Crammag Head fort

About Crammag Head fort

Now the location of a lighthouse, Crammag Head promontory was once used by Iron Age builders as a secure defensive position on the extreme South West coast of the Rhins. You can make out the ditches and causeway, and a rounded circle of a building on the seaward side, the remnants of a circular stone-built broch or dun, up to 19.5m in diameter. The original construction of the lighthouse has obscured the outline and removed some of stones forming the dun. The coastline here juts out into the Irish Sea and "Crammag" means bent or hooked in old Gaelic.
The lighthouse was originally built in 1913, but rebuilt, as a solar-powered automatic lighthouse, in 2009. With care - and not on windy days - you can climb down the steps for a closer inspection of the landing pad for the lighthouse.
Nearby are some much more recent remains of World War II look out posts, also taking strategic advantage of the panoramic view of the Irish Sea channel.
The site is on the Rhins Coastal Path which stretches 83 miles around the Rhins peninsula. There is no dedicated parking, so considerate roadside parking is the only resource, but a farm at Slockmill nearby has holiday accommodation. You may also spot a rare survival : a turf-covered Galloway dyke, on the approach to the promontory fort. Looking to the south and a prominent bluff up above the farm, you can see another fort on top of neighbouring Dunman. This is also a good place to see porpoises, gannets and seals, and qualified rock climbers have also marked climbing routes below the lighthouse.