Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCamster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster
Stone rows 450m wsw of s end of loch of camster

Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster

Scotland
HES SM463
Site type
Stone rows 450m wsw of s end of loch of camster
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Camster stone rows is a Neolithic or Bronze Age monument situated 450 metres west-south-west of the southern end of the Loch of Camster in Caithness, northern Scotland. The site stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposited during the Middle Devonian period. This geology has weathered to create the rolling moorland characteristic of inland Caithness.

Stone rows typically date to the Bronze Age, though some may originate in the Neolithic. They consist of standing stones arranged in linear patterns, often aligned to significant landscape features or celestial events. Their precise function remains uncertain, though they likely served ceremonial, ritual or astronomical purposes for the communities that erected them.

The monument is protected under Historic Environment Scotland's designation SM463, ensuring its preservation as an important element of Scotland's prehistoric heritage. Such alignments are particularly common in far northern Britain, and the Camster rows contribute to understanding Bronze Age ceremonial practice and land use in the far north of mainland Scotland.

Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM463. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster?

Camster stone rows is a Neolithic or Bronze Age monument situated 450 metres west-south-west of the southern end of the Loch of Camster in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM463.

Who is responsible for protecting Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster?

Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster 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 SM463.

What other scheduled monuments are near Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Achavar,broch NNW of Occumster Railway Station (6.8 km), Greenhill, broch 60m NE of (7.3 km), Mid Clyth, cross slab 130m E of Greenhill (7.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster

Camster, stone rows 450m WSW of S end of Loch of Camster stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.