<< Our Photo Pages >> Carman Hill Fort - Hillfort in Scotland in West Dunbartonshire
Submitted by AstroGeologist on Friday, 26 April 2019 Page Views: 5626
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Carman Hill Fort Alternative Name: Carman Hillfort, Carman FortCountry: Scotland County: West Dunbartonshire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Dumbarton Nearest Village: Renton / Alexandria
Map Ref: NS37207944
Latitude: 55.980245N Longitude: 4.610828W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
AstroGeologist visited on 22nd Apr 2019 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 2 Carman Hill Fort: A strategically well positioned Iron Age Hillfort with amazing 300° views (The view to the North is blocked by Overton Muir -288m)
I have had an interest in this site ever since l read about the possible 'King Arthur' connection after reading "William Scobie"s convincing article on the subject (Robert de Brus settled in the area 600+ years later, so perhaps the area has always been inhabited by leaders, chieftains or kings)
The Vale of Leven is a prime location, Carman Hillfort along with The Dumbarton Rock Settlement are thought to have been occupied by the Damnonii before Roman occupation, with their descendants later reclaiming Dumbarton Rock and making it the capital of their Kingdom ~ Alt Clut.
There is impressive stonework remaining on the HillFort, with several large Menhir sized stones lying on their side and partially covered by soil and grass. Were any of these ever erect as Standing Stones l wonder? Some of the large stones in the wall are an impressive size, especially on the lower Southern sections.
A field wall dividing the Fort in two seem to be the same type and age of stone found in the Fort, suggesting they have been taken at some time in the past to make fields on the hillside.
In 1863 the boulders suffered some damage, as recorded in the 1927 book 'The Old Vale and Its Memories' by "J.G.Temple" and "James Ferguson". Local youths from the Vale carried coals, wood and tar, and had a great bonfire which could be seen in many counties. The fire cracked the big rocks badly and the damage can still be seen today. In "Iain.C. Lees" 1933 book 'The Campsies and the Land of Lennox' - it states that local traditions consider the stones on the summit to be the supposed site of a 'Druid temple'.
Due to time constraints l didn't have time to investigate the numerous Hut Circle remains, l will do that next time l visit.
l would definitely recommend a visit to this site, it has never been excavated, so who knows what historical artefacts or remains lie under the surface.
This impressive Iron Age Hillfort is situated on Carman Hill.
Halfway down the slopes are the remains of a Neolithic Chambered Cairn.
Sitting 230m above sea level, the summit covers an area of nearly 4 acres and overlooks the River Clyde to the South and Vale of Leven to the East, it sits in front of Overton Muir (288m) to it's North and has stunning views down the Firth of Clyde to the Cowal Peninsula & Arrochar Alps in the West
It was a double walled fortification, with a smaller inner enclosure on the Northern edge of the summit surrounded by a large outer enclosure, that contained 12~15 Hut Circles. There are ditch remains on the steeper, sheltered Northern side.
The inner enclosure had an oval plan, measuring approx 55m from E to W by 40m, and was protected by 3m thick walls, now mostly removed.
The outer enclosure measures about 180m from NW to SE by 140m, and was encircled with a large stone wall roughly 2.5m thick.
From the summit of the Hillfort looking SE, Alt Clut is easy to see on the banks of the Clyde 5.7km away, and Dumbowie Dun is also visible 6.5km away.
Carman Hill Cairn is roughly 1.55km away on the Southern slope as you descend towards the River Clyde. Travelling North you have Cameron Farm Cairns roughly 2.65km away, or Loch Lomond at about 3km (Distance's are as the crow flies)
While locals have known about the massive shaped Granite boulders on top of Carman Hill for centuries, it wasn't until 1954 it was recognized as an ancient Hillfort, when Dr. K.A.Steer took photograph's of the site from the air. No excavation or full investigation of the Fort has ever been carried out.
Some Archaeologists link the Hillfort to 'Artair MacAedan', the 6th century Brittonic Chieftain who inspired the King Arthur stories hundreds of years later. They think he took control of the Fort and made it a military or possibly religious stronghold ~ his Camelot : http://valeofleven.org.uk/contributions/carmancamelot.html
With this family claiming direct lineage to the Legendary King : http://clannarthur.com/home_index.htm
For more information : Canmore ID 42357.
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