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Marshielings, enclosures and buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach is a post-medieval settlement complex in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The site stretches across upland terrain between Bynack Lodge and Ruigh nan Clach, encompassing the scattered remains of shieling structures, field boundaries and associated buildings. These features reflect the seasonal pastoral economy that sustained Highland communities, with shielings serving as temporary shelters occupied during summer grazing transhumance when cattle herds were moved to higher ground.
The monument sits on bedrock of the Grampian Group, formed during the Neoproterozoic era, comprising psammite and semipelite deposits that underlie this exposed moorland landscape. This metamorphic foundation creates the characteristic topography and soil conditions of the Cairngorms region, shaping both the settlement patterns and agricultural practices of the communities who occupied these uplands.
The surviving structures and field divisions document centuries of pastoral land-use practices in the Scottish Highlands, revealing how communities managed livestock across the seasonal cycle. The visible remains include building platforms, stone enclosures and cairns scattered across the moorland, providing archaeological evidence of the daily subsistence activities and settlement organisation of post-medieval Highland communities engaged in the pastoral economy.
Mar,shielings,enclosures & buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6453. View the official record →
Marshielings, enclosures and buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach is a post-medieval settlement complex in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6453.
Mar,shielings,enclosures & buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a shielings,enclosures & buildings, bynack lodge to ruigh nan clach. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mar,shielings,enclosures & buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach 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 SM6453.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mar,township on banks of Allt an t-Sionnaich (1.7 km), Mar, townships, enclosures, stills, kilns, Dubrach to E of Dalvorar (3.8 km), Lui Water, townships 800m to 2780m SE of Derry Lodge (7.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mar,shielings,enclosures & buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach'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.
Mar,shielings,enclosures & buildings, Bynack Lodge to Ruigh nan Clach stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.