Monument record MHG29475 - Achnalea

Remains of a settlement are situated at the W end of Glen Tarbert, immediately W of Allt Feith ‘n Abhainn and separated by the A861 road. A settlement was recorded here by Bruce in 1733 and by Roy in 1747-55. By 1875 it consisted of two roofed buildings, two unroofed buildings and an enclosure below the road with a further roofed building, two unroofed buildings and another enclosure above the road. Remains of most of these can be traced today.

S of the road, the enclosure survives as marked on the OS 1st Ed. 6” map, though now bisected by a fence. An area, 37m NNE-SSW by 13m, is enclosed by a coursed stone wall, 1m thick and up to1m high. At the SSW end, a small round-angled rectangular structure (1), 5m NNE-SSW by 2.50m, is defined by a battered wall, 0.75m wide and up to 1.50m high. This is a later reconstruction of an older building, the foundations of which protrude beyond the ESE end to a total length of 8.50m ESE-WNW.
SW of the enclosure at NM 8506 6086 is a large dilapidated, round-angled rectangular house (2), marked as roofless in 1875. Measuring 14.50m NE-SW by 4.50m, it is defined by a wall of large blocks, 0.95m thick and 0.60m high, and is divided by a partition 5m from the NE end. No internal features or the entrance are discernible. A pile of rubble, vaguely rectangular in plan, 8m NW-SE by 5m and 0.60m high, at NM 8506 6087, represents the remains of a house (3), recorded as roofed in 1875 to the W of the enclosure. The fourth structure attached to the NW side of the enclosure is no longer extant.

On the N side of the road the roofed house (4) is still in use. Fragments of coursed wall in the garden to the N, at NM 8512 6098 and at NM 8512 6097, represent remains of the enclosure and two buildings, marked on the OS 1st Ed. 6 map.
Field Verification Project (West Lochaber) - J Robertson, 03/2004
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Area of Depopulation within land used for rough grazing. No further details.

J Aitken : 24/01/01.