Losgann Larnach
Fort (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Losgann Larnach
Classification Fort (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 22654
Site Number NM72SE 1
NGR NM 7993 2172
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/22654
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Kilninver And Kilmelford
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NM72SE 1 7993 2172.
(NM 7993 2172) Fort (NR) (remains of)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1973)
The remains of a fort, unrivalled within the region for its great, natural strength, occupy the NE summit of Beinn Mhor, known locally as 'Losgann Larnarch' - the Toad of Lorn - because of its resemblance to a crouching toad. The NW and NE are rendered impregnable by almost vertical cliffs while precipitous rock faces on the south afford moderately strong natural defence, but access to the summit is available on the SE where the line of low cliffs is interrupted by a gully, 9 metres wide. The fort, roughly rectangular on plan, has measured, internally, about 76 metres in length by a maximum of 21 metres in width and has been defended by a single stone wall drawn across the more vulnerable south and south- east sides. The wall, severely robbed of its stone, is now represented only by a stony scarp in which no facing stones are visible. The original wall thickness was probably about 4 metres, though the core material is now spread in places to a width of 10 metres. The entrance, the exact position of which cannot now be identified, was probably at the head of the now debris-choked gully in the SE. Two crescentic scarps at the NE end, each 5.2 metres across, indicate the sites of round, timber houses and a number of irregularly shaped platforms elsewhere in the fort may represent the remains of others.
As described.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 scale.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 20 November 1969; RCAHMS 1975, visited May 1966.
Note (25 November 2014 - 18 May 2016)
This small fortification is situated in a spectacular position on the NE summit of the Beinn Mhor ridge, and is protected by cliffs on every side. The only access to the summit is by way of a broad gully on the SE, the top of which is barred by a thick wall spread up to 10m in thickness, which extends along the slope above the cliff-edge for the length of this side. No trace of the entrance is visible, though it is probably at the top of the gully. The rocky interior is roughly triangular on plan, measuring about 76m from NE to SW by a maximum of 21m transversely (0.12ha); two crescentic scarps about 5.2m across indicate the platform for timber round-houses in the NE end, and there are other possible examples elsewhere.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 18 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2549
