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North Cuil is a cairn located in Inverness-shire, in the Scottish Highlands. It stands as a prehistoric stone monument on bedrock composed of mafic igneous rock from a Palaeogene intrusion, geology that characterises parts of this region's volcanic heritage. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under designation SM900.
Cairns of this type typically served as burial monuments during the Bronze Age, though some may date to earlier periods. They consist of accumulated stones heaped over a central burial chamber or grave, and often commanded prominent positions across the landscape. The specific geology beneath North Cuil, formed from ancient volcanic activity, would have provided stone-rich terrain suitable for cairn construction.
Today, North Cuil remains an important record of prehistoric settlement and burial practice in the Highlands. Its survival reflects both the durable nature of stone monuments and the legal protections afforded to scheduled monuments in Scotland. The cairn contributes to understanding the distribution and character of Bronze Age funerary sites across Inverness-shire and the wider region.
North Cuil,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM900. View the official record →
North Cuil is a cairn located in Inverness-shire, in the Scottish Highlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM900.
North Cuil,cairn 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 SM900.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kilbride Point,church,burial ground and post medieval settlement (3 km), Eilean Chalium Chille,monastery (5.2 km), Carn Liath, chambered cairn and deserted settlement, Kilmuir (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of North Cuil,cairn'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.
North Cuil,cairn stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.