EHG6404 - Trial trenching - proposed Battery Energy Storage System, Dounreay

An trial trenching evaluation was undertaken by Clyde Archaeology in 2025 on land near Gunnscroft, approximately 1km north-east of Reay, Caithness. The work was carried on the 5th and 6th May 2025 in order to fulfil a condition of planning permission for the construction of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Twelve trenches were excavated which totalled 648m², approximately 7% of the development area. Occasional north/south orientated rubble field drains were present that showed attempts had been made in the past to drain the area. However, no plough scars were visible in the subsoil and the topsoil was relatively shallow in places, suggesting the field had never been intensively cultivated. No archaeological remains or deposits were uncovered. <1>