Stones - 2

Rocks that were removed from the fields went into making the walls that formed croft boundaries but the bigger and better were used in agricultural buildings. Some rocks, like the lintels that made the doorways, were huge and must have weighed a couple of hundredweight: it is a wonder that the builders were able to manouevre them into position. The byre in this photo, with its neatly rounded corners, is part of the abandoned village at Glendryan, one of the most beautiful inland spots on the peninsula and a short walk from the Kilchoan - Achnaha road.

Not all materials came readily to hand, so quarries are a common sight, like this one on the roadside in Ormsaigbeg. It is cut into an extremely hard dolerite but the blocks that were won from it were neatly right-angled, so made a fine building stone.

Some blocks from the quarry may have gone into this beautifully constructed wall which is part of a shed at Achnashee, now, sadly, abandoned, its contents increasingly exposed to the winter winds.

Happily, some of these old buildings are still in use. This one, at Craigard, has recently been given a new door and windows, and will repay its owner with many years of good use.