Cairnpapple.

Today's run was to Cairnpapple, a few miles south of Linlithgow; there was either some lethargy from the week-end's efforts affecting the riders, or it was the cold, wind and damp (turning to torrential rain in the afternoon) that took its toll on us; maybe a bit of both. From where this young lady is standing, on a clear day, you can see Goat Fell on Arran; today was not a clear day and we struggled to see as far as Linlithgow. She is looking in the direction of Ben Vorlich and, by complete co-incidence, I used to have a brown mouse who was named after it; I just thought that you may be interested.

From about 3,500 BC, this hill was used for ceremonial purposes; by about 3,000 BC a henge had been built but, since only the post holes remain, it is not known whether it was made of wood or stone; after 2,000 BC the hill became a burial site with the last interment taking place in the latter half of the first millennium AD, so it was probably a Christian ritual.

There is a fee of £4.50 to visit but, unfortunately, there was no one in the visitor centre (a small nissen hut) to collect the money. We'll have to owe it and pay next time we're there, although, since the fee entitles you to go inside the cairn, perhaps we shouldn’t bother unless we have the time to spare to explore properly. It's a bleak place for someone to spend eight hours a day just in case some one does decide to drop in.