A walk to Skirley Craig hillfort

The other day, I walked up to Skirley Craig hillfort on the boundary of the Scottish highlands, to the north of Crieff. Crieff is a small town in Strathearn, located on a hill overlooking the valley. Just to the north of the town is the Knock of Crieff, which is Gaelic for the hill of Crieff. The name Crieff is derived from the Gaelic, Craoibh, which means ‘tree’ or perhaps ‘sacred tree’. To the north of the hill or knock, is Monzie estate. I walked through the estate on my way to Skirley Craig hillfort, and came across a stone circle or burial cairn. There was a large stone lying flat on the ground, which had ‘cup and ring mark’ carvings. The carvings are thought to date to the Neolithic, around 5,000 years ago. The meaning and purpose of the carvings is unknown. However, I would like to think that they were trying to map the heavens. Most of the cup and ring mark carvings in Scotland are found to the west, with good examples in Kilmartin glen in Argyll. They’re found in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, northern England, Brittany in France, Galicia in Spain, and Portugal, along the coast of the Atlantic. There are also examples elsewhere in the world. This is one of the best examples I’m aware of in central and north east Scotland. To the east of the stone circle is Milquhanzie hill, which is also the site of a hillfort.

Once I had walked through Monzie estate, I climbed up towards the hills. After half an hour or so, I could see Skirley Craig hill. The hill is a ridge which runs from east to west, with a steep cliff on the north side. The hillfort is located on the western end of the ridge. There isn’t a lot of information on the hillfort. It probably dates to the iron age or later Pictish times. The hillfort is defended to the east by two or three ramparts, which run towards the western end of the ridge. They may have been dry stone ramparts or earthen ramparts with wooden palisades. There’s an entrance in the ramparts to the east. The hillfort has commanding views all around. It may have been occupied on a permanent basis or it may have been a place of refuge during times of crisis. It may have also been used on a seasonal basis, perhaps when the cattle and other animals were driven to higher ground during the summer.