Keiss: Beach, Brochs and Historic Buildings

Keiss combines a coastal landscape with buildings from different periods. Keiss Beach and Keiss Harbour offer a different focus from the castle, the two brochs and Keiss Village Church of Scotland. If you’re looking for a hotel in Keiss, these differences can help with trip planning: the beach, castle, brochs and church offer different points of interest—from coastal walks and views to architectural style, dating and use.

Coast and beach

Keiss Beach is a short walk along the coast from the village of Keiss and Keiss Harbour. Conditions can vary by season. The beach has a stretch of sand extending for several miles, making it suitable for walks along the Caithness coast. From Keiss Beach, the view extends across Sinclair's Bay to Noss Head Lighthouse. Access and the size of the beach offer two different ways to plan: the short walk leads from the village or harbour to the beach, while the expansive stretch of sand makes it a place for coastal walks.

Castle and brochs

Keiss Castle is a roofless castle on a slight headland. It probably dates from the second half of the 16th century. Keiss Broch, by contrast, dates to the Iron Age and is dated to the period from 600 BC to AD 400. It stands on a raised beach overlooking Sinclair's Bay. The two therefore differ significantly in both date and setting: the castle’s headland and the broch’s raised beach.

Whitegate Broch adds another point of comparison in the landscape. It stands on a flat, raised beach overlooking Sinclair's Bay, where wall remains about 3 feet high survive. In comparing the brochs, the raised beach at Keiss Broch and the flat beach setting and surviving wall remains at Whitegate are the key features.

Church, harbour and modern history

Keiss Village Church of Scotland dates from 1827. It is a standard church with a T-shaped plan, built to the Parliamentary plan, and is used as a church. The T-shaped plan describes its architecture, while the year it was built gives its date. This makes it possible to understand the church in terms of both its form and its use.

At Keiss Harbour, local fishing boats still use the harbour to catch crab and lobster in Sinclairs Bay. This use may change over time. Alongside its buildings, the harbour thus adds another aspect of the place to trip planning: a local activity connected with the bay.

Chronologically, the historical landmarks mentioned here range from the Iron Age Keiss Broch to Keiss Castle, which probably dates from the second half of the 16th century, and then to the church of 1827. This sequence brings together archaeological history, a castle and church architecture without reducing them to the same period.

Discover more destinations: Inverkirkaig, Mallaig, Cannich, Glenmore, Strontian, Avoch, Grantown On Spey, Ballachulish.

For the regional travel overview: Highland.