EHG422 - Walkover survey - Torrisdale-Dunnet Head, Caithness

Field survey was undertaken by students of the University of Edinburgh under the direction of Prof. R. Mercer over two fortnights during the Springs of 1980 and 1981 of the northern coastline of the counties of Sutherland and Caithness between Torrisdale (NGR NC 680610) to the west of Bettyhill, Sutherland, and Ham (NGR ND 240738) to the east of Dunnet Head, Caithness. The 'coastline' was defined, quite arbitrarily, by the extent of land between the sea and the main east-west road running between John O'Groats and Tongue (the A836) with the road forming the southerly limit of the surveyed area. Extensions to this area were made to the south around Thurso and Castletown. The extent of these are were intended to provide a cordon sanitaire of surveyed land around those points of high developmental potential. In all, some 40 miles (64 kilometres) of coastline and an area of approximately 130 km² were surveyed. 658 monuments of all kinds, ranging from chambered tombs of putatively neolithic date to deserted settlements of the relatively recent past, were recorded during the surveys. <1>