
North east defences.
North east defences.
The probable front door.
North side of the dun.
Looking North West, Machir Bay.
Looking north, glorious supplies for the nearby distillery.
The slope of the east side.
Top of the dun, Kilchoman Distillery to the left.
Looking west towards the dis-used Kilchoman Parish Church and Machir Bay.
Top of the dun looking east.
The north west is a wee bit more rugged.
The west side.
South side of the dun.
Closer up
Taken from the car park at Kilchoman Distillery, lovely lovely place.
Sometimes my job, my favourite drink and prehistory all occasionally collide, sometimes unintentionally.
On a previous visit to Islay I’d visited The Oa with its American Monument (erected after the tragic events during 1918), this time to complete research for a new album I’d visited the Kilchoman Military cemetery, overlooking Machir Bay, scene of another tragedy. On leaving the cemetery I, of course, had to visit the local distillery to sample some of the local holy water.
Just to west of the distillery’s car park there is Rockside Dun, one of many prehistoric sites in the area.
The most likely entrance is to the south east of the 30m by 10m site. Not much remains of the ramparts apart from some fallen stone all round the wee hill, 6m high, that is overlooked by some serious looking cliffs.
Great wee site, the local drink would be sampled later on Jura.
Visited 28/07/2021.