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Broughwhin is a cairn and stone row situated 190 metres north-west of Groat's Loch in Caithness, north Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geological setting is typical of the interior moorlands of Caithness, where such Bronze Age structures were commonly built on stable sandstone foundations across the open upland landscape.
The site comprises two distinct elements: a substantial cairn and an associated stone row. Such paired monuments are characteristic of Bronze Age ritual activity in northern Scotland, where rows of stones often radiate from or extend away from burial cairns, suggesting ceremonial or astronomical alignments connected to funerary practices. The exposed moorland location would have afforded clear sightlines along the row, enhancing its visibility and symbolic significance within the wider Bronze Age landscape.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM429, recognising its importance as an archaeological asset. Surviving Bronze Age cairns and stone rows in Caithness remain relatively rare and valuable records of prehistoric settlement patterns and ritual practice on the far northern mainland of Britain.
Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM429. View the official record →
Broughwhin is a cairn and stone row situated 190 metres north-west of Groat's Loch in Caithness, north Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM429.
Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM429.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Groat's Loch, cairn 225m WSW of (0.2 km), Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (0.2 km), Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill (0.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.