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Golsary

Broch

<b>Golsary</b>Posted by LesHamiltonImage © Les Hamilton
Nearest Town:Wick (21km NE)
OS Ref (GB):   ND2048137462 / Sheet: 11
Latitude:58° 19' 7.5" N
Longitude:   3° 21' 27.25" W

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<b>Golsary</b>Posted by LesHamilton <b>Golsary</b>Posted by LesHamilton <b>Golsary</b>Posted by LesHamilton <b>Golsary</b>Posted by LesHamilton

Fieldnotes

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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.




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 left 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.
LesHamilton Posted by LesHamilton
30th June 2021ce
Edited 11th March 2023ce