Dun Grugaig (Caisteal Chonil) *
Region: Isle of Skye & Kyle of Lochalsh
Description:
The Iron Age broch of Caisteal Grugaig stands on a rocky knoll, overlooking the junction of three sea-lochs.
Brochs were built in areas with good agricultural potential, with relatively good soils and sheltered conditions. Most have unrestricted access to the sea. Defence is a secondary consideration when compared to the availability of good land and brochs were essentially high-status self-sufficient farming units.
The people who lived and farmed here grew oats and barley, and reared stock. Pockets of cultivated land would have often been found on the coastal fringes, cleared of stone and dug by spade. These fields were set within wider areas of unenclosed pasture. There would have been little tree cover.