The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Fieldnotes by neogeek

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Burrough Hill (Hillfort)

I think this a super site. It's in a really pretty part of Leicestershire, there is a little car park for those (like me) who don't always want to drag family members across miles of trackless moor, and it's only a short walk to the fort itself.It has an obvious entrance where a guard house was situated. The ramparts are high all round and the hill at the back of the fort is really steep and high.I know, I walked up it and it took about twenty minutes to get my breath back. The view over rural Leicestershire is very dramatic, but visit early or late if you want atmosphere, there seem to be quite a few visitors and people flying kites or model aeroplanes!

Oldox Camp (Hillfort)

In a part of the country which is thin on the ground in anything worth seeing,Oldox camp is a real gem.I went to find it on hearsay, without a map, and after a nice walk through some fields, it just appeared off to the right of the path.Very easy to find.There is an entrance directly facing the tumulus adjacent to the camp with some low but nicely pronounced ditches and earthworks.The walls get higher as you go further round the camp, and as you reach the entrance at the back, they are really impressive and built on quite a steep slope.It's not too overgrown with trees either.There is a small straight ridge running from the camp to the direction of the village of Oxton; it's only a few metres long, but I'd be interested to know if it's part of the camp or some later agricultural addition.The view from the top of the earthwork is something else.I've read that there were other settlements close to Oldox but I don't know where they were, and I don't think they exist anymore.There is a sunken lane running from the village towards the camp.Pretty and fascinating site.
I found a prehistoric guide book written in 1960 which says," This hill-fort is roughly triangular and encloses 1.5 acres. Outside the NW entrance there is a barrow over 90ft across...Roman coins in a pot and a Saxon burial have been found here, but the mound is either a barrow of c. 1,700-1,400 BC or a natural hillock". Nicholas Thomas 'Guide to Prehistoric England' 1976
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