The Pap broch (Hillhead broch)

Another rather uninteresting grassy mound which is easy to miss if you didn't know there was a broch there. What's left of the broch is completely underground. The broch was excavated in 1903 and the broch had walls, passages and a guard chamber on each side of the entrance.That stonework is probably still all there under the grass.

Although it's right beside a road, access isn't easy. It's on the grounds of a retirement home, and there are barbed wire fences in the way. I knocked on the door of the retirement home, but it might be easier to approach from the farmland to the west or north.

Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved.

The Pap broch photographs

The Pap 01

The Pap 02

The Pap 03

The Pap 04

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.