Once considered the most important mainland archaeological site in Scotland, Cairnpapple was a centre of worship and burial for over 3000 years. The site was first the burial ground, then a henge of 24 large stones, and then an enormous cairn; in all five phases of ritual burial and cremations, with concentric rings of pits, ditching and banking. Some older maps cite it as a location of witch burnings.
Cairnpapple was discovered immediately after the Second World War - all that was discernable at the time was a rough circular embankment known as a henge monument - and a central cairn set in a rather random-looking position within the circle. Professor Stuart Piggott excavated this late Neolithic site in 1947 and 1948. He discovered a complex site - Cairnpapple is like a jigsaw puzzle with evidence of the differing purposes it has served through time. A multi-coloured plasticene model of the site at various stages through history is on display in the Nissan hut managed by Historic Scotland on site - this is the best visual representation of its multi-layered use.
The earliest evidence of human usage of site was 3500 BC when ceremonial fires were lit by the Neolithic farmers who would have lived in the plains below. Axe heads from Cumbria and Wales were found in the hearths, proving that movement between these areas dates back much further than Celtic times.
The second phase of use of site is marked by a henge with double opening, which dates from around 3000 BC. The henge surrounded twenty four upright posts, which Piggot believed were stone.
The Cairnpapple site is now maintained by Historic Scotland. Information on access to the inner cairn itself is available here, along with admission times and prices. You do not have to pay for admission into the wider site, or to find the cache. If you are taking a dog onto the site please keep it on a lead, as sometimes there are farm animals in the adjacent field. A parking waypoint has been added.
There is a Bookmark List for this series of caches in The Bathgate Hills, here.
Thanks go to Historic Scotland for permission to hide the cache on the Cairnpapple site.