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MHG26648 - Ditch - Ardendrain

Summary

Ditch at Ardendrain

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

The Inverness Field Club, led by Donald Coghill, surveyed a number of sites in the Aird area between 1987 and 1989. Ardendrain. Crossing a wide forestry ride is a flat bottomed ditch 8 to 9 feet wide and about 100 yards long running from the wood at each side in a S.W. to N.E. direction. Further N.W. and overlooking a small swampy area there is another linear feature crossing the ride and running roughly in the same direction. Here the flat bottomed ditch, also 8 to 9 feet wide, has a rampart over 25 yards long on its S.E. and up side. This rampart has a base of 5 yards and there is a small ditch on its other and southeast side. This may already be known as there is a large, prominent cairnfield in the adjacent unplanted area to the south. I have discovered since that the lower ditch can be traced
to the N.E. for a short distance until lost at a forestry track. To the S.W. it continues in a straight line and stops after a consider able distance. From this point a rampart three yards wide, with its ditch to the west, runs downhill for 70 yards where it disappears into a dense spruce wood. It is at an angle sharper than 90deg. to the main ditch. After a wide gap the main ditch re-commences in the same direction where, after a dog-leg, it resumes southwestwards until it crosses the forestry road at an angle, and after a very considerable distance all traces are lost. There is another lesser ditch also running N.E. to S.W. and for a shorter distance. This is near the wood at the S.E., 240 yards along the road from the forestry gate, and then 16 yds to the S.E. there is what is now an irregular-shaped mound over 6 yards in diameter and three feet high. In this S.E. area and towards the west is a large cairnfield of similar mounds which spills over into open ground to the S.E. A few mounds are also at the other side of the forestry road. The cairnfield finishes at the S.W. in the fir wood with a large mound 16 x 14 yards on the top of a ridge, with traces of a ditch running the length of the mound close to its N.W. side.
In the cairnfield near the S.E. boundary of the wood there are at least five circular earthwork enclosures with diameters ranging from 7 to 18 yards. There are traces of an entrance
at the S.E. in some. <1>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 5039 3780 (30m by 30m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH53NW
Civil Parish	KILTARLITY AND CONVINTH
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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