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Allt Tobair Fhuair is a shielings settlement situated approximately 2930 metres west of Aldachuie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Shielings were summer pasture settlements traditionally used by Highland communities for transhumant herding, where cattle were driven to upland grazing grounds during the warmer months whilst the valley lands below remained available for hay cultivation. The monument is registered for protection by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11507.
The site lies upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a sequence of metamorphic rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era. This geology comprises psammite, semipelite and pelite—metamorphosed sediments that characterise much of the Scottish Highlands. Such terrain would have supported the rough pasture necessary for summer cattle grazing, whilst the higher altitude location provided the elevated ground favoured for shielings.
The settlement exemplifies the seasonal land-use patterns that dominated the Highlands from the medieval period onwards. Archaeological remains of shielings typically comprise scattered stone structures, including rough shelters and enclosures for livestock management. This particular example preserves evidence of the pastoral economy that sustained rural Highland communities over centuries, and whose practices only declined significantly following the upheavals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Allt Tobair Fhuair, shielings 2930m W of Aldachuie is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11507. View the official record →
Allt Tobair Fhuair is a shielings settlement situated approximately 2930 metres west of Aldachuie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11507.
Allt Tobair Fhuair, shielings 2930m W of Aldachuie is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM11507.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bressachoil farmstead, Glen Ernan (3.7 km), Relaquheim, farmstead 1090m W of, Glen Ernan (3.8 km), Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Allt Tobair Fhuair, shielings 2930m W of Aldachuie's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Allt Tobair Fhuair, shielings 2930m W of Aldachuie stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.