Gaer Hill

Nearest town:
Chepstow (4km SE)
OS reference:
ST517979
OS sheet:
162
Latitude:
51° 40' 38.17 N
Longitude:
2° 41' 55.04 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by thesweetcheat

Baking hot July landscape context for the fort (centre skyline), from Wyndcliff Hill to the southeast.

Image credit: A. Brookes (16.7.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 14, 2023
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Eastern inner defences looking from within – much clearer with a ground plan, it has to be said.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

The well-established trees ensured the eastern arc of outer defences was my favourite part of the site.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Inner defences with weather conditions deteriorating somewhat...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Incidentally, the wondrous Black Cliff promontory fort is within the woodland to the right of the near tree.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Outer bank and ditch within the trees to east.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Eastern arc of the outer defences... don’t you just love those trees?

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 28, 2022
Image of Gaer Hill (Hillfort) by thesweetcheat

The interior of the fort, with views over the Severn and the Wye.

Image credit: A. Brookes (29.8.2009)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 6, 2009

Articles

An extensive bi-vallate enclosure with grandstand views of the Severn Estuary.

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 27, 2022

Gaer Hill

C
CARL Jul 9, 2010

Visited 28.6.10.
Parking is quite difficult and the nearest place I could find was near Ivy Cottage a couple of hundred yards down thel ane from the public footpath. You need to climb up a short but very steep bank off the lane, over the stile and then it’s becomes an easier walk up through the field to the hillfort. It only takes 5 minutes. The best preserved section of the ramparts are those directly in front of you although they do continue to the left into the next field and to the right into the trees. Great views, including the Severn Bridges away in the distance.

Gaer Hill

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 6, 2009

What a great hillfort! Visited on a sunny August day (29.8.2009), walking up from Tintern. The approach from the north opens up views to the east over Gloucestershire. A WT station is situated on the summit of the hill. Passing around this a wonderful view over the Severn estuary appears, looking towards Chepstow and the Wye, the two Severn Bridges and beyond.

The fort itself is a quite small, bivallate construction. None of the ramparts or ditches are very large or deep. Definitely worth a visit though for the views alone.

Miscellaneous

Gaer Hill
Hillfort
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 27, 2022

This large, powerful hillfort lies just a mile to the southwest of the wondrous Black Cliff promontory fort... but couldn’t really be any more different in terms of siting or ground plan. Hence, combining visits made a lot of sense upon a somewhat inclement February day. Well, while in the area it’d be rude not to, right?

Furthermore, unlike the much smaller enclosure, access is pretty straightforward, a public footpath sign indicating the way at the junction with the road approaching Penterry Farm etc (where, incidentally, I was able to park up with undue fuss). Hey, if in doubt, look for the transmitter antennae which now also crown the hilltop – one assumes not an original Iron Age feature.....

Understanding the ground plan of Gaer Hill is not so simple should you happen to lack a 1:25K OS map. However, in summary, a powerful inner enclosure is nowadays supplemented by significant surviving outer ramparts to south and east, the latter (together with the eastern flank of the inner) lying within the trees and quite substantial in form. One presumes these outer defences – once upon a time, anyway – formed a continuous circuit?

Also of note is a rather fine panorama looking across Chepstow racecourse to the mouth of the Severn Estuary, whereby the spellbound traveller can appreciate a grandstand view of journey’s end for two of Pumlumon’s iconic watercourses: Hafren and Gwy. Pumlumon should really need no introduction.

Sites within 20km of Gaer Hill

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