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MHG9130 - Hut circle - Loch Raa (Loch Raa 5)

Summary

A hut circle on the east side of Loch Raa.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A hut circle on the east side of Loch Raa. First recorded by the OS in 1962 as Hut circle A.

Two circular stone-walled huts separated by broken ground.
'A' measures 7.5m diameter between centres of a wall spread to 2.5m with an entrance in NW. There are a few prob contemporary stone clearance heaps in SE.
'B' is in a poor state of preservation under heavy bracken. It measures about 9m diameter between wall centres. Several contiguous stones of inner wall face survive in the N. Entrance not evident. It occurs in an area of late cultivation.
Visited by OS (G H P) 31 May 1962 and (A A) 31 May 1962.

(A: NC 0218 1151) Hut Circle (NR) (B: NC 0220 1160) Hut Circle (NR) OS 1:10,000 map, (1971)

The hut-circle (ACHIL94 297, NC 0217 1151) measures 7.2m in diameter within a stony bank spread to 1.6m in thickness and 0.3m in height with an entrance on the SE. There is a small hut built in the N side of the interior. A hut-circle, an enclosure, a burnt mound, a possible building, a patch of rig, some small cairns, two field-banks and a field-system are situated in bracken-covered ground on E of the public road to Achiltibuie. The site is multi-period displaying both a phase of prehistoric settlement and agriculture and a post-medieval phase, described under NC01SW 8, when it may have been used as shieling-ground and latterly as the site of a small farm, the steading of which lies across the road to the W (NC01SW 8). (ACHIL94 297-9)Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 10 August 1994

202178 911506 Loch Raa 5 CMM204 included in (ACHILL94/297-9) and as hut circle A by OS 1962: The hut circle was visited by A Welti, C MacNeilage and C Martin in 2010 as part of research for a dissertation on hut circles in Wester Ross. This was part of a degree course overseen by Aberdeen University. The circular stone structure lies on a very gentle west facing slope, 20m from a stream and 100m from freshwater Loch Raa. It is part of a linear cluster of HCs along a shore contour of between 10m and 20m. These HC's are in sight of the linear cluster on the W side of Loch Raa and Loch Vatachan. The wall structure is completely submerged by bracken and difficult to trace. An subrectangular internal structure 2m X 3m, abuts the N wall, possibly a later sheep pen. Average inner diameter is 5.45m, outer diameter is 9.6m. The wall construction cannot be interpreted, wall thickness is 2.1m with maximum height 0.4m. The entrance faces southeast, is 1.0m wide internally and externally, and has passage length 2.0m indicating a possible extended entrance. CMM204 may be associated with others in the linear cluster, AW401 (see MHG45594) distant 1200m, CM101 (see MHG9125) distant 470m, CM102 (see MHG9126) distant 470m, as well as CMM103 (see MHG13508) distant 400m and CMM205 (see MHG13507) distant 70m. <1> <2>

[Note: a database was set up as part of research for the dissertation and was subsequently expanded as an extension of the We Digs Project (see website link below). The full access database can be made available to enquirers/researchers if requested - contact HER for details].

NGR adjusted to position as seen on 2009 vertical APs. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 0217 1151 (14m by 14m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC01SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	LOCHBROOM

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External Links (2)