Clava Cairns In Scotland: A Mysterious Portal To The Past
One area worth exploring in Scotland is the Clava Cairns. This is how some peculiar tombs that are at least 4000 years old are known. Its shape, structure and construction still attract attention and the best way to know them is on the ground itself.
This is one of those places where you really think about what it means when you’re in it. In this case, you can even see the inside of these unique constructions. There are other tombs known as cairns that are similar and are all over the country. But the most famous are those of Clava Cairns.
They are located near the city of Inverness. A place in Scotland steeped in history where there are other places of interest, such as the field where the Battle of Culloden took place in the mid-18th century.
How to go to the Clava Cairns?
The Clava Cairns tombs are located near the town of Inverness. By car it will not take anything, but we recommend that you walk the path, as this way you will enjoy a great walk in a fantastic natural environment. If it’s sunny and warm, don’t hesitate to walk to the famous circular tombs.
If you are going from the Culloden battlefield, you will find several signs along the way that indicate the path to Clava Cairns. You will see large meadows where there are animals such as sheep and horses. You will cross a beautiful bridge and, as soon as you reach the forest, you will already be in the vicinity of this mysterious place.
What are the Clava Cairns like?
You may have visited some old necropolises, because there are many around the world that are worth visiting. However, one of the most curious burial places are the cairns that are scattered throughout Scotland. They are burial chambers lined with stones. Today, these structures have become monuments.
At Clava Cairns you can see the large stone circles set in the shape of a ring. There are three. In two of them you can see a corridor that connects the inside of the circle with the outside. Originally, these three constructions had a vault that served as a roof, but over time it has deteriorated and lost.
What is known about the origin of the Clava Cairns?
The Clava Cairns are about four millennia old and not much is known about them, since it is not even ruled out that centuries ago they had more rings. Other theories are also handled, such as that the stones used in these monuments could live their second life and have previously served another function.
They could even have been used for the construction of primitive villages. It has been shown that where Clava Cairns is located, there were once crops on the land. Therefore, it can be thought that there was a small village and that, when it was depopulated, its materials were used for the sepulchral structure.
Sunset on the winter solstice
The Clava Cairns keep a very special secret. These funerary monuments are lined up in a special way. During the sunset of the winter solstice, the sun’s rays fit perfectly with the main hall.
The winter solstice seems to have been a cause of worship for past civilizations in Britain. It not only has a presence in this place. In Ireland there is another thousand-year-old tomb, Newgrange, where sunlight illuminates the main hall for 17 minutes on that solstice.
Complete your visit to the Culloden Battlefield
When you go to see Clava Cairns you can also go to Culloden field. As we mentioned, it is very close to this necropolis. It is the place where the last battle was fought on British soil. Here you can walk through what is a wasteland, but which remains practically the same as 250 years ago, when the confrontation took place.
