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Trestle Cairn is a cairn located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. The monument stands on bedrock comprising Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lava and mafic tuff formed during the Devonian period. This ancient volcanic geology forms the foundation upon which the cairn was built, creating a landscape shaped by intense geological activity millions of years before human settlement in the region.
Cairns of this type were typically constructed during the Bronze Age as burial monuments or territorial markers, consisting of stacked stones heaped over a central burial chamber or ceremonial space. The specific characteristics of Trestle Cairn reflect the building traditions of prehistoric communities who would have gathered suitable stones from the surrounding landscape to create a durable monument that could endure for millennia.
The cairn is now protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under the reference SM2164, recognising its significance as a record of early human activity and cultural practice in the Borders landscape. The monument contributes to our understanding of Bronze Age settlement patterns and ritual practices in south-eastern Scotland, where such structures represent some of the most visible remains of prehistoric communities.
Trestle Cairn,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2164. View the official record →
Trestle Cairn is a cairn located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2164.
Trestle Cairn,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 SM2164.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Plenderleith, scooped settlement 300m SSW of (4.8 km), Loddan, palisaded settlement 350m NW of summit (4.8 km), Loddan, fort (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Trestle Cairn,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.
Trestle Cairn,cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.