MHG14489 - Caulfield's Military Road, Kingshouse-Altnafeadh
Summary
A stretch of military road constructed by General Major Edward Caulfield as part of the original design of the military roads linking Fort William and Kinlochleven.
Type and Period (1)
- MILITARY ROAD (Constructed, 18th Century - 1748 AD to 1753 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
NN25NE 1 From NN 2505 5500 to NN 2500 5505.
NN 2505 5500 to NN 2500 5505 course of military road on Roy's map (1747-55).
OS (ES) 11 June 1974.
W Roy 1747-55.
The surveying and recording of the section of Major Edward Caulfield's Military Way from Kingshouse (NN 2600 5491) to Altnafeadh (NN 2222 5632) (which is currently utilised by the West Highland Way) was undertaken between February and March of 1994. The full details of the survey, which recorded in full the nature of the road and the associated features within a 20m corridor centred on the road has been brought together in a full report which has been deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsors: Strathclyde Regional Council, Highland Regional Council & Scottish Natural Heritage.
J A Atkinson 1994c; NMRS MS/725/68. <1>
The military road takes a course running along the lower slopes of Beinn a' Chrulaiste.
W Taylor 1976.
A watching brief took place in March 1999 during the construction of two new waterbars and a series of shallow drains. The report contains observations and drawings relating to features 3/090 to 3/093 identified in the GUARD report (<1> above). <2>
A section across the road was recorded at NN 24820 55190 during a watching brief on a new cable trench. The road was seen to have achieved Wade's target width of 5 metres. However there was no trace of the large boulders and smaller stones that Wade specified should form the base. The road survived as only 300mm of gravel lying directly on peat. Some peat had been removed prior to laying the gravel, but some 100-200mm remained lying over the glacial deposits below. A gully was seen along the north side of the road. <3>
Sources/Archives (3)
- <1> SHG21235 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Atkinson, J A. 1994. Caulfields Military Way. Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD). 30/01/1994. Digital (scanned as PDF). pp 28-39.
- <2> SHG20877 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Wordsworth, J. 03/1999. An Archaeological Watching Brief on the Military Road at Allt na Feidh, Glencoe. Wordsworth Archaeological Services. 18/03/1999. .
- <3> SHG24188 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Scotia Archaeology. 03/2009. Kingshouse-Altnafeadh military road: watching brief. Scotia Archaeology. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NN 23604 55649 (2921m by 1340m) (3 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NN25NW |
| Civil Parish | LISMORE AND APPIN |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (2)
External Links (3)
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8073616.stm (Link to news article on BBC Highland News web site)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM2826 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/89078 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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