Lewis, Breasclete, Cnoc Gearraidh Nighean Choinnich

NB23SW 86 NB 2222 3497

NB 2222 3497. Associated with this circle (DES 2003, 138), a backsight position has been confirmed by probing. From it the Langadale Valley is seen through the centre of the circle. At its southern extreme path, every 18.6 years the moon re-appears in this notch after having set into the Harris hills.

There is a socket hole with a prone slab lying partly over it, now buried under 20cm of peaty soil. The slab is 1.75m long by up to 0.5m wide and c 0.15m thick. The socket hole is c 1 x 0.7m and up to 0.8m deep below present ground level, and is surrounded by the possible positions of three or four packing stones (now missing). This prone stone is probably the whole or part of a single monolith which stood here until the 18th century (like the stones of the circle).

The location, visible as a slight mound with different vegetation in the angle of a croft, near a track, is 123.5m NNE of the centre of the circle.

One stone from the circle appears to have been used as a deck slab for the bridge over the Allt Bealach na Beinne at NB 2237 3495, about 210m from the circle. This stone is 1.4 x 0.77 x 0.25m, and is of similar size to the five extant stones of the circle. There are also other shorter slabs in this bridge.

Another backsight position would have existed at NB 2216 3509, about 230m NNW of the circle in another croft. This position gives a view of the Sleeping Beauty hills framed by the stones of the circle and of the rise of the S extreme moon. There is no evidence on the ground but five broken slabs, the largest 0.9 x 0.38 x 0.15m, exist in the nearest part of an old wall 35m to the NE. Elsewhere the wall is built of rounded till stones and backed by smaller field clearance stones.

M R Curtis and G R Curtis 2005.