Instead we return along the road towards the main complex, where a gate leads into the field in which Mains of Clava SW can be found. Previously dismissed as a hut circle, this site has now been reinterpreted as a ring cairn after excavation. We find a decent sized but rather overgrown mound, with some exposed stonework. Obviously nowhere near as impressive as the main enclosure, but this is still a very decent addition to the group.
A circular earthwork SE of the guardianship enclosure, which is currently recorded as a 'hut circle', was examined by small- scale excavation and proved to be the remains of a ring-cairn. Four of the outer kerb stones still survived, together with a broad bank of rubble. It seems likely that the monument was constructed in two phases. The first involved the construction of the cairn from surface boulders. In a later phase the interior was excavated and soil was piled against the outer kerb of the monument. This material included a small amount of cremated bone and contained a number of sandstone slabs - a feature which was also recognised in the ring-cairn within the guardianship enclosure.
Sponsors: Historic Scotland and Reading University with assistance from Highland Archaeology Service.
R Bradley 1996
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