Description

The monument comprises a long burial cairn of Neolithic date, located within extensive forestry plantations. When it was scheduled in 1971, the area to be scheduled was wrongly aligned on the map. This amendment rectifies the error.

The cairn is about 30m long NW-SE by from 20m wide at the SE end to 15m wide at the NW end. The cairn stands to a maximum height of 3m, on top of a natural mound. There are no signs of chambers or other structural features, suggesting the cairn may be relatively undisturbed.

The area now to be scheduled is an oval 60m NW-SE by 40m SW-NE, to include the cairn and an area around it in which evidence relating to its construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a relatively well preserved example of a Neolithic long cairn, which shows no obvious signs of having been seriously disturbed since its construction. It has the potential to provide important information about prehistoric ritual and funerary practices, and may contain deposits capable of providing anatomical and genetic material relating to the Neolithic inhabitants of Caithness and environmental evidence relating to contemporary vegetation and land use.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NH77NW 2.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland