EHG6308 - Watching brief - new cabin, near 22 Colbost, Skye

An archaeological desk-based assessment and watching brief were carried out by West Coast Archaeological Services in 2024 in advance of the erection of a new cabin and associated works at 22 Colbost, near Dunvegan, Isle of Skye. The original planning application for the site was for the construction of a house, along with the same associated infrastructure. The work was undertaken to assess the nature and extent of any archaeological features or deposits likely to be affected within the areas outlined for development and to inform recommendations for further archaeological input or mitigation measures to enable the management and protection of any features or deposits uncovered. The watching brief was carried out on the 6th of September 2024. No archaeological features were recorded, although bones of a pony wrapped in polythene were identified in a shallow pit cut into the natural subsoil. The current developers had been alerted to the burial of the pony in the recent past by the owner of the croft. The few finds recovered included small and abraded fragments of post-medieval ceramics, green bottle glass, coal and modern plastics. <1>