© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Stemster Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. This monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, dating to the Middle Devonian period, comprising layers of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that underlie the rolling landscape of this region. The cairn represents the burial practices of farming communities who settled in northern Scotland around five thousand years ago, when such stone-built communal tombs served as focal points for dispersed populations across the Highlands.
The monument is situated approximately 1180 metres east-north-east of Stemster Hill itself, occupying a prominent position within the local topography. Chambered cairns of this type typically contained stone-built burial chambers accessed by a passage, enabling repeated use for multiple inhumations across generations. The solid Old Red Sandstone bedrock would have presented considerable challenges for excavation, making the construction of such monuments a substantial undertaking requiring coordinated community effort.
Stemster Hill chambered cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM486, recognising its significance as evidence of Neolithic settlement and funerary practice in Caithness. The monument survives as an important archaeological record of early agricultural society in northern Scotland.
Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM486. View the official record →
Stemster Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM486.
Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE 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 SM486.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Achanarras,hut circle (7.7 km), Achanarras,cairn 800m NW of (7.8 km), Achanarras,cairn 800m NW of (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE 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.
Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.