Country Scotland Post town LAIRG Police Scottish Dialling code 01571 Lieutenancy areas Highland, Sutherland | Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district IV27 Fire Scottish Council area Highland | |
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UK parliament constituency Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | ||
Inchnadamph is a hamlet in Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland. The name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic name Innis nan Damh meaning 'meadow of the stags'. Assynt is a remote area with a low population density and Inchnadamph contains a few houses, a lodge and a hotel.
Contents
Map of Inchnadamph, Lairg, UK
History
The 'Bone Caves' of Inchnadamph contain relics of Eurasian lynx, brown bear, Arctic fox, reindeer (dated to as long ago as 47,000 BP), the only evidence of polar bears so far found in Scotland, and human skeletons dated to the 3rd millennium BC. The skeleton of a bear thought to be 11,000 years old or more was removed from the caves in 2008. The bones had originally been found by cavers in 1995 deep within the Uamh an Claonaite system and will now be examined by the National Museums Scotland, who hope to determine the age and species. It is presumed the animal died whilst hibernating and that its body was later washed further into the underground network.
The ruins of Ardvreck Castle lie nearby on the shores of Loch Assynt. The castle was badly damaged in a thunderstorm in 1795. The Old Parish Church of Assynt is located in the village and pieces of an old Celtic cross have been found, dating from the 8th to the 11th century.
Geology
The Moine Thrust runs through the area, which is a mecca for geologists, who can find accommodation in the Assynt Field Centre (Inchnadamph Lodge) or at Inchnadamph Hotel. Nearby there is a monument to the work of Ben Peach and John Horne whose work was crucial in the understanding of this, the first thrust fault to be discovered anywhere in the world. The monument's inscription reads: "To Ben N Peach and John Horne who played the foremost part in unravelling the geological structure of the North West Highlands 1883-1897. An international tribute. Erected 1930". The hotel retains a copy of the guest book signed by many prominent geologists of the day who visited during the 1912 British Association for the Advancement of Science excursion to Assynt.