Description

The monument comprises the remains of a chambered cairn; a ritual and funerary monument dating from the Neolithic period (c.4000-2000BC). It was first scheduled in 1971 but the area scheduled was inadequate. This scheduling extension remedies this.

The cairn is situated on the spine of a ridge which lies between the Ness valley and the Beauly Firth, and commands extensive views of the surrounding countryside. Almost all of the body of the cairn has been removed, exposing the large stones which make up the chamber. These stones are made of coarse conglomerate and at least 8 survive, defining a chamber with 2 compartments and an apparent entrance passage to the E. The tallest stone stands to approximately 1.8m. The faint traces of a probable kerb can be traced as a broken arc of stones lying 4-10m to the N and E of the chamber. The cairn belongs to the "Orkney-Cromarty" building tradition, and would originally have been roughly circular in shape with a maximum diameter of approximately 25m.

The area to be scheduled is circular, with a diameter of 45m, centred on the chamber, to include the remains described above and an area around where evidence relating to the construction and use of the cairn may be expected to survive, as shown in red on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland