EHG6206 - Trial trench - hut circle, Achtercairn, Gairloch

A small-scale archaeological evaluation was carried out under the auspices of Gairloch Museum and directed by Dr. T Gardner in 2020 on Achtercairn Roundhouse 10. The work was carried out by a team consisting of professional archaeologists, Gairloch Museum staff and volunteers, and volunteers from the local community. An L-shaped trench measuring 1m wide and 11m total length was placed over the roundhouse in a way that exposed a 1m stretch of wall to the north, and another 1m stretch of wall to the west, while not encroaching on the newer bothy building within the roundhouse. The evaluation uncovered a relatively well-preserved archaeological record, with sealed deposits, some with stratigraphically secure charred plant macrofossils. Stone artefacts were also found in the form of several fire-cracked stones. The excavation revealed possible evidence for at least two distinct phases of roundhouse construction. The evaluation also managed to obtain material for radiocarbon dating which will hopefully elucidate the phasing of site use and construction as intimated by the stratigraphic phasing and will help to put the site into a temporal context, both with the wider Achtercairn group and more generally across the west of Scotland. The trench was backfilled and re-turfed on the final day of works. Despite limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which the digging team had to be kept small, many members of the public were safely engaged, both in person and through the radio and social media. <1> NOTE: the plan in the report showing the trench against the hut circle remains is incorrect. The trench has been incorrectly located on an earlier plan of the hut circle and this is evident when comparing the plan to how the site appears on vertical aerial photographs dating to 2021 [IS-L 23/04/2024].