Loch Ashie

NH63NW 68 c.637 363

NH 637 363 A new water treatment works supplying Inverness has been sited at the N end of Loch Ashie. An archaeological assessment within an Environmental Assessment provided further information on the area, already recognised as part of an extensive upland field system. The Loch Ashie area is a SSSI and consists of undulating heather moorland with shallow peat (in places) and stands of Scots pine trees. The primary elements of the work involved the construction of a small reservoir, a treatment building and the formation of screening mounds to reduce the visibility of the site. An archaeological survey identified the main features of the site - field walls and clearance cairns - and a representative selection of these were excavated.

The clearance cairns varied across the site in terms of size, topographical location and the size of the constituent stones. Several had larger stones at the base with smaller cobbles on top, and many had a fine silty (probably windblown) matrix. A complete or patchy old ground surface was present under many of the cairns, but severe leaching and the consequent loss of organic silts made interpretation uncertain. No clear kerbing or internal structure to the cairns was seen and few had suffered notable post-depositional disturbance. The field walls were in essence linear clearance cairns, having sufficient structure to retain form and stability. In all cases facing stones occurred on one or both sides. These took several forms; intermittent erect slabs or large boulders were common in places, and fairly continuous horizontal stones in others. The excavated sections showed that large and small horizontal laid stones had been used, but not in the same stretches of wall. Only occasionally were clearance cairns located close to walls, reinforcing the impression that they were contemporary and performed in essence the same function.

Other monuments surveyed and excavated included a linear series of shooting butts formed from quarried stone and modern banks, most probably associated with the construction of the first Loch Ashie dam in 1875.

In August 2001 a second phase of work took place involving the excavation of an underground power cable trench to supply the completed treatment works. This work did not reveal any additional archaeological remains.

Report to be lodged with Highland SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsor: North of Scotland Water Authority.

I Suddaby 2001