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Greysteil Castle is a broch situated on the shores of Loch Rangag in Caithness, northern Scotland. Built during the Iron Age, this circular stone tower represents one of Scotland's most distinctive prehistoric monuments, with its characteristic hollow-walled construction designed to combine strength with economy of material. The broch stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a foundation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone formed during the Middle Devonian period, which provided local stone for construction.
The monument's position overlooking Loch Rangag reflects the strategic importance of water access in Iron Age settlement patterns. The landscape of Caithness, with its moorland terrain and lochan systems, would have supported a subsistence economy based on farming and stock-raising, with the loch providing both fish and a communication route across challenging terrain.
Greysteil Castle is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM555, recognising its significance as an archaeological site and monument of national importance. The broch remains a key witness to Iron Age settlement and social organisation in the far north of Scotland.
Greysteil Castle, broch, Loch Rangag is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM555. View the official record →
Greysteil Castle is a broch situated on the shores of Loch Rangag in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM555.
Greysteil Castle, broch, Loch Rangag dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch, loch rangag. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Greysteil Castle, broch, Loch Rangag 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 SM555.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Greentulloch,broch 180m NE of (9.5 km), Latheronwheel House,chambered cairn 580m SE of (9.6 km), Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of (9.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Greysteil Castle, broch, Loch Rangag'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.
Greysteil Castle, broch, Loch Rangag stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.