Castle Dounie – A Hill Fort above the Sound of Jura
About 4 miles on foot.
Above the quiet bay of Crinan Harbour, a steep trail climbs through Atlantic oakwood to the walls of an old stone fort on a crag.
The view from it is one of the great ones of the west coast: the Sound of Jura and its islands on one side, the Crinan basin and the hills of mid Argyll on the other. It's 6.5 km and about two and a half hours.
- Time
- About two and a half hours: Forestry and Land Scotland's Crinan Trail, 6.5 km, strenuous, with about 265 m of climbing. A walk, long and steep.
- The path
- Long steep slopes for 600 m with several sets of rough steps; uneven gravel, narrow, grassy and rough rocky sections; may be muddy.
- Where to start
- The trail car park at Crinan Harbour; no charge.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 12.30pm to be down in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by 12.30pm. Keep it for a clear day: the view is the point.
- Dogs
- Under close control; steep drops at the fort.
- Children
- A long steep climb, and the fort stands on a crag with steep drops: older children, kept close at the top.
- Toilets
- None at the harbour; public toilets on the quay at Crinan village, at the end of the canal.
The walk
Crinan Harbour is the quiet bay just west of the canal basin, at the end of the B841, and the trail's car park there has no charge. Forestry and Land Scotland's Crinan Trail is 6.5 km and takes about two and a half hours. It's graded strenuous, with long steep slopes for 600 metres and several sets of rough steps, then uneven gravel, narrow grassy and rocky stretches and some mud.
Walkhighlands gives the climb as 265 metres. The way up is through ash, birch and conifers and then Atlantic oakwood, and the top is Castle Dounie, an old stone fort on a high rocky knoll where stretches of its drystone wall still stand. The crag looks straight out over the Sound of Jura and the Inner Hebrides and back across the Crinan basin, and on a clear day you can pick out Ben Cruachan far to the north-east.
The knoll falls away steeply, so keep children and dogs close at the top. The nearest public toilets and refreshments are on the quay at Crinan village, at the end of the canal. From November to January set off by 12.30pm.
If it rains
The steep steps and rocky stretches are slippery in rain, and in low cloud the Sound of Jura disappears. Keep the fort for a clear 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 Ewa Malagowska via Google