EHG3390 - Trial trenching - Sutherland Road, Dornoch

A trial trenching evaluation was carried out by Alba Archaeology in 2008 on a proposed development site at Sutherland Road, Dornoch. Twenty-seven trenches were excavated. It was hoped that a boundary ditch identified on an early map would be uncovered. The water-logged areas closest to the road held large timbers, possibly ship-related. A ditch running north-south closer to the edge of town and in sandy conditions contained wooden pegs and knotted rope. At the far south end of the site, in clean sand, the shallow ditch of a possible ploughed-down burial mound c3.5 x 3.8m with terminals at the southwest end was recorded. Further excavation work was recommended. <1> NOTE: the report is very confused with contradictory trench descriptions and a trench plan that is noted as being 'approximate' which bears little relation to what can be seen on vertical aerial photographs. Unfortunately, the northernmost trenches (T1-7) appear to have been excavated in an area that by the earliest available aerial photography (2009) had already been disturbed by construction and site preparation so their spatial locations are approximate only. For the most part the spatial data is based on what can be seen on aerial photography [IS-L 11/06/2026].