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MHG63490 - Hut circle - Coire Nan Athan

Summary

A hut circle at Coire Nan Athan.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A hut circle at Coire Nan Athan, recorded by RCHAMS in 1997 as the smaller of two additional sites to those recorded earlier by the OS.

Centred at NH 399 322 are three stone-walled huts (A to C) and a contemporary field system. The hut measurements are given between wall centres.
Hut 'A' is circular measuring about 10.5m in diameter. The wall in the NE arc is spread to about 2.5m, elsewhere it is scarcely visible. The 'simple' entrance, in the ESE, is flanked by two earth-fast stones 1.5m apart.
'B' is circular measuring about 13.0m in diameter with the wall spread to about 4.0m all round. The 'simple' entrance is in the ESE.
'C' is oval measuring about 12.5m from the W through the ill-defined entrance in the E, by about 10.5m transversely, with the wall spread to about 3.0m all round.
The field system consists mainly of stone clearance heaps with occasional lynchets. The cultivation plots are indistinct,but two that could be measured were about 30m by 20m.
Field system delineated on 6" sheet
Huts surveyed at 1/10 000.
Visited by OS (I S S) 20 March 1973

Hut 'a' NH 3985 3222. Hut 'b' NH 3981 3217. Hut 'c' NH 3977 3213
RCHAMS: 11.8.1986

There are five hut-circles and some small cairns on a heather-covered ridge to the N of a large conifer plantation. Three of the hut-circles (A to C in the OS record) are aligned in a row from NE to SW, the fourth lies at the edge of a terrace about 200m to the NE, and a fifth stands at the W end of a terrace on the E of the Allt Drimneach. The hut-circles range in diameter from 8.7m to 10.1m within stony banks from 1.2m to 4.5m in thickness and 0.1m to 0.8m in height. The ten small cairns lie on the higher part of the ridge at c.NH 3988 3243 to the W of the northmost hut-circle and another five to the E of it; one short length of bank was observed amongst the westerly group.
(URQ97 491-94, 496)
Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 23rd October 1997

Without a grid reference, the location of this hut circle, described by RCHAMS as lying "…on the E of the Allt Drimneach" is problematic as the Allt Drimneach lies to the east of the other four hut circles by some distance and a hut circle lying further still to the east would hardly be described as belonging to this hut circle grouping. However, there is an un-named tributary to the Allt Drimneach to the west of the hut circles and it may be possible that this was mistaken for the other, albeit larger, stream. There is a feature visible on vertical aerial photographs (the best being on those taken in 2017) in a patch of greener grass at NGR 239748 832282, lying to the east of the tributary which is rougly circular and more or less of the dimensions accorded to the smaller of the two additional hut circles. Until any further information is received, this will be used for this feature's location [IS-L 11/09/2024].

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 3974 3228 (24m by 24m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH33SE
Civil Parish	KILTARLITY AND CONVINTH
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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