© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Tulach Gorm is an Iron Age broch situated near the northern end of Loch Shurrery in Caithness, northern Scotland. This small fortified roundhouse is built upon Lower Old Red Sandstone bedrock dating to the Early Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that forms the underlying geology of this remote landscape. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM495.
Brochs are distinctive Scottish Iron Age structures, typically comprising a hollow-walled circular stone tower that once stood several metres high. These buildings served as high-status residences or strongholds for local elites during the first century AD. Their thick walls contained internal chambers and passages, whilst a central courtyard was open to the sky. Tulach Gorm represents an important example of this architectural form in the far north of Scotland.
The site lies within territory marked by lochs and challenging terrain characteristic of upland Caithness. The geology beneath the broch, laid down in an ancient desert environment over 400 million years ago, provides the stone from which the structure was built. Though now ruined, the monument remains a striking testament to Iron Age settlement in the Scottish Highlands and stands protected for future study and public access.
Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM495. View the official record →
Tulach Gorm is an Iron Age broch situated near the northern end of Loch Shurrery in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM495.
Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch near n end of loch shurrery. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery 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 SM495.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard (0.7 km), Tota an Dranndain, broch, Shurrery (0.9 km), Cnoc an Ratha,fort SSE of Shurrery Kirk (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery'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.
Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery stands on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.