Where were your ancestors buried 5500 years ago? I asked myself the very same question when I had the privilege of visiting the historic Cairnpapple site. It is located in what we now call the Bathgate Hills and is about 5 km north of the Bathgate village. Cairnpapple is located on the top of one of the high points of the Bathgate hills and has commanding views in all directions. On a clear day you can see the Forth and many farm lands for miles and miles. From the road you need to conquer a set of uneven stairs that lead you up to a path which gently meanders up to the site itself. The path is relatively even and unobstructed. At the top, a keen photographer would be spoilt for choosing a landscape to photograph.

On first appearance, the site appears to be little more than a "grass mound" protruding from the earth. As you draw closer, certain features become more obvious and as you look around it all becomes truly fascinating.

First you will notice the grass mound protruding from the earth. Then you see a ditch and a bank that almost encircles the site, rather similar to a moat around a castle. Historians speculate that the bank was to prevent prying eyes from seeing what went on inside and that possibly only a select few were allowed in to conduct ancient burials and ceremonies.

There are massive holes in the earth that are lined with stones and it is thought that these holes had large wooden poles in them that were a little taller than the average person. The significance of these poles is not clear.

Stairs lead you up to the top of the "grass mound" where you can climb through a small metal hatch and down a short ladder into the chamber. The chamber is where the North Grave is located. Once inside, you will be staring at 5500 years of human history.

Imagine staring at a grave and wondering what it must have been like five thousand years ago standing on this very spot conducting a burial. We will never really know, will we?

About five thousand five hundred years ago, people in the Neolithic era made tools, lit fires and conducted burials on this site. They were the people that lived and farmed in the immediate area. About five hundred years later, the local community collectively built a Henge Monument which was probably used for ceremonial purposes at first. A few hundred years later, during the Bronze Age, the use of the site was changed to a burial site. For the next two thousand years burials took place and bodies were laid in stone lined boxes called cists. On top of them were the cairns. Sometimes the deceased were buried with items such as animal bones, clay pots and items of wood.

Cairnpapple is a special place, it gives a feeling of mystery and intrigue. On leaving the site you feel indebted to those who preserve and show us these ancient wonders.

Walking back down the hill. I had to ponder why this great site was not promoted to the same extent as some of the other historic sites of Scotland. Perhaps it is because the attraction is a bit out of the way, and it takes longer to get there. Like many other historic sites in Scotland (see my website http://www.photoguideproductions.co.uk ) Cairnpapple certainly has a special place in Scottish history.

Getting to this wonderful historic site is not as difficult as it may appear to be. A short train journey from Edinburgh to Bathgate would only take you 25 minutes and then a taxi ride to the historic site would be another 10 minutes. A small effort when you think about it.

I certainly enjoyed my visited immensely and would recommend it to anybody else. I bought a small illustrated guide at the site which is of excellent quality and makes for great reading especially after you have seen what the guide is explaining. Admission per adult was a very reasonable £3.50 and the guide was another £1.95. Truly worth it!

Copyright © J Reunert 2007. Please use provided Authors name, Bio, copyright and all article links are included in full.