A hill in North Ayrshire, much denuded by a quarrying, Carwinning (or Caerwinning) Hill rises to 200m (656 feet) 2 miles (3 km) west southwest of Kilbirnie and 2¼ miles (3.5 km) north of Dalry. Around its summit are the increasingly scant remains of an ancient hill-fort and Bronze-Age cairn. The hill-fort has a commanding situation and was once surrounded by three concentric ramparts, but their stone was removed in the earlier 19th C. for building walls and the more recent quarrying activities have now obliterated its northeastern section. Archaeological excavations before the quarrying began revealed footings for a palisade, post-holes from buildings which once lay within the walls of the fort, together with an urn, bronze chisel and stone axe. There is evidence of post-Mediaeval occupation, which give some credence to the suggestion that the Scottish forces under King Alexander III (1241-86) stayed here on their way to defeat the Danes at the Battle of Largs in 1263.
The First Edition Ordnance Survey map shows an old copper mine on its southeastern slopes, but records suggest that this did not prove greatly productive and was abandoned.
