The Ancient Codex Knock on the door of the past

Fortified place · Medieval · Argyll and Bute

Dùn Ara

Reached on a public path · About 60 min · Rough ground — reasonable boots advised

Photo: Clydiee / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0Got a better photo of Dùn Ara?

Reachable only by boat or cliff path, this ruined castle stands atop an earlier Gaelic fort and may have guarded a harbour built for Norse-age ships.

At Sorne Point, waves surround the rocky spur below Dùn Ara on almost every side. The ruin faces Coll and the Ardnamurchan peninsula; approach is by a narrow cliff path from Glengorm Castle or by boat along Mull’s northern shore.

What stands today is a medieval stone castle raised over something older: a dùn, the Gaelic word for a fortified stronghold, that had occupied the same defensible outcrop long before mortared walls appeared. Below the ruins lies the Bathing Pool, a small harbour cut or built into the rock, which may itself predate the castle and hints that the site was valued for its sheltered anchorage rather than its walls alone; it is thought the Norse made use of the same landing.

For generations Clan MacKinnon held Dùn Ara, working the castle into their control of this stretch of coastline until it was finally given up in 1642. The abandoned ruin then stood exposed to the weather for more than three and a half centuries before it was formally recognised as a scheduled monument in 2003.

What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.

History

Long before the surviving stonework was raised, a dùn, a Gaelic fortified stronghold, already occupied this rocky spur at Sorne Point, its position chosen to command the sea approaches towards Coll and Ardnamurchan. The name Dùn Ara preserves that earlier fortification, marking out ground that had been valued for its natural defences well before any castle stood there.

Below the rock lies the Bathing Pool, a small harbour that appears to have been cut or built rather than simply found in nature, and it may have existed even earlier than the fortification above it. Whoever controlled the outcrop at Sorne Point controlled this sheltered landing place too, and the anchorage is thought to have seen use by Norse seafarers exploiting the same natural shelter on their routes through the Hebrides.

In medieval times the dùn was rebuilt in stone as a proper castle, its walls set directly onto the outcrop so that the cliffs themselves formed part of the defence. The new castle stood squarely above the Bathing Pool, and its position let its occupants watch both the harbour below and the open sea beyond towards Coll and Ardnamurchan.

Clan MacKinnon held and garrisoned the stronghold for generations, using its command of the Bathing Pool below to control movement along this part of Mull's northern coast. Their occupation lasted through the medieval period until the castle was finally abandoned in 1642, after which the buildings were left to the weather.

For more than three and a half centuries after Clan MacKinnon left, the ruins stood largely undisturbed, accessible only by the same sea crossing or cliff path used by their original occupants. On 11 November 2003 Dùn Ara was designated a scheduled monument, extending legal protection to both the visible castle remains and the earlier dùn beneath them.

People

  • Clan MacKinnon

    Held and garrisoned Dùn Ara through the medieval period, controlling the castle until its abandonment in 1642.

Connections

  • Glengorm Castle

    The nearby house, about 1.5 kilometres southeast, whose grounds hold the path and shoreline route by which Dùn Ara is reached today.

  • Isle of Coll

    Visible across the water from Dùn Ara, part of the seaward outlook the fortification's position was suited to watch over.

  • Ardnamurchan

    The mainland peninsula visible from the castle, another point on the coastal sightline covered by its position at Sorne Point.

What to look for

  • The Bathing Pool

    A small man-made harbour cut into the rock below the castle, thought possibly to predate the fortress that was positioned to guard it.

  • The sea approach

    Dùn Ara can still only be reached by boat or by the cliff path from Glengorm Castle, the same restricted access that shaped the site's original defensive value.

  • Views to Coll and Ardnamurchan

    From the ruined walls the coastline opens out towards the Isle of Coll and the Ardnamurchan peninsula, the sightlines that made the outcrop useful for watching seaward approaches.

  • Layered fortifications

    Medieval masonry sits directly over the remains of the earlier dùn, allowing two distinct periods of fortification to be traced on the same small footprint of rock.

Plan your visit

Location
56.6403°N · 6.1978°W
Nearest settlement
Tobermory
Access
Reached on a public path
Terrain
Rough ground — reasonable boots advised
Time needed
About 60 minutes
What survives
Ruined medieval masonry overlies the remains of an earlier dun on a rocky coastal outcrop.

Opening & admission

No admission charge is recorded; check the managing body's site before travelling for the latest access information.

  • Reachable only by a path from Glengorm Castle or by sea
  • Site sits on a rocky outcrop at Sorne Point, so footing is uneven
  • A scheduled monument

Nearby places

The setting

  • Bathing pool and rocky coast near Dùn Ara; the fort outcrop is not visible.

    Photo: Gordon Hatton / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Questions people ask

What is Dùn Ara?
A ruined medieval castle on the Isle of Mull, built over an earlier dùn (a Gaelic fortified stronghold) on a rocky outcrop at Sorne Point.
Where is Dùn Ara located?
In Glengorm on Mull's northern coast, about 1.5 kilometres northwest of Glengorm Castle, reachable only by boat or by a cliff path.
Who controlled Dùn Ara?
Clan MacKinnon held and used the castle throughout the medieval period until it was abandoned in 1642.
Is Dùn Ara a protected monument?
Yes. It was designated a scheduled monument on 11 November 2003, protecting both the castle ruins and the earlier dùn beneath them.
What is the Bathing Pool at Dùn Ara?
A small man-made harbour below the castle, possibly built before the fortress itself, which the castle is thought to have been positioned to defend.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Dùn Ara
  2. Historic Environment Scotland — Scheduled Monument record
  3. Wikidata: Dùn Ara

Explore more: Fortified places · Medieval · Argyll and Bute

The Ancient Codex, in your pocket

Get the Pocket Codex app

Carry the directory with you — Dùn Ara and thousands of ancient places across Britain and Ireland, offline, wherever you roam.

Get the app →