Dun Alascaig

Nearest town:
Tain (13km E)
OS reference:
NH65698682
OS sheet:
21
Latitude:
57° 51' 3.41 N
Longitude:
4° 15' 47.94 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Dun Alascaig (Broch) by drewbhoy

Taken from the road, more fallen / pulled down wall.

Image credit: drew/ED
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 4, 2025
Image of Dun Alascaig (Broch) by drewbhoy

Probable flooring, excavated by the wonderful Mr Ed.

Image credit: drew/ED
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 4, 2025
Image of Dun Alascaig (Broch) by drewbhoy

More impressive blocks, most of the broch was probably used to create the road below.

Image credit: drew/ED
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 4, 2025
Image of Dun Alascaig (Broch) by drewbhoy

The best of the remains, impressive size of building blocks.

Image credit: drew/ED
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 4, 2025

Articles

Dun Alascaig

drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jul 30, 2025

A real ‘what if’ site as the broch has been almost been completely removed to make the original A816 down below, slightly to the north. From the kerb cairn at Ardvannie we headed back east along the A816 parking at a lay-by just beyond the broch.

From the layby we headed back west to find a track, heading east, which led us to slightly south of the site.

Spying the site from the road is almost impossible thanks to vegetation and fallen trees.

However, it still sits at over 17m wide and on its west side still has impressive blocks in place, several other blocks remain in place. The rest of the walls are tumbled, especially on the north or, mostly, in the road below. Mr Ed also, putting in practise for future digs, found possible flooring or misplaced lintels. Inside the broch is a mixture of fallen rocks and trees.

Not much to see, but as usual my imagination worked well and went back to 1775 when the site had three galleries, four chambers and was over 4.5m tall. Sadly, by 1815, Dun Alascaig had been torn down leaving what remains.

Visited 31/03/2025.

Miscellaneous

Dun Alascaig
Broch
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jul 30, 2025

The Scottish historian Hector Boece, while writing in the 1520s about Tain, had this to say regarding two brochs in the area, one of which could have been Dun Alascaig: There are preserved, in a certain valley in Ross, two edifices of antiquity, monuments of a round shape, made in the form of bells. According to further historical records, in 1760 Dun Alascaig measured 30 ft internally, had walls over 12ft thick at its base, and still rose to a height of 15ft, meaning it was still one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland, rivalling Dun Troddan and Dun Telve in Glen Elg. The broch was completely destroyed around 1818, most probably to build a road. Dun Alascaig and Dun Creich fort are obviously where line of sight communications north and south along the coast crossed the Dornoch Firth.

Just a short distance from the ruins of the broch there is a small layby where you can park on the A836 between Edderton and Ardgay. Despite the broch being so close to the road, it is quite easy to miss owing to its ruinous state and being heavily overgrown.

Highland Brochs.

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