Craig Phadrig hill fort, Inverness

From the Craig Phadrig car park on Leachkin Brae, a surfaced path winds into the forest and climbs to a path that circles just below the top. A steep path leads up to the grassy clearing on the summit, the site of the fort, and round its rim. The walk drops from the far end, rejoins the path below and follows the yellow-waymarked trail round the north and east sides of the hill, above new houses, back to the car park.

It is 1.8 km with 88 m of ascent; allow about ¾ hour. The grade is Easy: short, with one steep pull up to the fort.

The ramparts enclose an area about 75 m by 23 m and are now grassed over. Excavation in 1971 showed that the walls had been vitrified, the stone heated until it fused. The fort was used again by the Picts, and legend says St Columba met the Pictish King Brude here. Trees hide most of Inverness, but there is a view north over the Beauly Firth to Ben Wyvis.

The car park is free. Buses from Inverness city centre run nearby. The nearest station is Inverness, about 2.8 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.