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Clava Cairns

Clava Cairns

📍 Inverness-shire ⏱ 30–45 mins 🆓 Free entry 🚐 Motorhome friendly

About Clava Cairns

The Clava Cairns are a remarkably well-preserved group of Bronze Age burial chambers dating to around 2000 BC, comprising three large cairns surrounded by rings of standing stones. The passage graves are aligned so the midwinter setting sun shines directly down the entrance passages — a deliberate piece of prehistoric engineering that still works today. The atmospheric site became famous as the inspiration for the fictional stone circle "Craigh na Dun" in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels, drawing fans from around the world. Despite its fame, the site remains quiet, free to visit, and largely unchanged for four thousand years.

Highlights

Three Bronze Age burial cairns
Standing stone circles
Outlander "Craigh na Dun" inspiration
Midwinter solstice alignment
Just a mile from Culloden Battlefield
🚐 Motorhome Tip The car park is small and can be tight for larger motorhomes — there is more space at the nearby Culloden Battlefield car park if needed, with a short walk between the two sites. Best visited early morning or late afternoon to avoid tour groups.

Getting There

From Inverness, take the B9006 towards Culloden. Clava Cairns is signposted just past the battlefield, down a short lane.

Best Time to Visit

Year round, daylight hours. Midwinter sunset (around 21 December) for the solstice alignment.

Nearby Attractions

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

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