© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Warth Hill is a cairn situated two kilometres north of Freswick in Caithness, a region of far north-eastern Scotland rich in prehistoric burial monuments. The site stands upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, comprising mixed conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone geology characteristic of this area. This underlying rock would have provided accessible stone for the cairn's construction, typical of Caithness burial practices.
The cairn belongs to a distinctive tradition of Bronze Age burial monuments that flourished across northern Scotland, where stone was the principal building material. Cairns of this period often functioned as focal points for small communities, marking significant ancestral or territorial locations within the landscape. The undulating moorland terrain around Freswick would have offered good visibility of such monuments from considerable distances.
The cairn is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled Monument under reference SM503, recognising its archaeological importance and ensuring its preservation for future study. Such protection reflects the monument's significance in understanding the settlement patterns, burial practices and social organisation of Bronze Age Caithness communities.
Warth Hill,cairn 2000m N of Freswick is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM503. View the official record →
Warth Hill is a cairn situated two kilometres north of Freswick in Caithness, a region of far north-eastern Scotland rich in prehistoric burial monuments. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM503.
Warth Hill,cairn 2000m N of Freswick 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 SM503.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Freswick Links,Viking settlement (2.4 km), Skirza Head, broch 290m SE of Craigwell (2.7 km), Ness Broch,broch near Ness Head (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Warth Hill,cairn 2000m N of Freswick'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.
Warth Hill,cairn 2000m N of Freswick stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.