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Watenan is an Iron Age fort situated 100 metres south-south-west of Ulbster in Caithness, northern Scotland. The monument is strategically positioned on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a mixed geology of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone formed during the Middle Devonian period, which provides a naturally stable foundation for substantial defensive structures.
The fort represents the settlement and defensive practices of Iron Age communities in the far north of Britain, a period when hillforts and fortified enclosures served as centres of power and protection across Scotland. Forts of this type typically comprised earthwork ramparts and ditches or, where bedrock permitted, stone-built fortifications, often incorporating natural topography to enhance their defensibility.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM607, recognising its archaeological significance and value as evidence of Iron Age settlement patterns and territorial organisation in Caithness. The monument contributes to understanding how Iron Age populations adapted their settlement strategies to the distinctive landscape and geology of the Scottish Highlands.
Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM607. View the official record →
Watenan is an Iron Age fort situated 100 metres south-south-west of Ulbster in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM607.
Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort 100m ssw of,ulbster. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM607.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (0.4 km), Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch (0.5 km), Groat's Loch, cairn 225m WSW of (0.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.