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Berriedale hut circles and enclosure is a post-medieval settlement site situated on the southern bank of the Allt-Ardachaidh in Caithness, northern Scotland. The monument comprises the remains of multiple hut circles arranged within an associated enclosure, representing the domestic and pastoral arrangements of early modern rural settlement in the Far North. The site occupies a location founded upon Moine Supergroup psammite, a metamorphic rock of Neoproterozoic age that characterises much of the underlying geology of this region.
Post-medieval settlements of this character typically date from the sixteenth century onwards, reflecting patterns of Highland life before large-scale agricultural improvement and the transformations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The proximity to the Allt-Ardachaidh would have provided essential access to water for both domestic use and livestock management, whilst the southern bank offered shelter and drainage on what is often exposed upland terrain.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM3476, recognising its significance for understanding the settlement history and social organisation of early modern Caithness. Such hut circles remain valuable archaeological evidence of vernacular building practices and subsistence strategies in one of Scotland's most northerly regions.
Berriedale,hut circles & enclosure on S bank of Allt-Ardachaidh is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3476. View the official record →
Berriedale hut circles and enclosure is a post-medieval settlement site situated on the southern bank of the Allt-Ardachaidh in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3476.
Berriedale,hut circles & enclosure on S bank of Allt-Ardachaidh dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a hut circles & enclosure on s bank of allt-ardachaidh. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Berriedale,hut circles & enclosure on S bank of Allt-Ardachaidh 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 SM3476.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Langwell Castle or Achastle,230m E of Langwell House (3.2 km), Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell (3.2 km), Langwell House,cairn 400m SW of,Berriedale (3.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Berriedale,hut circles & enclosure on S bank of Allt-Ardachaidh'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.
Berriedale,hut circles & enclosure on S bank of Allt-Ardachaidh stands on Moine Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite.