A walk to Levenwick Broch in Shetland’s South Mainland

The spectacular ruins of Levenwick Broch, one of around 120 known broch sites in Shetland, has always intrigued me, and I’m ashamed to say that, after driving up and down the A970 hundreds – if not thousands – of times, It’s taken me 35 years to get there.

Precariously perched on the edge of the cliffs, commanding views eastwards across the North Sea, south towards Sumburgh Head and North towards Sandwick and Mousa, the broch demands respect. Set within an otherwise gentle landscape, the broch is flanked by sheer cliffs to seaward and the houses of Levenwick strung out along the lower reaches of the steep, imposing slopes above.

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Walk details:

Distance: 2 miles

Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Park responsibly before the farm track at the end of Willal road (before Levenwick Beach).

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Setting off from the end of the Willal road, where we passed a Bronze Age burnt mound, we followed the farm track south, heading towards the coast and The Noup cliffs. The sandstone cliffs here are sheer and imposing, with ragged edges interspersed with caves, geos and natural arches.

love brochs? why not try the culswick broch walk

Following the coast, we approached Quinni Geo, where the Burn of Mogill, engorged from recent rainfall, carried peat-stained brown water down from the slopes above, sending it streaming over the cliffs where, caught by the wind, an upward stream projected back to landward, creating an impressive feature of foaming brown water.

Waterfalls into the sea - note the ruined remains of former watermills in the burn

The remains of several watermills stand where streams converge, built almost on the edge of the cliff, these mills, although fallen to ruin, still hold their original heavy millstones. The mills, typical of those found throughout Shetland, are similar to Scandinavian click mills and were used to grind grain throughout the winter months when burns were full of water. The force of unleashed water coursed through the mill’s under-house, powering wooden paddles which turned the grinding stones that ground grain to flour. Mills like these were common throughout Shetland until the mid-20th century, with each community or croft having their own small mill for milling.

Carrying on southwards along the coast, the broch soon came into clear view, standing proud, close to the edge of the cliffs.

A low rampart encloses the broch site itself, and later stone walling associated with sheep husbandry complicates the site. Much of the broch is a myriad of rubble and partially or entirely collapsed stone and debris, making it a tricky place to interpret. Yet the inner sanctions of this once-impressive structure remain tantalisingly well-preserved amongst the exterior chaos.

Inside the broch, as is found at Mousa, Clickhimin and Jarlshof, a later Wheelhouse has been constructed (late Iron Age).

Despite being so close to the sea, the broch is high enough from the water that it has remained relatively unharmed – although the great storm of February 1900 that decimated much of Shetland’s east coast did impact the outer structure of the broch.

What are brochs?

Brochs, in essence, are giant round towers constructed around 2,000 years ago in the mid-Iron Age. They have an unusual construction in that they were built with a double wall, an inner and an outer, with a stone staircase between them, allowing access to the upper sections. It’s unclear what the brochs were used for, and suggestions include defensive structures, high-status properties for local rulers, agricultural grain stores and community bolt-holes, amongst others. We know that these are unique to the north and west of Scotland, and despite many studies on the brochs, they still ask more questions than they answer.

Levenwick Broch has undoubtedly reached the top of my list of Shetland’s best brochs. My other favourites are Culswick, Burraness, Mousa and Burland. All these, except for perhaps Mousa, are associated with a good walk without the visitor trappings of a visitor centre and interpretation boards.

Levenwick Broch, perched on the cliffs by the sea

I filmed our trip to Levenwick Broch for Patreon, and you can see this video tour and sign up for Patreon here. (This film will become available on Patreon in early March 2023).

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