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Mains of Gask is a Bronze Age ring cairn with associated standing stones situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. The monument comprises a circular cairn of stones surrounding a central area, a characteristic burial or ceremonial structure of the Bronze Age, accompanied by upright stone markers. The site lies on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This underlying geology would have provided the stone material used in the monument's construction.
Ring cairns of this type, built during the Bronze Age between approximately 2500 and 800 BC, typically served as burial monuments or focal points for ritual activity within the landscape. The standing stones at Mains of Gask form part of the broader tradition of stone monuments that characterise the Bronze Age settlement of the Scottish Highlands, where such structures served to mark significant locations and territories within the local community.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM4651, ensuring its preservation as an important record of Bronze Age activity in Inverness-shire. The site remains a valuable archaeological resource for understanding the funerary and ceremonial practices of Bronze Age communities in the northern Scottish landscape.
Mains of Gask,ring cairn and standing stones 130m SSW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4651. View the official record →
Mains of Gask is a Bronze Age ring cairn with associated standing stones situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4651.
Mains of Gask,ring cairn and standing stones 130m SSW of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a ring cairn and standing stones. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mains of Gask,ring cairn and standing stones 130m SSW 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 SM4651.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stonehenge House, chambered cairn 20m WNW of (2.7 km), Milton of Farr, cupmarks 110m SE of (3.3 km), Depopulated township, 400m SE of Balloan (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mains of Gask,ring cairn and standing stones 130m SSW 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.
Mains of Gask,ring cairn and standing stones 130m SSW of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.