Brough of Bigging

Also known as:
Brough o Bigging and Knowst of Bigging
Nearest town:
Stromness (7km ESE)
OS reference:
HY219157
OS sheet:
6
Latitude:
59° 1' 17.15 N
Longitude:
3° 21' 37.54 W
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Brough of Bigging

wideford
wideford Apr 23, 2004

You can’t possibly miss the headland that it’s on but there is a map at the car park to be on the safe side. Very difficult to reach (though a peach compared to the Broch of Borwick). Even to get there you have to go over fractured stone pavement along the coast, pass over a small stream and around a tricky boggy path. Only one of the defensive walls is that obvious but it is charming even if not a full line of stones know. There are some structures o the top that were (?fancifully) called sailors’ graves. I saw one of these by the cliff edge ahead of the stone cairn and on the RH side, roughly 3m across. Just three slabs sticking up and a few other stones beside, but a very obvious structure in regards to the situation

Miscellaneous

Brough of Bigging
Cliff Fort
wideford
wideford Sep 8, 2004

The relationship between the brough and the ‘sailor’s graves’ resembles that between the promontary fort of Brough in Tankerness HY54501005 and the ‘Covenanter’s Graves’ HY54461005 i.e. probably associated buildings.

Miscellaneous

Brough of Bigging
Cliff Fort
wideford
wideford Mar 20, 2004

Promontory fort consisting of two widely spaced walls according to RCAHMS NMRS record HY185031 . About as far south of the Yesnaby road end as the Broch of Borwick is to the north – I would suggest that in Orkney promontory forts are being used in the place of brochs to maintain some kind of spacing .

Sites within 20km of Brough of Bigging

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