Easter Rarichie

Nearest town:
Cromarty (8km SW)
OS reference:
NH84347360
OS sheet:
21
Latitude:
57° 44' 14.62 N
Longitude:
3° 56' 34.32 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Easter Rarichie (Hillfort) by drewbhoy

The lowest of the west defences, covered in aging vegetation, but still recognisable.

Image credit: drew/AMJ
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 8, 2023
Image of Easter Rarichie (Hillfort) by drewbhoy

Looking east towards a very cold looking North Sea.

Image credit: drew/AMJ
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 8, 2023
Image of Easter Rarichie (Hillfort) by drewbhoy

From the north east, various defences can be seen.

Image credit: drew/AMJ
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 8, 2023
Image of Easter Rarichie (Hillfort) by drewbhoy

Part of the rampart on the top section, south west.

Image credit: drew/AMJ
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 8, 2023
Image of Easter Rarichie (Hillfort) by drewbhoy

Lower defences either side of the grass path, this on the south.

Image credit: drew/AMJ
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 8, 2023

Articles

Easter Rarichie

drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 12, 2023

From Easter Rarichie farm it’s a reasonably easy walk to the nearby fort/dun situated on the north east side of the Hill of Nigg.

Multiple ramparts and ditches surround the slopes leading up to the top of the small hill. These are hard to spot because of long grass, turf and the more usual types of heavy vegetation. You get a better view of the defences by standing a fair distance from the fort especially to the north. After following the grass track, which swings past the southern defences, the remnants of a roundhouse are all that remain in the interior of the fort.

There is is a lot going here as the various excavations and notes explain in the Canmore link.

Tremendous views and immediately west another dun.

Visited 27/12/2022.

Folklore

Easter Rarichie
Hillfort
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 10, 2023

Close to the fort of Rarichie “Tobar na h-Iù” [“The Yew Tree Well”] can be found. In the folklore of the area it was a Danish Fort or a fairy-fort but it is a fort from the time of the Picts. According to Watson’s book the Picts used to say “Tiugamaid ’bhàn ’dhèanamh rotha riachagan,” [“Let’s go down to make rows of scratches [to sow seeds in],”] they used to live at Cadha an Ruigh’, closer to the slopes of Ben Nigg. The well had healing properties and it would be used for “White Swelling.” At the base of the fort the well could be found. There is a verse connected to this well:

“Tobar na h-iù, Tobar na h-iù,
’S ann duit bu chumha bhi uasal:
Tha leabaidh deis ann an iuthairnn
Do ’n fhear a ghearr a’ chraobh mu d’ chluasan.”

[“Well of the Yew, Well of the Yew.
To thee it is that honour is due;
A bed in hell is prepared for him
Who cut the tree around thy ears.”]

A Yew Tree used to be close to this well, with its branches hanging above the well but it was chopped down some time a long time ago, I haven’t found a story to see if it was chopped down by someone, or what happend to the person after they chopped the tree down!

DASG Blog

Sites within 20km of Easter Rarichie

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