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North Muir Upper Cairn is a prehistoric cairn situated in Peeblesshire in the Scottish Borders. The monument sits on bedrock of the Inverclyde Group, a geological formation of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposited during the Osagean period. This underlying geology would have provided accessible stone for cairn construction, whilst the siltstone and mudstone may have weathered to create a stable base for the structure.
The cairn is positioned as the upper monument in a two-part complex, likely dating to the Bronze Age when such ritual and burial structures were widely constructed across upland Scotland. Its elevated location in the Peeblesshire landscape would have made it prominent and visible across considerable distances, a characteristic typical of prehistoric funerary monuments in this region.
North Muir Upper Cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2709, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The monument remains a tangible record of prehistoric settlement, ritual practice and land use in the Scottish Borders, contributing to our understanding of Bronze Age communities in upland areas.
North Muir,Upper Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2709. View the official record →
North Muir Upper Cairn is a prehistoric cairn situated in Peeblesshire in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2709.
North Muir,Upper 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 SM2709.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including West Mains,enclosure 200m NE of (6.5 km), Old Harestanes,stone circle 180m NE of (6.7 km), Kirkurd,church SE of Castlecraig (7.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of North Muir,Upper 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 Muir,Upper Cairn stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.