Argyll & Bute
Dunadd Fort, Kilmartin Glen — Parking
Dunadd Fort Car Park, off the A816 · Grid ref NR 837 936 · Free. Dunadd is a Historic Environment Scotland site with free entry, open all year — historicenvironment.scot, read 6 Sep 2026.
Quick facts
- Grid reference
- NR 837 936
- Spaces
- A small car park off the A816 at the foot of the rock. Historic Environment Scotland say only that "parking is available" and publish no capacity.
- Cost
- Free. Dunadd is a Historic Environment Scotland site with free entry, open all year — historicenvironment.scot, read 6 Sep 2026.
- Surface
- gravel
- Drive from Glasgow
- 2h 25m
- Drive from Edinburgh
- 3h
From the car park
The car park is signed off the A816 between Lochgilphead and Kilmartin. HES are explicit that "this site is accessed through working farmland" and ask visitors to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to keep themselves and the livestock safe — you go through a farm gate and past stock to reach the rock.
The walk
Short, and steeper and rockier than the height suggests. HES recommend strong footwear and they mean it: the path onto the summit rock is worn, uneven and slippery when wet, with a scramble at the top. Ten to fifteen minutes gets you up. The carvings sit on a rock terrace just below the summit — the footprints are under a protective cast, so what you see is a replica rather than the original surface, which is deliberate and is what keeps the original intact.
Busy times
Steady in summer along with the rest of Kilmartin Glen, but it is a small site and the car park turns over quickly.
Getting here without a car
Buses on the A816 between Lochgilphead and Oban pass close by. Check Traveline Scotland for the current service and stop; expect a walk on a fast rural road.
Winter access
The rock is slick in the wet and worse in a frost, and the approach across the bog margin is soft. The A816 is a main road and is kept open. This is a short outing that is genuinely dangerous underfoot in the wrong conditions, on a surface that never dries out fully.
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 06:35
- Sunset
- 20:06
- Civil dawn
- 05:56
- Civil dusk
- 20:44
NOAA Solar Calculator · 6 September 2026
Frequently asked questions
- Is Dunadd Fort free to visit?
- Yes. Historic Environment Scotland state that Dunadd Fort is free to visit and open year-round, with parking available. Read off the HES plan-your-visit page on 6 September 2026.
- How long does it take to walk up Dunadd?
- Ten to fifteen minutes to the top from the car park. It is short but rocky, worn and slippery when wet — HES recommend strong footwear.
- What are the carvings at Dunadd?
- On a rock terrace below the summit there is a carved boar, ogham inscription, a rock-cut basin and two human footprints, thought to have been used in the inauguration of the kings of Dál Riata. The footprint surface you see is a protective cast covering the original carving.
- Is Dunadd on a farm?
- The site is reached through working farmland with livestock. HES ask visitors to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code so that both you and the animals stay safe — keep dogs under close control and shut the gates behind you.
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