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MHG7720 - Hut circle - Loch Feur A (Sidhean Donne 1)

Summary

A hut circle near Loch Feur.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A Hut circle near Loch Feur. Hut circle A in the original 1965 OS survey. (Formerly included MHG57604 and MHG57609)

In area centred at NG 804 779 about 300 ft. OD. On sheltered SE slope of the hill above Loch Feur, there are the remains of 3 hut circles, several greatly mutilated enclosures and the footings of a rectangular building 5m x 3m. X 0.3m high. The enclosures were constructed with large boulders but are now almost completely overgrown with heather. The hut circles, which have 1m wide entrances in E, apart from 'A', are constructed of large stones forming an inner and outer kerb and small stone infilling. Their dimensions are as follows:
'A' Internally 9m diameter with walls 3m thick by 1m high. A significant feature of this hut circle is entrance which is 1.3m wide in the inside and 2m on outside.
'B' Internally 8m diameter with walls 1.7m thick by 0.6m high overgrown with heather.
'C' Internally 6m diameter with walls 1.8m thick by 0.6m high almost completely heather covered.
Surveyed at 1/2500 and 1/10560. Visited by OS (RD) 8 April 1965; Visible on RAF air photographs CPE/ Scot/UK 183:1288-9.

NG8042 7796: A hut circle lies on an east facing hillside in a' Chlib of Gairloch at an elevation of about 100m OD. Its internal diameter is 7.4m x 7.9m and the walling spreads to a thickness of 1.7m-2.3m. The walling is predominantly of stone but is covered to some extent by peaty turf. A doorway is evident at a bearing of 83 degrees grid. The ambient vegetation is heather, Molinia and moss. Running at first south from the circle a setting of isolated stones gradually curves to the west over a length of 75m. The rest of this possible field wall has perhaps been obscured by a (probably pre-1803) hill road which runs north-eastwards to pass a few metres to the north west above the hut circle. Another hut circle lies about 100m to the north east. The hut circle, but not the setting of isolated stones nor the hill road are shown on the OS map. <1>

This site was not detected during a walkover survey in April 2008 due to thick heather cover. A buffer zone of up to 20 metres is recommended to avoid any accidental damage during site works. <2> NOTE: it is clear that this site was not actually visited as 2009 APs show the hut circles to be largely clear of vegetation - IS-L 24/01/2018.

180421 877940 Sidhean Donne 1 JW002: The hut circle was visited by J Buchanan and M Marshall in 2009 as part of research for a dissertation on hut circles in Wester Ross for A Welti. This circular stone structure is in poor condition, sunk into the peat and heather with few stones visible. It is one of a group of 3 HC's (MM004 (see MHG57604), JW002 and JW003 (MHG57609)) set on an east facing slope above Loch Feur with panoramic views inland. The site is at a distance of 400m from a stream, 400m from freshwater Loch Feur and 1000m from the sea. The surrounding landscape is mainly heather covered with some grass with evidence of enclosures and field walls. The HC interior is substantially heather covered, with some bracken. The platform is dug into a gentle east facing slope. Average inner dianmeter is 7.5m, outer diameter is 9.8m. The double skinned wall is 1.0 m thick with maximum height 1.0m. The possible entrance faces east and was identified as such in the 1965 survey, (see sketch). However heather has submerged most of the remaining stones and there is another possible entrance gap in the walling to the southwest. JW002 is at a distance of 100m from MM004 and 300m from JW0003. <3> <4>

GIS spatial data amended in 2018 to location as shown on 2009 APs. <5>

Sources/Archives (5)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 8041 7795 (13m by 13m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG87NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	GAIRLOCH

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