Carn Liath

Càrn Liath is an Iron Age broch on the eastern shore of the Scottish Highlands. It stands beside the A9 road, about four kilometres northeast of Golspie in Sutherland. The broch is a circular drystone structure with thick walls and a small guard cell beside the entrance. An information board and a car park sit beside the site, looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. The broch’s name means ‘grey cairn’ in English, describing the colour of the stones. The broch is worth the journey for the glimpse it offers into Iron Age life. Excavations in the 19th century by the Duke of Sutherland uncovered pottery, flint chips, stone tools and bone combs. A later dig in 1986 found Bronze Age traces beneath the broch, including a cist burial with a food vessel. Finds also included a silver fibula, steatite cups and an iron blade, showing the site’s long use. The entrance passage still shows the original door checks and bar-hole for controlling access. Visitors find the broch’s ruins standing beside the modern road, a quiet contrast to passing traffic. The thick stone walls curve round an open interior, with the entrance passage on the east side. Outside the broch, low stone walls mark the remains of outbuildings from different periods. The site sits on open ground with views toward the coast, a simple but striking reminder of the past.