Golspie has three known brochs- tall drystone towers dating from the Iron Age in Scotland (550 BC – 560 AD). They are unique to Scotland and most of the hundreds of broch sites that have been discovered are in the Highlands. The purpose and function of these buildings is still unknown and are the subject of much debate amongst archaeologists.
There are three known broch sites around Golspie in different conditions and with varying levels of access. Read more and choose your adventure level below.
Please take care when visiting any of these sites and make wise judgements about the condition of access paths and the soundness of the structures. Apart from Carn Liath, neither the buildings nor the paths are actively maintained. Please also take care of these sites- all three are Scheduled Monuments and protected by law.
This itinerary is presented in collaboration with Golspie Heritage Society.
Carn Liath
Adventure level 1
Carn Liath is one of the best-preserved brochs on mainland Scotland. It is around 3 metres tall today but could have been three times that originally. Unusually for this kind of monument, the ruins of a village, probably dating to slightly later than the broch itself, has survived around the outside. Carn Liath is free to visit at any time. There is free parking available across the road and an information board on site. For more information visit the Historic Environment Scotland website here. Finds from Carn Liath can be found in Dunrobin Museum.
Backies Broch
Adventure level 2
Backies Broch is far more inaccessible and more ruinous than Carn Liath. The nearest official parking is at the Big Burn Car Park, a two-mile walk away. There is a footpath, left off the main track, but it is narrow and can be easy to miss, especially when the bracken is at its full height in the summer- adders have also been seen here during this time. Much of the original broch features are still visible, including parts of an outer and inner wall, entranceway, and cells, but much has fallen to rubble. The view is fabulous!
There is more information on Trove here and the Golspie Heritage Society have published photos of the broch here (just over halfway down). Several finds from this broch can also be found at Dunrobin Museum.
Photograph: ‘Backies Broch’ (1983) from the collection of The Highland Council Archaeology Unit, courtesy of ambaile.org.uk
Dunrobin Broch
Adventure level 3
This broch is so obscure it doesn’t even appear on Google Maps. Dunrobin broch is the most inaccessible and overgrown, requiring a scramble down a steep bank. About 50 metres off Queens Drive, in the woodlands above Dunrobin Castle, it is surrounded by thick forest. Part of the original wall is visible but in most places has been reduced to rubble. Like Backies, the nearest parking is around a two mile walk away at the Big Burn car park. Only for the most determined broch enthusiasts! There is more information on Trove here.