Walks | North-East
Dunnydeer
Start: Outskirts of village on the Insch to Coldwells road
Description: Walk up to old hill-fort at summit
OS Map: #37, Strathdon & Alford
Multimap: Online Map
Dunnydeer (or Dunnideer) is a relatively small (but surprisingly steep!!) hill situated just outside the small village of Insch, near my home, in Aberdeenshire. Although quite small, it is prominent in the area for the Iron Age fort on it's summit. The start is reached by entering Insch by the road opposite the railway station, and heading straight along the street till the right-hand bend, where you take the junction on the left. At the top of this narrow street turn left again, and follow the road up a avenue of beech trees to the signposted car park on the outside of the sharp right hand bend. Go through the gate and follow the path up the near side of the field, through another gate and up a well work space in the gorse bushes to the summit.
The small village if Insch is approximately 26 miles from Aberdeen. Although not exactly a hot-spot for tourism, it has a recently upgraded golf course (18 hole), the Bennachie Leisure Centre, railway station, a couple of hotels, a number of small shops, library, health centre/hospital and primary school. Also near-by are the Picardy Stone, and Archeaolink at Oyne.Just a couple of minutes drive away is the Bennachie hill range, with forest and hill walks to suit a wide range of abilities, from the long Gordon way that covers the whole length of the range, to the small walks round the Forestry Commission tracks.
The fort is one of the oldest ruined castles in Scotland. The summit of the hill clearly shows where the walls used to stand, with dips and rises showing where the door-way would have been. Looking south across the valley and the Kennthmonth road, the next big hill is the Hill O' Chirst's Kirk. This also has a ruin on it's summit, but it is believed to be an unfinished ruin. Looking up the valley to the west Tap O'Noth is clearly indentifiable by it's flat summit, yet another example of a hill-top fort in the srea, along with Bennachie's Mither Tap, which is one of the highest examples of a hill-fort in the country.
The dominant arch shows some signs of vitrification - when rock is fused by heat. A few other chunks of the walls can be found by skirting round the summit of the hill. Look down the hill-side to the south and see the mine sweeping machines at the Aardvark repair centre, and usually a herd of deer on the upper slopes above the sheds. I've also seen a large black cat prowling around near the railway line, so keep an eye out for any sunbathing moggies! The complete walk shouldn't take more than an hour.