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Tulloch Turnal is an Iron Age broch situated in Caithness, some 500 metres west-north-west of Turnal Rock near Langwell. The monument stands upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a Devonian-age deposit composed of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that would have shaped the builder's stone supply and the surrounding landscape. This solid geological foundation provided essential material for the construction of the Iron Age defensive structure.
Brochs are distinctive Scottish tower-like structures, typically from the first centuries BC and AD, characterised by their hollow-walled dry-stone design and inturned galleries. These imposing circular buildings served purposes that combined domestic habitation with defensive capability. Tulloch Turnal's position in the far north of mainland Britain places it within the densest concentration of broch construction, suggesting the particular strategic or social importance of this region during the Iron Age.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3440, recognising its significance as evidence of Iron Age settlement and construction in the Scottish Highlands. The remains contribute to our understanding of fortified settlement patterns across northern Scotland during this formative period of Scottish prehistory.
Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3440. View the official record →
Tulloch Turnal is an Iron Age broch situated in Caithness, some 500 metres west-north-west of Turnal Rock near Langwell. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3440.
Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch 500m wnw of turnal rock, langwell. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell 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 SM3440.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cnoc Bad Asgaraidh, chambered cairn 570m E of, Langwell (0.6 km), Turnal Rock, hut circle complex 250m NW of Langwell Tulloch broch. (0.7 km), Langwell Tulloch, broch 400m SE of Turnal Rock (0.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell'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.
Tulloch Turnal, broch 500m WNW of Turnal Rock, Langwell stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.