Drystone Walls in Glenshee, Perthshire. Noticing local dry stone whilst building in a remote area.

I was fortunate to be doing a walling repair out past Glenshee last year, and we were lucky to have good weather, so the view from the job site was excellent, and the area is full of drystone walls.

This is a lovely example of a single-skinned boulder dyke. The stone is so rough and resistant to shaping that it really only lends itself to this style. Sheep are allegedly reluctant to climb walls they can see through, as it looks unstable.

View over the top of the dry stone dykes.

Drystone Galloway dykes with a lime kiln in the background. The top line of the wall is beautifully consistent, especially given the rough nature of the building style.

Here are some great examples of still functioning boulder dykes, Galloway dykes and a really old lime kiln. Farm walls were often built in the style that most suited the stone available. It’s unusual to see Galloway dykes and Boulder dykes as no one really builds them anymore (in Perthshire), with most left derelict once they begin to fail.

This is a great example of a Galloway dyke. Oftentimes there is a small amount of stone that is more usable. When this happens you tend to see walls built traditionally (with two faces) up to knee height, and then single skinned all the way to and including the copes. The overhang is designed to deter sheep from attempting to escape.

A beautiful stretch of drystone Galloway dykes.