Druchtag Motte

Dumfries & Galloway | Mochrum | Castle earthworks | ★

[Druchtag Motte]

A prominent mound looms over the country lane heading north from Mochrum village. The shape is unmistakable: it can only be a defensive motte left over from the period pre-dating stone castles. Druchtag Motte has been dated to the 12th or 13th century, and probably housed a timber castle on its summit. Though aided by a rope, the way up onto the motte is alarmingly steep, with the ascent surely quite a feat if the grass is wet. At least the defences are clearly still doing their job!

[The climb up onto the motte - much steeper than it looks!]

Location & info

📌 Druchtag Motte ★
By minor road immediately north of Mochrum, G.R.: NX 349467 ///flick.actual.fairy
Always open | Free

💬 Parking by the entrance is tight, so it might be best to park in Mochrum village just to the south.



[View over Mochrum from the top]

[Druchtag Motte]

Comments

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk: Livingston's jaw-dropping waterfall

Image
West Lothian | Livingston | Short walk | ★★★ ⚠ Route currently impassable - see red text below [Linn Jaw lower falls] What springs to mind when someone mentions Livingston, West Lothian? Sprawling road junctions, retail parks, 1960s architecture... how about a splendid waterfall? Under a mile from the town's southernmost suburbs, the Camilty Water drops into a short but beautiful gorge sharply at odds with the gentleness of the surrounding farmland. Two substantial waterfalls and several smaller ones tumble into the depths; the largest is actually fed by a crumbling mill lade (the mill no longer exists) but this isn't obvious from below. Parking is limited, but the walk from the nearest road begins promisingly. The last few hundred metres of the route are however a bit sketchy: stepping stones across a side burn, and a very slippery slope to reach the best viewpoint - more details below. Important The house and gardens alongside the path are someone’s home, and alth
More

Sawney Bean's Cave

Image
South Ayrshire | Ballantrae | Cave | ★★★ [Sawney Bean's Cave (centre)] It's a name guaranteed to send a shiver down many a spine (especially if you've visited The Edinburgh Dungeon ). Folklore tells that Sawney Bean was the head of a cannibalistic Scottish clan who inhabited a deep sea cave on the South Ayrshire coast. Each night Sawney, his equally savage spouse and two generations of their offspring would ambush unwary travellers on the nearby highway: their dismembered bodies forming the staple of a murderous diet. We can't vouch for whether any of the tale is true, but what's certain is that you can still travel along the highway (today the A77) where the ambushes may have happened, then follow in the clan's footsteps down to the cave where victims were devoured. The cave is a couple of hundred metres long, pitch black at the back (torches required!), and several degrees colder than outside - even on the warmest and sunniest of evenings. You might ev
More

Walk: Towpath, tunnel & Colinton Dell

Image
City of Edinburgh | Slateford | Short walk | ★★★ [Colinton Dell] The southwestern suburbs of Edinburgh conceal a true wee gem. Colinton Dell is one of the most intimate and scenic sections of the Water of Leith, carved deep into the bedrock between Slateford and Colinton. Loved by locals, it's well worth a quick trip out by bus for visitors staying in the city centre. This intricate circuit by canal towpath, dismantled railway (featuring a tunnel covered in eye-catching murals) and riverside path explores the water course on two vertical levels, with options for refreshments at the halfway point in Colinton Village - from where we feature a longer extension to Torduff Reservoir and Bonaly Country Park. [Colinton Tunnel] 📌 Walk: Towpath, tunnel & Colinton Dell ★★★ Start / finish at Water of Leith Visitor Centre (street parking available to west), Lanark Road (A70), Slateford, 3 mi southwest of Edinburgh Waverley station, G.R.: NT 221707 ///tree.pulled.judges
More