Lurking in grassy meadows north of Brora is a network of abandoned bunkers and buildings. They are the remnants of Loth Chain Radar Station, part of Chain Home, a ring of early warning radar stations constructed by the Royal Air Force both before and during the Second World War.
Dotted across a two-mile strip of coastal pasture lying between the Highland communities of Brora and Helmsdale, a substantial number of bunkers, mast bases, huts and outlook posts survive at Loth.
The station opened in the spring of 1940, was extended the following year, and remained in operation until 1944 when it was briefly mothballed before being used the following year as a school for training.
Spread over Crackaig Links, the base included four sturdy concrete bunkers, lookout posts located at intervals along the coast and other ancillary buildings. A military camp with accommodation for those station at Loth existed near Crackaig Farm.
Accessed from a minor road and track linking the A9 with the beach front campsite at Crackaig, the bunkers are generally well preserved and the site is well worth exploring, particularly if you have an interest in wartime history.
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