Trumpan Church

The ruined church at Trumpan stands on a windy headland above Ardmore Bay on the Vaternish peninsula, north of Dunvegan. Only the walls remain, but the churchyard is still in use and the setting is striking — open sea on three sides and the Outer Hebrides visible on a clear day.

In the churchyard is the so-called "trial stone" — a thin pillar with a hole through which an accused person was required to insert a finger in the dark. If they hit the hole first time, innocence was assumed. A short walk in either direction from the church gives long views over the bay and the cliffs.

things to do sight
A story
In May 1578 a raiding party of MacDonalds from Uist landed at Ardmore, walked up to Trumpan and set fire to the church while a MacLeod congregation was inside at Sunday service. All but one of the worshippers were burned alive. The survivor ran to Dunvegan and raised the alarm; the MacLeods unfurled their Fairy Flag and caught the MacDonalds on the beach before they could re-embark. The retribution was complete — the MacDonald raiders were killed and buried under the dyke at the shore in what is still called the Battle of the Spoiled Dyke.

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