Step forward for erection of ancient stone at Halkirk
Thursday, July 20, was an important day for the Northern Pilgrims’ Way Group (NPWG) in its bid to site a replica Pictish stone in Caithness.
The group had recently raised the funds and gained planning permission to erect a reconstruction of the Skinnet Stone on the outskirts of Halkirk.
Jane Coll, NPWG secretary, said: "Now it was time to move on from filling in forms to the practicalities.
"So the stonemason, David McGovern of Monikie Rock Art, visited Caithness from his base in Angus to refresh his memory of the original stone, housed in the North Coast Visitor Centre."
After he studied the stone in detail and had a general look around, David then visited the site where the reproduction will be placed. "This is a corner of the Morrison Park, Halkirk, whose management committee have kindly allowed us to use," said Jane.
"David professed himself delighted with the site and all agreed that the stone will be an eye-catching feature of the area. He emphasised that he will be producing a stone that will look as the original stone would have done when new, using traditional stone carving methods.
"It will take him some time to locate a suitable stone and many weeks to carve it, so he expects to complete the task in the spring."
