Eggardon Hill is an Iron Age Hill Fort between Dorchester and Bridport. Built about
2500 years ago it is now owned by the National Trust.
Not to be confused with Thomas Hardy’s “Egdon Heath”, which is the fictional name
the great author gave to the heathland East of his home at Higher Bockhampton, Eggardon
provides commanding views of the surrounding countryside and distant views of the
English Channel.
Eggardon is a great place for walking and taking in the rich, green and undulating
scenery. On a clear day it is airy, fresh and magnificent. On a grey day, brooding
and mysterious. Small wonder then that some say they have seen ghostly legions marching
through the area (perhaps helped by the nearby Roman Road) whilst others claim to
have seen UFOs!
Tall tales? Maybe, but one thing is certain, the Ancient Brits sure knew a good place
for a hill fort. Whether looked at from a scenic or defensive perspective, Eggardon
Hill is in the right place. It’s steep sloping sides give excellent visibility of
the lower lying lands around and would have provided a formidable defence to any
attacking army.
Either of these could provide the reasons why 1000 years after it was built, the
hill fort at Eggardon was being used by the Saxons for twice yearly court meetings.
And building the concentric rings of the fort on such high and sloping terrain would
have been no easy task for ancient Britain or modern ones either!.
The essential design of the Fort at Eggardon is similar to that of the much bigger
Maiden Castle, just down the old Roman Road near Dorchester. A series of banks and
ditches were dug around a central defensive compound. Although smaller and less impressive
as an engineering work compared to its Dorchester neighbour, Eggardon is a match
to Maiden Castle, from a scenic perspective.
Where Maiden Castle looks out onto Dorchester, Eggardon Hill looks out over almost
uninterrupted countryside. And being that little bit farther from any major town
or village, Eggardon is usually much less well frequented by visitors, although consequently
parking is limited. For serious walkers there is always access on foot!
If it’s Iron Age earth works you are after, Maiden Castle is bigger and better. Although
if you are really into Iron Age earth works you’ll want to see Eggardon and Maiden
Castle and probably throw in Poundbury and Maumbury Ring as well. All of which are
within a few miles of Dorchester. But if its just a beautiful place and some peace
and quiet you’re after, Eggardon is the place to be.
