Dun Mhaigh Broch

Dun Mhaigh Broch (Dun Haig, Dun Maigh, Dun Na Maigh)

A fairly well preserved broch, this one has an entrance, chambers, and stairs to the first floor gallery still in place. It commands an easily defended position above a cliff, and overlooks the Kyle of Tongue. It must have been frightening for Roman soldiers sailing around Scotland looking for somewhere to establish a beachhead only to find brochs frowning down at them everywhere they went.

Take the single track road from Tongue that skirts the shores of the Kyle of Tongue, find yourself parking that doesn't block a passing place, and the broch is easily accessible from the road. The broch is built on the edge of a dangerous cliff, so take care and keep children well supervised.

The last broch I visited was Baile Mhargaite, and not long before that Castle Spynie, and for these last few weeks my mind has been absorbed with the Inverness area perhaps being the southern border of Pictland. Since my visit to Baile Mhargaite I've also been preoccupied with the Picts possibly being a seafaring people. Then last week I learned from a friend in Australia that the Picts had constructed a settlement and a harbour at Burghead. Then I learned that the largest Pictish fort yet uncovered is at Burghead. Archealogists from Aberdeen University have recently been excavating this PIctish settlement and have offered this as a detailed representation of what they have so far pieced together.

Then I remembered that Warren MacLeod's brilliant analysis of The Agricola included compelling evidence pointing to Forres as the site of the battle of Mons Graupius, and as Burghead is only a few miles from Forres, I was overwhelmed with a clarity that stunned me. Here is Burghead in relation to Forres.

Piecing everything together from the last 15 years while spending time with the Picts and their brochs, this is how I see things currently. Agricola was marching along the Moray coast towards Inverness from Aberdeen. If Inverness fell, the Romans would have taken Scotland. The Picts would have known the Romans were marching from Aberdeen and would have chosen the site for their last stand against them, which I believe is very likely to be the site at Forres indicated by Warren MacLeod.

The settlement at Burghead therefore, would have been needed to cater for the tens of thousands of Picts prepared for war sailing into the harbour from Orkney, Shetland, Skye and the other islands in the Hebrides, as well as the west, north and east coasts. When the Romans marched on Forres, the Picts were dug in on the high ground and were ready for them. This was their Alamo, their last stand. If they fell, Scotland would have been taken by the Romans. Their lives, the lives of their wives and children, and their very way of life would have weighed heavily on them as they faced the Romans across the battlefield. It must have been a ferocious fight with no quarter given on either side.

According to Tacitus the Roman historian, the battle of Mons Graupius was a decisive Roman victory in which the Caledonii army was destroyed and scattered. According to Tacitus, over 10,000 Caledonii were killed in battle for the loss of only 360 Romans. That's what Tacitus claims. Let's look at the facts. After the battle of Mons Graupius, Agricola built no fortresses to consolidate his gains, but instead retreated quickly to his established forts south of Aberdeen. That same year, Agricola was recalled to Rome and was poisoned by the Emperor. Two to six years later, the Romans retreated further south to their fortresses along the Clyde/ Forth isthmus. Not long after that the Romans retreated out of Scotland and cowered behind Hadrian's wall. In 367 AD, the Picts with the help of the Irish invaded England and together they pushed the Romans back from their last defensive positions at Hadrian's wall. Not long after that, the Romans left Britain. The facts speak clearly for themselves. The Picts resoundingly defeated the Romans at the battle of Mons Graupius, and all the evidence points to the high ground between Forres and Burghead as the site of the battle.

Dun Mhaigh Broch photographs

Dun Mhaigh 01

Dun Mhaigh 02

Dun Mhaigh 03

Dun Mhaigh 04

Dun Mhaigh 05

Dun Mhaigh 06

Dun Mhaigh 07

Dun Mhaigh 08

Dun Mhaigh 09

Dun Mhaigh 10

Dun Mhaigh 11

Dun Mhaigh 12

Dun Mhaigh 13

Dun Mhaigh 14

Dun Mhaigh 15

Dun Mhaigh 16

Dun Mhaigh 17

Dun Mhaigh 18

Dun Mhaigh 19

Dun Mhaigh 20

Dun Mhaigh 21

Disclaimer: Some brochs were built with military defensive purpose, and as such can be situated in extremely dangerous areas, such as on the edge of cliffs and ravines. Additionally, these are Iron Age structures, most of them in ruins, and they are extremely hazardous, with crumbling stone walls and hidden chambers. Existing walls, lintels, and passages could collapse at any time. The information here is provided free but it is your responsibility to ensure its accuracy, ensure your own safety, and acquire permissions for access where necessary. Accessing brochs is done entirely at your own risk.