About
Badbury Hill is a wooded hilltop on the National Trust's Buscot and Coleshill Estate west of Faringdon, Oxfordshire, with views north over the Thames flood plain. Close to the car park, inside the beech wood known as Badbury Clump, lie the inner ditch and ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort built around 600 BC and used until the first century AD; tradition places the Battle of Badon, the victory later credited to King Arthur, here. The wood is famous for bluebells in late April and May, and a forgotten Second World War firing range trained Britain's secret resistance fighters. Reviewers praise the easy paths for children and pushchairs, the summer shade and a dirt track used by young mountain bikers. Tips from visitors: the pay and display car park fills on bluebell weekends, so arrive early; there are no toilets, cafe or picnic benches. Dogs are welcome under close control, with a lead ready near wildlife. The waymarked 1.2-mile pink route circles the hillfort from the car park.
Check today’s timesSee all times
- CountrysideDawn – Dusk
Opening times may change at short notice.
Open countryside: the Trust's calendar shows the woods open dawn to dusk every day to 31 December 2026, with no closures listed.
No toilets on site; uneven surfaces around the woods, with steep gradients and loose or muddy forestry tracks in wet weather. The hillfort itself is largely flat.
Dogs are welcome under close control; there may be local restrictions in woodland or on farmland at certain times of year, for example between March and July when ground-nesting birds are raising young.
Bins by the car park but none in the woods: take rubbish and dog waste home. Please keep to the marked paths through the bluebells.
Photo: Beeches, sycamores and bluebells on Badbury Hill. Brian Robert Marshall, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bluebell_woods,_Badbury_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1777345.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
Dogs at the location: Allowed. Dogs are welcome across the woods and hillfort under close control; there are no buildings.
Dog walks in the grounds: Allowed. Dogs welcome on the woodland paths and the waymarked pink route under close control, with a lead ready near wildlife; look out for local notices, as there may be seasonal restrictions in woodland or on farmland (for example March to July for ground-nesting birds). Free access, parking charges for non-members.
Leads: Close control at all times; carry a lead for livestock or wildlife and use it when asked.
Seasonal dog restrictions: Possible local restrictions in woodland or on farmland, for example lambing or March to July for ground-nesting birds; watch for notices.
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Walking routes2 routes
Badbury short woodland walk (pink route)(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkeasyDog friendly1.9 km
