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Stemster long cairn is a Neolithic funerary monument situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, 790 metres north-north-west of Roadside. The cairn lies upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone of Middle Devonian age, a foundation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that characterises much of the northern Highlands' underlying geology. This ancient stone base would have been a familiar landscape element to the Neolithic communities who constructed the monument, likely between 4000 and 3000 BC.
Long cairns of this type served as communal burial places for Neolithic peoples across northern Britain. Built as elongated mounds of stone, they typically contained one or more internal chambers where the remains of multiple individuals were deposited over generations, representing crucial focal points for early farming societies in their ritual and social practices.
The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11239, recognising its significance as an archaeological and cultural asset. The survival of such Neolithic structures in the Caithness landscape provides rare evidence of the early settlement and ceremonial practices of Scotland's first farming communities.
Stemster, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11239. View the official record →
Stemster long cairn is a Neolithic funerary monument situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, 790 metres north-north-west of Roadside. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11239.
Stemster, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a long cairn 790m nnw of roadside. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stemster, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside 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 SM11239.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Achanarras,cairn 800m NW of (7.5 km), Achies, broch 800m NE of (7.7 km), The Shean, cairn 500m WNW of Achanarras (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stemster, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside'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, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.