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Shapwick

Badbury Rings Iron Age Hillfort

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United Kingdom

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South West England

Dorset

East Dorset

Shapwick

Badbury Rings Iron Age Hillfort

Recommended by 34 hikers out of 35

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape

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Location: Shapwick, East Dorset, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

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Best Hikes to Badbury Rings Iron Age Hillfort

4.0

(2)

hikers

1. Badbury Rings, White Mill & Shapwick loop — Cranborne Chase

12.9km

03:22

90m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

3.0

(1)

hikers

2. Badbury Rings and White Mill loop — National Trust

12.1km

03:10

90m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

5.0

(1)

hikers

3. Withchampton & Moor Crichel loop from Badbury Rings — Cranbourne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs

18.1km

04:46

170m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Intermediate

Tips

Mike Cree

July 19, 2024

Badbury Rings is an Iron Age hill fort and Scheduled Monument in east Dorset, England. In the Roman era a temple was located immediately west of the fort, and there was a Romano-British town known as Vindocladia ( Known today as Shapwick ) a short distance to the south-west.

It sits over 300 feet above sea level, and there are two main phases of construction; the first covered 18 acres and was defended by multiple ditches, while the second was more than twice the size, covering 41 acres and defended by a single ditch and rampart. These ramparts make for great walking, but imagine the terror of trying to scale one whilst under attack from the occupants. Once you'd scaled one, there were more waiting for you. No wonder it was the last fort to be sacked by the Romans. Wonder just how many soldiers died trying to take it.

Until 1983 Badbury Rings was privately owned as part of the Kingston Lacy estate, and the owners discouraged investigation of the site.[2] The site now belongs to the National Trust.[2] A survey of the hillfort by the RCHME was begun in 1993. The summit area was cleared of undergrowth by the National Trust in 1997 and the conifer plantation was thinned out. A survey in 1998, which recorded 28 potential hut sites within the ramparts, although some depressions are probably caused by uprooted trees. The first excavations, led by Martin Papworth, took place in 2004, when three evaluation trenches were dug. Almost all of the pottery found was dated to the Late Iron Age. The current evidence does not suggest that the hillfort was a principal settlement in the Early Iron Age. It seems likely that the hillfort became depopulated towards the end of the Late Iron Age, perhaps as the Vindocladia settlement near Shapwick developed.

Kit P

February 23, 2021

This incredibly impressive Iron Age hillfort lies in an area with Bronze Age remnants, Roman remains and numerous other historic markers. Badbury Rings is one of a well-defined string of Iron Age hillforts that stretches through Dorset from Hengistbury Head to Hambledon Hill.

Owned by the National Trust, this fort is free to explore and offers wonderful views of the surroundings.

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Elevation 100 m

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Location: Shapwick, East Dorset, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

Badbury Rings Iron Age Hillfort

1. Badbury Rings, White Mill & Shapwick loop — Cranborne Chase

2. Badbury Rings and White Mill loop — National Trust

3. Withchampton & Moor Crichel loop from Badbury Rings — Cranbourne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs

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