The Iron Age Broch of Càrn Liath

Càrn Liath, or Grey Cairn, is an Iron Age broch in Sutherland, located just off the A9 road near Golspie. The site is under the care of Historic Environment Scotland and features a car-park and information board for visitors. The broch has an external diameter of around 19 metres and an internal diameter of around 10 metres, with particularly thick walls. The entrance passage is on the east side and is over 4 metres long, featuring elaborate door checks and a bar-hole to control access. A small guard cell is located on the right-hand side of the entrance passage.

The surrounding enclosure contains the ruins of additional stone buildings. The site was first excavated in the 19th century, and at that time, it was initially thought to be a burial cairn. Finds from that period included pottery, flint chips, stone hammers, mortars and pestles, querns, whorls, shale rings, long-handled bone combs, a whale bone club, a silver fibula, steatite cups and an iron blade.

By 1960, no structural features were discernible, but the site was excavated again in 1986. This work showed that the site was occupied in the Bronze Age, before the broch was built. During these excavations, a Bronze Age cist burial with a food vessel was discovered. The foundations of many outbuildings were also found in the enclosure, some of which may have been contemporary with the broch.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons