Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide logoThe Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · South West England

Iron Age hill-forts of southern Britain

Six monumental earthworks from Dorset to Sussex.

Between 800 BC and the Roman invasion of 43 AD, southern Britain's tribal kingdoms built tens of thousands of hill-forts — defensive enclosures on summit ridges, marked by huge earth ramparts and ditches. The best surviving examples remain among the most evocative archaeological sites in Britain. This tour focuses on the south, where excavation has been most thorough.

Places in this guide

Bartinney Castle📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Bartinney Castle

Bartinney Castle — Iron Age enclosure in Cornwall, England, UK.

Free🐕
Nine Stones📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Nine Stones

Nine Stones — Bronze Age stone circle near Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset, England, United Kingdom.

Free🐕👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Ballowall Barrow📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Ballowall Barrow

Ballowall Barrow — archaeological site in St Just, Cornwall, England, UK.

Free🐕👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Okehampton Castle📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Okehampton Castle

Okehampton Castle — motte and bailey castle with associated earthworks north of the West Okement River.

Free🐕👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Sweet Track📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Sweet Track

Sweet Track — ancient causeway in the Somerset Levels, England.

Free🐕
Stanton Drew stone circles📷 3

Hill forts · South West England

Stanton Drew stone circles

Stanton Drew stone circles — Neolithic henge monument; stone circles.

🐕👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Glastonbury Lake Village📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Glastonbury Lake Village

Glastonbury Lake Village — former Iron Age village in Somerset, England, UK.

Free🐕
Blackbrook Tavern, Rushington - geograph.org.uk - 1471211📷 5

Hill forts · South West England

Cambria Farm

Cambria Farm — historic site in Somerset, England.

Free🐕↗ pastscape.org.uk