How old are the Clava Cairns?

about 4,000 years old
Overview. Discover one of Scotland’s most evocative prehistoric sites – the exceptional remains of an ancient cemetery, set on a terrace above the River Nairn. The Clava Cairns are about 4,000 years old and were built to house the dead.

When was Clava Cairns built?

around 2000 BC
The row of three large cairns we see today was built about 4,000 years ago, around 2000 BC. There may once have been two more. A thousand years later, the cemetery was reused: new burials were placed in existing cairns, and three smaller monuments, including the kerb cairn, were built.

What are the cairns in Scotland?

A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones. The word cairn comes from the Scottish Gaelic: càrn [ˈkʰaːrˠn̪ˠ] (plural càirn [ˈkʰaːrˠɲ]). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes, from prehistoric times to the present.

Where is the Clava Cairns?

Clava Cairns or the Prehistoric Burial Cairns of Bulnuaran of Clava are a group of three Bronze Age cairns located near Inverness. A hugely significant and exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site, Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years.

Is there a real craigh na dun?

Unfortunately for those loyal viewers seeking to see Craigh na Dun in real-life, it’s a fictional place, so there’s not an exact real life location to plan a trip around.

Was Outlander filmed at Clava Cairns?

Many Outlander fans will know that it was filmed at Clava Cairns, a burial site built in the Bronze Age. It’s an incredible place to watch the sun set and during the winter solstice two of the cairns align with the sun, making it a magical place to visit.

What is the meaning of a cairn?

heap of stones
A cairn is an impermanent human-made pile of stones. The word “cairn” comes from a Gaelic term meaning “heap of stones.” A search on the Internet reveals that cairns have also been referred to as “trail ducks”; in Hawaii they are called “ahu” and by Native Americans, “Wa-wa-na-quas-sick” (place of many good stones).

Are cairns illegal?

Why Creating Your Own Rock Cairns in National Parks is Illegal. While rock cairns are a valuable tool and a glimpse into the history of early navigation in our national parks, creating your own isn’t just discouraged, but is also technically illegal.

Where is the Scottish pyramid?

Balmoral Estate
Located on Balmoral Estate in Deeside, the ‘pyramid’ – which is in fact a cairn (a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline) – was erected by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert who died in 1861.

Where are the Clava cairns in Scotland located?

The Clava cairn is a type of Bronze Age circular chamber tomb cairn, named after the group of three cairns at Balnuaran of Clava, to the east of Inverness in Scotland. There are about 50 cairns of this type in an area round about Inverness. They fall into two sub-types, one typically consisting of a corbelled passage grave…

Where was Clava cairns inspiration for Craigh na Dun?

In Scotland, there is Clava Cairns in Inverness. Of course, there are many more throughout the Scottish Highlands. But, in Outlander, the story starts in Inverness. So, Clava Cairns is a great candidate for being the inspiration for the famous Craigh Na Dun. The stone circle doesn’t look exactly the same as the series.

Where are the Bronze Age cairns in Inverness?

Find out more about our re-opening plans. Clava Cairns or the Prehistoric Burial Cairns of Bulnuaran of Clava are a group of three Bronze Age cairns located near Inverness.

What kind of stones are in Clava cairn?

The cairns incorporate cup and ring mark stones, carved before they were built into the structures. The kerb stones are graded in size and selected for colour, so that the stones are larger and redder to the south west, and smaller and whiter to the north east.