EHG6185 - Desk-based assessment - proposed woodland planting scheme, Black Hills, Knoydart

An archaeological desk-based assessment was carried out by West Coast Archaeological Services in 2022 in advance of a proposed woodland planting and regeneration project, focused on the Black Hills peninsula, Knoydart, Lochaber. The work was undertaken to assess the nature and extent of any archaeological sites likely to be affected within the area outlined for the project and to inform recommendations for the protection and management of any sites recovered. The desk-based assessment included the collation of all known sites recorded by archaeological walkover surveys in the area, along with a thorough interrogation of aerial imagery and cartographic sources. The results were incorporated into spreadsheets, providing a database of the known and potential heritage assets within the Black Hills area. The resulting dataset provides a baseline for settlement and use of the landscape within the Black Hills area of Knoydart and highlights areas of the landscape that have not been surveyed and that have high potential for new archaeological sites and features. The desk-based assessment also considered potential trackways from the past, routes through the landscape that connected settlements, provided access to shieling settlements, and routes that were used for droving livestock to markets. In addition, a study was made of placenames in the landscape of the Black Hills peninsula and how these may have changed in the past, according to historical and cartographic sources. The results of the placename survey will provide a platform for further discussion and input from the local community, especially through placenames that are embedded in local history and folklore. <1>