Dun Bernisdale

Nearest town:
Uig (13km NNW)
OS reference:
NG3998750577
OS sheet:
23
Latitude:
57° 28' 14.84 N
Longitude:
6° 20' 14.14 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Dun Bernisdale by LesHamilton

This is the best view of Dun Bernisdale, taken from the lay-by on the main road.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Sep 20, 2015
Image of Dun Bernisdale by LesHamilton

Dun Bernisdale lies in direct line with the house in this photograph, but almost completely blends into its surrounding terrain, little more than a gentle undulation in the landscape.

Image credit: Les Hamilton
LesHamilton
LesHamilton Sep 20, 2015

Articles

Dun Bernisdale

LesHamilton
LesHamilton Sep 20, 2015

Visited: September 7, 2015

For several years, I have been stopping briefly in the village of Bernisdale, three km north of Skeabost on the A 850, to search for the small dun listed by Canmore. But I could never find it. This year, instead of parking in the village, I stopped in the lay-by on the main road: and there it was, staring me in the face, as a neat mound clad in purple heather, mid-way between the main road and the old road through the village.

Dun Bernisdale was a small fortification, even in its heyday: Canmore attributes it with a width of just three metres and an area of ten square metres. Very much a ‘pocket’ fortification.

Walking round the site I could understand how it proved so elusive. So little remains that, from almost every direction, the dun simply blends anonymously into the landscape. Only from the lay-by had it sufficient profile to be instantly recognisable. It was fortuitous that I chose to stop there.

Stone robbing has left very little remaining structure, save a few large foundation blocks to the south where the dun rises to its maximum height. In all other directions, the dun simply tapers gradually into its surroundings.

Sites within 20km of Dun Bernisdale

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.