Fort Trail, Ord Hill

History

The Fort Trail climbs through the forest on Ord Hill to the Iron Age fort on the summit. Forestry and Land Scotland says the fort's stout stone walls and wooden palisade would have shown the strength and power of the people who lived there, and that this fort and the one at Craig Phadrig must at one time have dominated the surrounding landscape; today it is a ruin. The national record of the historic environment (Canmore) describes a vitrified fort enclosing an area of about 265 m by 115 m on the rocky summit. The wall is now mostly overgrown with turf and trees, and vitrified stone can be seen at intervals around the whole circuit except at the strengthened south-west approach, which is blocked by two curving walls of bare rubble stone.