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MHG3313 - Cup marked stone - Wester Achtuie

Summary

A cup marked stone at Wester Achtuie.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

NH53SW 3 521 312.

There is an extensive area of cup-markings on the naturally polished east end of a glaciated ridge of sandstone, on the moor, just beyond the dike between Easter and Wester Achtuie. The ridge runs E.N.E. and is covered with stunted heather.
It is impossible to say how many cup-marks there are, as some are covered by turf, but the author has traced 88 varying in size from 1" to 3" in diameter, and in depth from a barely roughened surface to 1 1/8" The cupmarked surfaces lie in a rough line NE- SW and about 40 yards long.
A Grant 1888

In the area centred at NH 521312, on a piece of outcropping rock, three cup-marks about 2" across by 1/2" deep can be seen. As the greater part of the ridge is now grass and heather covered, no other cup marks were found and there is no local knowledge of any such markings.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (R D) 4 December 1964

Two smooth sheets of bedrock immediately to the NE of the enclosed fields around Wester Achtuie bear thirteen cup-markings between them, each measuring about 70mm across and 10mm in depth.
(URQ97 10)
Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 1 September 1997

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in August 2020. The panel lies on the south facing slope of the hill overlooking the junction of the River Enrick with Loch Ness. The Drumbuie Burn lies to the northwest and there are new houses to the southwest of the site. In the past the site has been part of the crofting landscape and there is an old turf and stone dyke about 10m to the southwest of the panel. The field around the panel is rough grazing and the post and wire fence of the field is 1m south of the panel. There are several prehistoric sites in the area, a Clava type cairn to the west, hut circles lie to the north and the multiperiod site of Garbeg is about 1km to the east.

This comprises two adjacent areas of exposed outcrop on a sandstone ridge, measures 2 x 0.9m overall and 0.2m maximum height. In the past more of the sandstone outcrop was visible but now only these two areas are exposed. Other carvings may still be below the deeper turf as up to 88 cups were counted in 1888. As the outcropping rock surfaces were only 1m apart, and it is likely that they were continuous below the turf, they were treated as one panel. The south part of the panel has 13 cupmarks and a single oval cupmark, all lying at the east end of the outcrop, with a few fissures and a weathered channel lying east-west. The north part of the panel has 2 fissures lying roughly northwest-southeast. There are 4 cupmarks at the east end of this outcropping area and a single cupmark towards its west end. <1>

NGR adjusted based on 2020 vertical aerial photographs. <2>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 5217 3133 (8m by 8m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH53SW
Civil Parish	URQUHART AND GLENMORISTON
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (2)