thesweetcheat

Looking along the western rampart, essentially just the natural scarp of the hill. The southern rampart, with drystone wall on top, can be seen on the far left of the picture.

The unattributed monument at the NW of the ramparts.

The Cotswold Way enters the fort at its tree-root eroded NW corner.

The NW corner of the camp, from the Cotswold Way to the southwest.

The bank on the southern side, bounded by a modern path along the shallow ditch. Looking west.

Paths criss-cross the site, making it difficult to know what gaps in the earthwork are modern or original.

Bank along the northwestern side of the fort, looking SW.

The northern end of the earthwork, showing the ground sloping away to the NW.

Looking south along the eastern ditch.

Impressive bank and ditch on the eastern side.

In the ditch near the SE corner.

The SE corner of the earthwork.

Hailes Wood from Hailes. The settlement earthwork is deep in the woods now.

Reconstructive drawing on fort’s info board.

Showing the impressively preserved inturned banks flanking the eastern entrance.

Standing on the inturned bank of the eastern entrance, looking towards Titterstone Clee.

Looking across the fort interior from the southeast corner.

Standing on the southern rampart looking outwards.

Southern rampart.

The southern rampart.

The western rampart from the southern rampart.

Looking across the fort from the southwestern corner, towards the (now) internal rampart that was probably the original western end of the fort.

Looking south from the southwestern corner of the fort, showing the ground sloping away towards Ledwyche Brook.

Inside the western rampart.

The western rampart from the annex.

At the fort’s northwestern corner, the rampart is cut by an entrance gap that gives access to the western annexe. The end of the rampart is being steadily damaged by tractor tyres. Looking south.

The rampart is at its slightest on the northern side, where the fort relies on the naturally steep slope for defence. The town of Ludlow lies in the Teme valley below.

Brown Clee (left) and Titterstone Clee (right), from the slopes below Caynham Camp near Ludlow. Titterstone is the lower of the two, but the showier. Isn’t it often the way?

Titterstone Clee does its usual impressive job of dominating the countryside for miles around. From fields below Caynham Camp near Ludlow.

Possible round barrow next to The Ring.

Showing the central platform, flattened to accommodate a (now gone) golf green. In the background to the right is Nottingham Hill, with its massive hillfort.

Looking across the Vale of Severn.

The quarry face where the fort interior used to be. The ends of the northern rampart can be seen as the two rounded bumps left of centre in the picture.

The southern terminus of the ramparts above the quarry face.

The ends of the quarried away ramparts at the northern end of the fort.

Looking across the outer rampart, towards the summit of Cleeve Hill.

Looking from the outer rampart to the inner.

There is a gap through the ramparts at the NNE of the fort. Enterprising golf course designers have thoughtfully inserted a golf green.

The ends of the ramparts at the north of the fort, before they terminate at the quarry face. Bishop’s Cleeve village can be seen below.

Approaching the fort from the north, showing the devastating effect of quarrying on the west side.

At its western end, the ground drops away steeply. The village of Bishop’s Cleeve can be seen to the right, 250m metres lower than the hill.

Looking SE from the western end of the dyke. The highest point of Cleeve Hill, and the highest point in Gloucestershire, is just beyond the masts on the skyline.

Towards the western end of the dyke.

Gap in the dyke, just below the high point of the hill. Don’t know if this was always an access point, the hill has been completely messed up by the golf course.

Just below the high point of the hill.

Looking east.

The dyke snakes towards its highest point, below the northern summit of Cleeve Hill. Looking WSW.

Looking ENE along the eastern end of the cross dyke.

Dixton Hill, in poor January visibility, seen from Nottingham Hill fort to the south.

Standing below the NE rampart, looking SE.