#gurness

On to the Broch of Gurness on Orkney, the third part of my brief visit to the islands.  Brochs are an Iron Age building that can look a little like a modern power station cooling tower.  Large, circular, tall and tapering they are all over the place on Orkney – although mostly as a ring of stone without much structure.  The Broch of Gurness has survived better than most in the area and sits in the midst of a whole series of circular buildings.  This was the first time I had been at such a well-preserved broch and I was surprised by the construction with an inner wall and stairs to upper levels.  I just wonder how warm it all was inside when the fires were on!