Danebury
A much-dug Iron Age hillfort on a chalk hill in Hampshire, its grassy ramparts free to wander and wide views from the top
Open accesson open access land, where the right to roam applies
Earthworks onlybanks, ditches and platforms — read the ground, not walls
Danebury is an Iron Age hillfort — a hilltop ringed by banks and ditches — on a low chalk hill north-west of Stockbridge. People lived behind its ramparts for roughly 500 years, from around 550 BC, and the archaeologist Barry Cunliffe dug here across two decades, which is why Danebury counts as one of the most thoroughly excavated hillforts in Britain. The earthworks are grassy and easy to walk, wooded on top now, with long views over the Test valley. Access is open and free, the Test Way runs nearby, and Danebury Vineyard takes its name from the hill just to the south.
