course from the Old Largs Road, which runs from Overton at the top of Greenock to Loch Thom (And onto Largs) The Cup Marks are about 15 minutes walk from Drumfrochar train station.

From the train station come out onto Peat Road and turn left, walk uphill taking your 3rd left after the last house. Walk up the Old Largs Road for 10 minutes and you'll see the entrance to the golf course, walk through the car park heading towards the river and follow the path around until you see the putting green straight ahead (By this time your facing East)

Whitelees Moor 1

Trip No.15  Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: Scotland (Inverclyde)
Visited: Yes on 21st May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Whitelees Cup Marks 1 :

The rocky outcrop on the Western lower slopes of Whitelees Moor is as described in the main site description.

Located on open Moorland, there is usually Sheep grazing around the rock but they run away when they see someone approach on the path up the moor.

Panel 1 : This is the largest Cup Mark I have ever seen, it is absolutely huge. I filled the conical depression with water from the nearby burn and when it was full it reminded me of a Dog bowl. As if someone made this as a watering hole for their hunting dogs possibly, just a thought. There is a similar sounding bowl sized Cup Mark recorded 'IN' the Daff Reservoir.

Panel 2 : This is a strange looking Cup Mark, it looks like a Horse hoof print embedded into the rock. To me, it is debatable if this one is man made or not, there is something about the interior that doesn't seem 'Cup' like. It looks more like a Quartz boulder or something similar has been yanked out of the bedrock and this is the hole that remains.

Panel 3 & 4 : These are similar to Panel 2, in that I have questions over these being man made or a natural features, they don't have a smooth interiors like Panel 1, they are rugged and jagged inside the Cup shape. My initial thought was it looked to me as if small Quartz stones had been yanked from the bedrock and these were the remains. But they did have semi-circular and tear drop shapes to them. Perhaps this is how Cup Marks start out and they were left unfinished, how would we know, or how could we tell?

*Getting there ; Access the moor from the Old Largs Road, which runs from Overton at the top of Greenock to Loch Thom (And onto Largs) These Cup Marks are about 25 minutes walk from Drumfrochar train station.

From the train station come out onto Peat Road and turn left, walk uphill taking your 3rd left after the last house. Walk up the Old Largs Road and after 10 minutes you'll pass Whinhill golf course, keep walking for about another 10 minutes and you'll come to a small place to park a car at the bottom of the moor, there is a large metal gate to stop cars going up the track.
Walk up the track for about a minute, keeping a lookout for rocks protruding from the grass on the left side of the track. They are low rocks and would be easy to miss if they Sheep weren't there to keep the Grass in check.

Whitelees Moor 2

Trip No.15  Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Rock Art Country: Scotland (Inverclyde)
Visited: Yes on 21st May 2019. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Whitelees Cup Marks 2 :

The Cup Marked Rocks on the upper slopes of Whitelees Moor are as described in the main site description.

Located in fenced Moorland about 50m from the Cairn remains at the summit of the moor. These are more traditional than the the Cup Marked rocks at the bottom of the moor.

Panel 1 & 2 : Could not locate these two boulders - I searched for over an hour on my first visit and had no luck finding them, I searched a vast distance of Whitelees through difficult, marshy terrain, but couldn't see these Cup Marked boulders anywhere. There are literally hundreds of boulders dotted over the area and it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Panel 3 & 4 are next to each other, in fact Panel 3 rests on top of Panel 4. During my search for the first two panels I saw these rocks and thought they looked prime rocks to have Cup Marks on them, but when I went and looked them over I didn't spot anything, so I continued my hunt, after much frustration I was drawn back to these rocks for some reason. I started clearing the Sheep wool & dung from the rocks and I then noticed a circular shape filled with debris, I scooped it out and it was a very pronounced Cup Mark.

Panel 3 : The Cup Mark is on the very top of the rock, which is propped up on a small, thin rectangular rock that rests on Panel 4. The Cup Mark has a Radial Groove running down to a natural fissure in the rock.

Panel 4 : Has 2 Cup Marks, one larger one at the Western corner of the rock, and a much smaller one at the opposite Eastern end, almost in line with the Cup Mark on Panel 3. When viewed from above the 3 Cup Marks form a triangle. Panel 4 has a lot of natural grooves criss crossed across it's surface and is sloping gently from East to West.

*Getting there ; Access the moor from the Old Largs Road, which runs from Overton at the top of Greenock to Loch Thom (And onto Largs) These Cup Marks are about 35 minutes walk from Drumfrochar train station.

From the train station come out onto Peat Road and turn left, walk uphill taking your 3rd left after the last house. Walk up the Old Largs Road and after 10 minutes you'll pass Whinhill golf course, keep walking for about another 10 minutes and you'll come to a small place to park a car at the bottom of the moor, there is a large metal gate to stop cars going up the track.
Walk up the windy track for about 5 minutes (Passing Whitelees 1 after a minute) and you'll come to a gate below an old disused, red brick bunker further uphill. From here it's less than 5 minutes away. Climb the gate and head up past the bunker as far as you can go until to start seeing the Clyde. Keep walking and you'll see a long rocky spine running East to West. Head for that. Look across the river to Ardmore Point and Panel 3 & 4 are halfway between the rocks you are at and the fence to the North.

Whitelees Moor Cairn

Trip No.15  Date Added: 17th Jul 2019
Site Type: Cairn Country: Scotland (Inverclyde)
Visited: Yes on 21st May 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Whitelees Cairn :

Cairn remains on the summit of Whitelees, like the main site description mentions the Cairn looks greatly disturbed. Although it is turfed over and most of the stones have been moved, enough remain to give a general shape to the Cairn.
The scatter of stones reminds me of the disturbed Cairn remains on Carman Hill (Minus the Portal Stone) which is visible 10km away upriver.

The view from the summit of the moor is beautiful, with the Holy Loch, Loch Long, Gare Loch, Ben Lomond, Dumbarton Rock, Loch Thom and Goat Fell all visible when standing at the Cairn.

*Getting there ; Access the moor from the Old Largs Road, which runs from Overton at the top of Greenock to Loch Thom (And onto Largs) These Cairn remains are about 35 minutes walk from Drumfrochar train station.

From the train station come out onto Peat Road and turn left, walk uphill taking your 3rd left after the last house. Walk up the Old Largs Road and after 10 minutes you'll pass Whinhill golf course, keep walking for about another 10 minutes and you'll come to a small place to park a car at the bottom of the moor, there is a large metal gate to stop cars going up the track.
Walk up the windy track for about 5 minutes (Passing Whitelees 1 after a minute) and you'll come to a gate below an old disused red brick bunker further uphill. From here it's less than 5 minutes away. Climb the gate and head up past the bunker as far as you can go until to start seeing the Clyde. Keep walking until you see a long rocky spine running East to West. Head for that and then face SE, you'll see a large radio mast next to some trees around the cottage. The Cairn is just over 50m away in that direction, you can't miss it. The Cairn remains sit on raised ground and is the highest point on the moor.