The Grey Cairns of Camster are two restored Neolithic
chambered cairns, one round (18m/60 ft in diameter) and the other long (stretching
nearly 70m/230 ft). The two cairns are within 200m/650 ft of each other
and the restoration work has made entry to their interior chambers as easy
as possible through the long and narrow passages.
The round cairn's burial chamber
is well lit and is about 3m/10ft tall. Charcoal, ashes, burnt and unburnt
bones and broken pots were discovered in the 1865 excavations, plus two
skeletons which had been placed in the passage before it was blocked with
stones. The long cairn is an unusual structure with external steps and contains
two burial chambers.
The
round cairn
(92Kb)
