St. Mary’s Broch

Also known as:
Loch of Ayre
Nearest town:
Kirkwall (9km NNW)
OS reference:
HY470014
OS sheets:
6, 7
Latitude:
58° 53' 48.72 N
Longitude:
2° 55' 11.51 W
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St. Mary’s Broch

C
CARL Jul 16, 2012

Visited 8.6.12

There is room to park opposite a B+B.

The Broch is in a nice loch side location but is now no more than a rough grass covered mound approximately 2 metres high x 50 metres across.
It appears to have been cut through the middle at some point in the past?

St. Mary’s Broch

wideford
wideford Mar 30, 2004

Broch found today. Only meant to go to Gaitnip, then noted down the other Five Hillocks for an upclose sometime, finally thought what the heck and went for Holm. This tine the broch mound stuck out like a sore thumb to me – last time I started round the loch from further end and that is where I went wrong I feel. At the bottom of the hill before you finally enter St. Mary’s (from the ‘Kirwall end’) it straddles the space between the road junction and the Electricity thingy. Big but insignificant looking and covered by grassy tussocks. Closing in I was disappointed to see spaces several metres across where mucho excavation had taken place, looking as if the place had been quartered. Straight lines, curvy lines, and a ruddy great hole over in the centre. Looks very deceiving. Coming in my foot rocked on a hidden slab. Turned out most of the floor and walls are fairly intact beneath a grassy and/or mossy covering. Sitting on an outer wall I could see large exposed stones either side of what appeared to be an entrance A reasonable number of stones could be seen on the inner wall of the centre. Came back from there and was astounded I could follow the outer section of the inner wall still standing to a reasonable height all the way around. In some places sections of wall were exposed for several metres several courses high. Well worth a look for the sure-footed.
On second visit ascertained all entrances original, dtected more walls.

Sites within 20km of St. Mary’s Broch

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