Print

MHG32169 - Possible stone circle, Cul an Dun, Applecross

Summary

A possible stone circle which is most likely a fortuitous arrangement of naturally occurring glacial erratics.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

8 large stones in the garden of the Goldthorpe's (senior) house on the caravan site. The stones are very large naturally occurring boulders, that seem to lie in a rough circle. The site is very sloped. Some stones seem to sit very close to the surface, others are more deeply embedded, with one under the edge of the house barely visible. The owners believe that this is a stone circle, but with several stones disturbed from their original position. Landscaping for the garden steps will have cut through part of the any central deposits, but nothing has been recovered. Traditionally there was a stone circle in Applecross, but by 1912 (RCAHMS) the site of this had been lost from local knowledge. <1>

A trench was opened here in 2005 as part of the Time Team investigations at Applecross Broch (see MHG7680). It was positioned adjacent to a stone upright in order to determine whether the orthostat formed part of a larger Late Neolithic/Early Bronze monument. The stone was situated on the lawn which had been levelled to some extent. No archaeological deposits or features were identified in the trench with no evidence for a stone hole. Although at least ten other large stones may form a roughly circular grouping of radius c.30m the pattern was not particularly convincing. None of the stones were shaped or modified in any way and the irregularity of the settings seemed to confirm that the site is simply a spread of glacial erratics. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 7101 4420 (30m by 30m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG74SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	APPLECROSS

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (0)