Caterthun

Caterthun is a ridge of hills near Brechin in Angus, Scotland. Two Iron Age forts stand on the ridge, known as the White Caterthun and the Brown Caterthun. Both are scheduled monuments protected by law. The White Caterthun lies to the west and the Brown Caterthun to the east. Light-coloured stones give the White Caterthun its name. The White Caterthun has an oval fort built with a massive dry-stone wall. A well or cistern sits in the middle of the fort. The Brown Caterthun consists of earthen embankments without clear signs of settlement or farming. Its name may come from the old British word for hill. Radio-carbon dating shows the Brown Caterthun was built and changed over several centuries in the first millennium BC. Visitors reach both forts by paths that lead to summit entrances radiating like spokes. The purpose of these entrances is not known. The main stone wall on the White Caterthun may have been built by the Picts or their forerunners in the first few centuries AD. The hills offer wide views across the surrounding countryside. The contrast between the pale stone walls and the earthen banks is striking.