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Geirisclett chambered cairn

Chambered Cairn

<b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoyImage © drew/A/B
Nearest Town:Uig (64km E)
OS Ref (GB):   NF768752 / Sheet: 18
Latitude:57° 39' 1.6" N
Longitude:   7° 25' 9.01" W

Added by fitzcoraldo


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<b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by postman <b>Geirisclett chambered cairn</b>Posted by postman

Fieldnotes

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Two days previous I'd driven past some of the fields and probably spied some of the Highland Cattle that Postie had spied during an earlier visit so we decided not to investigate from the direct south. Instead we parked near some masts just to the north of Loch Fada, south west of the site.

The weather had become summery and the ground heathery but dry plus we won medals at jumping and climbing fences, the dog, however, was not impressed. No cattle of any kind was seen but we found and stood in plenty of evidence that they had been moved very recently.

Geirisclett is as close to the sea as you can get being at the high water mark. The chamber is in superb condition with what looks a fallen standing or entrance stone. Part of the cairn remains to the west, most of the eastern side has given way to erosion. Beveridge had made efforts to protect the site by clearing the chamber and placing sill stones to prevent further damage, with some success.

Across on Vallay Island, Beveridge's house can easily be seen, as can the remarkable colour of the sea which was doing a good job of impersonating Luskentyre in Harris.

Superb site, a privilege to see such a place.

Visited 29/7/2019.
drewbhoy Posted by drewbhoy
11th November 2019ce

Miscellaneous

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This cairn was originally investigated by Erskine Beveridge in the early 20th century.
The cairn was re-excavated in 1996-7 due to the threat of tidal scouring.
"The excavation revealed evidence of disturbed Neolithic and Beaker funery deposits within the two compartments of the chamber".
The excavators confirmed that "the architecture of the burial chamber of the cairn is of the distinctive 'Clyde' type defined by Henshall".

Information from
Excavations at Geirisclett chambered cairn, North Uist, Western Isles
Dunwell et al
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Volume 133 (2003)
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
16th September 2006ce