Lewis, Rubha Geodh' An T-slaucain

This fort is formed by a stone wall some 15m in length cutting across the narrow neck of a precipitous promontory, which, unusually, forms a summit from which the ground falls away on both the landward and seaward sides. The wall is spread about 3.3m in thickness and forms a stony scarp up to 1.3m in height along the leading edge of the summit on the E and is fronted by a terrace cut back into the slope. This latter feature is broken midway across the neck by what appears to be an entrance lined with boulders to either side, and may be some form of outer defence, though there is little sign of any structural stonework where it peters out on the cliffs to N and S. There are also traces of a second, lower, terrace on the S side of the neck, but its purpose is unknown. Behind the fort wall, there is a marked hollow in the summit area, which gives the impression that these are the remains of a broch or dun that has collapsed over the cliff on the N, but in practice the lip of this hollow on the S and W is entirely natural. The rest of the promontory, which on plan is shaped like a hammerhead, is featureless. On the landward side a field-bank drops away eastwards down the slope from the boulders marking the possible entrance, linking into a more extensive landscape of buildings, enclosures and lazy-beds between the crofts of Mhangurstadh and the sea.

Visited by RCAHMS (SPH) 3 May 2009

This small fortification comprises a stone wall some 15m in length cutting across the narrow neck of a precipitous promontory. Unusually, the neck also forms a summit, from which the ground falls away on both the landward and seaward sides, on the latter to a form a large hammer-headed end to the promontory. Spread about 3.3m in thickness, the wall is reduced to a stony scarp up to 1.3m in height along the leading edge of the summit on the landward side, below which a terrace has been cut back into the slope. This is broken midway across the neck by what appears to be an entrance lined with boulders on either side, and on the S side of the neck there are also traces of a second terrace lower down the slope. While the purpose of the outer of these terraces is uncertain, the inner of these terraces almost certainly forms part of the defences, though there is little sign of any structural stonework along its line. Immediately behind the wall, a marked hollow can be seen in the summit, giving the impression that these are the remains of a broch or dun that has collapsed over the cliff on the N, but in practice the lip of this hollow on the S and W is entirely natural. The rest of the promontory, which extends to about 0.2ha, is featureless, the seaward side descending into bare eroded rock.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 18 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2758