Members of Ardnamurchan Community Archaeology were out on Saturday to the east of Ockle, mapping a circle of stones which were probably the wall of a 10-metre diameter hut. The wall may have been up to a metre high, and supported a conical roof which had no central post, so the wall took the full load. The age of the structure isn't known, though it's in very good condition, but it may be Iron or Bronze Age.
The first job was to clear the site of dead bracken while being very careful not to disturb any of the stones, after which....
....a grid of ropes was laid and the site mapped using a one-metre square frame, the data being transferred onto squared paper.
This is the resulting map. Since no turf was removed from the site, the record is only of those stones poking up through the earth. That there is more material on the west side reflects the fact that the site was on a slight westerly slope, which was built up using small stones to create a flat base for the structure.
This is the stone circle seen from above. It lies in a small, open glen which has reasonably good soils - judging by the amount of bracken - and a small burn running down the middle of it. A beach is about a hundred metres away. It must have been a very pleasant place to live.
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