thesweetcheat

Only a low bank tops the northwestern side of the fort, with the steep scarp providing plenty of natural defence.

Impressive inturned banks flank the eastern entrance.

The southeastern ramparts, looking towards Yatesbury.

The straight rampart that separates the lower southwestern part of the fort from the rest of the interior – presumably this represents an earlier extent of the fort?

Looking down on the curving outer defences to the west, from the (presumably earlier) straight southwestern rampart.

Impressive multivallate defences on the west side of the fort. The possible Calne Without long barrow can be seen to the left of the picture.

View towards Calne.

The western ramparts, looking SSW towards Morgan’s Hill.

The western ramparts below the monument, looking NW.

Approaching from the direction of the cross dyke. The earthwork crowns the escarpment above.

Under big Wessex skies.

The view from the top of the mound to the sunlit barrows on the western summit of Cherhill Hill.

The mound, whether long barrow or not.

The speculative barrow from the east.

The speculative long barrow in front of the obelisk, seen from the western part of Cherhill Hill.

Looking across the dyke towards the western summit of Cherhill Hill, where there is a group of three or four Bronze Age round barrows.

Looking ENE along the dyke towards the white horse.

The earthwork remains to a decent height.

The dyke is bisected by a track/bridleway. Looking north.

Landscape context from Cherhill Hill to the NNE. Various round barrows encircle the summit masts.

The southern barrow.

The southern of the three barrows I found (2d), looking towards Morgan’s Hill.

Western barrow.

The western barrow, looking over the escarpment towards Calne.

The western of the three barrows I found (2a?). Looking towards Morgan’s Hill.

The northern arc of the bank surrounding the largest barrow. Cherhill village lies in shadow far below.

Looking over the largest barrow towards Morgan’s Hill, with its own barrows.

The dished centre of the largest barrow. Looking WNW towards Calne.

Detail of the bank of the largest barrow.

The largest of the three barrows I found, possibly 2c (or maybe the pond barrow?). Looking east towards Oldbury hillfort.

Curving sweep of the ramparts at the south of the fort.

Oblique shot of the two inturned banks flanking the original southern entrance to the fort.

The ground falls away steeply to the south and west.

Attempts to control the vegetation are welcome, as the earthworks of this fort are very decent.

Southern end of the ramparts.

Further clearance work, between inner and middle ramparts.

Outer bank and vegetation-choked outer ditch, northeast side of the fort.

Towering trees crowd the top of the banks, northeast side of the fort.

The controlled burning in the ditch evidences attempts to control and clear some of the self-seeded saplings on the earthworks.

Between middle and inner banks, NE side of the fort.

The northern section of inner bank.

Standing on the inner bank, north side of the fort. The figures on the path below are just passing through the much slighter outer bank.

There appears to be a slight counter-scarp around the inside of the northern arc of defences.

The cliffs fall precipitously down to the Avon Gorge on the SW side of the fort. Tunnels and a cave honeycomb the rock beneath the fort.

Any signs of the original habitation inside the fort have been lost under landscaping and the building of the striking observatory building.

Inner bank, NE side of the fort.

The slight (and rather manicured) outer bank on the NE side of the fort.

Landscape context from the NNW, on a very overcast day. The fort occupies a spur off the highest part of the wooded hill across the valley, to the left of the Tyndale Monument. From Stinchcombe Hill, once thought to be site of its own Iron Age camp/beacon.