Dun Carloway

Outer Hebrides


Dun Carloway is a 2000-year-old, dry-stone broch, perched defiantly above a beautiful loch with views to the mountains of North Harris. The site is clearly signposted along a minor road off the A858, a mile southwest of Carloway village. One of the best-preserved brochs in Scotland, its double walls (with internal staircase) still stand to a height of 9m and testify to the engineering skills of its Iron Age architects.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Outer Hebrides attractions

1. Doune Broch Centre

0.11 MILES

The tiny, turf-roofed Doune Broch Centre has interpretative displays and exhibitions about the history of the Dun Carloway broch and the life of the…

2. Blackhouse Museum

1.86 MILES

A traditional 1955 blackhouse with displays on the village’s history.

3. Bosta

3.32 MILES

On a sunny day, it’s worth making the long detour to Great Bernera's northern tip for a picnic at the perfect little sandy beach of Bosta. As an…

4. Iron Age House

3.36 MILES

In 1996 archaeologists excavated an entire Iron Age village at the head of Bosta beach. Afterwards, the village was reburied for protection, but a…

5. Callanish Standing Stones

5.3 MILES

The Callanish Standing Stones, 15 miles west of Stornoway on the A858 road, form one of the most complete stone circles in Britain. It is one of the most…

6. Calanais Visitor Centre

5.44 MILES

This visitor centre near the Callanish Standing Stones is a tour de force of discreet design. Inside is a small exhibition that speculates on the origins…

7. Gallan Head

8.94 MILES

Gallan Head, 3 miles north of Uig, was once an RAF radar station and surveillance post until it was abandoned in the 1960s. The old military camp, ringed…

8. Arnol Blackhouse

8.99 MILES

One of Scotland’s most evocative historic buildings, the Arnol Blackhouse is not so much a museum as a perfectly preserved fragment of a lost world. Built…