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Loch Nan Carraigean cairns, located 40 metres south of the loch in Inverness-shire, is a Bronze Age burial monument comprising a group of stone cairns. The site lies on bedrock of the Grampian Group, Neoproterozoic psammite and semipelite formations that characterise much of the Scottish Highlands. This geology would have provided the stones used to construct the cairns, readily available from the surrounding landscape.
Cairn cemeteries of this type are found throughout the Highlands and typically date to the second and early first millennia BC, representing repeated burial practices across several centuries. Groups of cairns often indicate a location of ritual significance to Bronze Age communities, with successive generations returning to inter their dead at established burial grounds. The proximity to Loch Nan Carraigean suggests the site held particular importance, possibly relating to water sources that were significant in prehistoric settlement patterns.
The monument is now protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM899, ensuring its preservation for future study. The cairns remain visible features in the Highland landscape, retaining evidence of Bronze Age funerary practices and the long-term use of ritual spaces by prehistoric communities.
Loch Nan Carraigean, cairns 40m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM899. View the official record →
Loch Nan Carraigean cairns, located 40 metres south of the loch in Inverness-shire, is a Bronze Age burial monument comprising a group of stone cairns. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM899.
Loch Nan Carraigean, cairns 40m S 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 SM899.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Avielochan,Tor Beag,fort (1.8 km), Aviemore, cairn 25m SW of 24 Muirton (2.3 km), Pityoulish, barrow cemetery 465m WSW of West Croftmore (2.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Loch Nan Carraigean, cairns 40m S 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 Nan Carraigean, cairns 40m S of stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.