EHG509 - Archaeological survey - Strathspey Valley Corridor

A survey of the farms and estates in the Strathspey Valley for sites of archaeological and historical interest was undertaken by AOC (Scotland) Ltd on behalf of the Cairngorms Partnership in 1997. The work was carried out as part of a pilot scheme to measure and assess the impact of rabbit damage as well as other management issues. The survey covered the valley corridor between Kingussie and Aviemore. Fifteen land units were surveyed. These were (starting with the most northerly): Ballinluig Farm; Kinrara Estate; Dalraddy Estate; Alvie Estate; Dunachton Estate; Highland Wildlife Park; Balavil Estate; Chapelpark; No 1 Laggan; Laggan Croft; Kerrow Farm; RSPB; The Glebe; Glebe Ponds and Dochfour. The survey area totalled some 2445 hectares. A desktop exercise was carried out and the collated information was used to prioritise areas of high archaeological and historic interest. This was followed by survey in the field. A total of 104 sites were located, with the majority considered to date to the early modern (1600-1874) period and comprised C19 farmsteads and the remains of earlier farming communities. The funerary remains of prehistoric communities were also represented. Individual reports detailing the sites and management issues were produced for each of the land holdings. These were then combined into a single overarching document. <1>