I stood on top of Dumbarton Rock and looked down on what I have posted. I can not believe that men with swords could capture the lower fort and fight their way 240 feet (73 meters) up the rock face that you see. (You have to imagine that the cannon and stonework below were not there 1255 years ago.) My next post will give you a better look at the path up. A 1995 photo scanned. Zoom will help with the current details. HISTORY - Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton, and sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock. At least as far back as the Iron Age, this has been the site of a strategically important settlement. Its early residents were known to have traded with the Romans. The presence of a settlement is first recorded in a letter Saint Patrick wrote to King Ceretic of Alt Clut in the late 5th century. From the fifth century until the ninth, the castle was the centre of the independent British Kingdom of Strathclyde. The King of the Britons (Vikings)of Dumbarton in about AD 570 was Riderch Hael, who features in Norse legends. During his reign Merlin was said to have stayed at Alt Clut. In 756 the first (and second) losses of Dumbarton Rock were recorded. A joint force of Picts and Northumbrians captured Alcluith after a siege, only to lose it again a few days later. Info from Wikipedia. Thanks for stopping by my gallery, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana