The Crannog

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s+2s also 3s+4s set, dance diagonally in, pull back RSh and dance out to next place round clockwise. (Now Ladies' side 1s and 3s, Men's side 2s and 4s), all set to partner
9-16 All dance RSh reels of 4 on sides
17-24 Repeat 1-8 to end (2)(1)(4)(3)
25-32 1s+4s dance 4 bars Espagnole; All set and cross RH with partner. 2413

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Dance Information

Unlike the pile dwellings of the Alps, which were built on dry land and later submerged, crannogs were constructed directly in the water. These structures served as dwellings for over five millennia, from the Neolithic Period to as late as the 17th or early 18th century.

In Scotland, there is limited archaeological evidence of crannogs being used during the Early and Middle Bronze Age or the Norse Period. Radiocarbon dating from key sites suggests that Scottish crannogs mainly date to the Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age, around 800 BC.

Crannogs have been interpreted in various ways, with some being free-standing wooden structures, like those at Loch Tay, while others are mounds of brush, stone, or timber reinforced with timber piles. In regions like the Outer Hebrides, where timber was scarce from the Neolithic era onward, crannogs were often constructed entirely of stone, featuring drystone architecture. Today, crannogs typically appear as small, circular islets, ranging from 10 to 30 metres in diameter, often covered in dense vegetation due to their inaccessibility to livestock.

A Crannog In Loch Freuchie, Perthshire, Scotland

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