EHG6320 - Walkover survey - replacement submarine cable, Loch a' Choire

A desk-based assessment and walkover survey were undertaken by Highland Archaeology Services in 2024 in advance of the replacement of a submarine cable between Rhuba a’ Chaigninn and Kilmalieu at Loch a’ Choire (Loch Linnhe) with the abandonment of the existing cable. Archaeological baseline information was required in order to inform the environmental management involved with the works. The DBA identified thirty previously recorded archaeological finds and features together with four records of previous archaeological work. The walkover fieldwork was undertaken on the 2nd and 3rd of May 2024 in a systematic manner around the proposed landing and connection sites. This firstly aimed to assess and record features noted during the DBA within 50m of the proposed development and also to check the same area for previously unrecorded features. As well as a 50-60m radius of the landing site at the south end, the access track was also walked and checked for features within 30m. It was not known if this would be the final access route but if used the track will require upgrading and thus features could be damaged. The survey noted eleven features in the vicinity of the proposed development. Recommendations were made to avoid and safeguard these features during fieldwork. Where this was not possible it was recommended that some archaeological monitoring and recording may be necessary. This would likely be limited to recording sections through two dry stone walls at the north landing site. <1>