Allt Rath a' Bheulain is a burn which rises high on
Meall nan Con and flows south, to pass under the B8007 before joining other burns to form the
Allt Choire Mhuilinn, a small river which runs into the sea near Mingary Castle. Along most of the burn's very open valley there are signs of intense cultivation, evidence of the large population which must once have lived on West Ardnamurchan. Some features are easy to find, like this dry stone wall built on a terrace close to the burn. It might be a sheep pen but, roofed across to the bank with rafters, heather and turfs, it could have made a shelter.
When we walked up the burn on our way to
Meall nan Con, we kept falling into overgrown ditches, some of which travelled in straight lines for some distance across the landscape. This Google satellite image shows the intensity of the workings, which were obviously designed to drain the land for cultivation. The map can be viewed
here. Move around and see the scale of the agricultural improvements.
There were several features which we did not understand. Here, a short length of stone wall, perhaps ten metres long, angles in towards the burn. In other places, a similar short length of wall cut off a small bend in the burn.
The general effect is shown in this sketch map. The ditches angle in to the stream, Wall 1 cuts off a bend, and Wall 2 also angles in to the stream.
Another strange feature is this wall, built part of the way across a tributary burn just above the point where it joins the
Allt Rath a' Bheulain. The tributary drops over a waterfall, which was almost dry when we passed, and carves out a short section of enclosed valley.
This map shows the junction of the two burns. As can be seen, the wall is only found on one side of the tributary burn. It stops against the slope, but not in such a way as to close off the area below the waterfall. So, for example, it would be useless as a sheep pen.
These walled features are the result of a great deal of hard work. What can they be?
A map of the area is here.
Hello, might it possibly be something to do with a watermill? Perhaps mill leats and a millpool? I think Mhuilinn means mill, doesn't it? And Bheulain might possibly be another form of the same word. (Not an expert, just interested!)
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