• Home
  • Attractions
    • The Tank Museum >
      • The Tank Story
    • Royal Signals Museum
    • Monkey World
    • Sea Life Adventure Park >
      • Jurassic Skyline Tower
    • Swanage Steam Railway
    • Abbotsbury >
      • Abbotsbury Swannery
      • Abbotsbury Children's Farm
      • Abbotsbury Gardens
    • Farmer Palmers
    • Dinosaur Museum
    • Wimborne Model Town
    • Splashdown
    • Over the Border >
      • Fleet Air Arm Museum
      • Pecorama
      • Seaton Tramway
  • Places to See
    • Historic Towns and Buildings >
      • Kingston Lacy
      • Clouds Hill
      • Wareham
      • Dorchester >
        • The Roman Town House
      • Shaftesbury
      • Sturminster Newton
      • Hardy's Monument
    • Scenic Walks >
      • Arne Nature Reserve
      • Tyneham
      • Hardy's Cottage
      • Lower Bockhampton
      • Cerne Abbas
      • Brownsea Island
      • Moreton
      • Stanton St Gabriel
      • Tout Quarry
    • Iron Age Forts >
      • Maiden Castle
      • Eggardon Hill
      • Badbury Rings
    • Castles >
      • Corfe Castle >
        • Corfe Castle Re-enactments
      • Sherborne Castle
      • Portland Castle
      • Lulworth Castle
      • The Nothe Fort
  • Beaches and Coast
    • Seaside Towns >
      • Weymouth
      • Lyme Regis
      • Swanage
      • Charmouth
      • Seatown
      • Seaton
    • Beaches >
      • The Chesil Beach >
        • The Fleet Lagoon
        • Ferry Bridge
        • West Bay
        • Burton Hive
        • Cogden Beach
        • West Bexington
      • Ringstead Bay
      • Lulworth Cove
      • Durdle Door
      • Studland
    • Features and Viewpoints >
      • Portland
      • Redcliff Point
      • White Nothe
      • Mupe Bay
      • Kimmeridge
      • Chapman's Pool
      • St Aldhelm's Head
      • Worth Matravers
      • Winspit
      • Fossil Forest
      • Dancing Ledge
      • Golden Cap
      • Durlston
      • Old Harry Rocks
  • Things To Do
    • Walks and Walking >
      • Lulworth Range Walks
    • Fishing and Angling >
      • Fishing Lakes and Rivers
      • Fishing and Sea Angling
    • Sailing Tall Ships
    • Fleet Observer (Boat Trip)
    • Jurassic Drive
    • Segway Tours
    • Fly a Plane!
  • Events
    • TankFest
    • Great Dorset Steam Fair
    • Dorset County Show
    • Chickerell Steam and Vintage Show
    • The Waverley
    • Weymouth Seafood Festival
  • Places to Stay
    • Sea Barn Farm Camping Park, Weymouth
    • West Fleet Holiday Farm, Weymouth
    • Bagwell Farm Touring Park, Weymouth
    • Static Caravans & Lodges
    • Dorset Camping Parks Directory
  • Pubs & Grub
    • Eating Out
    • Pubs
    • Speciality Foods >
      • Dorset Blue Vinny
      • Farm Shops
      • Dorset Knobs
  • Map of Dorset
  • Gear
    • Electric Hook-ups
    • Campfires and BBQs
    • Torches & Torchlight
  • Get in Touch
    • Privacy & Cookies
www.dorsetcamper.com

Eggardon Hill

Eggardon Hill...

Wild flowers at Eggardon Hill iron age fort
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 it's just a beautiful place and some peace and quiet you’re after, Eggardon is the place to be.

Eggardon provides commanding views of the surrounding countryside and...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...​"


Views from Eggardon Hill iron age fort
Eggardon Hill

Scenic Walks at Eggardon Hill Iron Age Fort
Iron age Hill Fort at Eggardon


Picture
Click for information from the National Trust's website

www.DorsetCamper.com

Another web site from 2nd Pillar Projects
© 2016
All images and text © 2nd Pillar Projects unless otherwise stated
Contact Us
2nd Pillar Projects © COPYRIGHT 2016.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Tweets by @DorsetCamper
  • Home
  • Attractions
    • The Tank Museum >
      • The Tank Story
    • Royal Signals Museum
    • Monkey World
    • Sea Life Adventure Park >
      • Jurassic Skyline Tower
    • Swanage Steam Railway
    • Abbotsbury >
      • Abbotsbury Swannery
      • Abbotsbury Children's Farm
      • Abbotsbury Gardens
    • Farmer Palmers
    • Dinosaur Museum
    • Wimborne Model Town
    • Splashdown
    • Over the Border >
      • Fleet Air Arm Museum
      • Pecorama
      • Seaton Tramway
  • Places to See
    • Historic Towns and Buildings >
      • Kingston Lacy
      • Clouds Hill
      • Wareham
      • Dorchester >
        • The Roman Town House
      • Shaftesbury
      • Sturminster Newton
      • Hardy's Monument
    • Scenic Walks >
      • Arne Nature Reserve
      • Tyneham
      • Hardy's Cottage
      • Lower Bockhampton
      • Cerne Abbas
      • Brownsea Island
      • Moreton
      • Stanton St Gabriel
      • Tout Quarry
    • Iron Age Forts >
      • Maiden Castle
      • Eggardon Hill
      • Badbury Rings
    • Castles >
      • Corfe Castle >
        • Corfe Castle Re-enactments
      • Sherborne Castle
      • Portland Castle
      • Lulworth Castle
      • The Nothe Fort
  • Beaches and Coast
    • Seaside Towns >
      • Weymouth
      • Lyme Regis
      • Swanage
      • Charmouth
      • Seatown
      • Seaton
    • Beaches >
      • The Chesil Beach >
        • The Fleet Lagoon
        • Ferry Bridge
        • West Bay
        • Burton Hive
        • Cogden Beach
        • West Bexington
      • Ringstead Bay
      • Lulworth Cove
      • Durdle Door
      • Studland
    • Features and Viewpoints >
      • Portland
      • Redcliff Point
      • White Nothe
      • Mupe Bay
      • Kimmeridge
      • Chapman's Pool
      • St Aldhelm's Head
      • Worth Matravers
      • Winspit
      • Fossil Forest
      • Dancing Ledge
      • Golden Cap
      • Durlston
      • Old Harry Rocks
  • Things To Do
    • Walks and Walking >
      • Lulworth Range Walks
    • Fishing and Angling >
      • Fishing Lakes and Rivers
      • Fishing and Sea Angling
    • Sailing Tall Ships
    • Fleet Observer (Boat Trip)
    • Jurassic Drive
    • Segway Tours
    • Fly a Plane!
  • Events
    • TankFest
    • Great Dorset Steam Fair
    • Dorset County Show
    • Chickerell Steam and Vintage Show
    • The Waverley
    • Weymouth Seafood Festival
  • Places to Stay
    • Sea Barn Farm Camping Park, Weymouth
    • West Fleet Holiday Farm, Weymouth
    • Bagwell Farm Touring Park, Weymouth
    • Static Caravans & Lodges
    • Dorset Camping Parks Directory
  • Pubs & Grub
    • Eating Out
    • Pubs
    • Speciality Foods >
      • Dorset Blue Vinny
      • Farm Shops
      • Dorset Knobs
  • Map of Dorset
  • Gear
    • Electric Hook-ups
    • Campfires and BBQs
    • Torches & Torchlight
  • Get in Touch
    • Privacy & Cookies