EAB9174 - Watching Brief and Excavations - INVERBOYNDIE TO NEW DEER, MORAY EAST OFFSHORE WINDFARM CABLE ROUTE

The watching brief covered 30 sections, each of approximately 0.8-1.4 km in length, except in areas of previously disturbed ground, including woodland, quarrying, or pre-existing developments. It began in November 2018 with the creation of access works, whilst the main cable route strip began in March 2019. The cable route corridor crossed a significant amount of high intensity farming areas, with plough scars evident across the entirety of the corridor, resulting in the truncation of most features uncovered, with unsubstantial depths to features. Most of the linear features discovered relate to field boundaries, field drainage or other agricultural activities, and tended to follow the same alignment as modern field boundaries and plough marks, which suggests these are modern in date. Excavations were carried out at various locations along the corridor where areas were identified during the watching brief. Towards the northern end of the cable route corridor a souterrain and enclosure (MAB54321) were further excavated within Section 1. A scoop feature, possibly the remains of a round-house (MAB54305), six fire pits (MAB54309, MAB54311, MAB54310, MAB54312), and a linear ditch (MAB54308) were further excavated within Section 2. Pits, deposits, stone spreads (MAB54307), a pit (MAB54327), and a linear ditch (MAB54328) were excavated within Section 3. An individual fire pit (MAB54329) was excavated within Section 4. Pits and discrete surface features (MAB54306), fire pits (MAB54313, MAB54314) and a stone slab (MAB54315) were further excavated within Section 5. An individual pit (MAB54147) was excavated within Section 7. Four-post structures interpreted as grain stores (MAB54149), and pits, gullies and ditches (MAB54150, MAB54151, MAB54148) were further excavated within Section 8. Ring-ditch features (MAB54320) were further excavated within Section 9. A curvilinear ditch (MAB54330) and fire pit or hearth (MAB55560) were excavated within Section 10. Pits and curvilinear ditches (MAB55392) and isolated pits and fire pits (MAB55561, MAB55393, MAB55394, MAB55395, MAB55562) were further excavated within Section 12. A single fire pit (MAB55397) and curvilinear ditch (MAB55396) were excavated within Section 14. Pits (MAB55398) and pits, deposits and linear ditches (MAB55399, MAB55400, MAB55401) were excavated within Section 15. An individual pit (MAB55357) was excavated within Section 17. An individual fire pit (MAB55431) was excavated within Section 18. Pits, curvilinear and linear ditches (MAB55432) and a stone lined culvert (MAB55433) were excavated within Section 19. Linear ditches, features and pits (MAB55434, MAB55435, MAB55436, MAB55437, MAB55438) were excavated within Sections 22, 23 and 24. Individual pits (MAB55241, MAB56659) were excavated within Section 25 and 28. A stone-built corn-drying kiln (MAB56656) and five linear ditches (MAB56657) were further excavated within Section 29. An individual pit and linear ditch features (MAB56660, MAB56724) were excavated within Section 30. An individual pit and a stone-built drain (MAB56725) were excavated within the Satellite Compound 1 Section at the southern end of the cable route.