Barpa Nam Feannag
This site is a Neolithic chambered long cairn near Ahmore at the northern end of North Uist.
Barpa is a word restricted to the Hebrides and now used as a Gaelic word meaning a conical heap of stones. It is almost certainly of Norse origin. One possible root would be varða, an Icelandic word meaning cairn, probably stemming from the Old Norse verb varða, meaning to defend or guard. It does provide evidence that the Vikings knew of the existence of some of these monuments, although not as graphic as the runes graffiti in Maeshowe on Orkney!
Barpa is a word restricted to the Hebrides and now used as a Gaelic word meaning a conical heap of stones. It is almost certainly of Norse origin. One possible root would be varða, an Icelandic word meaning cairn, probably stemming from the Old Norse verb varða, meaning to defend or guard. It does provide evidence that the Vikings knew of the existence of some of these monuments, although not as graphic as the runes graffiti in Maeshowe on Orkney!
The Grid Reference is NF 85697204.
Remote and relatively undisturbed, it is worth the rough walk from the old road at NF 84807352 . From there follow the fence line for about a mile and look over to your right (south west) and you will see the cairn across the wide, gently sloping valley. A stunning views across the bleak centre of North Uist on a good day. More detail can be found here. |