Dun Dearduil

Fort, Inverfarigaig.

This fort is situated on a prominent rock that stands boldly out beyond the more massive rocky hil towards Dun Garbh at a point immediately E of and 600 ft above the confluence of the Rover Farigagig and the Allt Mor. The NW, NE and SW faces of the rock rise steeply, ultimately from the rivers, and access can only be conveniently be gained to the summit by way of the wide SE approach. The fort occupies the high NE part of the summit to the outline of which it exactly conforms. Rhomboid on plan it measures about 80 feet [24m] in length from NE to SW by a maximum of 43 feet [13m] at the SW and 30 feet [9m] at the NE within a wall which appears as a mass of stones spread to a thickness of about 15 feet [4.5m]. This is partly grass-grown and partly open, and among it numerous lumps of vitrification appear. The entrance is probably in or near the E corner. The interior is featureless except for a depression near the W apex which may have served as a well, and is clothed in good short grass which are patches of nettles.

Visited by RCAHMS, 13 April 1957.

Occupying the summit of a cliff-girt ridge named Dun Dearduil is a fort, said by the RCAHMS (Information from RCAHMS to OS 1957) to be vitrified. It is subrectangular on plan, measuring 26.0m NNE-SSW by a maximum of 15.0m within a tumbled turf-covered wall surviving to an average height of 0.8m. The footings of the outer wall face are visible laid on bare rock on the cliff edge on the E side, suggesting an approximate wall thickness here of c. 5.0m. The RCAHMS note "numerous lumps of vitrifaction" in the wall, but, despite exploratory excavation in considerable amounts of tumble around the fort, none was seen. The entrance is discernible as a lowering in the wall in the SSE arc. Within the fort, at the lowest point in the SW corner, is a cistern, now visible as a damp, irregular depression c. 2.0m in diameter. Some 80.0m SW of the fort on a shoulder of the same ridge is another fort, now greatly denuded (see NH52SW 4). At NH 5271 2381 in a gully to the S of the fort is a stone-lined well, probably later.

Surveyed at 1:10,000.

Enlargement at 1:1250.

Visited by OS (N K B) 10 April 1970.

A Ross 1915

(NH 5268 2394) Dun Deardail (NAT)

Fort (NR)

OS 1:10,000 map, (1972)

No change to previous field report.

Revised at 1/10,000

Visited by OS (J M) 19 January 1979.

This small fortification stands in a spectacular position on a rocky ridge that falls away 150m down to the SE shores of Loch Ness. It occupies the very summit of the hill about 80m NE of a second fortification (Atlas No. 2882) and is oval on plan, measuring about 26m from NNE to SSW by 15m transversely (0.03ha) within a ruined wall spread up to 5m in thickness by 0.8m in height; the outer face is visible on the E. In 1957 RCAHMS investigators observed numerous pieces of vitrifaction in the rubble, but no trace of this was subsequently found by the OS. The interior is featureless apart from a hollow 2m across on the SW that may be a well. The entrance is possibly on the SSE.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 18 November 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2881