Culcharron

NM93NW 32 9129 3971.

(NM 9129 3971) Cairn (NR) (remains of)

(Undated) OS annotation.

Half of this cairn was completely destroyed during the construction of the branch railway line to Ballachulish, but the remainder was undisturbed.

Excavated in 1970 by Dr Peltenburg, it was found that a kerb of granite boulders, virtually intact round that part of the perimeter still extant, would originally have formed a circle about 8 metres in diameter. Within the kerb was a filling of large boulders, covered by smaller stones, which stood to a height of 1 metre, whilst outside an irregular band of stones increased the overall diameter of the cairn to about 15 metres. White quartz chips were wedged round the kerbstones and there was an apron of quartz outside the line of the kerb measuring

0.5 metres in width and 0.15 metres in depth. In addition, the whole cairn had been strewn with similar quartz chips. On the south, two granite boulders flanking a schist slab formed a 'false portal' to the cairn. In front of this, was a further schist slab decorated with thirteen cup-marks on one face, five of which are very small, and a single cup on the other face.

The remains of this cairn are as described.

Visited by OS (DWR) 1 November 1971.

Surveyed at 1:2500.