Images (12)
Fieldnotes (1)

Images

North east part of the fort.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

The northern wall and beyond thankfully a track down.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

North west tip, meeting place of three glens.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

Partly man made, mostly natural defences. Nobody would attack from this side. One idiot and his dog did climb up.............................

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

Southern tip of the fort, the Dreish looks on.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

To the north/east even higher peaks and deep glens.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 30, 2018

The Dreish overlooks the fort at Dun Mor (Acharn).

Image credit: drew/A/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

To the north west, the White Water meets the South Esk.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

Looking sout east, nobody would have attacked from this side but still traces of rampart remain.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

The southern defences are more than adequate.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

The fort from the south.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

From 2/3s of the way up, the nightmare (to get to) that is Dun Mor.

Image credit: drew/B

drewbhoy Oct 29, 2018

Articles

Dun Mor

Hillfort

drewbhoy Apr 12, 2019

Dun Mor, at the northern end of Glen Clova is in a stunning location overlooking the meeting place of the White Water and the River South Esk. To get to the fort is quite stunning as well.

From Marchburn head north west towards the hotel on the B955 and keep going on the minor road until it ends at Braedownie.

To get up to the fort is at first quite steep, a path is indicated opposite to the farm. This sign is a bit of a joke but on we plodded thinking the first hill, called Downie, was the fort. How wrong was I, we walked a fair distance and I hummed and heyed about continuing, eventually I decided to go on.

From here it is dangerously steep, large boulders mostly with small slippery stones between only the occasional flat to have a breather. In reality I should have gone back down but slowly I made my way up eventually reaching the forts north end. Looking back down I could see that it was one of the stupidest decisions I’d taken. However the view is stunning, the two aforementioned rivers, The Corrie, looking up Glen Doll, back down Glen Clova, and the Red Craig, Cairn Derg immediately east towering above.

One thing for sure nobody in their right mind would attack from the south and west. The builders of the fort took full advantage of the natural rock filling gaps with ramparts, very low trenches stretch across from north to east, the only possible entrance. All of the ramparts are grass covered with only the occasional stone sticking out. The forts dimensions are almost 100m by 50m. Interestingly there had been a fence around the west and south edges, all that is left of them are the metal stakes used to hold them.

Now the entrance of the fort is to the north, and we went through this to get to the trees beyond as I wasn’t going back the way I’d came. After climbing the fence I walked about 20 yards into a track which in its Tour de France way led back to a 1/2 mile further up the road. There is always a path!!!

Still, there is a sense of achievement in climbing to the top of a hill even if it is pure stupidity to get there. Great site, spectacular views, use the forestry track which is marked on the OS map.

Somehow, no injuries!

Visited 7/8/2018.