
The rocky knoll on which stands Dun Torvaig, viewed from the east.
The rocky knoll on which stands Dun Torvaig, viewed from the east.
The remains of Dun Torvaig, viewed from the rise to its southwest.
This stitched panorama highlights the degraded tumble of stonework on the southern flank of Dun Torvaig.
This last remnant of recognisable walling courses is located just north of the entrance passage.
The entranceway to Dun Torvaig, on the western side of the fort.
A few stones neatly aligned perpendicular with the direction of the wall might hint at the existence of a basal gallery.
Visited: September 5, 2017
Situated on the 120 metre summit of Ben Chrachaig, immediately north of Portree Bay, little structure remains of the tumbledown fort of Dun Torvaig.
The slopes of the hillside are a jungle of alternate woodland and thick bracken but easy access can be achieved by first following the coastal path from the Coolin Hills Hotel for several hundred metres, as far as the Viewpoint. Take the path up to the grassy Viewpoint, and you will find that it continues into the trees beyond, wending its way, in part via steps, through the trees and bracken, on to the summit plateau. The plateau is undulating, but the site of Dun Torvaig is a compact rocky knoll near its centre, guarded on the east by low cliffs.
There is a short stretch of walling still extant, two courses high, on the dun’s western side, and a rather dilapidated entrance corridor to its south. Otherwise Dun Torvaig is little more than a mass of tumbled stone. Nonetheless, the views from this eyrie are superb, particularly towards the Storr, just nine kilometres to its north.