Cairn Catto

Cairn Catto

Despite the name, Cairn Catto is not so much a cairn as an elongated barrow, about 49 metres long, 22 metres wide at the head (SE), tapering to about seven metres wide at the end (NW). It was probably built between 1,000 and 2,000 BCE.

The barrow/cairn is covered with some very large stones. It is six feet high at the south-east end, diminishing in height towards the north-west end.

Stones have been robbed from the south-eastern end of the cairn and there are deep holes in the south-eastern end, though no obvious signs of internal burial chambers. Most of the cairn is made up of pink granite.

A pair of stone axes found on the site are now in the Arbuthnot Museum in Peterhead.

We've had differing reports from people trying to reach the cairn. One report says that there are double barbed-wire fences that don't allow you to get close, while another recent report says that it was easy to access the cairn by following the field boundary. We'd love to hear more from recent visitors.