This possible ring-ditch site is located on the South-west side of the henge and cairns at Cairnpapple Hill, and immediately opposite the possible barrow. Click here for a location map provided by StreetMap.
Very little is known about this circular enclosure, not least because it has never been excavated. However, its proximity to the Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments on Cairnpapple Hill is suggestive.
The Cairnpapple Ring-Ditch (photo © Wally)
One possibility is that it is one component of a larger ritual or ceremonial area centred on the main monument on the hill's summit. However, it is also possible that it is quite unrelated to this structure, and in fact constitutes a farming feature from a later date.
Its shape is slightly oval, with a diameter measuring between twenty-one and twenty-four feet, the ditch being some six feet wide in places. Unfortunately, it is practically invisible for most of the year, and only becomes noticeable when overgrown.
more to follow...
thanks to wally of livingston for many discussions on cairnpapple over the years, and especially for the photograph