Landscape record 9553 - South Galson

South Galson coastal strip on either side of Sgeir an Uaibhreich from about NB 4209 5857 to NB 4267 5893. This coastal strip is littered with the remains of a kelp-processing industry, currently comprising about 8 kelp kilns, with a similar number of kelp-drying walls, and a further 8 or more other features, including presumed less well preserved kilns and a possible bothy. Kilns vary in size from about 2.4m to 3m long by 0.4m to 0.6m wide internally, and are not aligned to any particular axis. Most appear to be three-sided, open at the foot, although others are distinctly four-sided. Some of them are cut into the surface cultivation ridges, and so clearly post-date use of the field system. Some are still stable, a few metres inland from the eroding shore, others are now near or at the actively eroding face, while many more must have been lost since the 1830s.

In the Coastal Erosion Assessment these were identified as clearance cairns and burial cists, ie:
NB45NW 59 Field system, pre clearance
NB 4262 5886a possible clearance cairn
NB 4262 5886b burial cairn
NB 4262 5886c cairn
NB 4262 5886d cairn
NB 4258 5886 possible clearance cairn
NB 4254 5887a burial cist
NB 4254 5887b possible clearance cairn
NB 4254 5887c possible clearance cairn
NB 4232 5851 ditch and turf dyke
NB 4223 5867 dyke, stone and turf
NB 4217 5853 dyke, stone and turf
NB 4217 5850 cultivation, rigging
The fact that they are scattered loosely along the shore, their association with other features, their lack of alignment, their often open ends, their relationship to the agricultural landscape, their resemblance to those at Allt Chrisal, and great piles of kelp washed up on the rocky shore, suggest to us that these are not burial cists.
Carol Knott, 18.5.2001

NB location approximate pending survey
MML 30.7.2001

Burgess, Christopher & Church, Michael, 1997, Coastal Erosion Assessment, Lewis. A Report for Historic Scotland (Bibliographic reference). SWE41000.