Dunnet

A small village perfectly positioned near sites of historic, cultural, and natural heritage - the local area around Dunnet is a great place to explore.

Additional Information

The village of Dunnet is small and unassuming, but there are a number of attractions within or close to the village well worth visiting. Some are more famous than others: many flock to Dunnet to try out surfing or enjoy the open expanses of Dunnet Bay, whilst others opt to sample Dunnet Bay Distillers' highly-commended Rock Rose Gin. Some might chance across less-frequented but no-less-charming sites, such as Dunnet Parish Church; this pre-Reformation building with its resplendent white-washed walls is well worth a wee amble around, and has a number of graves dating as far back as the 16th century. Timothy Pont, the famed cartographer and topographer, was minister at Dunnet Church between 1601-8.

Dunnet's history goes back much further than this, however; there are several other sites of interest in the area including Dunnet Forest, where the remains of a hut circle can be found - several more can be found along the 'Greenland links' area, suggesting that this area was inhabited as far back as the Neolithic or Bronze Age.

Brotchie's Steading is a ruined post-medieval croft just to the west of which became the focus of archaeological interest because of its 'cruck-framed' structure in one of the rooms were known to have been formed from a pair of whale mandibles, probably from a fin or blue whale (these are now presently housed in the Seadrift Centre). However, it became apparent that the site itself sat on a much older site, and may have Iron Age origins - it is thought that the steading may have been built atop the remains of a broch!

There are suggestions of Norse settlement in the area, too - a small-scale excavation of the site was carried out in 1995, during which a fine bone comb and bone dress pin were found.