Craig Phadrig

Craig Phadrig is a forested hill on the western edge of Inverness in the Highlands. It rises 172 metres above sea level and overlooks the Beauly Firth to the north and the mouth of the River Ness to the north-east. The hill’s name in Gaelic means Rock of Patrick. A hill fort stands on the summit, once the base of the Pictish king Bridei mac Maelchon who ruled in the 6th century. The site is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. The fort is vitrified, meaning its stone walls were fused by intense heat into a glass-like material. The inner wall encloses an area about 75 by 23 metres and still stands nearly 1.2 metres high. Excavations in the 1970s found Pictish tools and French pottery from the 7th century. Radiocarbon tests date the inner wall to the 4th century. The fort is protected as a scheduled monument. Visitors reach the summit along woodland paths that wind through mixed forest. The views stretch across the Beauly Firth and the River Ness. Interpretive signs explain the fort’s history and the legends of St Columba’s meeting with Bridei. The hill offers quiet glades and open grassy clearings. On clear days the Moray Firth can be seen to the east.