The Grey Cairns of Camster
Step back in time to prehistoric history
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Grey Cairns of Camster

Walk the path of neolithic history

Hidden away from the North Coast 500, we recommend venturing inland during your stay to explore the incredible prehistoric site in Caithness: the Grey Cairns of Camster. On the edge of the Flow Country, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this peatland landscape was once home to neolithic communities and families.

Originally built around 5000 years ago, these reconstructed cairns are amongst the best-preserved chambered tombs in the country.

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Details About the Site

Easily accessed from the roadside parking area, a wooden boardwalk over the wet boggy ground leads across the site to two chambered cairns. The first is a round cairn, around eighteen metres in diameter and four metres tall, containing a single chamber with three compartments. 19th century excavations found burnt human remains, pottery, and flint tools. 

In contrast, the long cairn is a more spectacular monument, being nearly sixty metres long and twenty metres wide. You can walk all the way round the cairn, and even crawl inside. Do take care as the cairn roofs are extremely low. There is also a ruin of a third cairn which you can walk around.

 

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The Grey Cairns of Camster

Discover Scotland's ancient history, stone by stone

There are information boards at the Grey Cairns of Camster which provide an insight into the ritual beliefs and practices of people living in northern Scotland during the neolithic period; about 5750 to 4500 years ago. Unlike many historic sites, you are unlikely to find huge crowds at the Grey Cairns of Camster. This makes it an atmospheric site to wander round and imagine what life was like for people living here. 

The Grey Cairns of Camster are some of the oldest architecture in Scotland, dating back to the neolithic period. Other notable sites dating back to a similar time period are the Cairn O’Get, Hill O’Many Stanes, and the Achavanich Standing Stones near Lybster.

How to Get There

Visiting The Grey Cairns of Camster

The Grey Cairns of Camster are free to visit and are open all year round.  Please note that there is no toilet access at this site. To get there from Mackays Hotel, drive to Watten along the A882. Before you reach the village, turn left onto a minor road. Drive along this road for seven miles – then the cairns will be on your right.  An alternative route is to drive south from Wick on the A99 and after ten miles, turn left onto the minor road signposted for Camster. After 5 miles, the cairns will be on your left. 

Use the parking area provided.

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