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Cairn Liath is a Neolithic cairn complex in Caithness comprising both a long cairn and a round cairn. The monument lies upon Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a foundation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone laid down during the Middle Devonian period. This geological base would have provided readily available stone for the cairn's construction, a practical advantage for the Neolithic builders who used local materials extensively.
The long cairn represents one of the earlier funerary monuments of the Neolithic period, typically constructed as communal burial chambers aligned lengthwise to the landscape. The addition of a round cairn indicates continued use or reactivation of the site across the Neolithic and potentially into the Bronze Age, as communities returned to significant ancestral locations for successive burial practices.
Cairn Liath is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM438, recognising its importance to Scotland's archaeological heritage. The site survives as evidence of Caithness's early settlement patterns and the ritual significance of its elevated terrain to prehistoric communities.
Cairn Liath,long cairn and round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM438. View the official record →
Cairn Liath is a Neolithic cairn complex in Caithness comprising both a long cairn and a round cairn. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM438.
Cairn Liath,long cairn and round cairn dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a long cairn and round cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn Liath,long cairn and round cairn 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 SM438.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rinsary,homestead 500m WNW of,Berriedale (8.7 km), Rinsary, broch and post-medieval farmstead 300m SSW of, Berriedale (9 km), Cnoc Fionn,hut circle 250m SW of (9.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn Liath,long cairn and round cairn'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 Liath,long cairn and round cairn stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.