Inchnadamph
Encyclopedia
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.
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 Bear
s 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 Uammh 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.
runs through the area and the Inchnadamph Hotel is a mecca for geologists. 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.
Assynt
Assynt is a civil parish in west Sutherland, Highland, Scotland – north of Ullapool.It is famous for its landscape and its remarkable mountains...
, Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
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.
History
Eurasian Lynx
The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...
, Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, Arctic Fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
, Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
(dated to as long ago as 47,000 BP), the only evidence of Polar Bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s 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 Uammh an Claonaite
Uamh An Claonaite
Uamh an Claonaite is the longest cave in Scotland. It consists of a series of dry passages and a series of at least six sumps which have been dived over the years....
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
Ardvreck Castle
Standing on a rocky promontory jutting out into Loch Assynt in Sutherland, north west Highland, Scotland, Ardvreck Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 16th century. The ruins can be reached by driving along the A837 which follows the north shore of Loch Assynt from the village of Inchnadamph...
lie nearby on the shores of Loch Assynt
Loch Assynt
Loch Assynt is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, 8 km ENE of Lochinver.Situated in a spectacular setting between the heights of Canisp, Quinag and Beinn Uidhe, it receives the outflow from Lochs Awe, Maol a' Choire, and Leitir Easaich. It discharges into the sea at Loch Inver, via the...
. 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 ThrustMoine Thrust Belt
The Moine Thrust Belt is a linear geological feature in the Scottish Highlands which runs from Loch Eriboll on the north coast 190 km south-west to the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye...
runs through the area and the Inchnadamph Hotel is a mecca for geologists. Nearby there is a monument to the work of Ben Peach
Ben Peach
Benjamin Neeve Peach, FRS was a British geologist.He was born at Gorran Haven in Cornwall to Charles William Peach, an amateur British naturalist and geologist. Ben was educated at the Royal School of Mines in London and then joined the Geological Survey in 1862 as a geologist, moving to the...
and John Horne
John Horne
John Horne was a Scottish geologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900. He was a pupil of Ben Peach....
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
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
excursion to Assynt.