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Cul a'Chleit is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located near Garynahine in Ross-shire on the Scottish mainland. The stone rises from bedrock of Lewisian Complex gneiss, one of the oldest rock formations in Britain, formed during the Proterozoic era over 2.5 billion years ago. This ancient geological foundation provided the local stone source that Bronze Age communities would have exploited to create their monuments around 4,000 years ago.
The monument stands within the characteristic landscape of the northern Highlands, where exposed gneiss outcrops and moorland dominate the terrain. Standing stones of this period were typically erected as territorial markers, gathering points for communities, or monuments associated with burial practices and ritual activity. The specific location and orientation of Cul a'Chleit would have held meaning for its Bronze Age builders and users, relating to the visible landscape features and settlement patterns of the time.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled ancient monument under reference SM6019, recognising its archaeological significance and national importance. It remains a tangible link to the Bronze Age societies that shaped the Highlands, surviving on the same Lewisian bedrock that their ancestors knew and worked over four millennia ago.
Cul a'Chleit,standing stones,Garynahine is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6019. View the official record →
Cul a'Chleit is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located near Garynahine in Ross-shire on the Scottish mainland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6019.
Cul a'Chleit,standing stones,Garynahine dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stones,garynahine. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cul a'Chleit,standing stones,Garynahine 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 SM6019.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Airidh nam Bidearan,standing stones N of (1.3 km), Sron a'Chail,stone circle and cairn 450m SSE of Ceann Hulavig (1.7 km), Cnoc Fillibhir Bheag,stone circle and stone settings (3.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cul a'Chleit,standing stones,Garynahine'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.
Cul a'Chleit,standing stones,Garynahine stands on Lewisian Complex, bedrock that formed in the Proterozoic. The rock here is gneiss.