Description

The monument comprises a group of cairns scattered along the upper edge of a sloping shelf on the hillside to the W of Loch Eriboll, at over 300m above sea level. At least one of the cairns is probably of Neolithic, chambered type.

The most prominent of the cairns is located at NGR NC38775866. It is approximately 3.5m high and 19m across at its widest, and composed of relatively small stones, except on the SE side, where traces of a structure of larger slabs appear to underlie the cairn, marking either a burial cist or a burial chamber with a short entrance passage.

A few other large blocks at the foot of the mound suggest a kerb defining its outer limit, and suggest that the cairn may have been D-shaped in plan, with a facade to the SE, although this is now too disturbed to be certain without excavation. To the N of this cairn stretches a linear scatter of at least 7 smaller cairns, running for about 300m to the N along the upper edge of the sloping rocky shelf.

These vary in size from low turf-covered mounds to stone heaps up to 1.5m high and over 7m across. The most northerly cairn has a splendid open view to the N coast, whereas all the other have more restricted outlooks. An outlying pair of cairns lie about 200m to the S and SSE of the largest cairn, described first above. The more westerly of these is substantial, 9m by 8m and over 2m high, the other about 3m across and 1m high.

These cairns are not necessarily contemporary, but their upland location away from agricultural land suggests that they are more likely to be funerary than for any other purpose. However, it is possible that the smaller cairns were built as waymarkers to the larger cairn, which is certainly funerary, although it is difficult to determine with certainty if it is chambered, and Neolithic in date, or cisted, and more probably Bronze Age.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, measuring a maximum of some 700m N-S by 175m E-W, to include the cairns described and an area around them in which further remains and evidence relating to their construction and use are likely to survive. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The modern fence that crosses the S part of the area to be scheduled is excluded from this scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as an unusually located cairn cemetery, probably of late Neolithic or early Bronze Age date, containing a range of sizes of cairn, one at least of which appears to contain a cist or chamber. It has the potential to provide important information about prehistoric ritual and funerary practices.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NC 35 NE 2.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland