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Clais-Cairn is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Caithness, Scotland, approximately 550 metres south-west of an unnamed location. The monument belongs to the tradition of megalithic communal burial structures that characterised the Scottish Neolithic period, typically dating from around 4000 to 2500 BCE. These cairns served as focal points for ritual activity and the curation of ancestral remains within their stone-built chambers.
The site sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period. This local geology—comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone—would have provided the builders with accessible stone suitable for constructing the cairn's outer walls and internal structures. The dramatic, windswept landscape of Caithness, with its exposed bedrock and sparse vegetation, continues to shape the monument's setting as it has since construction.
Clais-Cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM424, reflecting its significance as evidence of Neolithic settlement, belief systems and land use in the far north of Britain. The cairn contributes to our understanding of how early farming communities organised their ritual and funerary practices across Scotland's diverse regions.
Clais-Cairn,chambered cairn 550m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM424. View the official record →
Clais-Cairn is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Caithness, Scotland, approximately 550 metres south-west of an unnamed location. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM424.
Clais-Cairn,chambered cairn 550m SW of dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Clais-Cairn,chambered cairn 550m SW 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 SM424.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rinsary, broch and post-medieval farmstead 300m SSW of, Berriedale (3.9 km), Cnoc Fionn,hut circle 250m SW of (4.3 km), Langwell Castle or Achastle,230m E of Langwell House (4.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Clais-Cairn,chambered cairn 550m SW 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.
Clais-Cairn,chambered cairn 550m SW of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.