Crarae Garden is set close to the banks of Loch Fyne 10 miles south of Inveraray. Planted with trees and shrubs from all over the temperate world including a fine collection of rhododendrons, it is centred on the Crarae Burn. The planting around the cascading burn was designed to give the feel of a Himilayan Valley. It has been managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 2001. There are fine views over Loch Fyne from some of the high viewpoints in the garden. Unfortunately, there was a lot of damage to the less sheltered parts of the garden in the winter storms, so most of the footpaths to the best viewpoints were closed at this visit, although due to be opening again soon.
In the grounds there are the remains of a Neolithic tomb. The Crarae Chambered Cairn is of a type known as Clyde cairns, which are found mostly in the areas surrounding the Firth of Clyde. Such cairns have rectangular burial chambers, which are usually set at the wider end of an elongated cairn and are often approached through the centre of a ‘forecourt’ area defined by a stone facade.
Glasgow Museums state that they have a collection of over 3,200 objects from Crarae Chambered Cairn, which date from between 4230 and 3370 BC, in the Neolithic period.
The collection comprises 2,902 pieces or bags of marine shells and land snails, 267 pieces or bags of human bones and teeth, two flint arrowheads, 69 pieces or bags of stone and charcoal, eight potsherds and one stone disc. It also contains two medieval rotary quernstone fragments, five pieces of flint, nine quartz pieces and flakes, two fragments of metal, three pieces of vitrified fuel ash and 12 bags of soil samples. Analysis of the human teeth in the collection has revealed evidence of the burial of at least two people – one was aged 14–20 years, and the other 25–35 years old. Additional bone evidence indicates that a further adult, of at least 20 years old, was possibly buried in the chamber.
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