An impressively located promontory 2000 year old fort on top of the cliffs overlooking Luce Bay and the Irish Sea. Parking is available at the foot of the cliff on the A747 and a climb up the steep steps is rewarded by a decent fort with well preserved ramparts. It is sub-square measuring internally 42 metres N-S by 44 metres and is contained on three sides by two earthen ramparts with a medial ditch; steep coastal slopes on the south- east provide strong natural defences. The ditch, best preserved on the north-west and south-east, is 10 metres wide and up to 3.5 metres deep; the banks are up to 2 metres wide and 1.1 metres high. The entrance is not apparent and the earthwork has been mutilated by a field bank and track on the north east side. The fort probably housed one or more large round houses for a single extended family. Little is known about the Novantae people, and their only historical reference is a brief mention in Ptolemy’s Geography. The nearby Rispain Camp was also likely a Novantae farmstead.
How to get there from The Old Smiddy; 5.1 miles via A747 (8 mins). What3words: copy.bombshell.quibble
