"A hilltop broch above Golspie commanding panoramic views of the Moray Firth, standing quietly where few visitors venture"
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. Built during the Iron Age, probably between the first century BCE and the second century CE, the broch once stood as a substantial tower-house, its double walls rising high above the surrounding farmland. Today, the walls survive to approximately two and a half metres, the entrance passage retains its original lintel stones, and a scarcement ledge still projects from the interior wall where it once supported an upper wooden floor. This is not a famous monument. Visitors are rare. That scarcity of attention is part of what makes the experience rewarding.
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Quick Facts
Location
Golspie, Sutherland, United Kingdom
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
57.9999, -3.9704
Last Updated
Feb 6, 2026
Backies Broch belongs to the dense concentration of Iron Age brochs along the east coast of Sutherland. The broch-building tradition, unique to Scotland, produced over five hundred such structures between approximately 400 BCE and 200 CE. Backies is a significant example, with well-preserved architectural features and a dramatic hilltop setting.
Origin Story
No origin narrative survives. The name Backies derives from the nearby township. Like many brochs, the site was historically associated with the Picts, though modern archaeology places its construction several centuries before the historical Pictish period.
Key Figures
J. J. Worsaae
Spiritual Lineage
No continuous practice connects the present to the broch's Iron Age community. The structure was excavated in 1846, and its finds were deposited in Dunrobin Castle Museum. The broch was re-scheduled as a protected monument in 2016.
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