Druchtag Motte

On the edge of Mochrum village in the Machars of Wigtownshire rises Druchtag Motte, a steep man-made mound that once carried a timber tower. Mottes were Scotland's first castles, built from the early 1100s under David I, usually with a fenced courtyard alongside and protected by a ditch and palisade; most gave way to stone castles from the 1200s and were abandoned by the Wars of Independence. Here the mound survives about 6.5 m high, ringed by a ditch about 2 m deep, though no trace of a courtyard or approach remains. It has never been excavated and its first owner is unknown. It was built as the old kingdom of Galloway was being drawn into Scotland, and HES thinks it more likely the home of a local Gallovidian lord than of an incomer, since Galloway's lords built castles of this kind after evicting settlers in the later 1100s. The climb is very steep, with a rope to help, so wear strong footwear. Park considerately in the village and walk.