A steep conical knoll beside Langdale Burn carries the debris-filled shell of Langdale Broch (an Iron Age drystone round tower). Langdale Broch is an Iron Age broch, a circular drystone tower, in Sutherland near the River Naver.
The west entrance faces upstream and may once have held two doors. Much of the wall face is obscured by debris, but the site is unusually approachable, with a stile by the road and easy walking noted in the source pack.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Langdale Broch was built beside Langdale Burn near the River Naver.
The broch stands on a steep conical rock knoll with easier ground upstream.
The entrance is on the west side and faces upstream.
The entrance passage may once have had two doors.
Debris now obscures much of the inner and outer wall face.
The mound beneath the broch may be artificial and has been suspected as the remains of a chambered cairn.
Connections
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Photo: Victuallers / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Langdale Burn
Burn beside the broch.
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Photo: RH Dengate / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 River Naver
Nearby river in the broch landscape.
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Inshlampie Broch
Neighbouring broch in the wider Naver area.
What to look for
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Roadside stile approach
Source pack describes straightforward access from a stile.
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West entrance
Passage faces upstream.
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Possible older mound
The broch mound may overlie a chambered cairn.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 58.3736°N · 4.2356°W
- Access
- Reached on a public path
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
- Source describes a wooden stile by the road and easy walking to the broch.
Nearby places
Questions people ask
- What is Langdale Broch?
- It is an Iron Age broch in Sutherland.
- Is access difficult?
- The source pack describes access as simple and easy going from a wooden stile by the road.
- What survives?
- A debris-filled broch shell with a west entrance and thick walls survives.
- Why is the mound interesting?
- There is suspicion that it is artificial and may relate to an earlier chambered cairn.
Sources
Explore more: Fortified places · Iron Age · Highland
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