Geological discovery at Glac Fhearna, Clashnessie

January 23rd 2026

On 12th August 2025 Benjy McTaggart of Glenleraig was gathering sheep with his elder sister Anna B around a small burn valley, Glac Fhearna, some 2km north-east of Clashnessie (map, photo 1).   The valley ends in a steep-sided inlet of the sea (photo 2) and, at the point where the burn plunges down into this inlet, 17-year-old Benjy noticed some curious reddish rocks (photos 3-4).

He brought back a small sample, which he later showed to me.  It looked like sandstone, in a place where the bedrock is mapped as Lewisian gneiss, which was odd.

Explaining this was well beyond my competence, so I took the sample along to a neighbour at Nedd, retired professional geologist Grant Nicoll.  The results of his investigations are summarised in the attached article.

Ian M. Evans

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