Previously Unrecorded Burial Cairn Identified
View of chamber from the south-east, image copyright Jennifer Robertson
A desk-based assessment and walkover survey conducted by Dr Jennifer Robertson in relation to a proposed hydro-electricity scheme on the Burn of Mar in the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park has identified what appears to be the remains of a previously-unrecorded chambered cairn. The site consists of the remains of a grass-covered cairn measuring around 25m east to west by 22m north to south. Although it is apparent that the cairn has been heavily robbed, presumably to provide building material for an adjacent drystone wall, it nevertheless survives to a height of up to 1m. The extent of the former cairn is apparent in the differential vegetation cover visible in the above photograph. In the south-western sector of the cairn, the remains of a cist or chamber are visible. This feature, which is not positioned centrally within the cairn, is defined by three long slabs which have been set on edge. These define a space measuring 1.1m north to south by 1.8m east to west. It appears probable that the features identified by the survey represent the remains of a chambered cairn which had not been previously recognised. This is somewhat surprising, given that the site is located within a few metres of a section of the West Highland Way, but does serve to demonstrate that significant archaeological sites remain to be discovered!