Hambledon Hill

Hambledon Hill rises steeply to 190 metres above the Blackmore Vale and the River Stour, one of the best preserved Iron Age hillforts in Britain and part of one of the finest Neolithic landscapes in Europe. From the ramparts you can see across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, which explains its strategic pull over thousands of years, and in 1645 Cromwell's troops routed the Clubmen here, local people who had taken up arms against both sides in the Civil War. Today it is a National Nature Reserve and a rare stretch of unimproved chalk grassland, with 28 species of butterfly including the Adonis blue and dark green fritillary, at least five kinds of orchid, and glow worms and brown hares. Dogs are welcome on the open hill, with short leads advised near livestock. Reviewers rate the views, sunrises and sunsets and the shelter of the terraces on windy days, while noting there is little interpretation on site. Tips from visitors: there is no car park, just a small lay-by for four cars south-east of Child Okeford or parking in the village, and the climb is steep on lumpy ground unsuitable for wheelchairs.