Woodbury Hill (Great Witley) Hillfort View all content for Woodbury Hill (Great Witley)

Visited 30.3.11 I found a place to park next to a field gate on the surprisingly busy B4197. From here a public footpath takes you across a field up to the edge of the trees which encompass Woodbury Hill. The public footpath then runs along the bottom of the hill although of course what I was after lay at the top! The trees, brambles and wild undergrowth of the hill looked a formidable challenge and I feared I would have no chance of getting to the top. (No wonder Owain Glyndwr in 1405 chose this site as a base and no wonder the English decided not to attack him!) Luckily I came across a 4x4 track which zig zagged its way up and I gratefully took this route. (This track is not noted on my O/S map) After a stiff climb I eventually reached the top and came across a pheasant pen (hence the track leading up the hill). The views would have been wonderful but for the trees. As I was conscious of Karen being sat in the car with the children and it taking a lot longer than I was expecting to climb to the top, I decided to only investigate the southern most defences. These consisted of little more than a single shallow bank/ditch. The O/S map suggests the defences to the north of the site are more pronounced? Needless to say I managed to get lost going down the hill (there are several 4x4 tracks which criss-cross each other) and ended up battling through the brambles/bushes/trees down the steep slope. Luckily I came out at the top of the field I was after and after a dodgy leap over a barbed wired fence I returned to the car. It took 30 minutes to walk from the road to the top of the hill and in all honesty I would say it is one for the dedicated only. I have an interest in Owain Glyndwr so for me it was worth the effort.

Posted by CARL 1st April 2011ce

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