EHG3791 - Trial trenching - Balblair Wood, Beauly

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Northlight Heritage in 2012 at Balblair Wood, near Beauly, on the site of a proposed converter station, as part of SHETL Western Isles Connection programme. Six features, previously identified through survey, were investigated through trial trenching. Twenty-four mechanically-excavated trenches, a total of 1075.2 m², were opened within the proposed development area meaning that just over 10% of the total area was evaluated. Part of the site was inaccessible for evaluation due to ecological constraints and another area was too steep to evaluate safely. Four trenches (T13, 14, 15 & 18) were located just outside the proposed development area to the west to investigate a flat piece of ground which straddled the proposed development boundary and to ensure that the 10% evaluation area was still reached despite the un-evaluated areas described above. Eight features requiring further examination were identified in nine of the evaluation trenches, all of which had been previously identified as upstanding features. No features or deposits of archaeological significance were encountered in the remaining fifteen trenches. The features appeared to be broadly similar to other nearby cairn and possible hut-circle features elsewhere in Balblair Wood. No direct dating evidence for the features was recovered during the evaluation, although it was considered likely (based upon their morphology, construction and proximity to known prehistoric features) that they represented some form of prehistoric occupation of the site. <1>