A low oval mound now sits in an arable field where Loch Breachacha once held water around it. Breachacha crannog (an artificial island dwelling) is a crannog, an artificial island or stone-and-earth mound built in a loch.
The former loch was drained in 1875, leaving the monument stranded in marshy ground. Survey work has found no causeway, jetty, harbour, walling or protruding timbers, making its plain mound form especially important.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Breachacha crannog is a scheduled monument near Loch Breachacha on Coll.
The crannog stood within the former Loch Poll nam Broig, which was drained in 1875.
Today the mound lies in an arable field with marshy surrounding ground.
Mark W. Holley surveyed the site in 1995.
Holley noted five semicircular pits on the east, south and south-west sides and considered them relatively recent.
No trace was found of a causeway, jetty, harbour, walling or protruding timbers.
The stones used in the mound are local.
People
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Mark W. Holley
Surveyed Breachacha crannog in 1995.
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Erskine Beveridge
Earlier antiquary whose lack of mention of the pits helped Holley judge them relatively recent.
Connections
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Coll
The crannog lies on the Inner Hebridean island.
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Breachacha Castle
The crannog lies south of the castle.
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Loch Poll nam Broig
The former loch setting of the crannog before drainage.
What to look for
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Oval mound
The crannog survives as an oval stone-and-earth mound with a flattened top.
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Former loch-bed setting
The drained loch context explains why the mound now stands in a field.
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Marshy approach
The surrounding ground is marshy, with access noted only from the east.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 56.5828°N · 6.6332°W
- Terrain
- Rough ground — reasonable boots advised
Opening & admission
Check locally before travelling
- The crannog now lies in an arable field within marshy former loch ground.
- The source says the surrounding ground can be accessed only from the east but does not state public access rights.
Nearby places
Questions people ask
- What is Breachacha crannog?
- It is a crannog, an artificial island or stone-and-earth mound built in a loch, on the island of Coll.
- Why is it now in a field?
- Its former loch, Poll nam Broig, was drained in 1875, leaving the crannog in arable and marshy ground.
- Was a causeway found?
- No. The source notes no trace of a causeway, jetty, harbour, walling or protruding timbers.
- Who surveyed it?
- Mark W. Holley surveyed the crannog in 1995.
Sources
Explore more: Building or ruins · Medieval · Argyll and Bute
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