Site type guide
Broch
Broch sites reveal how different traditions shape sacred space through architecture, landscape, ritual, and memory.
22 broch sacred sites. Use the country and tradition filters to narrow in.
Atlas summary
Broch sacred sites overview
Broch sacred sites span countries, traditions, pilgrimage routes, and sacred landscapes represented in the Pilgrim Map atlas.
Use this guide to compare major country clusters, represented traditions, UNESCO-tagged places, and the map distribution before opening individual site pages.
| Coverage | 22 broch sacred sites across the current atlas. |
|---|---|
| Major countries | |
| Traditions |
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22
Showing 1-22 of 22 sites in this site-type guide
Backies Broch
Golspie, Sutherland, United Kingdom
On a rocky hillock above the village of Golspie, the remains of Backies Broch look out over the Moray Firth and the North Sea....
Broch of Borwick
Sandwick, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
The Broch of Borwick stands on a crumbling headland above the Atlantic on Orkney's west coast, a stone tower built around 500 BC and occupied for over a thousand years....
Broch of Burrian
North Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
At the southernmost tip of North Ronaldsay, Orkney's most remote inhabited island, the remains of an Iron Age broch stand on a low rocky promontory....
Broch of Clickimin
Lerwick, United Kingdom
On a small islet in Clickimin Loch, within walking distance of Lerwick, stands a broch complex spanning nearly 2,000 years of continuous habitation....
Broch of Gurness
Evie, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
The Broch of Gurness rises from a rocky promontory on Orkney's northwest coast, overlooking the turbulent waters of Eynhallow Sound....
Broch of Mousa
Mousa, Shetland, United Kingdom
On the small, uninhabited island of Mousa in Shetland, a stone tower has stood for over two thousand years almost exactly as its builders left it....
Bruan Broch
Lybster, Caithness, United Kingdom
On a low rise beside the A99 in Scotland's far north, a grass-covered mound conceals the remains of an Iron Age broch....
Burraland Broch
Trondra, Shetland, United Kingdom
On the eastern coast of Mainland Shetland, the ruins of Burraland Broch stand on a promontory above Mousa Sound....
Burroughston Broch
Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
At the northeastern corner of Shapinsay, far from the island's small settlement, Burroughston Broch stands on a hillock above the sea....
Carn Liath Broch
Golspie, Sutherland, United Kingdom
Where the A9 hugs the coast between Golspie and Brora, a circular stone tower rises from a low headland overlooking the North Sea....
Carrol Broch
Brora, Sutherland, United Kingdom
Above Loch Brora in Sutherland, where the strath opens between hills of heather and birch, the ruins of Carrol Broch stand on a raised clearing surrounded by forest....
Culswick Broch
Walls, United Kingdom
On a conical hilltop above the western coast of Shetland, the walls of Culswick Broch still stand in local red granite, warm-coloured and resolute after two thousand years....
Dun Beag, Struan, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Struan, Alba / Scotland, United Kingdom
On a windswept hilltop above Struan, the dry-stone walls of Dun Beag have stood for over two thousand years....
Dun Carloway Broch
Carloway, United Kingdom
On a rocky knoll above East Loch Roag, the walls of Dun Carloway Broch still rise nine metres without mortar....
Dunbeath Broch
Dunbeath, Caithness, United Kingdom
Where the Dunbeath Water meets the Houstry Burn in the strath of Caithness, a drystone tower has stood for over two thousand years....
Eshaness Broch
Hillswick, United Kingdom
On a promontory in the Loch of Houlland, reached by stone causeways across the water, the Broch of Houlland rises to four metres against the sky of northwest Shetland....
Kilphedir Broch
Kilphedir, Sutherland, United Kingdom
High on a hillock above the Strath of Kildonan in Sutherland, a broch of pink granite commands views up and down the valley....
Midhowe Broch
Rousay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
On the western coast of Rousay, where two steep gullies cut into the shoreline, a broch stands within its own small settlement....
Old Scatness Broch and Iron Age Village
Virkie, Shetland, United Kingdom
In 1975, construction workers building a road to Sumburgh Airport cut through what appeared to be a natural grassy mound at the southern tip of Mainland Shetland....
Ousdale Broch
Helmsdale, Caithness, United Kingdom
In a sheltered valley where the Ousdale Burn cuts toward the sea, between the villages of Helmsdale and Berriedale on the Caithness-Sutherland border, a broch stands that...
Upper Borgue Broch
Dunbeath, Caithness, United Kingdom
Behind the farm of Upper Borgue in the Caithness countryside near Dunbeath, a large mound rises between three and four metres high....
Yarrows Broch
Thrumster, Caithness, United Kingdom
On a promontory jutting into the Loch of Yarrows, a broch stands at the centre of one of the richest archaeological landscapes in northern Scotland....
Key questions
Broch sacred-site questions
- What broch sacred sites are included?
- Broch sacred sites are places where this site type carries religious, ritual, cultural, or pilgrimage significance. This guide lists 22 in the current Pilgrim Map atlas.
- Where are these broch sites located?
- Major country clusters include United Kingdom.
- Which traditions are represented?
- Traditions represented here include Celtic and Prehistoric, Christianity.
- Can I view broch sacred sites on a map?
- Yes. Compare the country and tradition clusters, switch to map view for geography, then use site pages for practical context and related places.