Broch of Lingro Broch (Destroyed) View all content for Broch of Lingro

This used to be in the field to the left of Scapa Distillery. The broch tower itself was levelled in 1981, along with the immediately surrounding area, but points of interest still remain - as do unexcavated settlement mounds from there back to the main road at least. The most visible evidence of the broch lies either side of the stream outlet as it reaches the shore and cascades down (see photos). As you go up the cliff path to here you will notice a feature, 14m across and taking in an area out to the cliff edge 11m at furthest point, that itself looks like the remains of a broch or somesuch; a place where the cliff goes out and there is a ditch 1.8x1m like a sector of a circle, and within its arc a flat area 6x4.8m. As I can only see earth and sod and it isn't shown on CANMAP we may perhaps safely call it a simulacrum? The LH edge of the arc goes 6m straight to the cliff edge. HY436088 If you pass over the bridge and up the other side you will need to watch your step the rest of the way - a teenager fell from near here just recently in damp conditions. There is another curious feature just past here inside where the lichen-covered wall turns for a few metres before resume its coastline track. At the point where it first turns (HY434087) there is a short line of regular-shaped stones darker than the wall, level with the path and over which you narrowly pass. Then up between where the wall turns again and its next juncture (HY433087) similar lines of like nature can be made out. Being on the coastline side of the decaying cliff face I assume that this predates the present wall. If this feature were angled away from coast I would have no doubt it represents the walls of a structure, but unless it is very ancient I am at a loss as to what it can be ( why no lichen on the stones for starters !). P.S. Going back today I noticed to the landward side of the 'simulacrum' a very small ditch I could walk in parallel to the present drystane wall about the same distance from it as these stones so wonder if it is the same feature this side of the burn also, whatever it is. Down on the coast one can see more evidence of settlement at the top of the cliff face on the stream outlet's immediate right, though I wasn't convinced until I saw it today in the light of recent visits to other brochs. Above where the cliff's stone ends 3.9m up is a layer of what looks like cultivated soil and a thin line going straight across, very reminiscent of the broch bases at Ingshowe and Berstane. There are the odd few stones to be made out in this ?matrix. But it is the next layer, that under the grass, that has finally convinced me now that I have made it out clearly. This is a layer several inches thick made up of nothing but angular fragmented small stones (and possibly man-made material as though there are red rocks on the Scapa shore there are none up the cliff-face this side of the bay except here) several inches deep. Unless my eyes decieve me this is most likely to be a destruction layer. The total area is 8.7m long and something under 3m deep. HY435088

Posted by wideford 26th April 2004ce Edited 26th May 2004ce

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