This is the only path up, under the castle, through a defensive gatehouse and up to the fort itself. Defenders dumped boulders down on attackers - along with arrows and spears. I am adding more history mostly because of the names of the key players over the years. Zoom will not help. HISTORY - Alt Clut was the Viking name of area around Dumbarton and by 870, was home to a tightly packed British (Viking) settlement, which served as a fortress and as the capital of Alt Clut. The Vikings laid siege to Dumbarton for four months, eventually defeating the inhabitants when they ran out of water. The Norse king Olaf returned to the Viking city of Dublin in 871, with two hundred ships full of slaves and looted treasures. Olaf came to an agreement with Constantine I of Scotland, and Artgal of Alt Clut. Alt Clut 's independence may have come to an end with the death of Owen the Bald, when the dynasty of Kenneth mac Alpin began to rule the region. In medieval Scotland, Dumbarton (which means 'the fortress of the Britons') was an important royal castle. It sheltered David II and his young wife, Joan of The Tower after the Scottish defeat at Halidon Hill in 1333. In 1425 the castle was attacked by James the Fat, youngest son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, who had been imprisoned by King James I of Scotland on charges of treason. James the Fat became a rallying point for enemies of the King, and raised a large rebellion against the crown. He marched on the town of Dumbarton and burned it, but was unable to take the castle, whose defender John Colquhoun successfully held out against James' men. In 1548, after the Battle of Pinkie, east of Edinburgh, the infant Mary, Queen of Scots was kept at the castle for several months before her removal to France for safety. In October 1570, Lord Fleming fortified the castle for Mary against the supporters of James VI of Scotland with stones he obtained by demolishing churches and houses in Dumbarton and Cardross. The castle's importance declined after Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658. Due to threats posed by Jacobites and the French in the eighteenth century, Britain built new structures and defences there and continued to garrison the castle until World War II. Info from Wikipedia. This 1995 photo was scanned. Thanks for stopping by my gallery, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana