© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Loch a'Mhuilinn is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Caithness, Scotland, approximately 300 metres north-east of Loch a'Mhuilinn itself. The monument represents the funerary architecture of Scotland's early farming communities, constructed during the Neolithic period to serve as a communal burial place. Like other cairns of its type, it would originally have comprised a substantial mound of stone containing one or more burial chambers, though its current condition reflects several millennia of weathering and decay.
The cairn is built upon bedrock composed of Middle Old Red Sandstone of Devonian age, a geological foundation comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This mixed lithology would have provided the builders with varied stone suitable for constructing both the outer cairn and internal structural elements. The undifferentiated nature of the local geology means the Neolithic builders likely quarried material from immediately surrounding slopes.
The site is protected as a Scheduled Monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM464, reflecting its significance as evidence of early settlement patterns and funerary practices in the far north of Scotland. The monument contributes to understanding Neolithic communities' adaptation to the upland landscapes of Caithness.
Loch a'Mhuilinn,chambered cairn 300m NE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM464. View the official record →
Loch a'Mhuilinn is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Caithness, Scotland, approximately 300 metres north-east of Loch a'Mhuilinn itself. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM464.
Loch a'Mhuilinn,chambered cairn 300m NE 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.
Loch a'Mhuilinn,chambered cairn 300m NE 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 SM464.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sithean Mor,long cairn 160m NW of Loch a'Mhuilinn (0.4 km), Sithean Buidhe, chambered cairn 1000m WSW of Brawlbin Mains (0.5 km), Torr Mor,cairn 500m NNE of Beinn Freiceadain,Brawlbin (0.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Loch a'Mhuilinn,chambered cairn 300m NE 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.
Loch a'Mhuilinn,chambered cairn 300m NE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.