Note
Date 9 September 2015 - 7 September 2016
Event ID 1045261
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Note
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1045261
The Moat Knowe is a steep-sided hillock that rises sharply out of the floor of the valley SE of Buchtrig. It is occupied by a fortification that conforms to the character of a so-called nuclear fort, comprising a citadel with a series of outer courts. In the case of the Moat Knowe, the citadel and the courts appear to form a single conception, with a single wall running the length of the W side, not only forming one side of the citadel and each of the four courts, but flanking the upper ends of the entrance trackways that mount the slopes on the N and S respectively to curl in through entrances into the lowest court at each end. The citadel is roughly trapezoidal on plan, measuring a maximum of 50m from N to S by 45m transversely (0.2ha) within a wall up to 2.4m in thickness, and its interior steps down from the rocky summit on the E in four artificial terraces, which have probably provided the foundation for tiers of building; while the shape of the building is unclear on the ground, aerial photographs give a strong impression that some were rectangular. Two outer courts step down the slope to either side of the citadel, each party wall stopping short of the W side to allow access from the entrances up to the summit. The upper one on the S has several scooped platforms, while in the lower a line of stones separates the roadway from the rest of the court. By comparison the upper court on the N is much steeper and only has two small scoops on its lower side, while the outer below it is featureless. The entrances are arranged slightly differently to each other; whereas the terraced trackway on the N approaches the gap obliquely to expose the visitor's left side below the wall, on the S, where the approach is more direct, it is the visitor's right side that is exposed.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 07 September 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC3411
