9
ARTS, CULTURE & TOURISM
CLAVA CAIRNS
History buffs are sure to
appreciate Clava Cairns, the
finely preserved Bronze Age
cemetery near Inverness. One
of Britain’s most sacred and
significant prehistoric sites,
Clava Cairns’ trio of burial
chambers are shrouded in a
great deal of mystery owing to
the fact that their builders left
no written record. This much
is known however: they are
around 4,000 years old and
differ dramatically from the
burial cairns found elsewhere
in Britain. Each is surrounded
by a ring of standing stones
and there is no large burial
monument typically associated
with such crypts. Interestingly,
the cairns appear to have been
constructed in line with the
midwinter sunset, running from
Northeast to Southwest. Set
in a small wood, the site also
offers a fantastic opportunity
to witness examples of
prehistoric rock art, as many
cup-and-ring marks are on
display in the cairn passages.
Thought to have been the
resting place for high-ranking
members of a tribe or ruling
caste, the Clava Cairns attracts
interest from all over the world.
Visitors can also stop at the
Milton of Clava, whose smaller
cemetery is to be found further
up the valley to the west and
also contains the foundations
of a medieval chapel.
6m east of Inverness.
Signposted from the B9091,
300 yards east of Culloden Battlefield.
Grid reference - NH 752 439
Parking available.
Clava Cairns
