Hiding In Plain Sight

Thanks to the efforts of eagle-eyed walkers, the mysteries of Scotland's ancient landscape are slowly being revealed

- JUDY VICKERS

SLOWING down and really noticing the landscape that's local to us is a great thing. For some, it was lockdown that did that, for others it's retirement or having a family, or just learning to be more mindful. Not many, however, take a look at a familiar landscape and see a large ancient monument that's been hiding in plain sight for thousands of years.

But that's exactly what two Fifers - Anne Smith and Jeremy Eccles - did when out on walks. Now there is a Bronze Age burial mound and a Neolithic standing stone registered with Historic Environment Scotland (HES), all thanks to their efforts.

Kyle Armstrong, HES designations officer, said the team were stunned when they received the applications. He said, "It is really, really unusual. I don't think I have worked on any others like this."

Fife Council archaeologist Douglas Speirs helped both Anne and Jeremy with their finds. He said, "For a variety of reasons both of those had been missed and were unknown to the archaeological world.

"But the real surprise is that there are still nationally important, monumental-scale prehistoric monuments to be found hiding in plain sight in densely populated parts of Scotland."

The Standing Stone

Retired GP Anne Smith and her husband Ron joined a group walk as part of a walking festival in April 2019, which included a stroll along the Burntisland branch of the Old Great North Road, an 18th century turnpike route between Edinburgh and Perth, which is now a footpath.

"Our walk took us past a tall stone that had all the features of a prehistoric standing stone," Anne says. "I knew it wasn't on the maps. I had had a hand injury some years ago and while I was in plaster, and couldn't do so many activities, we drove around Fife and visited all the standing stones I could identify from the OS maps and photographed them. That's why I was surprised to find a 'new' one."