Dun Evan

Dun Evan, also known as the Doune of Cawdor, is a hill fort in the Highlands of Scotland. It stands on a rocky hill 2.5 kilometres south-west of Cawdor, between the River Nairn and its tributary the Allt Dearg. The hill rises to 678 feet, offering wide views across the valleys and as far as the Moray Firth at Nairn, seven miles to the north-east. Historic Environment Scotland recognises the site as nationally important. A ruined wall once enclosed the summit, enclosing an area 58 metres by 25 metres, with traces of vitrification recorded in 1963. The fort’s defences include two phases of walls. The outer wall survives to an average height of 0.4 metres and spreads up to ten metres wide. A smaller inner wall, likely timber-laced, marks a later phase built from stones of the earlier defences. Inside the enclosure is a circular depression about 3.5 metres across and 0.6 metres deep, thought to be a well or cistern. Further down the slopes are additional earthworks and arcs of ruined walling, including a 180-foot arc to the south-west and a 130-foot arc to the north-east. Visitors reach the fort by walking up the rocky slopes to the summit. The ruined walls and earthworks show how the site was defended over time. From the top, views stretch across the surrounding valleys and to the coast at Nairn. The site’s layout and surviving stones give a sense of its past use and the people who once lived there.