Low Clone (south)
Low Clone is a site which had yielded several scatters of
neolithic flints, and was subsequently excavated between 1965-6. It
was at this site (also known as Low Clone South) that the centre of
a large scooped area was discovered, with stone settings and stake
holes imply an associated light shelter or habitation. A total
number of over 1600 Mesolithic flints of various types have come
from this site, which appears to have been seasonally occupied. The
flints are comparable with those found at Barsalloch, for which a
radio-carbon date of 4050 BC has been obtained. The majority of
these were found on the site of a 50 foot cliff, which once would
have marked the edge of the land due to higher sea levels.
An old cliff line relating to the time of higher sea levels
surrounds part of the Galloway peninsula, and many mesolithic sites
have been recorded here, particularly around Luce Bay. People
settled on the high land above the beach, choosing locations with
fresh water and setting up camps in sheltered spots slightly back
from the cliff edge. Coastal sites have been traced up the Solway
as far as Redkirk Point, near Gretna, where a hearth has been dated
to 8000 years before the present. Evidence has also been found for
later settlements along the modern day coastline.
Access
Access to this site is limited due to it being on private property.
Note: There is nothing visible on the ground in an area now under crop.