Pretty easy to get here. From Campbeltown, follow the coastal round south for about 8 miles, past the TV masts on the skyline and the hamlet of Feochaig, where you’ll see the large rounded hill on your left near the coast: yes, that’s The Bastard !
Archaeology & History
I couldn’t believe it when I found this one – so had to Google notes and add what I could find when I was there! When the fellas from the Scottish Royal Commission checked the place in 1960, they described The Bastard as....
“On a narrow shelf halfway down the east flank of the hill named The Bastard there are the remains of a dun… Oval in plan, the dun measures about 15m by 12m internally and is entered from the east, where a stretch of the outer face is visible. Here the wall is 4m thick on either side of a straight passageway, 0.9m wide, which exhibits no trace of door-checks.”
In 1971 the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland wrote....
There are other remains a few yards to the south-east of the main structure which are thought to be “remains of an outer wall…about 1.2m in thickness, which has been drawn across the shelf to provide additional protection for the entrance”, more probably from the weather conditions than invasive incoming humans.
The cache should be a simple find but please re hide it carefully. There is adequate parking at ground zero and after finding the cache why not take a few mins and head up to the top of the summit. The ground underfoot is slightly damp, and its 'squelchy' under foot. The route to the summit is steep but should not require the use of ropes or crampons or other specialist equipment. Oh, and don't expect snow at the summit either.