Is this Scottish Glen an ANCIENT forgotten world?

[00:01:10]Hello and welcome to Spookies, where we go boots on the Exploring Scotland, looking for the strange and interesting, the lesserk known and hidden history.

[00:01:20]I'm Steven, and in this video, we're hunting for history out at the famous Roslin Glenn. Regulars will probably know we've been out here before making two videos on the place, but that was a while ago now in 2023, and they were some of my earliest videos, so I thought now was a good time to return.

[00:01:39]In this video, I'll attempt to pull together all we've found here previously, along with some new things to see and talk about as myself and my dad, Mike, return to explore this mysterious place.

[00:01:51]Here's a map of the Glenn from Medlovian Council featuring some of the things you'll see in this video. Things like Wallace's cave or the remains of Rosling Castle. You'll notice one of the main features of this place is the river north which winds all the way through the Glenn.

[00:02:08]We're going to begin by exploring the south side of that river before returning to check out the north side later in this video. So, why not grab a we snack and get ready to enjoy some pretty amazing views as we go hunting for history in Rosland Glenn. Let's go.

[00:02:46]Pretty scary.

[00:03:37]There it is.

[00:03:40]Okay.

[00:03:43]Yeah, that's right. We're now approaching Wallace's cave. And as lovely as the journey here has been, I should note that it's not the easiest to get around this place, especially at this south side. Some of the areas are steep with deadly drops scattered about.

[00:03:58]And when we visited, it was pretty muddy and slippy. All things to be aware of when coming to a place like this.

[00:04:04]Anyway, here we are descending towards the cave known as Wallace's Cave, named after the famous William Wallace. The name seemingly comes from stories that Wallace used this as a hiding place during the Wars of Independence in the early 1300s and who participated in the Battle of Rosland in 1303. This is actually one of two caves in Scotland that I've visited with this name, and I'm sure there's more out there, too.

[00:04:30]On the way down to the cave, you can see this amazing shape seemingly carved into the rock. This is generally believed to be ancient, likely from sometime in the Bronze Age around 3 or 4 thousand years ago. However, no one really knows for sure, so it could be younger, but then it could also be even older. Commonly known as a triscalon, this three-ear armed spiral is a prehistoric symbol often believed to represent natural cycles or triple aspects of life such as earth, fire, and water or indeed life, death, and rebirth. Though its exact meaning here is unknown.

[00:05:15]So, here we are approaching the entrance of the cave, and you can see just how dangerous this spot really is with some pretty steep drops around here and there. And we'll actually be down there later in this video, so stick around.

[00:05:26]Anyway, let's go see this cave.

[00:05:42]Now, we're inside the cave. You can see that it's quite a reasonable size in here. It is said that this cave was likely a natural formation further shaped by people over centuries.

[00:05:52]However, I'm not fully convinced. I wondered if instead of being natural, this could be something from an old world that was added to throughout time.

[00:06:01]Perhaps this place was much more accessible when it was originally made.

[00:06:04]It certainly seems like it's been here a long time. And I can't shake the feeling that there's something more going on here in this whole Glenn. In fact, looking around the cave, you'll notice the many scratch marks, a common feature of places like this. Are these from carving out this place? Or could they be from something else? Perhaps from defacing render or religious markings.

[00:06:25]Or maybe these scratch marks are for render itself. Or maybe just natural formations. As you can see at the door, there are some pretty interesting patterns in the stone other than the usual scratch marks you see elsewhere.

[00:06:37]These even reminded me of 3D prints at times and I wondered what they were and how it got like that.

[00:06:43]I also thought it appeared like they were very different types of sandstone here visually. Anyway, it reminded me of when Paul Cook Hidden History would talk about the geopolymer renders. For example, imagine coating a wall and ceiling with something that dries to sandstone instead of plaster. Now imagine lots of time passes and it begins to wear away, perhaps falling away in parts. That's what parts of the ceiling here remind me of. Could it be?

[00:07:09]And by the way, when I say a lot of time passes, I mean a lot. I say that because I reckon if this place is something really old and ancient, and the whole Glenn is part of something larger, then it's likely so old from a time before it became overgrown with plants and mud and things like that. I mean, it would have to have been through an ice age and all sorts. Could that explain some of its appearance? I really do think there's a chance this place could be something like that. You know, something ancient.

[00:07:37]If we take another look at the picture I showed when mentioning the scratch marks, you'll also notice these uniformed lines here.

[00:07:46]These reminded me of the ones I saw at the other Wallace's cave in Okin, except those ones were very straight.

[00:07:53]We questioned back then whether that place was carved or constructed and if these lines could actually be partitions between sections of an ancient geopolymer. Could Wallace's cave at Roslin with similar though less obvious lines be the same? Or are these just natural fractures? What do you think?

[00:08:28]Back in the Rosland cave, I couldn't help but notice some interesting shapes in the walls, and I wondered what they were for. Perhaps they're just natural.

[00:08:36]What do you think?

[00:08:43]I also wanted to note these points which look almost like where mortar would be between blocks to me in a way. I thought it looked interesting with this material between the stone. Is this a natural intrusion or just an unusual appearance or is it something else? What do you think?

[00:09:05]Although the Rosland Castle and Chapel are nearby, they're at the other side of the river below. So, it's unlikely that this was linked with them, in my opinion. There is another castle a little further along on this side, though, that it might have been connected to at one time, Hawthorn Castle. If you're a Spookies regular, you may remember the name Hawthorn. And that's because Hawthor Den is what Richard PCO referred to Rosen Glenn as.

[00:09:30]the center of our last main video.

[00:09:32]Richard PCO was an 18th century bishop and explorer, often documenting landscapes like Rosland Glenn at a time when few others were recording them.

[00:09:47]Anyone home?

[00:09:51]He describes the caves here, saying, quote, "The grottos are cut in perpendicular rock, several rooms, one within another, and no other passage to them, but by boards laid from a shelf of the rock to the entrance of the cave.

[00:10:04]Here they searched for the young pretender in 1746.

[00:10:08]Near it is to find an entire Gothic chapel of Rosland, as it is commonly called, which is very beautiful." End quote. When Richard says they searched here for the young pretender, he's speaking of someone better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Bonnie Prince Charlie, or Charles Edward Stewart, was an exiled prince who led a 1745 Jacobite rebellion to try and win back the British throne for his family. The rebellion ultimately failed, ending in 1746 with the defeat at Colon, and Charles went on the run across the highlands as government forces hunted down Jacobite fugitives. Poker is suggesting that this place was included in the search for him with great pretender being a title largely used by those who opposed Bor Prince Charlie as a way of rejecting his claim to the throne.

[00:10:59]If anyone did hide here at one time or lived here, perhaps they had a door on, as you can clearly see spaces likely related to doors and locks around the entrance.

[00:11:21]What do you think this door could have been like? Did someone actually live in here at one time? I think it's all rather fascinating. And I do wonder if there could be more undiscovered caves around here hidden beneath the earth that's built up around the cliffs.

[00:11:41]Before we get moving on, I thought it would be nice to include a full undisturbed walk down to the cave as I know some of you appreciate that stuff.

[00:11:49]So, I'll be back in a moment to proceed through the Glenn. Fast forward to 15 minutes and 50 seconds if you'd like to skip ahead. And please do let me know if you spot anything that I haven't mentioned. Cheers. Back at a jiffy There you go. I hope you enjoyed that.

[00:15:50]And please do let me know your thoughts on Wallace's Cave. Anyway, time to get a move on. And as I mentioned earlier, we're going to head along towards Hawthorn Castle because it's in that general area that our next points of interests are. Off we go.

[00:16:20]That's a good shot.

[00:16:21]>> Wow.

[00:16:36]Yuck.

[00:16:45]Good luck.

[00:18:39]What an amazing place, isn't I hope you enjoyed that we walk from Wallace's Cave towards Hornen Castle. And indeed, we're right next to it. Now, this place was originally a 15th century fortress, later becoming the home of a poet, William Drummond of Hornen. Now, it's used as a private writer's retreat managed by the Hornen Foundation.

[00:19:02]Because of this, the castle grounds are private land, and there's a gate at the end of the path we've been following, locked, making seeing the rock beneath the castle more difficult. You can still go around, but this involves a muddy slope. And since it seemed especially muddy today, me and my dad decided to split, and I went on ahead down the slope myself before meeting back up in a bit. Here's what I saw.

[00:19:59]This is the rock directly under the castle. And doesn't it look incredible?

[00:20:03]Anyone who saw our Rosland 2 video will probably remember this place. Being on my own this time and not a very skilled rock climber, I wasn't able to get into the cave on this visit. However, when we were here a few years ago, we did get a look inside. And I think it's worth sharing again here just to show you what it's like as well as for the laughs. So here we go.

[00:20:24]>> Just do what you have to do. Don't worry.

[00:20:26]>> You're right. That is fat.

[00:20:28]>> Right.

[00:20:29]>> Yeah. Right. Dad, >> let's do it. Leave him.

[00:20:41]You okay?

[00:20:45]>> I'm going to stand up now.

[00:20:47]>> All right.

[00:20:47]>> All right.

[00:20:48]>> 3 2 1 jump. Three, two, one.

[00:21:02]>> Big thanks to my dad for that.

[00:21:03]Otherwise, I would never have seen inside this place.

[00:21:07]As you can see, there are piles of what I thought was brick at first, but I actually think it's lots of stones now creating these small recesses. I remember there were suggestions in the comments of our old video that this could mean this was used as a dove caught at one time. And for anyone that doesn't know, a dove caught his house in for pigeons or doves. I believe whatever they were for was a repurposing of something older, though. And I wonder what this cave was originally made for.

[00:21:35]If you look behind the stones at this point, for example, you can make out certain recesses in the wall. I wonder what their purpose was.

[00:21:43]I find some of the lines in the stone strange also making it appear like there could be different sections. Could this be a geopolymer? Or is it really carved?

[00:21:57]There's also some round recesses in the stone, making me wonder what was there and what these were made for.

[00:22:07]It seems like there's been campfires lit in here over the years, too, with a blackened ceiling apparent. And to be fair, it's likely this place was well used over the years, as it's directly beneath the castle. And there's all sorts of recesses and cuts in the stone outside, making it look as if there was once beams or joists running into it at points, perhaps a staircase going up to the cave. What do you think? Anyway, we're going to jump back to the future now to our most recent visit and see what I saw nearby. Let's go.

[00:23:19]So, what do you make of this spot? I find it truly fascinating, and I wonder what it was for. My dad said this reminded them of a head. What do you think?

[00:23:29]I wondered what this hole was for, and why it went so far into the rock. Was this made to accommodate something? And if so, what?

[00:23:39]To me, this is just another sign that this place is part of something more ancient. Though, I should also note these aren't a million miles away from the castle, so it could be related.

[00:24:03]There's also these holes around the side. Was there things connected here at one time? There's certainly been something going on, that's for sure.

[00:24:22]The appearance of this place with a hole carved into stone featuring a rectangular recess around it reminds me a little of Otter Hole at Billstein.

[00:24:31]Another area seemingly featuring an ancient past. Could these be a similar thing?

[00:24:38]Anyway, let's not get too distracted.

[00:24:41]Off we go back to the Glenn.

[00:25:23]Longtime spooks will no doubt recognize this stone from many of our openings where my dad used it as a chair. But is this really what it was made to be? I'm not sure. And I can't help my brain from wondering if this is just part of something peeking out of the ground.

[00:25:53]You can see the typical scratch marks all over it. seemingly from shaping it.

[00:25:58]Again, this isn't too far from her Thornen castle, so there's a chance it was made in connection with it. However, with it looking so unusual and with carvings also in the area associated with an ancient world, such as the Triscalian we saw earlier, I wonder if this is something older, something old world. And it's not the only thing around here that makes me wonder that.

[00:26:18]So, let's keep looking.

[00:26:42]Look at that. Maybe this was our subscriber Kathy from Kentucky. Have you been exploring the Glenn? Well, if so, this was actually quite an interesting spot to check out as I found something strange in the rock here.

[00:27:53]What a truly mysterious place, right?

[00:27:55]And here's the strange thing I said I found. What do you think this is? Is it just a tree or a plant root breaking through the stone? Or is this something else like a pipe? Unfortunately, I left my bag with my dad while I was exploring here, meaning I didn't have the metal detector to test whether this could have been a metal pipe or something like that. So, I guess we'll just need to pop back sometime. And by the way, we are almost at the end of this trail now, but there's still another point of interest to share.

[00:28:55]Heat.

[00:29:16]Heat.

[00:29:20]Amazing, isn't it? The stones, rocks, and cliffs around here really do help the imagination run wild. So, I can see why the castles are right in retreat. And with carvings like this around, I can't help but wonder what they were for. We once considered this one could have been for a bridge, and I always wanted to check the other side of the river to see if there was anything about. Well, we'll be over there later in this video, so stick around to see some more amazing scenes. For now, though, what do you think this was? Was it as simple as a carved chair, or does it have another purpose? There seems to be a circular recess here, too. I wonder what that was made for. Any ideas, please do share them in the comments. Thanks. Anyway, as you can probably tell, I'd been down here a while, and it was about time I made my way back to my dad. So, here's some highlights from the walk back up.

[00:30:26]Jump to 34 minutes and 10 seconds if you'd rather skip ahead. Let's go.

[00:34:12]I eventually made it back to my dad and a wee bit of wildlife, too. I hope you enjoyed that walk back and that it gave you a little sense of what it's like to be here. It certainly is an atmospheric place and as nobody really knows when these apparent carvings were made, the mystery is real and open to question in my book. Please do share your thoughts about what any of this is or was for.

[00:34:34]It's much appreciated. And that's just about it for this south side of the river as from here we made our way back to the car. Don't you go anywhere though, as we've still got quite a bit to go in this video. That's right, about a month or so after this visit, we were back to explore the north side of the river. And wow, did we luck out on the weather. Let's go.

[00:35:24]Welcome back to the Glenn and already we can see some interesting ruins up ahead.

[00:35:36]We're actually really close to the remains of Rosland Castle and these ruins along with others around here are most likely connected to that once grand castle. It is said certainly the castle once featured multiple towers and halls, extensive defensive walls, bridge and gate house systems, cliffside fortifications, and high status residential chambers overlooking the Glenn. However, as you'll see shortly, this description is not accurate anymore. And that's because, like many Scottish castles, I suppose over the centuries this place was attacked, burned, rebuilt, and partly collapsed.

[00:36:11]So, these overgrown ruins are said to be part of the castle, and we will see what's left of the main part soon. Don't worry.

[00:36:19]I find it interesting how we can see the rock they're built upon here, looking rather intriguing to me. Like I do a lot around this place. I wondered what else might be buried beneath the earth, waiting to be found. Could there be rooms within the rock associated with the castle now buried and forgotten? Are these really even part of the castle? Or could there be an even older origin to some of these structures? Let's keep looking around.

[00:37:11]We're now below where the main ruins of the castle stand. And you can see a lot more structure associated with it here.

[00:37:18]Anyone who did see our old videos might remember this thing, which a few commenters pointed out was likely a bottom of an old toilet shoot running down from the castle above. Speaking of which, we're going to go on a slight detour and see what's left up there now before coming back down to continue this trail. Off we go.

[00:38:27]Here we are up at the remains of Rosland Castle looking down to where we came from.

[00:38:49]If you've seen the movie The Da Vinci Code, you might recognize this place, as I believe part of it appeared within.

[00:39:00]You'll have noticed the amazing bridge we just walked across, which is how you get up here.

[00:39:06]When we made our original video 3 years ago, this was all shut off as it was undergoing repair works. So, it's great to finally see what's up here. And what is up here is the remains of Roslin Castle.

[00:39:23]Looking around, you'll see these very tall and thick walls, the remains of the castle. Pretty impressive, right? It's said that most of the stone castle has medieval origins dating back to at least the 14th century, though earlier fortifications may have stood on this site before the surviving stone castle was built. I wonder if any of the stone structures could also be from an earlier time. As mentioned, the castle has seen much damage and repair throughout the years, changing its form through time.

[00:39:54]That's continued right up to the modern day with the east part of the castle renovated and habitable. And you can actually stay here if you want and have the cash. Indeed, as you'll see here on roslandapel.com, you can book your stay as well as check out some pictures showing what the inside of this place is like. Amazing, eh?

[00:40:15]Anyway, we'll need to get back down to the main trail soon, but we'll be seeing more of this castle from another angle later on, so stick around. For now, though, let's enjoy some final sights from here before we proceed.

[00:41:27]So, here we are back where we started before going up to the castle. This time, we're going to proceed under the bridge we just walked across to explore further into the Glenn.

[00:43:02]What a great view, right? I think the rock that the castle's built upon is mighty impressive. It's so flat at points, whereas others have this mysterious look.

[00:43:12]We also noticed some interesting shapes in the rock last time we were here, though it was a little more overgrown on this visit. I wonder what they were from.

[00:43:21]This place reminds me a bit of Innerwick Castle in that I wonder how far back the rock it's built upon has been getting used and like the Glenn as a whole if it could be the remnants of an older time.

[00:44:33]What a place, right? You can genuinely spend hours here. And on the wee minute I spent at this point, I noticed some interesting marks in the rocks and wondered what they were for. And there was even a wee bit of wildlife resting inside.

[00:44:55]I didn't spend too long here just now, however, as we turned the other way and traveled further into the Glenn. Don't worry, though, as we'll be passing by here later as we leave around the other side of the castle, previously unseen on the channel. For now, though, let's get into the Glenn.

[00:46:25]I hope you enjoyed that we journey and that wee bit wildlife too because it wouldn't be a spookiest video without a wee bit wildlife now would it? Anyway, we're arriving at our next point of interest. This square foundation now overgrown with all sorts of earth and foliage.

[00:46:59]I actually first noticed this years ago and we almost made a third Roslin video all the way back in 2023 to talk about it.

[00:47:15]We never got round to that, but here we are now.

[00:47:40]So, what is it then? Well, after digging about for a bit, I found this is most commonly referred to as General Monk's battery, as it's featured in this 1970s map. As this excerpt from Douglas in 1898 on trove.cott Scott describes quote after the capture of Derland Castle Monk left for Rosland on the 9th of November 1650 with 600 men besides horse. The garrison of the castle about 25 men surrendered in the course of the following week. It is not known if he had heavy artillery though it is possible. End quote. The 1958 ordinance survey quote that trove features shares more detail on what we're looking at, stating, "An area of ground 17 m squared, delineated by a ditch on average 2 m wide and 1.4 m deep. Dressed masonry is visible on the south and west sides of the square area near the bottom of the ditch.

[00:48:39]The earthwork is in an excellent situation to overlook Roslin Castle, but the possibility of it being in fact a battery is discredited by the fact that there is no sign of a causeway across the ditch to take on and remove guns.

[00:48:53]Just to the north are extensive remains of ornamental paths and garden beds, and it is possible that the battery is part of this arrangement. The stonework visible in the ditch is similar to that of the garden wall at Rosebank House nearby.

[00:49:08]end quote.

[00:49:11]Interesting, isn't it? Especially when there's a later Ordinance survey entry from 1975 going back on this slightly, claiming that, quote, "The possibility of it having been part of the garden arrangement is disputed by Mr. Taylor, curator Roslin Chapel, who states that a previous owner used stonework from the battery to build his garden." End quote.

[00:49:32]So, what do you reckon then? Is this a foundation of a battery for General Monk all the way back in 1650 for attacking Rosland Castle? Or could it be part of an old garden feature of the area? Or perhaps it's something else, something older. I did notice some old maps had a second chapel marked right next to this point. When I say second chapel, I mean second to the famous Rosland Chapel. Of course, this place stands nearby above the level of the strange square, and you can see it marked on the map here.

[00:50:04]Set to date from the 15th century is a truly mysterious and magnificent building for sure with all sorts of strange and interesting carvings about.

[00:50:13]It famously has tales linked with the Knights Templar and of hidden chambers beneath or nearby.

[00:50:23]It's a stretch of course, but I wondered if this could be linked to the so-called battery in some way with the second mention of a chapel appearing so nearby.

[00:50:31]However, I ended up thinking this must be Roslin Chapel here and this something else out on the main road. What do you think? I think this is just another place in the Glenn that still holds its origins a secret to us and I find that fascinating. Anyway, we better keep moving so we can see more of this place.

[00:50:49]So, let's go.

[00:51:58]Here we are down at the river north and we're actually not too far across from the area where Wallace's cave is. That's right. It's over there in the distance somewhere 18 m up.

[00:52:18]When looking over there, I noticed some intriguing shapes carved into the rock that I hadn't previously noticed. It looked as if there was an al cove or something there. So, when I got home, I looked around to see if I could find any mention of it. And indeed, I did find mention of another cave said to have carvings within. I never had the right gear on for crossing the river this time or climbing the slope. So, keep watching to see if we make it back here later in this video. For now, though, we've still got some amazing sights to see. So, let's keep up the pace.

[00:54:18]As we got further into the Glenn, we found this incredible site.

[00:54:22]This poor tree had grown in such a way that the fence is now part of it. Isn't that amazing? Just like Dr. Malcolm says. Looking at the tree, it's a fair size. So, this fence must have been here for quite some time. How old do you reckon it is?

[00:54:45]It was around about here that the path became a little more treacherous. And like last time, myself and my dad decided to split with me going on a little further to see what was there before meeting back up again in a wee minute. Here's what I saw.

[00:56:01]So here we are looking towards Hornen Castle. from earlier. This time from the other side of the river.

[00:56:11]Remember that's the building stood on top of the unusual looking rock with the cave in. I looked around here for the approximate location across from that stone I compared to being part of a bridge earlier, but I couldn't see anything. And with time getting on, I knew I had to get back. So maybe I'll look around here another time. This time, however, I turned around and made my way back to my dad. Stopping by another interesting site before it was time for us to leave.

[00:57:16]This is a point in the Glenn known as Lover's Leap. And it's here that there's a carving I thought you'd love to see.

[00:58:04]How amazing is this? What do you make of it? It's suggested this dates from the Iron Age with trove.cott and other sources speaking of a fish carving in this area. And though this may not look like a fish at first, there seems to be a body or some carvings connected with the apparent face on the side here.

[00:58:23]Interestingly, when we found it, my dad thought it was a fish on first impressions.

[00:58:28]With the face so prominent though, it has been likened to being that of a human face or a green man, amongst other things. What do you think it is? Could it be even older than they say? Speaking of carvings, keep watching to see if we make it over to the ones we caught a glimpse of earlier. First, please enjoy these sights as we make our way back to the car around the side of the castle new to us. Let's go.

[00:59:14]Wow, look at that.

[00:59:37]It's actually huge. Yeah.

[01:00:27]Wow.

[01:00:46]Oh, look at that tree.

[01:00:51]That's a cool tree.

[01:00:57]>> It is a pretty cool tree, don't you think? This whole Glenn is just so magical with impressive sights around every corner. And this we corner we are standing in is us around the other side of where we were before at the castle.

[01:01:20]Yo yo castle from here we eventually followed the river back to where we started.

[01:02:13]So, what did you think of this side of the Glenn? Pretty mysterious in my opinion. And I really do wonder if this is an ancient overgrown old world.

[01:02:22]There's even more places we could have explored in this video, like the Roslin Gunpowder Factory remains down the other end of the Glenn. We visited these briefly in our second Rosland video and they're very intriguing. As steamheritage.co.uk explained, the mill was once the largest in Scotland and operated deep in Rosland Glenn for 150 years, having first opened sometime between 1801 or 1803, only closing in 1954.

[01:02:49]End quote. So officially, these are from the early 1800s. Amazing. Maybe we'll explore this side of the Glenn a little more one day to see what else is about.

[01:02:59]But for now, it's time to find out if we made it to those suspected carvings as me and my dad returned to the Glenn once more.

[01:06:22]Longtime spooks might remember this cave from our first ever Rosland video where I compared it to an eye. Don't you think it looks a bit like an eye?

[01:06:32]Anyway, we made our way through this truly mesmerizing place, and the weather was back and forth between rain and sun, which wasn't great for what we had planned.

[01:06:47]>> We're going to make it.

[01:06:51]>> Eventually, we approached the area where I'd seen the apparent carvings and began our mission.

[01:06:58]>> Just nice and slow. Yeah.

[01:08:06]Oh my god, that bit deeper than there.

[01:08:15]>> Don't forget you've swam with sharks.

[01:08:17]This is nothing.

[01:08:28]What? Cherry.

[01:08:47]>> Thanks, Dad. I tell you what, that stick made it.

[01:08:54]>> There he is. Right underneath.

[01:08:57]>> Indeed. As my dad says, I'm right underneath where the apparent carvings were. And now, after making my way over here, I just had to find a way up towards the al cove where they lived.

[01:09:07]And that's why such a wet and rainy day wasn't so good for this mission, as most of the al cove was surrounded with muddy slopes running straight down to the river. Therefore, I took my time finding a way up and don't have much footage of the journey, but there is a little bit indeed. On my way up, I passed below the cliff of Wallace's cave from earlier, as well as another atmospheric group of rocks.

[01:09:35]Made it.

[01:09:37]Made it somehow.

[01:09:42]Or near it. I don't know if I'm going to make it through here. I was just around the corner from the carvings, but there was a great deal of bush with stingy nettles, twigs, and all sorts of things growing in the way above a slippy mudslide down to the river. I carefully worked through this foliage and got a glimpse of the cave and I just knew I had to find a way over.

[01:11:04]Amazing, isn't it? With some careful maneuvers, I eventually made it to this place without sliding into the river. As you can see, there are quite a number of carvings in here. I did find some information from Historic Environment Scotland from an entry in the schedule of monuments. This place is entered alongside Wallace's cave and it's thought they may have been linked in an older time. When speaking of this place, though, it says, quote, "The recess with the carvings occupies a shelf in the cliff and is roughly triangular in shape, some 3 m wide at the mouth and about 2.5 m deep. The recess is partly overhung by the cliff, especially along the left hand wall. The floor is uneven, sloping, and earthcovered. On the left wall of the recess, the carvings are arranged serially along a bed in the sedimentary rock 1.5 m above the floor. After an angle in the rock, the carvings continue on and below the right hand wall, where the rock slopes obliquely toward the front of the shelter. The rock carvings are highly unusual and well preserved.

[01:12:22]On the left hand wall is a rich array of barred circles, triangles, spirals, a scooter form design, and other shapes, including signs resembling the alphabet letters I, H, O, all executed by pecking. The carvings on and below the right-hand wall include a complex double spiral, an S spiral, concentric circles, and numerous other circles. Other carvings are likely to be concealed beneath the soil accumulated at the base of the rock. The carvings are likely to be bronze age in date. They share affinities with some Irish Bronze Age rock art. The rock carvings are of national importance as a wellpreserved and rare occurrence of prehistoric rock art in eastern and land Scotland. Still in their original setting, the rock shelter and carving have the potential to produce important information about the techniques, style, and symbolism of prehistoric rock art and any ritual or associated activities, as well as about artistic and other contacts across the Irish Sea during prehistory. End quote.

[01:13:27]Amazing, right? So, there's what the official narrative of these things are.

[01:13:31]And I felt incredibly lucky to see something that's said to be so old. I really was grateful, especially when I couldn't find any images of what to expect before coming up here. So, it was pretty magical.

[01:13:49]This place reminded me a little of those American Southwest landscapes, ruins, and carvings I'd seen on the Desert Drifter channel, and it made me imagine the whole Glenn without trees and its resemblance to those desert canyons I'd seen Andrew explore on there. Rest in peace to a legend.

[01:14:07]What do you think these could have meant? What was their purpose? Even one of the most recognizable shapes to us today, this S here, seems to be joined to something bigger. And I wondered what it was.

[01:14:26]I also thought this might be a sunshine here, which made me consider if this arrangement could be something that interacts with the sunlight in some way, recording times of year or something like that. Whatever they meant, I find it truly fascinating that we could be looking at a piece of art created thousands of years ago, and that truly is old world to us. Sadly, I couldn't stay up here all day, and I thought I better get moving back down and across the river. So, here we go.

[01:16:16]You what?

[01:16:16]>> I need to hurry. I've cut. You must have cut a hole in these up there.

[01:16:21]>> Just do it.

[01:16:22]>> I need to be quick.

[01:16:23]>> We'll do it.

[01:16:30]>> You want to do it fast cuz they'll fill up with water.

[01:16:51]Here he comes across the river.

[01:16:55]Mr. Spooky using his trusty stick.

[01:17:01]One leg.

[01:17:03]>> One leg full of water.

[01:17:05]Look at that movement.

[01:17:08]Slice sausage roll. That's the only fuel he needs to cross these rapids.

[01:17:14]Lots of men have failed.

[01:17:17]But Spooky Drew, he does it.

[01:17:22]Unbelievable.

[01:17:23]Unbelievable. Here he comes. He's just about there on the home straight.

[01:17:28]See if he contemplates his next move.

[01:17:31]Very tricky. Very tricky. Tricky. This is the one. This could be the only way.

[01:17:38]He's using his old trusty stick. The stick was handed down from the Aztecs.

[01:17:45]Reportedly, this stick is over 2,000 years old.

[01:17:50]Here he goes.

[01:17:52]And he's there. He's there. He's just a route back on Scottish soil following in the tracks of William Wallace.

[01:18:06]Look at him.

[01:18:08]Look at this guy. And he's back. He's back on dry land. He's dead. Yeah, he does.

[01:18:26]So, what about that, eh? Scraping through the bush not only destroyed my hair and scratched my face, but it also tore my waterproofs in several places.

[01:18:34]It was definitely all worth it, though, to see those carvings. What do you make of them? And what do you make of this whole glenn? Do you think there could be an unknown ancient history here? Could there still be more to find beneath the earth that's built up around the Glenn?

[01:18:47]I think it's possible. I mean, just look at all the mysterious and wondrous things that exist in this one place. I really do think that it's possible that this Glenn was part of something ancient. And I don't mean limited to the age of those carvings. I mean something older before what we know. But that's just me. What do you think? Please let me know in the comments. If you enjoyed this video, please do give it a we like.

[01:19:11]That's really helpful and appreciated.

[01:19:14]And if you'd like to see more, then please >> subscribe to Spookies.

[01:19:21]>> Genuinely, if you're still watching now, thanks. This was a big video for me to put together, but I enjoyed every second, and I wanted to do the Glenn justice. Big thanks to my dad, Mike, for all his help on this one. It just wouldn't have been possible without him.

[01:19:35]I'll leave his channel linked below for any music fans out there. Hopefully, you enjoyed this Wii adventure, and you'll see me in the next one. Thanks for watching and cheerio.