Ousdale Burn

Also known as:
Allt a’Bhurg
Nearest town:
Dornoch (40km SW)
OS reference:
ND07131881
OS sheet:
17
Latitude:
58° 8' 54.81 N
Longitude:
3° 34' 40.59 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

This composite of two photographs shows the profile of Ousdale Burn broch, with the entranceway in centre.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

External view of the entrance passage and its blocky supporting lintel, now cleared of obstructions.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

Looking into the interior of Ousdale Burn broch, through the restored entrance passage,

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

This image shows the consolidated walling adjacent to the entrance passage, from the internal court.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

This is a composite panoramic photograph taken from the wallhead and looking towards the entrance.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

This is a composite panoramic photograph taken from the wallhead and shows the entrance to the intra-mural stairway on the left.
The scarcement ledge is visible high up the wall in the centre of this view.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

This is a composite panoramic photograph taken from the wallhead. The entranceway is at the extreme right while the aumbry in the walling is shown slightly left of centre.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

The prominent scarcement ledge, which would originally have supported either an upper floor or a roof over the structure.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

The wall recess (aumbry), possibly a storage area, containing a strange mis-shapen bust!

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by LesHamilton

The intra-mural stairs, now cleared of rubble and vegetation, which would have led to the upper level of the broch.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by GLADMAN

Looking seaward from this well sited broch...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jan 17, 2011
Image of Ousdale Burn (Broch) by GLADMAN

The fabulous broch above the Allt a’Bhurg.... not very high now, but packed with detail.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jan 8, 2011

Articles

Ousdale Burn

LesHamilton
LesHamilton Jun 25, 2021

Visited: June 22, 2021

Ousdale Burn Broch is now beautifully consolidated, thanks to the efforts of the Caithness Broch Project over the past five years.

The central court, which previously sported a 70 year old rowan tree and was generally overrun by vegetation, has been cleared and covered with geotextile (to prevent the regrowth of vegetation) and gravel.

The broch wall, which had tumbled badly in the region of the entrance passage, has been carefully consolidated by stonemasons and the previously blocked entrance passage cleared of debris. It is now possible to walk into the broch through this entranceway, although you will have to stoop somewhat. The large guard cell leading off the entrance passage has been repaired and its corbelled roof restored. The collapsed wall recess (aumbry) has been restored with permission from Historic Environment Scotland, and at present contains a rather unusual bust.

The Caithness Broch Project website contains details of all the work that has been done at Ousdale Burn Broch, profusely illustrated with ‘before-and-after’ photographs of the salient features.

Access to the broch is now via a purpose-built path which starts from a new car park that has been created a short distance along the disused loop of the ‘old A9’ at ND 061 189, exactly one kilometre (0.6 mile) north of the ”Welcome to Caithness” sign, on the right hand side as you drive north along the A9. The route to the broch starts at a gate opposite this car park, and entails a walk of almost a kilometre down a well constructed gravel path. Along the way are sited no fewer than five interpretation panels—all different—which detail the broch itself as well as the geology, history and archaeology of the area.

Read more about the project in this John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier report from December 2020.

Ousdale Burn

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 13, 2009

Cheers Lianachan... superb site, in my opinion far superior to Carn Liath down the coast – you’ll get no semi-interested tourists here.

Park just within the Caithness boundary, where there’s a little service link-road off the southern carriageway. The broch is out of sight, at the end of the deep gulley down the hill to your left – if you’ve a map and compass (and a hopeless sense of direction such as I have) a bearing might be a good idea at this point.

The broch is overgrown, but very well preserved internally, with a great entrance passage and guard chambers, not to mention stair passage, too. The farmer came to ‘check me out whilst I was there’ – unless driving up to walk his dogs for two minutes is normal practice – but no problems in this respect.

Incidentally there’s a great view where the gulley meets the sea – I’ve therefore posted a photo.

Ousdale Burn

L
Lianachan Apr 2, 2008

Easily the best preserved broch on the northern Scottish mainland. Just inside the southern limit of Caithness. Not signposted from the A9. Time visits well to avoid it being totally overgrown.

Sites within 20km of Ousdale Burn

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