Strath More – The Iron Age Broch of Dun Dornaigil
A few hours.
The route
Loch Hope runs inland from the north coast beneath Ben Hope, the most northerly Munro.
Ten miles down the narrow road along its shore stands Dun Dornaigil, a stone tower of the Iron Age, right beside the road with the river below it. It makes a short, easy morning, with lunch at the Tongue Hotel.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Strath More
A quiet morning inland, along Loch Hope and up Strath More with Ben Hope above you all the way, then back over the moor to the north coast.
About two and a half hours
Dun Dornaigil Broch
Dun Dornaigil stands on the east bank of the Strathmore River, south of Ben Hope. The road to it leaves the A838 at Hope and runs south along the east shore of Loch Hope, under Ben Hope's western crags. It's single track, with few passing places and a rough surface, so take it slowly, and there's a small parking space right beside the broch. It was built about two thousand years ago as a drystone tower, and on its north-east side the wall still rises to nearly seven metres above the doorway, capped by one huge triangular lintel. The inside is filled with fallen stone, so walk round it rather than in, and keep off the walls, which are unstable. It's free to visit at any time of year.
37 min by car
The Brass Tap Bar, Tongue Hotel
Lunch
Lunch is back north along Loch Hope and east over the moor and the Kyle of Tongue causeway, 37 minutes' drive, at the Tongue Hotel. It's in the hotel's Brass Tap bar in the summer season, and in its main bar while the Brass Tap is closed for the winter. Food is served every day from noon to 5.30pm, and anyone can eat there, not only the hotel's guests. Walk-ins are welcome when there's room; for a larger group, ring 01847 611206. Dogs are welcome in the bars when it isn't too busy. Park in the Castle Varrich car park, a short walk away.
If it rains
Only lunch is under a roof. The broch stands right beside the road, so on a wet day it's a short look from the parking space, and the waterfall can be seen from the road on the way.
On the way
- The Alltnacaillich waterfall
Here the Allt na Caillich comes down off Ben Hope in a fall of about 30 metres, with only its top in sight from the road. Reaching the foot means a steep climb over rough heather, about 15 minutes each way. Stopping on the way adds a minute's driving.
Photographs by Duncan Macpherson and Tongue Hotel via Google
Maps from OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors; heights from Mapzen's terrain tiles.