The site was excavated in 1971-72 by Alan Small with part of the archive donated to RCAHMS after his death in 1999.

Following the survey of the fort by RCAHMS in 2013, Alison McCaig researched and catalogued all the material within the RCAHMS Collection relating to Craig Phadrig, and made enquiries about the location of the missing parts of Alan Small’s archive.

The result of this work (Craig Phadrig report PDF) documents how the fort has been examined and interpreted since the 1760s, from it first being considered the product of volcanic activity, to the discovery in the 1970s of evidence of its use as a high-status Pictish residence, and to the most recent survey. It also notes the numerous forms the name Craig Phadrig has taken over the centuries, and shows how the fort acted as an inspiration to poets and artists, and aroused the curiosity of inventors and engineers including James Watt and Thomas Telford. Finally, the report comments on the various ways the site has been depicted on maps and plans during that time, and ends by highlighting the need for such monuments to be surveyed to a consistent level of accuracy and depicted using a uniform set of conventions and symbology.

The project was carried out in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, whose financial support is gratefully acknowledged.

See also this talk by Matt Ritchie ( Forestry Commission Archaeologist) on the archaeological work taking place on Forestry Commission land.