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Fieldnotes
| This Cairn does not seem to have an official name which is a shame as its been a very substantial monument and it still dominates its immediate surroundings. Access is easy - from the Inchindown Forestry Commission Car park on the Scotsburn road look North and there it is, about 200m away. It has been thoroughly robbed, but what remains gives a clear indication as to what once was. First, what remains? Well, virtually all of one quarter of the circumference on the SE side. The outer stonework is undisturbed and consists of small stone with a mossy covering. This is approx 5m in height from its base up to the top level of stonework - the base being on the downslope of a slight hill. There is a huge boulder (about 2m x 1m x 1m)lying on the top of one section - it looks entirely out of place and lord knows how it got there. The entire centre of the cairn has been robbed out and what remains is covered in ferns with no larger stones visible.. There are 2 things that strike me about this site. 1. This cairn is situated very close to the valley floor. Nearly all the local cairns are sited well upslope on hill and mountainsides. This is probably due to changing land use over the centuries - all lower lying cairns have been lost to agriculture ? 2.Its Height. It must have been enormous. What remains gives a good indication of scale. When you stand in the centre of the robbed out centre, the top of the remaining section is at least 1 -2m above headlevel, not forgetting the existing summit will be considerably lower now, than it was when it was built. Although incomplete, this is a good site to visit due to its accessibility. Theres also a cup and ring marked stone 20m from the car park! Visited 10th Dec 2009 |
Posted by strathspey11th December 2009ce Edited 11th December 2009ce
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