Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph

Nearest town:
Ullapool (30km SSW)
OS reference:
NC26102176
OS sheet:
15
Latitude:
58° 9' 2.1 N
Longitude:
4° 57' 19.06 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by drewbhoy

Two things new since Mr G’s visit, the wee castle looking house, and sadly the stone that stood is down.

Image credit: drew/A/B
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Nov 11, 2020
Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by GLADMAN

Looking down the glen toward the Inchnadamph Hotel

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2014
Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by GLADMAN

The River Traligill flows beyond in the gorge it has cut for itself over the course of millennia.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2014
Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by GLADMAN

Some traces of the former chamber remain...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2014
Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by GLADMAN

Despite the easy access – by broad, stony track – there is a nice remote vibe here within the Inchnadamph Forest.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2014
Image of Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph (Chambered Cairn) by GLADMAN

The monument occupies a rocky knoll near the confluence of the Allt Poll an Droighinn and River Traligill in Gleann Dubh.... Loch Assynt can be seen beyond.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2014

Articles

Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph

drewbhoy
drewbhoy Dec 28, 2020

After being followed by the deer chorus the previous it seemed apt to start the next day at the Meadow of the Stags/Inchnadamph. Sadly the chorus must have been very tired as they weren’t saying much at their meadow.

Not much to add to Mr G’s brilliant fieldnotes except to say the that the one remaining upright has now fallen. It is an exceptional place with exceptional views including Loch Assynt.

Visited 16/10/2020.

Carrachan Dubh, Inchnadamph

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jan 10, 2015

So here I am at Inchnadamph (in Gaelic ‘Innis nan Damh’... ‘Meadow of the Stags)’ at the southern end of Loch Assynt, apparently a veritable mecca for geologists during the last decades of the 19th Century owing to its strategic position upon the Moine Thrust Belt, this a linear fault in the Earth’s crust stretching all the way from Loch Eriboll to Sleat, Isle of Skye. Which would explain the memorial to two such exalted gentlemen – Ben Peach and John Horne – sited a little north at NC24912221, then. Yeah, as I understand it this was the first such feature to be identified (as opposed to discovered) upon the planet, the lads’ fieldwork crucial to resolving the apparent paradox of why strata of older rock happen to reside upon those of younger here in Scotland. In knowledge lies wisdom, eh, one assuming a certain Mr Darwin was following proceedings with interest at the time?

Despite – for me – the somewhat uncomfortable vibe of the Inchnadamph Hotel... too many expensive sports cars, not enough proper cars... there is a hint of time immemorial inherent in the locale, this no doubt coloured by the realisation that the bones of polar bears were found in the limestone caves nearby, presumably hibernating for much longer than intended, poor things? For ever. If anything this feeling is amplified – turn the dial to 11, man – as I leave the car park, cross the River Traligill and follow the stony track eastward to search out another chambered cairn depicted upon my ever more annotated map within Gleann Dubh. The track veers left to accompany the Allt Poll an Droighinn for a short distance prior to swinging south-east, whereby the monument is visible surmounting a rocky knoll near the confluence with the River Traligill, accessed via a very, er, idiosyncratic footbridge.

As with other such monuments in the area Carrachan Dubh is by no means a massive cairn, the OS citing “c.20.0m in diameter and 2.3m high [(EGC) 24 Apr 1961]“; nevertheless residual traces of a passage – and hence presumably a chamber still located within – remain in situ, primarily a prominent upright “1.4m long x 1.5m thick [OS (J M) 15 Aug 1963]” protruding from the summit and featuring some exquisite surface grain. There are a pair of smaller stones upon the approx south western arc, too.

So, all in all this is a fine, unprepossessing monument occupying a great spot within a wild glen bisected by rushing water. It would be difficult to wish for much more, to be fair. Unless a passing all powerful entity transcending the laws of physics could grant world peace... or the company of Gillian Anderson for the duration. Yeah, a great spot to sit and chill out for a while despite the unwelcome attentions of the midges which, although not on their best behaviour, are nonetheless manageable enough with a head net... so don’t forget to pack one if coming in season.

The occasional walker passes by, head down, no doubt heading for Ben More Assynt. Aside from that the only apparent movement is the water making its way to Loch Assynt. No doubt there is much more than that, not least the bloody midges. However today my head is set to macro vision mode for a while before it is time to move on to the wondrous Cnoc Bad Na Cleithe.

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