Field Visit
Date 17 August 1914
Event ID 1103579
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1103579
Earth-houses (ruined), Udal.
Amongst the sand dunes on the western side of the peninsula extending north-east from Sollas, at Udal about 2 ½ miles north of Sollas, are four large sand dunes, the slopes of which are covered with kitchen midden refuse, consisting of shells, animal bones and fragments of hand-made pottery. At different places on the slopes are quantities of stones, dislodged by wind denudation, apparently the ruins of earth-houses. On the north-western slope of the most northerly mound the only building traceable is a curved section of the foundation of a wall with two other walls running inwards some 6 feet towards the centre, forming the outer part of a chamber 9 feet wide at the exterior end and narrowing towards the interior. About 30 feet to the east there is a considerable quantity of iron slag amongst the fallen stones. On the south side of the mound a length of 8 feet of a curved wall is exposed, and near this were found a piece of flint and part of an axe of red sandstone used as a hammer stone, with slight parallel grooves on one side, apparently made by sharpening pins. Other relics on Fig. 149.
About 40 yards to the south is the second mound at the west side, where amongst fallen stones the curve of a wall measuring 24 feet across the chord, apparently with a curved entrance passage 2 feet 4 inches wide and traceable for some 6 feet, is visible.
The third mound lies about 50 yards southwest of the last, and shows a large quantity of fallen stones on the western slope. To the north-west a section of curved walling 6 feetlong and 3 feet high, with a short length of a radial wall running into the sandhill, is noticeable. To the south of this on the western side the earth-house partly excavated some years ago still remains in view. Though much of the building has fallen, the S-shaped entrance and part of the wall on either side of its inner end can be traced. On the south side of the hill is the southern arc of a curved wall showing a diameter of 38 feet.
On the fourth and most westerly hill the southern slope shows many displaced stones, the only part in position being on the southwest, where a small portion of a curved wall is visible. Some of the kitchen midden deposits measure up to 1 foot in thickness and are evidently of later date than the earth-houses, as in places they overlap the buildings.
RCAHMS 1928, visited 17 August 1914.
North Uist xxx (unnoted).
