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Field Visit
Date 20 June 2012
Event ID 926318
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/926318
A widely dispersed group of eight drystone shieling huts is situated in rough ground on the lower NE flank of Coltraisel Mor between 90m and 100m above sea level. Three are located in relatively open ground on either side of an unnamed tributary and the remaining huts are found in and around a concealed rocky cleft to the NE. One hut, (d) in this description, retains its turf covering.
The first hut (a) in open ground is at NB 16337 23359. Circular in plan the hut measures 2.3m in diameter within drystone walls 0.7m in thickness. The corbelled roof survives to a height of 1.9m, the remaining oval gap measuring about 1.4m by 0.9m. An entrance in the SE splays from 0.6m to 0.7m in width and is 0.5m in height, with a small opening or vent above. There are at least seven storage niches in the interior on two levels, the largest of which measures 0.45m in width by 0.55m in depth and 0.4m in height. A kerb up to 0.4m in height is visible around much of the exterior, which probably marked the edge of the turf roof, giving an overall wall thickness of about 0.9m.
A second and similar hut (b) lies 55m to the SE at NB 16382 23325. It measures about 2.3m in diameter within stone walls 0.7m in thickness and up to 1.6m in height, with a gap 1.7m in diameter in the corbelled roof. The entrance faces ESE and is 0.55m in width and 0.6m in height. Of six storage niches, the largest is 0.5m in width, 0.7m in height and 0.6m in depth. An outer kerb is visible. A third much-altered hut (c) lies on the other side of the burn 107m S of the first at NB 116349 23253.
About 100m to the E of the first hut there is a concealed rocky cleft. Within this there are five further huts, three of which are visible as footings only. The best preserved hut of the whole group (d) lies at NB 16451 23369. Circular in plan it measures 2.4m in internal diameter within stone walls up to 0.7m in thickness. The corbelled roof survives complete giving an internal height of 2m and is broken only by a smoke hole 0.2 square in the centre. The entrance faces to the ESE and measures 0.45m in width and 0.6m in height. There are 5 niches at 3 levels within the interior, the largest of which is 0.8m wide, 0.55m high and 0.6m deep. The building is set into the slope at the NW and an external covering of turfsurvives up to 0.8m in height at the N. A slight curvilinear wall at the NE of the entrance may be a protective baffle, referred to as a 'fosglan' in 1992. A turf and stone bank at the S and SW may be part of an earlier structure.
Another hut (e) lies close by at NB 16462 23371, and is set into the slope at the W. Oval in plan, it measures 2.7m from N to S by 1.9m transversely within walls up to 1m in thickness and up to 1.1m in height, incorporating large earth-fast boulders in places. Six niches are visible in the collapsed interior, the largest measuring 0.45m wide, 0.3m high and 0.5m deep.
The footings of three further huts lie at NB 16460 23364 (f), NB 16478 23373 (g) and NB 16455 23347 (h).
Five or possibly six huts are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map annotated Airidh a Sguir Ruins (Ross-shire (Isle of Lewis) Sheet 30, 1854). Two of the huts were photographed by RCAHMS in the early 20th century and appear in the Inventory as Figs. 8 and 9 (1928, facing xxxviii). Huts (a-c) are depicted on current OS maps.
Visited by RCAHMS (GFG) and Jill Harden 20 June 2012
