Golsary

Nearest town:
Wick (21km NE)
OS reference:
ND2048137462
OS sheet:
11
Latitude:
58° 19' 7.5 N
Longitude:
3° 21' 27.25 W
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Images

Image of Golsary (Broch) by LesHamilton

The grassy mound of Golsary Broch is seen here beyond the ruins of Golsary steading.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 30, 2021
Image of Golsary (Broch) by LesHamilton

Golsary broch mound. To the right (behind the tree) is the protective ditch, flanked on either side by the remains of ramparts created from the excavated material.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 30, 2021
Image of Golsary (Broch) by LesHamilton

Golsary broch mound viewed along the ridge and over the rampart.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 30, 2021

Articles

Golsary

LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 30, 2021

Visited: June 23, 2021

Golsary broch lies in Rumster Forest, not far north of Latheron in Caithness. All that remains these days is a conical vegetated mound at the end of a low ridge in a clearing in the woodland. Close by are the ruinous remains of Golsary farmstead.

What impresses most on first sight is the height of the broch, which stands almost four metres tall atop the south end of the ridge. There was no sign of any stonework at the time of my visit, when the entire structure was buried under quite dense vegetation.

To the north, the ridge has been excavated to create a defensive ditch about two metres in depth, somewhat exaggerated by heaps of discarded spoil which have formed a rampart either side of it.

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Getting There
Access to Golsary broch is easiest from the A9. Some 9 kilometres north of Latheron, just past Loch Rangag, a side road (signposted “Lybster 7”) heads off to the right towards Rumster Forest. There, about 0.5 km after you enter the woodland, there is a car park on the left (blue marker on the map above). From here it is a walk of 2 kilometres southwards to the broch. The route is labelled ‘Cycle Route’ on the OS map.

Keep heading south and take the second turning on the right which leads gently downhill into a shallow valley. Best plan is to make for the U-bend in the road and follow the stream to the broch (red marker on map). Everything here is densely vegetated and you simply have to bash through it to your goal: there is no path.

Sites within 20km of Golsary

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