#dalriada

Dunadd Hillfort, Argyll

This hillfort is pretty impressive as it is, but it also has a special slab with a footprint. This slab is one of the reasons why people visit Dunadd Hillfort. It is associated with the Kings of the Scots tribe Dal Riata and their inauguration ceremony, which according to legend involved the new King stepping into the ‘footstep’ of his predecessors. What you see nowadays is a cast though, so you don’t have to be worried about wearing down something of historical importance. It’s still a fun thing to step into that foot shape. I did it and it was precisely the size of my boot. As with the previous day of our holiday, there was a firm grasp of fog and low cloud and particularly early in the morning when we were there, the landscape around the fort was simply non-existent. We still got a pretty good idea. There is an upper level with a citadel at the top and the King’s stone slightly below. And there is a lower level with remains of buildings, a wall and a well. There’s a natural (or not) break in the rock, which leads in and out of the lower level. A perfect bottleneck for defending the fort. There’s parking right next to the fort and it’s only 5 to 10 min to get up there. So visiting Dunadd is a no-brainer when in Argyll. 

Head over to Youtube for a video of me visiting this fort and other places in Argyll.