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Higher Hillhead is a cairn situated in Nairnshire, in the Scottish Highlands. The monument stands at approximately 715 metres north-north-east of its reference point on ground underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a mixed sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. This geological foundation, laid down over 380 million years ago, is characteristic of the regional landscape across much of inland Moray and Nairnshire.
The cairn belongs to a widespread class of prehistoric burial monuments and ceremonial markers found throughout the Scottish uplands. Such cairns typically date to the Bronze Age, though some may be considerably older. Their construction required the deliberate gathering and stacking of stone, work that would have been undertaken by the local community and invested with significant cultural meaning.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM3606, recognising its importance as part of Scotland's archaeological heritage. The site's survival on this exposed moorland, built upon the weathered Old Red Sandstone that forms the underlying geology of the region, preserves evidence of prehistoric land use and settlement patterns in the far north of mainland Scotland.
Higher Hillhead, cairn 715m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3606. View the official record →
Higher Hillhead is a cairn situated in Nairnshire, in the Scottish Highlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3606.
Higher Hillhead, cairn 715m NNE 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 SM3606.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Laikenbuie, cairns 300m SSW of (1 km), Shian Hillock, cairn 445m SE of The Knapp (1.9 km), Slagachorrie, dun 835m NW of (2.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Higher Hillhead, cairn 715m NNE 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.
Higher Hillhead, cairn 715m NNE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.