Segsbury Camp Hillfort View all content for Segsbury Camp

Walked up to Segsbury Camp today from the village of Letcombe Regis (having started from Letcombe Bassett). A steep but steady uphill walk to Segsbury Castle - the narrow road is little used except for farm vehicles. Segsbury is a huge hillfort cut in two by the road and on the edge of the Oxfordshire section of the Ridgeway. The hillfort and surrounding meadows are under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Countryside Access Scheme; sheep graze on one side of the hillfort whilst wild flowers flourish on the other. There is something about the downland hillforts that never fails to have a rejuvenating effect - today I walked up there under my own personal dark cloud. The clean fresh air and this grand Iron Age endeavour with its magnificent skyscapes blew my cloud away, somehow everything fell back into place. I had a strong sense that this hillfort must have once held a community of people - its massive diameter seemed far too big to be just a defensive position. Leaving the hillfort for the Ridgeway caused a minor problem as the step to the very high stile was missing. Not blessed with paticularly long legs I had to do a bit of precarious clambouring and jumping to gain access to the Ridgeway before walking for about half a mile or so to another stile (this one fine). Then a lovely downhill walk on springy meadowland back to Letcombe Bassett. Spotted my first ever stoat which ran across across our path several metres ahead.

Posted by tjj 11th May 2011ce Edited 12th May 2011ce

Comments (1)
The kind of day to lift the heart June (stile notwithstanding).	Posted by thesweetcheat 12th May 2011ce
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