Caithness Broch Centre

About the museum

The Caithness Broch Centre is housed in the Old School House at Auckengill, a small coastal hamlet beside the A99 north of Wick. It is run by the charity High Life Highland and is dedicated to the Iron Age brochs of northern Scotland. Caithness has the highest density of brochs anywhere in Scotland, which makes the area a natural home for a centre of this kind.

The displays follow three themes: the people who built and lived in brochs, the archaeologists who first excavated them, and the place brochs hold in modern Caithness. Original finds from the nearby Nybster Broch are on show, including tweezers, bone combs, oil lamps and gaming tokens. Interpretation panels explain how the towers were built and why they mattered, and drone photographs give a bird's-eye view of broch sites in the surrounding landscape.

Visitors can use interactive and hands-on displays that show how brochs were constructed, watch short films and digital reconstructions of Iron Age life, and pick up local maps and guides to explore other broch sites. Brochs are drystone towers about 2,000 years old, with thick double-skinned walls, and their exact purpose is still debated. A separate volunteer charity, the Caithness Broch Project, plans to build a full-size broch using traditional methods.

Highlights

• Original artefacts from Nybster Broch
• Interactive displays on how brochs were built
• Drone images of nearby broch sites
• Short films and digital reconstructions of Iron Age life
• Free entry

Permanent exhibition

• Brochs of Caithness – Artefacts from Nybster Broch, interpretation of broch construction and excavation, interactive displays, aerial imagery and short films about Iron Age life.

Operated by

High Life Highland

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome and can be made on the High Life Highland website.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The operator describes a short paved path from the A99 to the entrance. Parking is on site.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The operator describes the centre as suitable for visitors of all ages, with hands-on displays that suit families and school groups.

Getting there & parking

The centre stands just off the A99 in Auckengill, about 10 miles north of Wick and about 7 miles south of John o' Groats. Cyclists can follow the A99; a short paved path leads from the roadside to the entrance.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.