Overview
Dun Telve is an Iron Age stone tower in Gleann Beag, built about 2,000 years ago and now among Scotland’s best-preserved brochs. Its thick hollow wall rises more than ten metres and contains a stair, cells and openings for upper floors. Stone was probably taken for Bernera Barracks in 1722, while later surveys and repair work preserved much of the extraordinary structure.
Who made it and when
Iron Age builders raised Dun Telve about 2,000 years ago, using skilled dry-stone work to create a round tower in the settled land of Gleann Beag.
How it was made and used
Two close stone faces formed a very thick hollow wall, with a guarded entrance, internal rooms, a winding stair and ledges that carried upper floors.
What was found
The building has never had a full archaeological excavation, but close survey recorded wall passages, cells, stair openings and evidence for two upper floors.
What remains
A round tower more than eighteen metres across survives, with part of its wall standing over ten metres high and much of the inner stair still visible.
Why it mattered
Dun Telve mattered because its exceptional height and inner structure reveal the planning, labour and stone-building skill of Iron Age Highland communities.
History checked 16 August 2026 against the named sources below.
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