diff --git a/router/gossip.go b/router/gossip.go
index 9f1a30a4..96f4abe8 100644
--- a/router/gossip.go
+++ b/router/gossip.go
@@ -20,13 +20,15 @@ type Gossip interface {
 	// specific message from one peer to another
 	// intermediate peers relay it using unicast topology.
 	GossipUnicast(dstPeerName PeerName, msg []byte) error
-	// send a message to every peer, relayed using broadcast topology.
-	GossipBroadcast(msg []byte) error
+	// send gossip to every peer, relayed using broadcast topology.
+	GossipBroadcast(update GossipData) error
 }
 
 type Gossiper interface {
 	OnGossipUnicast(sender PeerName, msg []byte) error
-	OnGossipBroadcast(msg []byte) error
+	// merge received data into state and return a representation of
+	// the received data, for further propagation
+	OnGossipBroadcast(update []byte) (GossipData, error)
 	// return state of everything we know; gets called periodically
 	Gossip() GossipData
 	// merge received data into state and return "everything new I've
@@ -76,24 +78,27 @@ func (sender *GossipSender) Stop() {
 }
 
 type connectionSenders map[Connection]*GossipSender
+type peerSenders map[PeerName]*GossipSender
 
 type GossipChannel struct {
 	sync.Mutex
-	ourself  *LocalPeer
-	name     string
-	hash     uint32
-	gossiper Gossiper
-	senders  connectionSenders
+	ourself      *LocalPeer
+	name         string
+	hash         uint32
+	gossiper     Gossiper
+	senders      connectionSenders
+	broadcasters peerSenders
 }
 
 func (router *Router) NewGossip(channelName string, g Gossiper) Gossip {
 	channelHash := hash(channelName)
 	channel := &GossipChannel{
-		ourself:  router.Ourself,
-		name:     channelName,
-		hash:     channelHash,
-		gossiper: g,
-		senders:  make(connectionSenders)}
+		ourself:      router.Ourself,
+		name:         channelName,
+		hash:         channelHash,
+		gossiper:     g,
+		senders:      make(connectionSenders),
+		broadcasters: make(peerSenders)}
 	router.GossipChannels[channelHash] = channel
 	return channel
 }
@@ -150,15 +155,16 @@ func (c *GossipChannel) deliverUnicast(srcName PeerName, origPayload []byte, dec
 	return c.gossiper.OnGossipUnicast(srcName, payload)
 }
 
-func (c *GossipChannel) deliverBroadcast(srcName PeerName, origPayload []byte, dec *gob.Decoder) error {
+func (c *GossipChannel) deliverBroadcast(srcName PeerName, _ []byte, dec *gob.Decoder) error {
 	var payload []byte
 	if err := dec.Decode(&payload); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := c.gossiper.OnGossipBroadcast(payload); err != nil {
+	data, err := c.gossiper.OnGossipBroadcast(payload)
+	if err != nil || data == nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return c.relayBroadcast(srcName, origPayload)
+	return c.relayBroadcast(srcName, data)
 }
 
 func (c *GossipChannel) deliver(_ PeerName, _ []byte, dec *gob.Decoder) error {
@@ -214,8 +220,8 @@ func (c *GossipChannel) GossipUnicast(dstPeerName PeerName, msg []byte) error {
 	return c.relayUnicast(dstPeerName, GobEncode(c.hash, c.ourself.Name, dstPeerName, msg))
 }
 
-func (c *GossipChannel) GossipBroadcast(msg []byte) error {
-	return c.relayBroadcast(c.ourself.Name, GobEncode(c.hash, c.ourself.Name, msg))
+func (c *GossipChannel) GossipBroadcast(update GossipData) error {
+	return c.relayBroadcast(c.ourself.Name, update)
 }
 
 func (c *GossipChannel) relayUnicast(dstPeerName PeerName, buf []byte) error {
@@ -229,17 +235,50 @@ func (c *GossipChannel) relayUnicast(dstPeerName PeerName, buf []byte) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (c *GossipChannel) relayBroadcast(srcName PeerName, buf []byte) error {
+func (c *GossipChannel) relayBroadcast(srcName PeerName, update GossipData) error {
+	names := c.ourself.Router.Peers.Names() // do this outside the lock so they don't nest
+	c.Lock()
+	defer c.Unlock()
+	// GC - randomly (courtesy of go's map iterator) pick some
+	// existing broadcasters and stop&remove them if their source peer
+	// is unknown. We stop as soon as we encounter a valid entry; the
+	// idea being that when there is little or no garbage then this
+	// executes close to O(1)[1], whereas when there is lots of
+	// garbage we remove it quickly.
+	//
+	// [1] TODO Unfortunately, due to the desire to avoid nested
+	// locks, instead of simply invoking Peers.Fetch(name) below, we
+	// have that Peers.Names() invocation above. That is O(n_peers) at
+	// best.
+	for name, broadcaster := range c.broadcasters {
+		if _, found := names[name]; !found {
+			delete(c.broadcasters, name)
+			broadcaster.Stop()
+		} else {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	broadcaster, found := c.broadcasters[srcName]
+	if !found {
+		broadcaster = NewGossipSender(func(pending GossipData) { c.sendBroadcast(srcName, pending) })
+		c.broadcasters[srcName] = broadcaster
+		broadcaster.Start()
+	}
+	broadcaster.Send(update)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *GossipChannel) sendBroadcast(srcName PeerName, update GossipData) {
+	c.ourself.Router.Routes.EnsureRecalculated()
 	nextHops := c.ourself.Router.Routes.BroadcastAll(srcName)
 	if len(nextHops) == 0 {
-		return nil
+		return
 	}
-	protocolMsg := ProtocolMsg{ProtocolGossipBroadcast, buf}
+	protocolMsg := ProtocolMsg{ProtocolGossipBroadcast, GobEncode(c.hash, srcName, update.Encode())}
 	// FIXME a single blocked connection can stall us
 	for _, conn := range c.ourself.ConnectionsTo(nextHops) {
 		conn.(ProtocolSender).SendProtocolMsg(protocolMsg)
 	}
-	return nil
 }
 
 func (c *GossipChannel) log(args ...interface{}) {
@@ -256,6 +295,9 @@ func (router *Router) sendPendingGossip() {
 		for _, sender := range channel.senders {
 			sender.flush()
 		}
+		for _, sender := range channel.broadcasters {
+			sender.flush()
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/router/local_peer.go b/router/local_peer.go
index dfde0493..7346c594 100644
--- a/router/local_peer.go
+++ b/router/local_peer.go
@@ -241,14 +241,7 @@ func (peer *LocalPeer) handleDeleteConnection(conn Connection) {
 
 func (peer *LocalPeer) broadcastPeerUpdate(peers ...*Peer) {
 	peer.Router.Routes.Recalculate()
-	// TODO We should just be invoking TopologyGossip.GossipBroadcast
-	// here, but route calculation is asynchronous and in this
-	// particular case would likely result in the broadcast not
-	// reaching all peers. So instead we slightly break the Gossip
-	// abstraction (hence the cast) and send a regular update. This is
-	// less efficient though since it will almost certainly reach
-	// peers more than once.
-	peer.Router.TopologyGossip.(*GossipChannel).Send(NewTopologyGossipData(peer.Router.Peers, append(peers, peer.Peer)...))
+	peer.Router.TopologyGossip.GossipBroadcast(NewTopologyGossipData(peer.Router.Peers, append(peers, peer.Peer)...))
 }
 
 func (peer *LocalPeer) checkConnectionLimit() error {
diff --git a/router/peers.go b/router/peers.go
index 2ade26bd..059e41c3 100644
--- a/router/peers.go
+++ b/router/peers.go
@@ -69,15 +69,15 @@ func (peers *Peers) ForEach(fun func(*Peer)) {
 //
 // We add peers hitherto unknown to us, and update peers for which the
 // update contains a more recent version than known to us. The return
-// value is an "improved" update containing just these new/updated
-// elements.
-func (peers *Peers) ApplyUpdate(update []byte) (PeerNameSet, error) {
+// value is a) a representation of the received update, and b) an
+// "improved" update containing just these new/updated elements.
+func (peers *Peers) ApplyUpdate(update []byte) (PeerNameSet, PeerNameSet, error) {
 	peers.Lock()
 
 	newPeers, decodedUpdate, decodedConns, err := peers.decodeUpdate(update)
 	if err != nil {
 		peers.Unlock()
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
 	// By this point, we know the update doesn't refer to any peers we
@@ -97,7 +97,11 @@ func (peers *Peers) ApplyUpdate(update []byte) (PeerNameSet, error) {
 	// Don't need to hold peers lock any longer
 	peers.Unlock()
 
-	return setFromPeersMap(newUpdate), nil
+	updateNames := make(PeerNameSet)
+	for _, peer := range decodedUpdate {
+		updateNames[peer.Name] = void
+	}
+	return updateNames, setFromPeersMap(newUpdate), nil
 }
 
 func (peers *Peers) Names() PeerNameSet {
diff --git a/router/protocol.go b/router/protocol.go
index 9184512c..b9bb9f29 100644
--- a/router/protocol.go
+++ b/router/protocol.go
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package router
 
 const (
 	Protocol        = "weave"
-	ProtocolVersion = 14
+	ProtocolVersion = 15
 )
 
 type ProtocolTag byte
diff --git a/router/router.go b/router/router.go
index 7ef3a9a2..2eb9af36 100644
--- a/router/router.go
+++ b/router/router.go
@@ -377,8 +377,12 @@ func (router *Router) OnGossipUnicast(sender PeerName, msg []byte) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("unexpected topology gossip unicast: %v", msg)
 }
 
-func (router *Router) OnGossipBroadcast(msg []byte) error {
-	return fmt.Errorf("unexpected topology gossip broadcast: %v", msg)
+func (router *Router) OnGossipBroadcast(update []byte) (GossipData, error) {
+	origUpdate, _, err := router.applyTopologyUpdate(update)
+	if err != nil || len(origUpdate) == 0 {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &TopologyGossipData{peers: router.Peers, update: origUpdate}, nil
 }
 
 func (router *Router) Gossip() GossipData {
@@ -386,29 +390,29 @@ func (router *Router) Gossip() GossipData {
 }
 
 func (router *Router) OnGossip(update []byte) (GossipData, error) {
-	newUpdate, err := router.applyTopologyUpdate(update)
+	_, newUpdate, err := router.applyTopologyUpdate(update)
 	if err != nil || len(newUpdate) == 0 {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return &TopologyGossipData{peers: router.Peers, update: newUpdate}, nil
 }
 
-func (router *Router) applyTopologyUpdate(update []byte) (PeerNameSet, error) {
-	newUpdate, err := router.Peers.ApplyUpdate(update)
+func (router *Router) applyTopologyUpdate(update []byte) (PeerNameSet, PeerNameSet, error) {
+	origUpdate, newUpdate, err := router.Peers.ApplyUpdate(update)
 	if _, ok := err.(UnknownPeerError); err != nil && ok {
 		// That update contained a reference to a peer which wasn't
 		// itself included in the update, and we didn't know about
 		// already. We ignore this; eventually we should receive an
 		// update containing a complete topology.
 		log.Println("Topology gossip:", err)
-		return nil, nil
+		return nil, nil, nil
 	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 	if len(newUpdate) > 0 {
 		router.ConnectionMaker.Refresh()
 		router.Routes.Recalculate()
 	}
-	return newUpdate, nil
+	return origUpdate, newUpdate, nil
 }
diff --git a/router/routes.go b/router/routes.go
index 4745972d..df2b890a 100644
--- a/router/routes.go
+++ b/router/routes.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ type Routes struct {
 	broadcast    map[PeerName][]PeerName
 	broadcastAll map[PeerName][]PeerName // [1]
 	recalculate  chan<- *struct{}
+	wait         chan<- chan struct{}
 	// [1] based on *all* connections, not just established &
 	// symmetric ones
 }
@@ -36,8 +37,10 @@ func NewRoutes(ourself *Peer, peers *Peers) *Routes {
 
 func (routes *Routes) Start() {
 	recalculate := make(chan *struct{}, 1)
+	wait := make(chan chan struct{})
 	routes.recalculate = recalculate
-	go routes.run(recalculate)
+	routes.wait = wait
+	go routes.run(recalculate, wait)
 }
 
 func (routes *Routes) Unicast(name PeerName) (PeerName, bool) {
@@ -91,17 +94,39 @@ func (routes *Routes) String() string {
 	return buf.String()
 }
 
+// Request recalculation of the routing table. This is async but can
+// effectively be made synchronous with a subsequent call to
+// EnsureRecalculated.
 func (routes *Routes) Recalculate() {
+	// The use of a 1-capacity channel in combination with the
+	// non-blocking send is an optimisation that results in multiple
+	// requests being coalesced.
 	select {
 	case routes.recalculate <- nil:
 	default:
 	}
 }
 
-func (routes *Routes) run(recalculate <-chan *struct{}) {
+// Wait for any preceding Recalculate requests to be processed.
+func (routes *Routes) EnsureRecalculated() {
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	routes.wait <- done
+	<-done
+}
+
+func (routes *Routes) run(recalculate <-chan *struct{}, wait <-chan chan struct{}) {
 	for {
-		<-recalculate
-		routes.calculate()
+		select {
+		case <-recalculate:
+			routes.calculate()
+		case done := <-wait:
+			select {
+			case <-recalculate:
+				routes.calculate()
+			default:
+			}
+			close(done)
+		}
 	}
 }