#samson's stone

Dunmore Pictish Hillfort, Callander

This easily-accessible Iron Age-style hillfort is located in the Trossachs, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite parts of Scotland. The big mountain behind the fort is called Ben Ledi and according to a legend, giants held a rock throwing competition on its peak. The giant Samson won the competition by flinging a massive rock, which still lies on Bochastle Hill, the hill right next to the hillfort. It is known as ‘Samson’s Stone’ (photo 8). The hillfort itself has distinctive defensive walls and a little annexe, perhaps for keeping animals safe. You get a great view towards the Lowlands from here. You can see Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, but you can even see as far as the Pentland Hills next to Edinburgh. When you look towards Callander, you can also spot some old boundaries in a field (photo 9). These are the walls of Bochastle Roman Fort, one of the smaller forts situated at the entrance to important glens. That means the Pictish fort and the Roman fort were close by and were in sight of each other, perhaps indicating a precarious relationship between the locals and an incoming military force, a delicate balance between war and peace.