Jill Harden, Reserves Archaeologist at RSPB Scotland, shares some of the intriguing historical finds to be seen at RSPB Scotland Forsinard Flows, which is in the Flow Country right in the north of mainland Scotland.
Archaeology on the wild side
Ben Griam Beg with Ben Griam Mor beyond – a long walk in
Ben Griam Beg stands at the SW corner of the Forsinard Flows reserve overlooking a vast swathe of open peat moorland. It is a long trek in from the main road to reach the foot of the hill, and then there is the 1300 foot climb to the top. But on a good day the walk is worth it. The views from the top are fantastic – from Hoy (one of the islands of Orkney) some 40 miles away, to the mouth of Sutherland’s River Halladale, before continuing anti-clockwise to pass Ben Loyal, go round by Morven, and then over the rest of the RSPB Scotland Forsinard Flows reserve that stretches into Caithness.
Beki by the hillfort wall, enjoying the view west beyond
We were visiting to record the designated prehistoric hill fort at the top of the hill – the first stage in the archaeological monitoring work that we do on our reserves across the UK. And this site is particularly intriguing. It’s the highest hill fort in Scotland. But it was clearly never used for occupation or defence. Presumably it was a gathering point for people, a place for exchanging news and confirming allegiances, for trade and ceremony. The views towards the mountain and from the top must have played an important role in all of this.
Paul walking the bounds of the ruinous fort wall
The wall enclosing the top is ruinous – only 1m high and 1.8m broad in parts – impressive when first built but hardly so today. Colleagues were definitely underwhelmed. What we were all pleased to see, though, was a flock of ptarmigan. And then a mountain hare or two. Although the hill appeared wild and windswept, in fact it has a varied flora and fauna, with valued alpine plants too.
Frances and Sydney honing their flora identification skills
But they weren’t our only high point. On the far side of the hill, a little way down from the top of the very steep S slope was a flat circular millstone, around 1m in diameter. It lay split in two against a roughly constructed drystone dyke. And it wasn’t the only millstone. It was difficult to believe that this hill had once been the site of a stone quarry, specifically for millstones. During the late-1980s students from Edinburgh University did an archaeological survey here, recording such things. But since then archaeological comments have concentrated on the remote siting of a prehistoric fort. Nobody had highlighted this distant location of a post-medieval millstone quarry. How intriguing.
Found at last – Sydney and Frances at the broken millstone
Further research is needed to unravel the history of this place. Millstones like these were needed for large water-powered grain mills that were in use during the 1800s. The mills at Achiemore and Forsinain, close to the river Halladale, are testament to arable farming along this fertile strath. Is this where the millstones quarried from Ben Griam Beg were bound for, or were they sent further afield?