Maiden Castle, Dorset

Yes, I've paused at Weymouth a couple of times on my way to the Channel Islands and skimmed through on A roads and bypasses on my way to Hampshire or Devon; but up until last weekend, though I live in the next county, I had never actually visited Dorset.

My visit was prompted by my fascination with pre-Roman British history.  Dorset is home to a major site that was inhabited from the Bronze Age right through to the Roman era: Maiden Castle, and I wanted to see it. We set off early-ish on Friday morning so we could visit the fortification before lunch and checking in to our hotel.

Maiden Castle's gravel car park is a small, triangular affair at the end of a narrow track, right at the foot of the hill, which probably got its name from the ancient British mai-dun, meaning "great hill." There are no other facilities, so best to get  'comfortable' before you set off!

Ascending Maiden Castle, I began to get a sense of the enormity of the task of building such massive fortifications with tools made from what the ancient Durotriges tribe and their ancestors could mine or find lying around.

We walked around the inner earth embankment, looking down into the steep ditches between the folds around the hill, then to the Roman Temple ruins before completing the circuit. We then walked around a second time, taking one of the outer embankments which gave a completely different viewpoint.  Dorset is clearly visible in the near distance, but Maiden Castle is a very peaceful, relaxing place to visit.  Families and couples were picnicking on the huge grass area on top of the hill, or in the nooks created by the folds of the embankments.  Sheep wander fearlessly around, reluctantly getting up from basking on the path in front of any walkers who approach.

If we had visited at dawn, I believe we would have seen much more wildlife; but as it was we still saw falcons, buzzards, a skylark which gave its position away with its amazing song, butterflies and a diverse range of wild plants and flowers.  The site is surrounded by crop fields; and in the one alongside the car park there is a tumulus that, in June, looks spectacular in a field of yellow oilseed flowers.

Mountain bike cyclists also enjoy this amazing place on their travels, as do paragliders and kite fliers.  Visitors treat the hill with respect, removing all traces of picnics and snacks.

For anyone visiting because of the Roman connection, I would also recommend visiting the remains of the Romano-British house in Dorchester; the most complete excavation of its type in the country, it sits alongside the Country Hall and is free to visit.