Oldbury Hill

Oldbury Hill hides one of the largest and finest Iron Age hillforts in Britain beneath a wooded ridge near Ightham, on the Greensand Ridge above the Weald. Built around 100 BC beside the old route between Maidstone and Godstone, the fort enclosed 123 acres behind more than two miles of ramparts and palisades, with earthworks needed on only three sides because the eastern slope is so steep. Burnt remains and piles of slingshots suggest its occupants left in a hurry around 50 BC as the Romans advanced, and the sandstone rock shelters in the ridge were in use some 55,000 years ago. Today oak, birch and Scots pine cover the ramparts, heather and bilberry survive from the old heathland, and the Trust is reviving traditional Wealden oak coppicing. Dogs are allowed across the site. Reviewers enjoy the birdsong, the quiet and the glimpses over the Weald and the North Downs, though several admit the hillfort is hard to make out under the trees. Tips from visitors: the free car park on Styants Bottom Road is small, some paths to the top are steep, and there are no toilets.