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Eilean Loch Airceig is a crannog and chapel situated in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The crannog represents a form of settlement characteristic of Iron Age and medieval Scotland, constructed on an artificial or semi-artificial island within the loch. Such structures, built from timber and stone, provided defensible domestic occupation in a landscape of lochs and moorland. The site's archaeology preserves evidence of human activity spanning more than two millennia, from the Iron Age through the medieval period.
The underlying bedrock comprises psammite and pelite of the Glenfinnan Group, metamorphic rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era. These hard, stable geological foundations made the loch setting suitable for sustained settlement. The chapel, a later addition to the site, reflects the Christianisation of the Highlands and the continued significance of the location as a place of habitation and religious observance through the medieval centuries.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under statutory designation SM6154, recognising its importance as evidence of Iron Age and medieval settlement patterns in the Highlands. The crannog and chapel together illustrate the continuity of occupation and the integration of secular and religious life within Scottish island communities across a substantial span of prehistory and history.
Eilean Loch Airceig,crannog and chapel is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6154. View the official record →
Eilean Loch Airceig is a crannog and chapel situated in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6154.
Eilean Loch Airceig,crannog and chapel dates from the iron age–medieval period, and is classified as a crannog and chapel. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Eilean Loch Airceig,crannog and chapel 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 SM6154.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Caledonian Canal, Gairlochy Locks, lighthouse and signal lamp (4.8 km), Caledonian Canal,Moy Bridge to Gairlochy (5.5 km), Caledonian Canal,Moy Swing Bridge (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Eilean Loch Airceig,crannog and chapel'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.
Eilean Loch Airceig,crannog and chapel stands on Glenfinnan Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and pelite.