Grey Cairns of Camster

The Grey Cairns of Camster are among the best-preserved Neolithic chambered cairns in Britain, standing on the wild Caithness moorland just as they have for approximately 5,000 years. These remarkable structures - a long cairn and a round cairn - were built by some of Scotland's earliest farming communities as burial places for their dead. The level of preservation is extraordinary.

The Long Cairn stretches for over 60 metres and contains two separate burial chambers, while the Round Cairn is a near-perfect dome structure with a single central chamber. Visitors can actually crawl through the narrow entrance passages to reach the inner chambers - a genuinely atmospheric experience that connects you directly with our distant ancestors. Torches are essential for exploring the dark interiors.

The remote moorland setting adds to the sense of timelessness. The Flow Country peatlands stretch away in all directions, little changed since the cairns were built. Archaeological excavations revealed that these were active burial sites for many generations, with the remains of numerous individuals discovered within. Standing here, in the silence of the moor, provides a profound connection to Scotland's deepest past.