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Cairn Avel is a cairn situated 800 metres south of Carsphairn in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. The monument occupies ground where the underlying bedrock belongs to the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations, undifferentiated sedimentary deposits of Caradocian age comprising hard wacke. This geological foundation is typical of the Southern Uplands geology, contributing to the rugged moorland character of the surrounding landscape.
The cairn represents a prehistoric funerary or ceremonial monument, though its specific date and purpose remain to be fully determined without excavation. Such structures were commonly constructed during the Bronze Age, when heaping stone over a burial or ritual deposit became a widespread practice across upland Scotland. The weathered wacke bedrock would have provided readily available stone for its construction.
Cairn Avel is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1006, recognising its importance as a surviving element of the prehistoric landscape. The monument contributes to our understanding of how early communities used the Kirkcudbrightshire uplands, and its survival on this exposed moorland offers scope for future archaeological study and landscape interpretation.
Cairn Avel,cairn 800m S of Carsphairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1006. View the official record →
Cairn Avel is a cairn situated 800 metres south of Carsphairn in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1006.
Cairn Avel,cairn 800m S of Carsphairn 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 SM1006.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Holm of Daltallochan,cross slab (1.8 km), Holm of Daltallochan,stone circle & standing stone (1.8 km), Braidenoch Hill,cross slabs (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn Avel,cairn 800m S of Carsphairn'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.
Cairn Avel,cairn 800m S of Carsphairn stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.