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Heatherdean Henge is a Bronze Age ceremonial monument located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, situated some 30 metres south-southeast of the lochside. The site occupies ground underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone, a Devonian bedrock comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geology forms part of the distinctive landscape of the Scottish Highlands, where such ancient ceremonial sites remain scattered across the terrain.
Henges were prominent ritual and gathering places constructed during the Bronze Age, typically featuring circular or oval ditches with internal or external banks. The Heatherdean example continues this tradition, its positioning near the loch reflecting the importance of water sources to prehistoric communities. The proximity to the water would have made the site accessible and visually prominent within the local landscape.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6694, ensuring its preservation for future study and public access. Sites of this type provide valuable evidence for understanding Bronze Age settlement patterns, territorial organisation and religious practices across northern Scotland, where such monuments often cluster in valleys and near water sources that would have supported both subsistence and ceremonial activity.
Heatherdean, henge 30m SSE of, Lochside is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6694. View the official record →
Heatherdean Henge is a Bronze Age ceremonial monument located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, situated some 30 metres south-southeast of the lochside. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6694.
Heatherdean, henge 30m SSE of, Lochside dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a henge 30m sse of, lochside. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Heatherdean, henge 30m SSE of, Lochside 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 SM6694.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Loch Flemington, barrow 1000m SSE of Balspardon (0.7 km), Balblair, enclosure 120m E of (1.2 km), Brackla Farm,enclosure 300m SW of (4.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Heatherdean, henge 30m SSE of, Lochside'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.
Heatherdean, henge 30m SSE of, Lochside stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.