Building record MHG31958 - Hut circle - Ristocky Burn

Hut Circle.
Centre of unusual, ‘pea-whistle’-shaped and possibly later-adapted, 7m internal diameter hut circle, the presence of which strengthens the case for the adjacent, lower hut circle, of Feature 185 (above), to be less conjectural. It is constructed on a levelled platform, on a 7 degree S-sloping, heather-covered hillside, so that its well-preserved, prominent walls on the lower, SW, S and SE sides, are up to 2.5m wide and 1m high. The unequivocal, 1m wide entrance opens to 162 degrees on the downhill side and is accentuated by flanking high peat turf walls.

The walls of the rectangular part of the hut ‘circle’ extend out 9m towards 235 degrees, perpendicular to the tangent of the SW part of the circle and join the NW part, parallel to this, as a tangent to the circle, and is 5m wide. It could be a later adaptation or an unusual original design. The walls of the rectangular part are thinner and lower than those of the majority of the ¾-circular part, being <1m wide and 0.4m high and are covered in deep heather. <1>