© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Upper Borgue broch is an Iron Age stone tower situated in Caithness, northern Scotland. Brochs are distinctive roundhouses unique to Iron Age Scotland, characterised by their hollow-walled circular construction and typically standing between 40 and 50 feet high. Built without mortar, these structures exploited the natural properties of stone blocks to create remarkably stable walls that could withstand the rigorous climate of the far north.
The monument sits on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a geological formation dating to the Devonian period over 350 million years ago. The local conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone would have provided suitable building stone for construction, and their weathered surfaces across the Caithness landscape would have been readily available for the Iron Age builders. This geological foundation has helped support the broch's survival through the intervening centuries.
Upper Borgue broch is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM596, recognising its significance as evidence of Iron Age settlement and social organisation in the far north of Britain. The site contributes to our understanding of broch distribution and the communities that occupied Caithness during the first centuries BC and AD, a period when these distinctive towers dominated the Scottish landscape.
Upper Borgue,broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM596. View the official record →
Upper Borgue broch is an Iron Age stone tower situated in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM596.
Upper Borgue,broch 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.
Upper Borgue,broch 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 SM596.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Langwell Castle or Achastle,230m E of Langwell House (4.4 km), Berriedale Castle (4.7 km), Langwell House,cairn 400m SW of,Berriedale (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Upper Borgue,broch'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.
Upper Borgue,broch stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.