The Hill of Dunnideer – A Broken Tower on a Hill Fort
The Hill of Dunnideer is the green cone that stands on its own beside Insch, with one broken wall of a castle on top and a great empty window arch that you can see for miles.
The tower may be the oldest tower house on the Scottish mainland, and it was built inside the ramparts of a far older fort. The climb from the road is short and very steep, and the view over the Garioch to Bennachie is the reward.
- Time
- About half an hour up and down from the lay-by, a short and very steep climb of about 500 metres each way. Or one and a half to two hours by the 5.25 km (3.25 mile) circuit from Insch that Walkhighlands describes.
- The path
- A grassy path, short and very steep, slippery when wet.
- Where to start
- The small lay-by on Western Road, on the west side of Insch, at the foot of the hill. Free, with room for about five cars.
- When to go
- All year in daylight and reasonable weather. From November to January set off on the longer circuit by 12.30pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead: animals graze the hill.
- Children
- A steep, short climb children enjoy, but the walls at the top are loose and unfenced.
- Toilets
- None at the hill.
- Before you set out
- The ruin and the ramparts are loose, uneven and unfenced.
The walk
A small lay-by on Western Road, on the west side of Insch, sits at the foot of the hill. It's free and has room for about five cars. From there a grassy path of about 500 metres climbs straight to the top. It's short and very steep, and half an hour is enough to go up and come down. Walkhighlands describes a longer circuit of 5.25 km from Insch, with 118 metres of climbing, at one and a half to two hours.
The hill is a green cone standing alone above the village, and on its crown is one broken wall of a castle with a tall window arch through it. Visit Aberdeenshire dates the tower to about 1260 and calls it possibly the earliest tower house on the Scottish mainland. It was built partly from the stones of the prehistoric fort it stands in, and the banks of that fort still ring the hilltop. The fort's walls were once burned so fiercely that the stone fused, which is why it's called a vitrified fort. From the top you look over Insch and the farmland of the Garioch to Bennachie.
The summit is bare and windy, the old walls are loose and unfenced, and the slope is slippery when wet. Animals graze the hill, so keep dogs on a lead. There are no toilets. From November to January, set off on the longer circuit by 12.30pm.
If it rains
The grass slope is steep enough to be awkward when it's wet, and the top is open to every wind. In rain or a gale, look at the tower from the road and come back on a dry day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Clara.Prett.2019 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons