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Dun Dornaigil facts for kids

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Dun Dornaigil
Dun Dornagail.JPG
Dun Dornaigil
Dun Dornaigil is located in Highland
Dun Dornaigil
Location in Highland
Location Scottish Highlands
Coordinates 58°21′59″N 4°38′21″W / 58.366338°N 4.639198°W / 58.366338; -4.639198
Type Broch
History
Periods Iron Age
Site notes
Ownership Historic Scotland

Dun Dornaigil is an ancient stone tower found in the Scottish Highlands. It's a type of building called a broch, built a very long time ago during the Iron Age. This means it's over 2,000 years old! Dun Dornaigil is located in an area called Strathmore, right by the Strathmore River. Today, Historic Environment Scotland looks after this amazing old structure. You can't go inside it anymore because it's filled with rubble.

Where is Dun Dornaigil?

Dun Dornaigil stands right next to the Strathmore River. It is south of a mountain called Ben Hope. This ancient site is in Sutherland, a beautiful part of the Scottish Highlands.

Visiting Dun Dornaigil

Since it's looked after by Historic Environment Scotland, there's a small parking area for visitors. You can also find an information board there. This board tells you more about the broch and its history.

What Does Dun Dornaigil Look Like?

Broch Dun Dornaigil's door lintel
Doorway with a massive triangular lintel

This ancient broch has a round shape. Its outer wall measures about 14.5 meters across. The walls of Dun Dornaigil are still standing tall in most places. They are usually between 2 and 3 meters high.

The Amazing Entrance

However, above the main doorway, the walls reach nearly 7 meters high! The entrance faces the northeast. It is currently blocked by fallen stones and dirt. A huge, triangular stone sits above the doorway. This stone is called a lintel. It measures 1.4 meters along its bottom and is 0.9 meters tall. It's a very impressive piece of ancient building!

Inside the Broch

The inside of Dun Dornaigil is full of collapsed rocks. These rocks fell from the upper parts of the tower. Because of this, you cannot go inside the broch to explore. Even so, it's a fantastic example of Iron Age building skills.

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