Dun Ringill

Nearest town:
Kyle of Lochalsh (23km ENE)
OS reference:
NG561170
OS sheet:
32
Latitude:
57° 10' 43.83 N
Longitude:
6° 2' 9.96 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

The siting overlooking Loch Slapin is pretty special. But then again so are many upon Skye. Guess the devil’s in the detail. And that’ll be up to you.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2017
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

Highlighting the surviving drystone defences from the neighbouring rocky knoll to the south. To be fair, these are pretty impressive.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2017
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

The northern flank is less well preserved.... but more naturally protected anyway. Besides, as Les Hamilton – TMA doyen of these sites – may well attest, more often than not it is the sheer landscape context which demands a visit.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2017
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

Initial thoughts would be ‘chambered tomb’... if you didn’t know better.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2017
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

Approaching from the approx west.... now even with all the ‘words’ of Shakespeare at my disposal – even with such heavyweights as Shelley, Keats and Byron on call – I can not begin to describe that ‘green’. Or whatever it may be.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 14, 2017
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

Looking out into the heat of this Skye afternoon....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 16, 2012
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

From approx south/south-west. A nice stretch of defensive walling still remains... probably touched-up at some point by those who came after.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 16, 2012
Image of Dun Ringill by GLADMAN

Good defensive site... shame about the views!!

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 16, 2012

Articles

Dun Ringill

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 8, 2012

I drive too far down the road to Kilmarie and miss the footbridge across what I presume to be the Abhainn Cille Mhaire flowing into Loch Slapin. However the sandy foreshore looks exquisite basking under the implausibly blue sky of this late May afternoon... hey, why not take a short cut across? Yeah, good idea. To be honest, it is.... as long as the traveller doesn’t mind temporarily removing boots and socks and having a wee paddle. Once across, follow the coastline around to the right and it would be very difficult to miss another of Skye’s superbly positionned ancient fortresses.

The fortified enclosure surmounts the northern of a pair of rocky knolls rising above the blue waters of the loch. I understand from Canmore that Dun Ringill was amended – updated, shall we say – somewhat during medieval times to serve the changing needs of its owners. More of a human footprint, then, than your average dun. However this means I’m not sure how much of the entrance arrangements – the passage of which is well preserved – represents later work? Whatever, the defences retain a formidable aspect.... impressive drystone walling protecting the landward approaches, natural crags to seaward rendering much less masonry necessary there. In contrast not a lot survives of whatever structures once stood within the confined enclosure. But there you are.

Substantial the ruins of Dun Ringill may be. However.... this being Skye... the location is arguably the primary reason to come here. Yeah, the coastal views are, needless to say, exceptional. The vibe is pretty good, too, the short coastal walk ensuring any half interested tourists remain in their cars this glorious afternoon. I can live with that.

On the way back I decide to try and locate the (apparent) long cairn at Cnocan nan Gobhar... this is most certainly a mistake (take the bridge), the intervening woodland turning out to be a water logged wilderness of bramble. However I manage to extricate myself and approach the riverside, via a stile.... only to have some arrogant, ignorant ‘individual’ shout at me from the safety of the high walled house across the water. Not a good idea... Seems the blighter’s most put out that I’m here and is clearly not adverse to talking to people as if they are servants. I nickname the wrong ‘un ‘Shug’ (he reminds me of the ‘plastic Scot’ character in Rab C Nesbitt) and point out he should learn some manners and remove the bloody stile, then. Jeez. What’s more, time has run out if I want to see sunset at An Sithean... and I must leave. As for Shug... ah leave him. He’s nae worth it!

Mother Skye obviously concurs, for as I drive along the eastern shore of Loch Slapin once more, rhetorically asking myself whether anything can be so magnificent, so beautiful?.... a veritable vision of feminine loveliness in cropped top and shorts approaches. She flashes a smile which I reckon has the beating of Bla Bheinn hands down... and Skye’s apology for the ‘Shug episode’ is gratefully accepted.

Dun Ringill

J
Jed Nov 3, 2005

This part of Skye is in the Strathaird estate which used to be owned by Ian Anderson (so the Jethro Tull song is a definate reference). I visited the site in summer 2003. It’s in a hugely atmospheric location overlooking Loch Slappin.

Dun Ringill

M
mofo greedhead Dec 10, 2003

Visited this site in Summer of 1997. Easy, short hike from SouthEast of the village of Kilmarie (cross stepping stones at the mouth of the burn, Abhain Cille Mhaire, and basically hug the coast on a fairly well-marked trail heading basically East). Site was fully accessible, in good shape and interesting – well worth the trip. The entrance was partly collapsed, but open.

Side note: the rock band Jethro Tull (on an album called ‘Stormwatch’) has a song called “Dun Ringill”. I do not know if the song references this site (I’ve not seen another of this name) or some imaginary place. Any Ian Anderson/Tull fans out there know?

Miscellaneous

Dun Ringill
Stone Fort / Dun
Moth
Moth Mar 29, 2007

On the subject of the Jethro Tull references, last night at Reading Hexagon, they played Dun Ringill. Ian Anderson introduced it as a song about a neolithic (sic?) hillfort & went on to talk about it being used to try to see off the Vikings....

He’s usually reasonably knowledgable about stuff, so I suspect he was simplifying it for the plebs in the crowd. Or not.

Topics

Just a little out... 2
Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead
Jul 2008

Sites within 20km of Dun Ringill

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