© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Lower Camster is a broch situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, standing on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. The underlying geology comprises conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, typical of the ancient lakebeds that characterised this region millions of years before human settlement. Brochs are distinctive Iron Age circular stone towers, found almost exclusively in Scotland, and this example represents a significant survival of prehistoric architecture in one of the country's most remote landscapes.
The monument occupies a naturally drained site characteristic of broch placement, with the local geology providing suitable stone for construction. The structure exemplifies the sophisticated dry-stone building techniques employed by Iron Age communities across northern Scotland between roughly 100 BC and AD 100. These hollow-walled towers served purposes that remain debated by archaeologists, functioning variously as defensive strongholds, status symbols or communal gathering spaces for local populations.
Lower Camster is now protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM536, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The broch survives as a testament to the engineering capability and social organisation of Iron Age Caithness communities, whose descendants shaped the distinctive culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
Lower Camster, broch 340m E of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM536. View the official record →
Lower Camster is a broch situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, standing on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM536.
Lower Camster, broch 340m E of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lower Camster, broch 340m E of 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 SM536.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Green Hill,broch,Roster (5.8 km), Hill o'Many Stanes,stone rows (8.2 km), Achavar,broch NNW of Occumster Railway Station (8.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lower Camster, broch 340m E of'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.
Lower Camster, broch 340m E of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.