© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Banchor cairn is a Bronze Age funerary monument situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. The structure occupies ground underlain by ancient Moine Supergroup bedrock, a gneissose psammite and semipelite formation laid down during the Neoproterozoic era over 540 million years ago. This metamorphic foundation would have presented significant challenges to Bronze Age builders, requiring substantial effort to construct a durable burial cairn atop such hard, crystalline stone.
The cairn represents a widespread tradition of monumental burial practice in northern Scotland during the Bronze Age, when communities marked the graves of prominent individuals with substantial stone structures. Situated 315 metres south-east of Banchor itself, the monument sits within a landscape shaped by glaciation and characterized by the rugged terrain typical of the central Highlands.
The site is formally protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11814, ensuring its preservation for future study. Despite its protected status, the monument remains comparatively little-excavated, retaining potential to contribute further understanding of Bronze Age funerary practices and settlement patterns in this region of Scotland.
Banchor, cairn 315m SE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11814. View the official record →
Banchor cairn is a Bronze Age funerary monument situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11814.
Banchor, cairn 315m SE of 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 SM11814.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dalarossie Cottage, cairn 375m SSE of (0.4 km), Woodend, cairn 760m NW of (3.7 km), Drumbain Cottage, hut circles 725m, 845m and 975m ESE of (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Banchor, cairn 315m SE of'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.
Banchor, cairn 315m SE of stands on Moine Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is gneissose psammite and gneissose semipelite.