Surveyed May 14, 1996

GR: NR 41915 57983

This artificial island is located 53m from the S shore of Loch Allallaidh near the centre of the loch. Another smaller island is located 12m NW of the site, and is accessed from the NW shore of the loch by a 54m long causeway of large boulders, the surface of which was submerged to a depth of 0.4m at the time of survey. The first 26m of this causeway is, on average, 5m in width, but 28m before it reaches the small islet it widens to 15m. The small islet is connected to the artificial island by a ridge of gravel and small stone 12m in length.
The small islet, located to the NW of the main site is oval in shape, measuring 9m SW-NE by 16m NW-SE at the water line. The islet is composed of small stones, earth and turfs and appears to be natural. The base of the islet is circular in shape, measuring 30m in diameter, and submerged portions are covered by a tumble of medium sized, angular stones. A tumbled wall of large boulders 34m in length transcets the islet where it joins the causeway to shore. The walling extends out into the water 10m to the N and 16m to the S of the islet, where water 2m deep is reached.
The main artificial island is an oval shaped mound of stone measuring 47m NW-SE by 32m NE-SW at it’s base, and 34m NW-SE by 22m NE-SW at the water-line. The submerged portions of the islet break at roughly a 7° angle with the surrounding silty loch-bed and consist of a tumbled spread of 70% medium sized stone and 30% large boulders. The surface of the island is crowned by a steep-sided, turf-covered ,oval-shaped platform, measuring 16m NW-SE by 7.5m NE-SW, which was 2.3m above water-level at the time of survey. The NW end of this platform is occupied by the turf-covered remains of a roughly circular shaped structure, measuring 7.4m NW-SE by 6.4m NE-SW internally, which had walls 1.8m in average thickness and 0.8m in average height. There is no obvious entrance to the structure.

Walling and possible boat noost

The base of the upper platform corresponded roughly with the water-level at the time of survey and is enclosed by a dry-stone perimeter wall. This wall is roughly 1.5m in average thickness and consists of an outer vertical face of angular shaped, medium sized stones which sit on footings of large boulders, that is backed by turfs and stone tumble. On the SW and SE sides of the islet this wall still stands to a maximum height of 1.5m, and though less well preserved, other portions of the walling can be traced around the entirety of islet’s perimeter. The W sector of the walling is breached by a 1.7m gap, which is interpreted as a boat noost. This feature is a 0.5m deep depression in the islet’s surface which runs through the perimeter wall, past the water-line to the base of the islet.

Walling on south side of islet