Pair of adjacent Iron Age hill forts
Dunagoil sits at the southwesternmost corner of Bute and is home to a pair of Iron Age hill forts plus a burial cist. Other prehistoric features are also present such as the remains of a timber roundhouse site and middens. Meaning "Hill of the Foreigners" (the same Celtic root as the Irish county of Donegal) the fort sits on natural hills of volcanic basalt and clear signs of vitrification (melting of the stone) are visible in places.
Dramatic 30+ metre cliffs are present around the basalt ridge, and a dry stone bailey wall is still present partly surrounding the fort. Various artefacts have been collected from the fort, from the Iron and Bronze ages, and many are held at the main museum in Rothesay.
To access, take the Plan Road from Kingarth (signed for St Blanes Chapel). At the end of the road there is a bus turning area, but just before this you will find a number of free parking spaces. Slighly further back up the road, around 200m, there is a small layby opposite Dunagoil Farm which holds 3-4 cars. Park at either. The forts are clearly visible and the walk is around half a mile across farmland which is frequently used for cattle and sheep. There are no facilities and just one general interpretation board at the entrance.
