Skye, Knock

Dun, near Loch Baravaig, Knock.

About 300 yards west of Loch Baravaig, a small inland loch, and ¾ mile north-east of Knock, is a rocky eminence very steep on all sides except to the south, from which it is approached over a gradually ascending ridge. It commands an extensive view over the Sound of Sleat to the north-east, east and south-west, but to the north-west and south-east higher ground intervenes. The pear-shaped plateau on the summit, which stands from 30 feet to 50 feet higher than the adjoining rough mainland and about 250 feet above sea-level, has been defended by a massive wall of drystone building, which seems to have been about 10 feet thick and which can be traced along its whole circumference, although on the western flank it has nearly disappeared. The best preserved portion is on the eastern side, where the tumbled mass of stone rises 3 feet above the interior. The lowest course of the outer face of the wall can be traced for a distance of 30 feet along the eastern side and at various places round the southern end. At the ends, where the rocky outcrop rises above the inner level, the top of the wall reaches a height of 6 feet above the interior. The main axis runs north by west and south by east, and along this line the dun measures internally some 75 feet, while it is 34 feet across the northern and 30 feet across the southern half. The latter part, which stands about 5 feet higher than the former, seems to have been cut off from it by a curved wall, thus forming an inner defence. The fort has been approached over the ridge to the south; a narrow pathway, apparently built up on the exterior, curves round the outside of the south-western arc of the wall for a short distance, when it enters the wall and is carried for a distance of about 30 feet between the wall of the inner defence and the outer wall before it reaches the courtyard occupying the northern portion of the dun. At the south-eastern corner of the courtyard abutting on the wall is a heap of stones about 10 feet in diameter, probably the remains of a circular hut.

On a small plateau about 15 yards to the south of and 15 feet lower than the enceinte is a circular setting of boulders with an internal diameter of 6 feet, while the remains of a wall a few feet to the west of it can be traced running north and south for some 10 yards.

The interior of the dun is covered with grass, but on the summit of the drystone wall at both the north and south ends is a layer of peat 1 foot 6 inches thick.

RCAHMS 1928, visited 7 May 1914.

OS map: Skye lviii.

This site was visited by Martin Wildgoose during a pre-afforestation survey for Barabhaig WGS in February 2002. The dun was as previously described and a possible entrance was noted at the NE end. A circular stone and turf cell (Site A: NG 6795 0980), measuring 3m in diameter, over walls 0.9m thick and 0.5m high, was recorded on a small level platform at the SW end of the dun. A second circular stone cell (Site E: NG 6796 0982), measuring 3m in overall diameter, was recorded at the foot of the SE facing flank of the dun. The centre of this structure is filled with small boulders and there is no obvious entrance.

Information from Ishbel MacKinnon, August 2011.

This small fortification is situated on the crest of a rocky steep-sided hillock. Pear-shaped on plan, it measures about 23m from NE to SW by up to 10m transversely (0.02ha) within a wall spread about 3m in thickness; the line of the outer face can be traced round the SE and S. The easiest line of approach is from the SW, but the entrance is not visible. The sloping interior is divided transversely by a wall, but apart from a later shieling hut at the higher SW end it is featureless.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 30 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2738