Balnuaran of Clava

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The prehistoric burial site, Balnuaran of Clava, or more simply known as the Clava Cairns, dates back to around 2000 BC. I've known about the site since we moved here last summer, but didn't actually get to visit it until Janet and Dave's visit. We had spent some time at the Culloden Battlefield visitor's center. The cairns were nearby, so we went to check them out.

We kept getting glimpses of this viaduct as we made our way along the winding road. This scene with the River Nairn was particularly picturesque, so Steve stopped for me to make like a paparazzo.

The Clava Cairns site consists of three burial cairns: Two passage graves and one ring cairn. Each cairn is ringed by a circle (or kerb) of standing stones. The cairns were emptied long ago, but would have been the final resting place of only one or two people. Considering the amount of work that went into the cairns and ring stones, these people must have been of great importance. 

The setting amongst the old, majestic trees added to the reverent ambiance. I could feel that I was someplace of significance. Even though the people are long gone, I still felt the need to be respectful.

One of the more unusual standing stones with a hillside of flowering gorse in the background.


The first cairn you come upon is one of the passage graves; so named because the inner ring is connected to the exterior via a thin passage. The passages of both passage graves face southwest, which suggests the site was designed around the midwinter solstice. 


This stone (which is also in the previous photo) was the biggest and the only one actually shaped. It also lines up with the midwinter sunset, just like the passages.

The middle cairn is a ring cairn without any passage.

What's interesting about the ring cairn is it is connected to some of its standing stones. The builders created spokes of rocks that radiated out to some of the stones. These spokes are now covered over by turf and create humps. I don't know if they were meant to be buried or not.


The third cairn on the far end of the site and some of its ring stones.

It's another passage grave.

The final cairn's ring is broken by a road. It left this stone by itself on the other side. Now it's more a sentinel watching over the cattle than a part of the cairn's retinue.

The line of trees and stone wall that separate the site from the road.

Another interesting standing stone. This didn't appear to be a single stone that had cleaved in two, but two stones crammed up against each other. I wonder what it's significance was.


Here's a view of the first cairn. See how the passage lines up with the great rectangular stone?

There's that viaduct again!

A close-up of the gorse. Such pretty flowers. Such sharp thorns.

Bulnuaran of Clava is a very beautiful place. I will be back.

Steve headed a bit further up the road and treated us to this unobstructed view of the viaduct. 

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