← Back✦ Historic site

Broch site

WildlifeBirdsHeritage

Dogs welcome

Getting here

58.63863, -3.13259

Open directionsv

Google Maps↗Driving directions Apple Maps↗Driving directions Waze↗Live driving navigation Google Transit↗Bus, rail or tram Apple Transit↗Bus, rail or tram

Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
✦Historic character is a year-round quality here — summer brings its own atmosphere to the setting
🐕Dogs welcome — bring water in summer; the site has enough space to find shade on hot days

🌤️ Visiting this summer

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
✦Historic character is a year-round quality here — summer brings its own atmosphere to the setting
🐕Dogs welcome — bring water in summer; the site has enough space to find shade on hot days

Good to know

🐕Dogs welcome

Parking

Best for

4 activities

Wildlife

Very strong match

Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals

Free

Bird watching

Very strong match

Birds — Starling, Hooded Crow, Herring Gull +83 more · last seen 2025; Birds — Starling, Hooded Crow, Herring Gull +83 more · last seen 2025

Free

Heritage

Strong match

Historic site

Free

Insect spotting

Good match

Insects — Red Admiral, Large White, Scathophaga stercoraria +2 more · last seen 2022; Insects — Red Admiral, Large White, Scathophaga stercoraria +2 more · last seen 2022

Free

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km

🚶

Walking

1 signed route nearby

Signed route nearby

John O'Groats Trail (Keiss to John O'Groats)Walking route

Named routeRef JoG14Local walking route

🚴

Cycling

2 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby

EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 9Cycling route

Named routeRef EV12International cycle route

EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 8Cycling route

Named routeRef EV12International cycle route

🚵

Mountain biking

1 signed route nearby

Signed route nearby

Great North Trail (John o' Groats)Mountain bike route223.7 km

Named routeLength 223.7 kmNational Cycle Network

Wildlife to spot

12,985 records · National Biodiversity Network

Wildlife to spot

12,985 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds88 species

spring

2025

Starling · Hooded Crow · Herring Gull · Rock Dove · Oystercatcher +83

StarlingSturnus vulgaris
Hooded CrowCorvus cornix2024
Herring GullLarus argentatus
Rock DoveColumba livia
OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus
CurlewNumenius arquata
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
BlackbirdTurdus merula
House SparrowPasser domesticus
House MartinDelichon urbicum
Common GullLarus canus
SwallowHirundo rustica
Pied WagtailMotacilla alba yarrellii
WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
ShelduckTadorna tadorna
ShagGulosus aristotelis
EiderSomateria mollissima
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
DunnockPrunella modularis2024
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
SkylarkAlauda arvensis
Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
Great SkuaStercorarius skua
FulmarFulmarus glacialis
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis2024
Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
LapwingVanellus vanellus
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
GannetMorus bassanus
SiskinSpinus spinus2018
JackdawColoeus monedula
KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
CuckooCuculus canorus2024
Sand MartinRiparia riparia
ChaffinchFringilla coelebs2018
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
PuffinFratercula arctica
RedshankTringa totanus
Common GuillemotUria aalge
Carrion CrowCorvus corone2024
GreenfinchChloris chloris2019
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
RazorbillAlca torda
BuzzardButeo buteo2022
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Great Northern DiverGavia immer
LinnetLinaria cannabina2024
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus2024
WigeonMareca penelope
TurnstoneArenaria interpres
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos2024
WheatearOenanthe oenanthe2021
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
StonechatSaxicola rubicola
PheasantPhasianus colchicus2024
Greylag GooseAnser anser2024
WoodpigeonColumba palumbus2023
SnipeGallinago gallinago2021
TwiteLinaria flavirostris2021
SwiftApus apus
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalis
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus2024
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus2020
RookCorvus frugilegus
SanderlingCalidris alba
GoosanderMergus merganser
Mute SwanCygnus olor
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella2024
HoopoeUpupa epops2024
GreenshankTringa nebularia2024
RavenCorvus corax2024
TealAnas crecca2024
Iceland GullLarus glaucoides2023
Barn OwlTyto alba2022
WoodcockScolopax rusticola2020
Red-throated DiverGavia stellata2020
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus2020
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea2019
MerlinFalco columbarius2019
Carrion/Hooded Crow HybridCorvus corone x cornix2019
KestrelFalco tinnunculus2018
RobinErithacus rubecula2018

🦌

Mammals9 species

summer

2025

Grey Seal · Common Porpoise · Otter · Harbour Seal · Rabbit +4

Grey SealHalichoerus grypus
Common PorpoisePhocoena phocoena
OtterLutra lutra
Harbour SealPhoca vitulina2024
RabbitOryctolagus cuniculus2024
Roe DeerCapreolus capreolus2022
HedgehogErinaceus europaeus2019
DelphinidaeDelphinidae
Field VoleMicrotus agrestis2024

🐸

Amphibians1 species

spring

2023

Common Frog

Common FrogRana temporaria

🐝

Insects5 species

spring

2022

Red Admiral · Large White · Scathophaga stercoraria · Coelopa frigida · Bibio johannis

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta
Large WhitePieris brassicae2019
Scathophaga stercorariaScathophaga stercoraria2019
Coelopa frigidaCoelopa frigida2019
Bibio johannisBibio johannis2019

🌿

Plants1 species

summer

2019

Garden Mossy-saxifrage

Garden Mossy-saxifrageSaxifraga 'Arendsii'

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

12,985 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds88 species

spring

2025

Starling · Hooded Crow · Herring Gull · Rock Dove · Oystercatcher +83

StarlingSturnus vulgaris
Hooded CrowCorvus cornix2024
Herring GullLarus argentatus
Rock DoveColumba livia
OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus
CurlewNumenius arquata
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
BlackbirdTurdus merula
House SparrowPasser domesticus
House MartinDelichon urbicum
Common GullLarus canus
SwallowHirundo rustica
Pied WagtailMotacilla alba yarrellii
WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
ShelduckTadorna tadorna
ShagGulosus aristotelis
EiderSomateria mollissima
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
DunnockPrunella modularis2024
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
SkylarkAlauda arvensis
Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
Great SkuaStercorarius skua
FulmarFulmarus glacialis
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis2024
Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
LapwingVanellus vanellus
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
GannetMorus bassanus
SiskinSpinus spinus2018
JackdawColoeus monedula
KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
CuckooCuculus canorus2024
Sand MartinRiparia riparia
ChaffinchFringilla coelebs2018
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
PuffinFratercula arctica
RedshankTringa totanus
Common GuillemotUria aalge
Carrion CrowCorvus corone2024
GreenfinchChloris chloris2019
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
RazorbillAlca torda
BuzzardButeo buteo2022
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Great Northern DiverGavia immer
LinnetLinaria cannabina2024
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus2024
WigeonMareca penelope
TurnstoneArenaria interpres
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos2024
WheatearOenanthe oenanthe2021
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
StonechatSaxicola rubicola
PheasantPhasianus colchicus2024
Greylag GooseAnser anser2024
WoodpigeonColumba palumbus2023
SnipeGallinago gallinago2021
TwiteLinaria flavirostris2021
SwiftApus apus
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalis
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus2024
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus2020
RookCorvus frugilegus
SanderlingCalidris alba
GoosanderMergus merganser
Mute SwanCygnus olor
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella2024
HoopoeUpupa epops2024
GreenshankTringa nebularia2024
RavenCorvus corax2024
TealAnas crecca2024
Iceland GullLarus glaucoides2023
Barn OwlTyto alba2022
WoodcockScolopax rusticola2020
Red-throated DiverGavia stellata2020
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus2020
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea2019
MerlinFalco columbarius2019
Carrion/Hooded Crow HybridCorvus corone x cornix2019
KestrelFalco tinnunculus2018
RobinErithacus rubecula2018

🦌

Mammals9 species

summer

2025

Grey Seal · Common Porpoise · Otter · Harbour Seal · Rabbit +4

Grey SealHalichoerus grypus
Common PorpoisePhocoena phocoena
OtterLutra lutra
Harbour SealPhoca vitulina2024
RabbitOryctolagus cuniculus2024
Roe DeerCapreolus capreolus2022
HedgehogErinaceus europaeus2019
DelphinidaeDelphinidae
Field VoleMicrotus agrestis2024

🐸

Amphibians1 species

spring

2023

Common Frog

Common FrogRana temporaria

🐝

Insects5 species

spring

2022

Red Admiral · Large White · Scathophaga stercoraria · Coelopa frigida · Bibio johannis

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta
Large WhitePieris brassicae2019
Scathophaga stercorariaScathophaga stercoraria2019
Coelopa frigidaCoelopa frigida2019
Bibio johannisBibio johannis2019

🌿

Plants1 species

summer

2019

Garden Mossy-saxifrage

Garden Mossy-saxifrageSaxifraga 'Arendsii'

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

Photos

📷 Wikipedia · Broch · CC BY-SA 3.0

Broch

1 / 16

Events & activities nearby

Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.

Bookable tours

Weather for this location

Next 14 days

Loading local forecast…

Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

✦FoghornHistoric site3.7 km→🐄Puffin Croft Petting FarmVisitor farm3.8 km→⛪Old Parish ChurchReligious grounds100 m→✦Gills, BrochHistoric site2.4 km→🐄Miss Puffin's Farm ShopVisitor farm3.8 km→✦Thomsonsfield BrochHistoric site3.3 km→

Own or manage this place?

Claim this listing to keep details accurate, add photos, and highlight what makes it special — free.

Claim this page

How was your visit?

How useful was the information on this page?

id: 5dce8e45-08b0-476f-8245-8e50684e2078