Dunadd Fort

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says parking is available but publishes no charge or free statement, so the status is recorded as unknown; reviewers describe a decent-sized free car park with no overnight parking, reached by a single-track road. The fort is about 4 miles south of Kilmartin and 5 miles north of Lochgilphead, off the A816.

Driving pin: Dunadd car park, 204 m east of Historic Scotland's own pin on the summit, from which the path climbs through working farmland. Historic Scotland gives journey planners only; the nearest toilets are at Kilmartin Museum in the village.

About

Dunadd Fort is a rocky outcrop rising from the Moine Mhor, the great moss that carpets the southern end of Kilmartin Glen, and one of the most important early medieval sites in Britain: a fort 2,000 years ago, it became a royal power centre of the Gaelic kings of Dal Riata between the 500s and 800s. The climb passes through a narrow natural passage and up terraces still edged by stone walls to the strongly defended summit enclosure. Carved into the rock near the top are a basin, a boar, an Ogham inscription and two footprints, probably used when a new king set his foot in the stone. Excavation found the largest range of pottery of any site in north-west Europe. Reviewers love hunting for the footprint and the 360-degree view, warn that the climb is steep and slippery in the wet, and park in the car park by the River Add; the path crosses working farmland.

Check today’s timesSee all times

Dunadd FortOpen at all times; an unstaffed open site, no hours published

Opening times may change at short notice.

Historic Scotland: 'Dunadd Fort is free to visit and is open year-round.' No hours, closures or notices on 20 October 2026. Historic Scotland's directory lists it as 'Kilmartin Glen: Dunadd Fort'.

The site is reached through working farmland, so follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to keep yourself and the livestock safe; strong footwear is recommended. The climb is steep and rocky through a natural passage and up terraces, slippery when wet, with information boards on the way. No toilets or facilities.

Photo: The rocky hill of Dunadd rising above the fields of the Moine Mhor, with a white cottage at its foot and cattle grazing. Bob Embleton, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunadd_fort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2563310.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.