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Columned basalt cliffs rise above a pebble and rock shore where waves break gently, low hills fading into mist along the coastline.
Isle of Arran

Drumadoon Point

A headland of columned porphyry cliffs north of Blackwaterfoot, topped by the Doon, the largest Iron Age fort on Arran, with a path through the boulders below.

Welcome

Just north of Blackwaterfoot, the land ends in a headland of tall basalt cliffs, their rock split into great columns that rise above a shore of pebbles and boulders.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

This is Drumadoon Point, and on top of the cliffs lies the Doon, the largest Iron Age fort on Arran.

The fort covers almost twelve acres. Its builders let the sheer cliffs guard the seaward side and raised a single wall, up to three metres thick, round the other three, an arrangement rarely found on Scotland's west coast. Inside stands a standing stone far older than the fort itself, set up in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age.

Park by the golf course in Blackwaterfoot and walk north along the shore. The Arran Coastal Way threads a path through the boulders beneath the cliffs, and carries on towards King's Cave for those with time for a longer walk.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

Open at all times.

Park at the golf course in Blackwaterfoot and follow the shore north.

Start
Blackwaterfoot golf course.
Fort
Almost 12 acres.
Path
The Arran Coastal Way.

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Did you know

A jagged rock pinnacle rises from a grassy, fenced hillside beside columned cliffs under an overcast sky.
Did you know

Older than the fort.

The standing stone inside the Doon was raised in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, long before the fort was built.

Waves break over seaweed-covered rocks at the base of columned basalt cliffs beneath an overcast sky.
Did you know

A rare kind of fort.

Single-walled promontory forts like the Doon are rare on the west coast of Scotland.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Arran

Just north of Blackwaterfoot, the coast ends in tall cliffs of basalt split into great columns. On top lies the Doon, the largest Iron Age fort on Arran, covering almost twelve acres. Its builders let the cliffs guard the seaward side and raised one thick wall round the rest. Within the walls is a standing stone far older than the fort itself. Park by the golf course in Blackwaterfoot and walk north along the shore, where the Arran Coastal Way picks a path through the boulders. Keep going and it leads on to King's Cave.

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What is on

What is new across Arran, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on on Arran
01 / 04
Where it is

Just north of the golf course at Blackwaterfoot, with parking by the course.

Close byBlackwaterfoot.
  1. Blackwater BakehouseBlackwater BakehouseUnder a mile 5 min by road
  2. Jess MacDonald BrassJess MacDonald BrassA silversmith's studio in Blackwaterfoot.2 miles 7 min by road
  3. King's CaveKing's CaveCarved sea caves to the north.3 miles 9 min by road
  4. Cafe Thyme, MachrieCafe Thyme, MachrieThe cafe at the Old Byre in Machrie, where a Turkish wood-fired oven bakes pide and flatbread alongside local Arran produce.7 miles 19 min by road
  5. The Old Byre ShowroomThe Old Byre ShowroomA family-run knitwear and clothing showroom at Machrie on Arran's west coast, begun in 1967 selling sheepskins, with a cafe and a play park.7 miles 19 min by road
  6. Machrie Moor Stone CirclesMachrie Moor Stone CirclesStone circles up the coast.7 miles 14 min by road
Directions
White wooden hut on a pebbled shore with hills beyondAttractionsDougarie Estate6.9 miles
Modern angular building with sign reading "Welcome to Lagg Distillery, Isle of ArranAttractionsLagg Distillery7.4 miles
Handmade wooden clocks, bowls and toys displayed on tables inside a whitewashed workshopShoppingKilmory Workshop9.0 miles
Lichen-covered rocks and tidal pools along a grassy coastal shorelineAttractionsHutton’s Unconformity9.0 miles
Seals resting on lichen-covered rocks with others swimming in the seaWalksArran Coastal Way with Thistle Trekking9.0 miles
Whitewashed cottages with red doors, a green wheelbarrow in the gravel courtyardAttractionsIsle of Arran Heritage Museum11 miles
Sandstone building with sign reading "Arran, Sense of Scotland, by Arran AromaticsShoppingARRAN Sense of Scotland11 miles
Arran's Cheese Shop entrance with red pillars and a wooden signboard outsideShoppingArran's Cheese Shop11 miles
Waterfall tumbling through rocks below Skye's jagged Cuillin peaksAttractionsThe Blue Pool, Glen Rosa11 miles

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What we have written about it and more on Arran.

From the magazineA is for ArranArticleThings to do on the Isle of Arran
More on Arran
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .